schmooty

I was in the Fairield area last Wednesday and decided to stop at Hot Rod's for some BBQ. It's located at exit 34 off I-80, which made it a real easy ride. I spoke to a manager named Mike, and he explained to me a little bit about their bbq. He was super nice and he introduced me to Anthony, the owner. It was a bit early for dinner so I decided to do takeout. The only thing that I didn't particularly care for was the briscuit. It was sliced way too thin and didn't have any real smokey flavor to it. Everything else was quite good. The pulled pork was tender and smoked perfectly, as were the baby back ribs. The ribs in particular were excellent. The meat pulled nicely away from the bone. Although I generally prefer St Louis style ribs, these were as good of baby backs as I have ever had. Their bbq sauce tastes like a vinegar base, but is on the thicker side. It compliments the food nicely. The sides were also very good. The coleslaw had red cabbage and just the perfect amount of creaminess. I also recommend the beans. There were some chunks of meat in them and a nice smokey flavor. Overall, Hot Rod's is definitely worth checking out. The space is nice and the food is good. If you love baby backs, this is the place for you.

I know this is the NY Board, so I will make this brief. The best Cheesesteak in Philly is a place called Steves Prince of Steaks on Tyson/Buselton. It BLOWS away Carls or Wogies. Steves does not chop their steaks. They use sliced rib-eye. Check out hollyeats.com for his review of Steve's. Pats and Genos are both crap. They have been resting on their names for far too long. I do want to try the Tony Lukes in NYC.

I finally made it to Stickey's last night, and enjoyed the food immensely. I had planned on taking food home with me, but when I found out Tuesday is all-you-can-eat rib night, I quickly changed my mind. My waiter's name was Rich, and he couldn't have been any nicer. When even your waiter is passionate about the food he or she serves, you can only imagine how passionate the owner and general managers are. The AYCE ribs are $19.95. They start you out with either a full rack of pork, 2 MONSTER beef ribs or half and half. I started with half and half. I told Chris, the GM, I really wanted to try the brisket so he sent some out on a piece of white bread just to wet my appetite. The brisket was pretty good, but sliced a bit thin for my tastes. The rib special does not include sides, so I ordered cole slaw and mashed potatoes with gravy. The slaw was fresh, crispy, and litely dressed. The potatoes where red-skinned mashed with a nice thick gravy on top. The beef rib was awesome. Big, meaty, and perfectly smoked. It was one of the finest beef ribs I have ever eaten. The BBQ sauce was very good, and I asked for a side of mojo sauce which had a nice kick. The pork ribs are more like spareribs. They had a nice pink ring and were smoked perfectly. My only complaint is that the amount of meat on each rib was very little. The restaurant was pretty quiet, so my waiter gave me a tour of the smokers. A very impressive set-up. They have a total of 3 smokers. Some prep workers were wrapping bacon around skewered shrimp which looked great. I also got a chance to talk to the GM Chris for a while. He told me that they don't use a dry rub for ANY of their meats, not even salt/pepper. The meat goes into the smoker completely unadorned. I don't think I have ever been to a BBQ joint that doesn't use a rub. I think this is why the beef rib was so good. It had such a nice smoky beefy flavor. Chris is very passionate at what he does. In fact, he may be the most passionate food person I have ever met. I really hope this place succeeds and definitely plan on returning to try other things on the menu.

I forgot to add that my sister had the chile rellenos which were also quite tasty. It looks like Jason took a picture of those as well.

I just wanted to reiterate how much I love this place. I went with my sister tonight and we started off with a black bean soup. At first I wasn't sure if I liked it because the were no whole black beans in it. It was more of a puree. However, as I continued eating it, I enjoyed it more and more. I could really taste the essence of the black beans. Next up was beef taquitos. These were amazing. They were topped w/ lettuce, tomatoes, and a creamy ranch-like sauce. We also tried a pork sope which was just superb. Jason's pictures do them more justice than any words can. For my main dish I ordered Ninos Invueltos (or something very similar sounding). The dish was a pounded and rolled shell steak w/ bacon and cheese in the middle served with peppers, onions, and mushrooms, in a garlicky white sauce. This might be my favorite main dish I have gotten there along with a tilapia dish in a similar sauce. With tax, tip, and 3 sodas, the meal came to $45 and I have some leftovers for some late-night munching. I would VERY highly recommend checking this place out. -Al

Hitmanoo was 1 of the 11 of us who had a great meal at First Choice BBQ. The brisket, sausage and macaroni salad were all outstanding. The brisket was smoked perfectly and the mac salad had a really nice kick too it. The beans had lots of pork and were very sweet. Some thought they were the best beans they ever had. The coleslaw was also topnotch, and make sure to order some fritters as well. The BBQ sauce was so good I bought 2 huge bags of Tyson's popcorn chicken to dunk in the sauce later that evening. If you are in or around Tampa, I highly recommend checking this place out. Thanks for the great choice Gifted Gourmet.

