jb_973

Resurrecting an old thread... There's a little bit of a story to this - for a few months at the end of last year I was working out in San Jose, California with a few work colleagues (and commuting backwards and forwards to NJ every weekend... argh... but, that's another story). Anyway, our hotel was close to a place called the 'Falafel Drive-in'. This was very much a Californian style take out, with seats outside, and, more importantly, awesome falafel (as well as hummus etc). Anyway, turned out to be a weekly cheap dinner for a colleague and me. Anyway, coming back to now, I developed a serious craving for falafel this weekend (does this sound odd?) - the first time since I finished the project in California. I'd driven past Jerusalem West on Mt. Pleasant in Livingston many times, and saw the big neon 'Falafel' sign on the outside, but just never got around to popping in. Today was the day, and I have to say that my craving has now been satisfied My wife and I both had fafafel in pita, topped with Israeli salad, tahini and some hot sauce on the side. Delicious! I also picked up a side of hummus, also topped with tahini and some paprika sauce. Buying hummus like this always reminds me how poor the stuff is that you get in the supermarket! Anyway, it definitely a thumbs up. The place was a very busy, which included a kid's birthday party, but the service was prompt. I will be going back next time I get a falafel craving! Jason

Thanks for posting about this - Mie Thai and Bev's Irie Kitchen are regular lunch spots for me. I saw this place opening up a few weeks ago, and have been meaning to pay it a visit. Rosie - a quick search on the web shows that 51 Main St was previously a Sushi place, and a Nail Salon!

... and if you find yourself in the city, these guys have some great, freshly roasted coffee: Porto Rico, 201 Bleecker St http://www.portorico.com/ They'll also ship via UPS. Jason

Understandable... those little glasses go down way too easily Whenever I've gone there, our table always seems to end up with a selection of light and dark. And plenty of greasy chips (liberally covered in vinegar) to wash down with the beer! Edit: typo!

hitmanoo - Light or Dark?

I just found out about a great little place near my office in Woodbridge - Bev's Melting Pot - just around the corner from one of my other favorite lunch spots, Mie Thai. I went there at the end of last week, and picked up Curried Goat with Rice and Peas (+ plantains) for lunch, washed down with a cup of Sorrel. It was delicious! They also do Oxtail, Stew Chicken, Jerk Chicken, etc., and a whole bunch of Creole dishes as well. I plan to try some of these out in the coming weeks - will tell you how it is... I think they may be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays - you might want to give them a call before you visit. Bev's Melting Pot 405 Pearl St Woodbridge (732) 596-1800. Aside from that, there are plenty of places up in North New Jersey that serve great curry goat. There's a Trinidadian place on Main St in Orange that does great Curried Goat Roti, and there's a few places in East Orange that also serve great Caribbean food - my wife works at the hospital, and seems spoilt for choice when it comes to lunch options! Jason

I have bought boneless butts from Kam Man on Rt 10. You can also get them from Costco, however I have only seen them listed for sale 'by the case' - you'd have to check with one of the meat people to see if you can buy in smaller quantities. Jason

I've bought pork butts from Kam Man on Rt 10 in the past for pulled pork and chinese roast pork recipes. I have no complaints about the meat - it certainly was fresh, and a good cut. The price was very good as well.

Seeing that my wife is probably going to be working from 3-11pm on Valentine's Day, I think our culinary celebrations will be in the form of a discrete midnight snack at home. I'm thinking something similar to hitmanoo: Strawberries and melted chocolate (Mmm... now, the brand of chocolate will be left to another conversation...) Jason

We went to Jim Johnston's a few weeks back - my wife had the burger and, while she enjoyed it, she didn't feel it was as good as her 'regular' - Pal's cabin. That said, you can buy a $25 Jim Johnston's gift certificate for $10 from restaurant.com (minimum spend $35). Right now, they have a 60% coupon, so it would only cost you $4 - here's the instructions I got in the email I received this morning: --- Put on your hero cape and follow these simple steps to save 60%: 1. Go to www.restaurant.com. 2. Search for restaurants by zip code or state. 3. Click "Add to Cart" to buy certificates. Don't forget to add certificates to one of our great online merchants! 4. Click "Check Out" and enter promotional code 89500. Click "Recalculate Total" to apply your savings. Important things you should know about this promotion: Promotion ends 1/31/06. Discount may not be combined with any other rebates, discounts, or promotions. Discount may not be applied to redemption of Mega Certificates or Restaurant.com Certificates. --- Jason

Another suggestion for the future is Gaffer's Pub in West Orange, down on Main St. Get the grated cheddar on the burger - yum! And, as mentioned by others above, Pal's does a pretty dependable burger. Jason

... actually, a quick Google turned up this place in Ridgewood - a bit closer than East Hanover! http://www.njdiningguide.com/ivangie3.html Anyone been there?

