allie

I'm a huge fan of Famous Ray's at the corner of Bloomfield near Prospect Ave... I find alot of pizza places in this area don't have a good crust, or don't use enough sauce. Ray's has a great balance of cheese & sauce, and their crust is SO tasty. Not super thin & old skool, but the perfect slice IMO.

Just a quick note to say..... I the Amazing Hot Dog. Chris & I paid our boys in Verona a visit last week, and once again were satisfied beyond belief for a grand total of $14.75 (plus tip of course!) between the 2 of us. In complete contrast to our dinner in the city the night before, where we ordered a lobster roll and fish & chips @ BLT Fish Shack- for a grand total of $85 including drinks & tip.. tasty food, but just not satisfying for the price (the lobster roll being exceptionally overpriced for the amount of lobster salad). High fives to Matt & Eric for always having such a positive attitude whenever we stop by for a doggie.

Chris was dying to try a Chicago italian beef sandwich, so we went down to J's a few weeks ago. We each ordered an italian beef and a authentic chicago doggie, and both of us were pleasantly surprised at how well the flavors of the many toppings on the chicago style doggie mixed together. Vienna all-beef dogs and the poppy seed bun are integral to the mix. Very good! Chris wasn't as into the italian beef (he found the beef a bit too dry- he actually compared it to Katz's pastrami being more juicy), but I enjoyed the spicy flavor of the meat. After this visit, Chris was dying to know how the Vienna dog stacks up minus all the "Chicago style" toppings, so we visited a second time. He ordered a charred doggie plain, and just added ketchup, as well as a chicago style dog. This time, I ordered the garlic kielbasa- I thought the kielbasa was TREMENDOUS and would order it again. Chris's final opinion was that he highly enjoyed the chicago doggie in its element (with all the chicago style toppings), but for a traditional hot dog, he would rather have a Best, Hebrew National or Sabrett. Regardless, J has a great product, is very passionate about what he is selling, and we will definitely return in the future.

Oh thank you for a hilarious flashback Jason! Chris & I used a "buy one entree, get one free" coupon from the Entertainment Book for Lee's about 3-4 years ago and had the same opinion- good, strong drinks and bad, american chinese food. I found the food very greasy, and the pu pu platter was a total gut-bomber (I suppose this is standard though). Even though the drinks were good, and I have a coupon every year from the Entertainment Book, I just can't see going back again.

Chris & I found another reason that AHD rocks- the gourmet desserts next door are delicious! Eric... definitely partner up with those gals if you can, that brownie/fudge bar you hooked us up with yesterday was delicious I went for a Melt this time around (with an Amazing instead of a Classic)- I'm definitely a bigger fan of the sauteed onions over the raw onions. They have less of the "pickled" flavor if that makes any sense. I am seriously blessed to have this place a mile from my house!

Doh! I wasn't online all weekend so I just saw this now. Congrats on the NBC promo guys, can't wait to see you again soon. I know Chris brought some co-workers there last week who loved their doggies. P.S. Chris also snuck in a take-out order recently for us when we returned from Mexico- I went for an amazing with cheez whiz/raw onions/ketchup. Even takeout Amazing Hot Dogs are delicious!

I've been meaning to post since last week, but have been busy prepping for a vacation in Mexico. Chris & I visited AHD last Tuesday and shared 3 doggies- My Schmiero, the Caped Crusader and the newbie.. the Phoenix (which, if I remember correctly was an Amazing with spicy relish, spicy brown mustard & the "sweet heat" chipoltle sambal) and it was so great to chow on these doggies again! Eric gave us a slight bit of shit for not ordering fries, but we seriously were just all about the dogs- this time. Chris hates cream cheese, but he was a good sport & tried the My Schmiero since I love it so much. He still wasn't sold on it, but he also doesn't like raw onions (yellow, white or green hehe) so he picked off the scallions. Those are the best part IMO! I tried the Caped Crusader for the first time, and was very happy with the combo of flavors. Definitely will be a favorite moving forward! As for the Phoenix.. I enjoyed the sambal sauce, but the other combo of flavors- although I loved the spice- just didn't quite do it for me. Next time, I'm going Reuben... the boys have pics on the wall of some of the doggies, and the Reuben looks so delicious! Great to have you back guys- when we get back from Mexico next week, AHD is the first place we're stopping for chow