After looking at both menu's, First Choice BBQ seems more up my alley. No frills, down home BBQ. I will post a review when I return. Thanks G. Gourmet and Lambretta for the quick responses.

I am heading to Tampa on Thursday for my buddy's bachelor party. We will be eating at Sideburn's on Saturday, and I would love to find a great BBQ joint for Friday night. I know it's kind of last minute, but any help would be greatly appreciated. -Al

We are going to Sideburn's. If I wanted a steakhouse experience, I am within driving distance of Peter Lugers! I am really excited for this meal. Everyone says the food at Sideburn's is sensational

My best friend is getting married in March, and as the Best Man, I chose Tampa as my destination for his bachelor party. After all of the glowing reviews, I just booked a reservation for 12 people in their private, glassed-in room. I am very excited for this. They will be putting together a 4-course meal for the entire group. Does anybody have any suggestions on some of their best entrees? I am going to be able to choose 4-5 options. I will certainly report back when we return.

For an old-school NJ experience, Steve's Sizzling Steaks on Rt 17S is pretty solid. It's right before the exit for the Meadowlands. My only problem here is consistency. I have had some amazing steaks here as well as some average ones. I would recommend ordering them a little on the rarer side, because the steaks are served sizzling in a salty butter sauce, and will continue to cook on your plate. I am not a huge fillet person, but Steve's does a mean 12 ouncer (order it rare). Their strips are very good as well. When you catch Steve's on a good night, their steaks are truly excellent. I love the salty sauce they use! The best Porterhouses for 2 that I have had in NJ can be found at the River Palm Terrace in Edgewater. However, considering the high pricing, I would opt to make the drive to Brooklyn and go to Lugers.

This is very sad news indeed. Fink, please get well soon. Thank you for all the wonderful food.

Has anyone ever been to the Fat Kat in Little Ferry? That is the only place mentioned in the NJ dining top 10 that is within driving distance for me.

For the best grandma pizza this mouth has ever tasted, head to La Villa in Brooklyn. Exact address is: (261 Fifth Ave. between Garfield Place and First Street in Park Slope). If you have never had grandma pizza, the best way I can describe it is thin crust Sicilian. The crust has a wonderful crunch to it. It's topped very simply with fresh mozz, basil, evoo, san marzano tomatoes, and fresh garlic. Unlike regular pizza where the frsh mozz can make the crust soggy, a grandma slice stays perfectly crispy. Check this place out. I promise you will not be disappointed. Make sure you order the grandma pizza rectangularly and not round. It's much better that way.

My sister raved about Baja Fresh when she went to school in Arizona. I tried the one on rt 17S, in that shopping center. I found the food to be mediocre at best. I can make a better burrito at home. It had no flavor whatsoever. The only fast-food burrito that is really excellent to me is Chipotle. The spicy shredded beef/pork are so good. Unfortunately, there are none in NJ yet, but there are seveal locations in NYC.

When I moved to Hackensack in early 2000, Lotus Cafe quickly became my Chinese restaurant of choice. I found virtually all of their dishes to be good, and some to be outstanding. Over the last year and a half a few things have happened. First, I found Phoenix Garden in NYC. (that's a whole other topic). Than I joined e-gullet, which opened my eyes to lots of new food options (Finks, Wondees, La Batalla). Finally, I found China 46. In this new equation, Lotus ended up forgotten in the shuffle. I decided to go back to Lotus with my dad and sister tonight. Overall, the food was very good. They still make the basics quite well ie. soup, ribs, wontons. We than ordered a shrimp soong w/ pineuts served in lettuce wraps. This was my favorite dish of the night and prepared perfectly. Peas and thin crunchy noodles add a great texture. The kung pao chicken w. peanuts is a pretty good rendition of the dish. Tangerine Beef which was always my favorite dish back in the day was still solid, but the coating on the outside was overcooked. When they cook the beef to medium rare/ medium and the coating is done right, this dish has the potential to be unreal. Lastly, I tried a dish that an e-gulleter recommended; sauteed dow shiao mein. It's a noodle dish in a sha cha sauce. The smokiness of the sauce combined with the shape of the noodles made for an unusual and excellent dish. For those looking for a solid Chinese meal this place is for you. If you are a little more exotic, there are plenty of options as well. The service is always friendly and the prices quite reasonable. Lotus may not be on the of level China 46, but few places are. Personally, I eat a lot more Chinese food during the winter. Lotus Cafe is back in rotation!

Anyone have any udpates on places in the city or northern nj that are still using coals?