It is a bit of a schlep from Fort Lee, but Kam Man Food on Route 10 in East Hanover sells a variety of flavored teas, including bubble teas (with the chewy tapioca balls inside - yum!) I'm sure there must be somewhere a bit closer to you though - anyone else know?

If you don't already know this... the old Pathmark building will be turning into a Whole Foods - was scheduled to be open this year, however I believe it may have been pushed back to the start of 2007. You can read more about it in this thread: whole foods coming to west orange? That said, I do like Wegmans. I am somewhat fortunate that my office is in Iselin, a stones throw from the Wegmans in Woodbridge. So I do find myself occasionally taking a detour to there before going home.

Just looking at that photo makes me hungry!... well, given that you're in the next town over from me (I'm in West Orange), I am look forward to adding it to the list of regular haunts! Good luck! Jason

Here's their website: http://theglaziergroup.com/restaurants/striphouse_nj/ Jason

Thanks for all the responses!... Looks like I will be taking a trip up to Whole Foods in Montclair! That said, I do want to make a 'pilgrimage' to International Food Warehouse one day - not only to check out what they have on offer, but also to sample some of the food from the Indian restaurant that is part of the same building (as discussed elsewhere in this forum!)

Hi guys, I want to pick up some couscous, but want to buy it in bulk (instead of the $3 for some single-dinner Near East packet from Shoprite!). Where's the best place for this in the vicinity of West Orange? Trader Joes? Whole Foods? Thanks - and a happy New Year to all of you! Jason

Table 8 is in Montclair (615 Bloomfield Ave). Haven't been there yet. There's a <a href="http://www.baristanet.com/food/2005/08/table_8.html">brief review</a> over on Baristanet.

Jason - I recognize the older guy in your last set of photos from the West Caldwell location. Is he the owner of all the locations this area? The Apple Pancake is off-the-hook. A few months ago we shared one between four of us, in addition to our own courses. Woah. I think we would have had trouble finishing it by itself! I also recently tried another of their 'signature dishes' - the Dutch Baby. Basically a large pancake, somewhat reminiscent of a large Yorkshire Pudding, served with bowls of fresh lemon, sugar and butter. Definitely not something to tell your doctor about! It was quite good - brought back memories of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancake_Day">pancake day</a> in the UK, where English pancakes (crepes) served together with lemon and sugar is the tradition dish.

Here's my 2 cents: Pal's has become one of our regular places in West Orange when we're in the mood for a good burger (the other one is Gaffer's). Lots of topping choices - the only one I would steer clear of is the blue cheese, as it smothers the taste of the burger. I have previously had a steak at Pal's, which was slightly above average. Not at the top of my list of best steaks, but certainly a good step above what you could expect from Outback et. al.

I've become a big fan of the Original Pancake House ever since we went there at the start of the year. I believe it was Rachel who recommended it to me when I was looking for a place to take some friends to lunch. That said - I do have to agree that they have somewhat quirky pricing. The set items on the menu are reasonably priced (e.g. delicious banana pancakes with tropical (marmalade infused?) syrup for $7). However the side dishes seem to be prohibitively expensive - for example, a small bowl of sliced bananas for a few bucks, and I think a side order of toast is over $2? p.s. Jason - love your tagline, however, I have to make a minor accent correction - it should be 'Move Your Arse!!!!!!!!' I'll leave all other comments to a Hells Kitchen/Boiling Point/Kitchen Nightmares discussion!

Rosie - my wife and I were at Zen again last Friday night. It has definitely become our 'regular' place for Sushi. We still have a problem with over-ordering (their sizes are very generous), but we never leave disappointed. This was the first time we had visited on a Friday night - it was quite busy, and we had to wait about 10 minutes for a table. In the past we've been on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and haven't had to wait. This time we managed to get some fatty tuna - absolutely delicious, and, again, very generously sized. I also love the Spanish Mackerel Sashimi. One of the people on the table next to us had a roll called something like a 'creamy crab' roll. Looked very different - may have to give that a try the next time I'm there. Btw - definitely get a coupon before you go - you can print one out from the website listed in the first post.

Jason - your photos are verging on food pornography! This stuff looks amazing - will have to make a mental note to visit next time I'm in that area. Do you know of any places of a similar caliber in Newark or the surrounding area?

TMus1111 - while driving through Orange the other night I spotted a place called Two Fish & Five Loaves on Scotland Road. Do you know if this is related to the one in Plainfield?