Thats awesome! Chris & I drove past AHD today and saw you guys working hard inside. I was so excited to see the stacks of buns near the front door, and now seeing this post makes me jump for joy. See you guys this week

Thats great, I can't wait to feast on another tasty My Schmiero soon!! Since the world of NYT now knows its my computer wallpaper courtesy of my posts on eGullet, I think I need a closeup shot with me & My Schmiero as my eGullet avatar

I hope you guys don't move from Verona! I promise to continue bringing a steady stream of customers in from Montclair if you stay near Chris & I

Wow, I don't think I've ever read a bad review of Casa Vasca. Chris & I used to eat there all the time, but I haven't been back in about a year so possibly things have changed. I've always had good experiences there, but I did notice after eating there repeatedly that everything is *loaded* with garlic, so alot of the entrees have a similar taste.... I'll chow there again soon and post a review!

Yayyyyyyyy! I'm so glad to hear this guys. I just drove past AHD today and it made me whimper to see it so dark in there. I've had Jason's pic of the My Schmiero as my wallpaper, and I drool every day waiting for you guys to re-open. Congrats on the mental health rejuvenation, and best of luck getting AHD off the ground again.

Ugh, looking at those pictures just made me so sad. On a positive note though, I think you're going to have a line around the block the first day you re-open. I know Chris & I miss your doggies & fries already!

This is so sad! Chris read about this on Baristanet today and passed this on to me. We just brought friends there on Thursday, and Chris was planning on heading there today as well. Matt & Eric- best wishes and I'm thankful you guys are okay.

Chris & I *finally* made it to the Amazing Hot dog tonight. We're pathetic slackers- we live about 5 minutes down the road in Montclair, and I've been drooling over the pics posted here, yet tonight was our first visit. Oh well, good things really DO come to those who wait I ordered the My Schmiero after reading so many good things here, and Chris was sold into the Hawaii 5-0 by the gentleman behind the counter (I think his name was Vic? He is 1-2 of the pictures I've seen), as well as a small order of fries with a side of chipoltle mayo. While Chris wasn't *as* blown away by the combo of flavors on the Hawaii 5-0, he absolutely loved the snap & the taste of the dog itself. We were both impressed that the bacon didn't take over the flavor of the dog. I knew I was going to love the My Schmiero after seeing pictures and hearing so many good reviews, and I scarfed this down in seconds flat. I was so full, yet I wanted another so bad. This was SOOOO good; I can't wait to have another! The fries themselves were very tasty- we are FREAKS when it comes to fries... indulging quite often at Pommes Frites and some of the other belgian frites shops in the city, so I was pleasantly surprised to see Chipoltle mayo as a side dipper (rather than just cheez whiz or ketchup). And it was tasty too! It had quite a smoky flavor and was relatively spicy. I found the fries just slightly too greasy, but they were piping hot so I'll chalk that up to not shaking them enough after cooking. No big deal, they were still very tasty- skin on is always good. Last but not least, Matt introduced himself, and of course I mentioned seeing rave reviews all over eGullet. All in all, a huge thumbs up to our new neighbor. We'll be back!

Glenn, I am so sorry to hear Melt is closing You have a great concept, I truly hope you find another location in the future, and try again! You've been a great inspiration to all of us with your dedication to making the business work.

Awww, thats cool the website is up & running. I actually referred Tammy to a web hosting company running by a good friend of mine, the time I went to Stickey's for chow. He loved working with her on their site, so I'm glad its finally done

I just saw this thread now. Wow, I had no idea! I live very close to Greek Delights and walk past quite often. I did not even notice they were closed- how sad for his family!!