STEVES, STEVES, STEVES! Prince of Steaks on Buselton Not even close...plus they are open until 3am

Once again I am browsing the archives and came across this post. I LOVE Italian Hero's and have searched for the best. Well lucky for me, I don't have to travel very far. That's right folks, I am talking about COSMOS SALUMERIA in Hackensack, right next door to Lido's (umm Lido, but that's another topic). His bread is that real crusty and crunchy kind which is perfect for holding all the goodies in his heros. Let me start by saying that you ONLY come here for the subs. The salads are pretty much generic crap. However, the hero's are SO good it just doesn't matter. Cosmos also makes his fresh mozz daily, and it's so good that I stop in there for it when I make any dish that requires fresh mozz. He also makes his own roast beef which is always rare and always perfect. I grabbed 4 of them for the Giant game 2 weeks ago and my 3 friends were blown away. Now on to the Italian, the undisputed King of Subs. I order his #1 which consists of ham, Genoa salami, cappacolla, sopressata, fresh mozz AND small chunks of sharp provolone. The 2 cheeses balance each other out perfectly. He uses the meat slicer for the mozz, so it's cut perfectly thin and almost melts on the sandwich. Than he adds some toppings, and than the sharp prov. I always get lettuce, tom, onion, oil/vinegar and his homemade hot peppers. I challenge anyone to find me a better Italian Sub. Oh yeah, and to top it all off, he charges $5.50/sandwich. Folks, if you never listen to anything I ever have to say again, GO TO COSMOS!

After all the great reviews, I went here with my sister tonight. We started off with the shrimp in garlic and mussels in what tasted like a brandy sauce. Both were excellent. with the shrimp reaching "best ever" status. For main dishes, my sister had a salmon stuffed with crab meat and I had paella. I am not a huge fan of cooked salmon, but her dish was really good. The crab meat was fabulous, the salmon cooked perfectly, and a pleasant sauce finished the dish. The only disappointment was my paella. It wasn't bad, but it was ultra bland. It was just missing something. That being said, the seafood in the dish was very fresh and cooked perfectly. I will try something different next time. I rarely comment on service, but tonight is an exception. This had to be the friendliest staff I have ever seen. They were never obtrusive, but always there when we needed them. I mentioned this site and the manager had me write it down so he could check it out. All in all a very enjoyable meal. The tapas, salmon, and service were all top notch. I look forward to going back, as the menu had lots of things I wanted to try. Total cost w/ tip and 2 sodas was just under $80 for the 2 of us.

Fairfield Bagels is Rt. 46 Westbound, in the same shopping center as Drug Fair and Puzos Pizza. Once again, these bagels are awesome.

I have been doing some searching on the site, and came across this topic. I am a HUGE bagel snob. I find most bagels to be utterly dissapointing (same w/ pizza). However, after much searching, I finally found my favorite Bagel. It's on Rt 46 in Fairfield, in the same shopping Center as Drug Fair. It's called Fairfield Hot Bagels. Do yourselves a favor and try these bagels. I promise you won't be disappointed.

I had a really enjoyable meal here on Wednesday with a buddy of mine. Highlights included the amazing fried squid and a chicken in lemongrass dish that was sublime. I ordered the shrimp and crab soup which was also quite good. The only dish that was a bit disappointing was the beef and onion rolls over vermicilli. Jason's picture made the dish look too good not to order, but I found the beef to be way too chewy. With a total cost of $40 w/ tip, this place offers excellent value for the money. I look forward to going back, as there are many items that looked tasty.

I will vouch for the ground beef at the Shop Rite on Rt 4. I buy their 80/20 all the time and it produces juicy wonderful burgers every time. I agree that the Stop and Shop is overpriced and lacking in produce. However, they do carry products such as Bell and Evans chicken that I can't get at Shop Rite.

I had a blast at Wildwood this weekend! We made it down on friday and sort of scoped out the area and had some food. There were about 6 BBQ vendors, plus some other random non-BBQ vendors such as a dessert vendor, a steak sandwhich vendor, and a Stewarts Root Beer vendor. All of the lines were reasonable except 1. That was the Rib-Bins one. I refused to wait an hour for food. The BBQ ranged from fair to excellent. My favorite was Butch's BBQ. They did some great ribs and pulled pork. There were also lots of competitors as well. Unfortunately their food was not open to the public. I did get some great lessons and talked to some nice folks. I was told that the only way to get the real BBQ was to come back Sunday and wait until the winners were announced. Well, we went back Sunday and were not disappointed. After the winners were announced, we were able to taste the real stuff. I managed to get some pulled pork from the overall pork winner, some briscuit from the grand champion, and an entire plate of food from another competitor. Now this was the real deal. Overall, it was a great experience. The food was good and the weather was perfect. My only complaint was that more of the competitors weren't serving food to the general public.