titmfatied

I apologize for taking so long to get back here to take pictures. Stopped in for lunch the other day and snapped a few. Now for some food...I had lemon roasted potatos and the exact type of sandwich I had is beyond me right now I'm not certain whether it was lamb or pork. I hotsauce. sending it home Dummy me should've taken some pictures of the pastry case. Next time I'm in I'll be sure to do it. Hopefully it's before Christmas.

What's that???

Carteret Shorprite has Depends products for 9.99 with the Price Plus card. Limit of 4

Couple questions. What was it about the meat cases? Were they too warm? Totally offtopic but I'm dying to ask someone with your education this: The olive bar at Wegman's, is it safe? One part of me thinks these are cured products that I shouldn't have to worry about. Another (very scared) part of me thinks of sneezes and fingers being used to grab olives. Even if people use the spoons provided they allways leave them laying on top of the olives which means to me that they may as well be picking them out with their fingers. Even scarier is the cart with all the Baba Ghanouj and Hommus dips those look like incubating trays to me. Am I paranoid or is there legitamate concern? And finallly what's the name of the Indian market in JC?

Just as a side note... The secret to good take out fries comes from a Portuguese BBQ I've long since forgotten. I ordered fries one time and they came in a separate tin (away from the rice and the chicken) with "holes" poked in the top (maybe 8-10 about the size of a pinkie fingernail but three sided so the "nail" was still attached ). I thought it looked goofy and couldn't figure out what the place was doing. I'm thinking "My fries are gonna get cold!" Then I tried the fries. While they weren't fresh from the fryer like at a restaurant, they survived the 20 minutes it took till I got home in considerably better condition than any other fries I've had. The key is to package with the fries on top of something hot. As long as they're warm and the steam has somewhere to go besides into the fries they should be acceptable. Mc Donald's and Burger King serve their fries in a "sleeve" with good reason. I've had the fries three times, twice in the restaurant and once for takeout. One time they were excellent in store another average in store and for takeout they were, I'm sorry to say, not very good. They were in a container with the meat and they sucked up all the moisture from the meat. I don't know what techniques could be followed to produce the "excellent" ones, but if Bruce ever nails it down with consistent results he'll have a unique item that will draw repeat business. I think consistent sides are huge for any serious BBQ place. People in NJ aren't too tuned into the meat, but if you can make a kid smile with some sides, parents will bring them back. I'd say it's almost easier to get away with mediocre meat and awe inspiring sides than the other way around. It baffles me that a reveiwer wouldn't even sit down in the restaurant to do his job. That's pretty low, if true. No restaurant can show their best after a trip in the car. I would never expect take out to be as good of an experience as a sit down meal. At the very least the reviewer should disclose that information.

How about Sweets? Where's everyone's favorite place for them? I've been going to Sukhadia's Sweets and Snacks and I've enjoyed the sweets there, but I'm wondering how other shops compare. Are the restaurants in Iselin reflective of one particular region of India?

don't forget to bring your own butter and a flashlight

I didn't get any pies as I picked up a chocolate cream cheese iced cake from Labonbonniere instead. I meant to take a picture of it, but the cake was inhaled before I had the chance. I'd guess those pies are exactly as you remember them. They had a tart apple pie that was piled four or five inches above the tin with apples and I adore the blueberry crumb pie there as well. If you love pie there's a little cafe in Scotch Plains/Fanwood that makes a killer apple. I think I'll be headed there Monday as I don't remember the name off the top of my head.

La Bonbonniere's classic style strawberry shortcake

Delicious Orchards 36 State Route 34 S Colts Neck, NJ 07722 (732) 462-1989 Google Local Profile Directions Mail Order Service Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 - 6:00 Closed Monday I made a run over to Delicious Orchards on Friday. I've learned over the years not to use the cart because I tend to go on a food shopping orgy and buy so much produce it spoils before I use it. Now I just fill my arms with as much food as I can carry and I know it's time to leave when the bunches of plastic bags I'm clutching start slipping through my fingers and fall to the floor. They have some absolutely incredible citrus right now. The best I've found this season by far. Unfortunately I was limited to these few pictures because my memory card is small. The Mandarins in the bags cost $4.99 and were soooo good. I basically carried the sack with me for two days and shared them with whomever I came across. I gobbled them by the handful, made mandarinade, and even took some to the bar for some manadarin vodka shots. I kept throwing the peels back in the bag and ended up with a big sack of mandarin scent. I think the smell of my car could cure a cold right now The Free Samples: These are the mandarins cut up. Some Grapefruit: Oranges: Sweet Limes:

The restaurant seats approximately 40 people with plenty of space around each table. I'm 99% sure they don't serve alcohol. The room is very nicely decorated in blue with white trim and it gives it a light airy feeling. I stopped in yesterday and asked if they'd mind if I took some pictures of the inside. The owner wasn't there at the time and they asked if I'd mind coming back another time and checking with him first. I did snap a quick one of the outside with my cameraphone. I will go again on Monday to see if the owner is there.

My favorite bakery for cakes is La Bonbonniere on Rt 27 in Edison. I pay an average of $20 for a cake there, but I honestly feel it's worth it. If need be I'd stop buying cake half the time to afford theirs. It might not be the cheapest, but to me it's the best value and cake is an inherently indulgent dessert. I've spent $22 on a cake elsewhere and been extremely dissapointed but there's no way a bakery selling a cake for $8 could match the value a La Bonbonniere cake provides. T I don't mean to come across as snobbish. I adore twinkies and love $1.37 soft pretzels from Quick Check, but when it comes to cake I can't settle for cheap. If I'm gonna eat something horrible for me I don't want cheap, I want sinfully delicious.

What would it take to get you to bring some back with you?