Yes I walk past Gina's every day to/from the train station, and it smells so good. Their chocolate chip (or maybe they were chunk, I cant remember!) cookies are AWESOME.

So do they actually have a liquor license for sangria? And most importantly... how was their cubano????

Interesting topic Curlz! I lived in SF for 3 years, and I have to say I've been disappointed the 2 times I tried Tinga Taqueria. I moved to Montclair about 2 years ago and was ecstatic to see a "taqueria" near me. I ordered 2 different burritos from them, via delivery each time and they just didn't have much "oomph". I didnt find the ingredients to be very spicy or flavorful, rather bland unfortunately. To be fair though, I haven't ordered from them in over a year, nor I have eaten at the actual restaurant. I'll give them another shot soon and will post a revised review

Yeah, this place seems to be getting alot of buzz. I've read that their fish tacos are very good, so I'm anxious to try these at some point if they continue to get good reviews. Gothamist wrote about their experience this week as well: Gothamist visits La Esquina

Well, my boyfriend Chris & I decided to walk down to Cafe One 15 today... we weren't really in the mood for Raymond's or Church St Cafe and sandwiches sounded good. So, our server highly recommended the One 15 Chilly Cheeseburger- Chris tried this and it was awesome! Here is the description: Ground beef seasoned with chili powder, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, topped with cheddar cheese, grilled onions, lettuce & tomatoes Chris asked for this minus onions, and it sounded as if onion may have been included in the ground beef mix (although it wasnt listed as such), because the server stated she would have to put this together fresh- but said the burger was so good, they would be happy to accommodate our request. A bit confusing, but we understood this to mean onions were also included in the ground beef mix. They were right about the burger being good though; this burger was spicy and I would order this again in a heartbeat. If you're a minimalist with your burgers, this may not be for you though...Btw, its only $6.95 I opted for the grilled chicken sandwich on a baguette, with avocado & feta. The chicken itself was marinated and extremely juicy, and the baguette was fresh- very good sandwich. This was $6.75. We ordered fries with one sandwich and mixed greens with the other (both included), and both were average.. a nice accompaniment but nothing special. Since we ordered water, our bill was just under $16- perfect! We will return for sure to try their omelettes (they serve breakfast until 3:00 PM on weekends) and will most likely come back when the weather cools down for their spanish food.

The first time I went, was about 3-4 days after it opened this season and tried one shack burger with cheese & one chicago style hot dog. The burger was oozing grease & gooey cheese (yum!) and the doggie was well... a salad on a bun hehehe... I went back yesterday for lunch at about 12:45 PM, and decided to try their shroom burger (my friend got his usual double shack burger with cheese, which is just EPIC). Well, the shroom burger is a deep fried, portobella which is coated with breading similar to onion rings, and stuffed with cheese & onions! Holy COW was this good. It was steaming hot by the way. They know how to do everything right at the Shake Shack

Chris & I made our 2nd trip to Melt this weekend, and once again the grilled cheeses were top-notch. Chris's gc: buffalo cheddar, edam & provolone with basil pesto & jalapeno jelly on multi-grain. This ended up being an epic choice! The pesto is bursting with flavor, and the sweetness of the jalapeno jelly was a perfect compliment. My gc: I was *just* about to get a special, the Montchevre with roasted red pepper sauce & cilantro butter, but I changed my mind at the last second and just ordered a choose your own with fresh mozzarella, pepper jack & roasted red pepper on levain. Why I wussed out on the special, I still don't know- that damn impulsive side of me took over I guess Again, the bread was perfectly grilled- my only complaint, was that there wasn't a huge amt of the red pepper sauce on my gc, which left it a bit dry. I *should've* just asked for extra at the time, as Glenn did ask how our sandwiches were but I was starving and had already blasted through half of my sandwich by then Next time, I'm trying the fig jam for sure! Chris & I have decided that the buffalo cheddar is our favorite cheese at Melt for sure, and the pesto our #1 topping, at least so far..... I've recommended Melt to just about everyone I know, and have many friends who will be trekking down to the JC soon enough!