I'm not sure if it's a BYO. I will be sure to ask when I'm there next (should be soon). I don't quite recall what was there before. It's located on the opposite side of the train tracks from Mei Thai. It's on the corner of Main and Fulton, which would be the last right you could make before the tracks if you were coming from Amboy Ave (RT35)

A Little Taste of Athens 51 Main St Woodbridge, NJ 070985 732-602-0053 They opened two weeks ago. I went there for Lunch on Friday. I had a Lamb Gyro which was excellent, some soup that I forgot the name of but consisted of chicken, orzo, lemon and if I'm remembering correctly, garlic. It was also very good. For dessert I had a giant shredded wheat looking thing that was doused with a sweet syrup and stuffed with some walnuts and cinnamon. I think it was called Kataifi? Loved it and ate it a little bit at a time the rest of the weekend. They have a dessert case with several different items. The place is nice inside and the people working there were warm and kind. They were helpful explaining what things were. Buisness seemed to be pretty brisk and several of the customers looked Greek to me. The food was wonderful and I'm sure I'll be back again soon to work my way through the menu. I was having bad day and their service and food really turned my day around for the better.

I love to sumbmerge a near empty bottle of Hershey's syrup into a half-filled glass of milk and then squeeze all the air out of the bottle and suck up all the milk. I'm amazed by how much milk a well-squeezed Hershey bottle will take in. Then I snap the top shut and shake it for all it's worth. Next I shoot the milk back into the cup. I keep the bottle submerged in the milk and give it five or six cycles to make a nice frothy consistency. YUM!

Went to Bad Bob's BBQ in Keyport and it was, well...bad. I ordered A pulled pork sandwich w/slaw and BBQ sauce on the side New Brunswick Stew (w/corn, potatoes, pork and chicken) A baked potato total cost around $10.50 Service The lady behind the counter was helpful and friendly. Two types of sauces are offered, mild or hot. I chose mild. She asked if I'd like my slaw and sauce on the side and I happily replied "yes". Some people will drown your sandwich in sauce and slaw to the point where you wear more of the sandwch than you eat. Others will put so little on you won't be able to taste it. I like to take every opportunity to make my food the way I like it and I wanted to first judge the pork without any other flavors getting in the way. I ordered soup, but wasn't given a spoon. The place was clean inside and there is a nice view of the bay towards the back of the restaurant. They also said they are working on having a private room in the downstairs for private parties. No alcohol is served, bringing your own is welcome. She said the bbq smoking is done on premises. She said business is slow during the week but weekends have been pretty good. As with anything I eat I'm hoping for the best. To be fair I showed up at 4:00 PM on a Tuesday. I'm near certain the pulled pork was not cooked that day and I wouldn't be surprised if it was leftovers from the weekend. The sandwich was served wrapped in white paper ala a Whiterose System burger, I like that sort of thing. I unwrapped the sucker and it looked real good. I ordered the smallest size sandwich and the bun was nice and poofy not flat like a wonder bread hamburger bun, nore reminiscent of a Colandra's hamburger roll. The bun fit perfectly in my hand and was a good size for the amount of pork on it. The bun was actually very well suited for BBQ unfortunately my pulled pork was not. I took the first bite with no sauce or slaw. It was dry, not sahara desert dry but the bun was more moist than the meat...ugh. The meat seemed to have some rub thrown on top for flavor. The dominant flavor to me tasted of salt. It wasn't that there was too much salt but salt was all that I tasted. No smokey taste was apparent in the pork. It was kind of tender but the dryness killed it. Looking back the bun was more memorable than the BBQ, not that the bun was special more that the BBQ was pedestrian. I enjoyed the sweet but not too sweet and vinegary sauce. Once the sandwich was slathered in it it was somewhat saved. The slaw served was limp with a bland attempt at a vinegar flavor. It was definately not fresh. I liked the New Brunswick stew, though for two dollars the serving size was incredibly small (sorry for this, but think urine sample cup) and the soup was served in styrofoam. Maybe it's just me. I hate soup served in styrofoam. The spoon makes that horible scraping sound at the bottom and sides and the lids are always a pain to get on and off when eating on the go. The baked potato was the real bummer. I think it was a case of expecting one thing and receiving another. I hadn't had one bite to eat all day. I had a horrid, screaming, evil hangover from the night before. I'm looking over the menu and I see "Baked Potato" with no description. This baked potato was what my hangover was screaming for!!! My starving gut didn't need a description from the menu. The Idaho potato marketing machine's years of conditioning my mind for just this moment had finally arrived. Visions of an enormous-the size of my tv hopefully!-, fluffy, steaming white potato. The kind you see on the commercials. The kind that burst open with all their baked-potato goodness when you push the ends toward each other. I knew that would fix me up real good. The humble potato had been curing my Irish ancestors of their hangovers for many a generation and now it was my turn. My enormous, fluffy, steaming white potato was wrapped in foil, the spit was running down my chin, and I was getting happy just thinking about how good I would be feeling after I was done inhaling this thing. I was starting to feel better without even eating yet. When I unwrapped my enormous, fluffy, steaming white potato it turned out to be just big and not enormous, and it wasn't fluffy...or steaming...it wasn't...even...white. Apparently the sucker was smoked. I didn't need to push the ends togeter, apparently it cracked in half during the cooking (and I use that term very lightly) process. This monstrosity was dead-leaf brown all the way through and the reason it wasn't steaming was because all the water had been cooked out of this poor spud long, long ago. You could dehumidify your basement with this potato or suck all the odor out of a messy fridge with it. It had about a dozen uses I could think of off the top of my head and none of them involved eating it. This thing was killed, toast. I don't think I've ever seen a potato so abused. It was so dry it made the pork seem like a tall glass of lemonade on a hot summers day in comparison. The rub topping from the pork sandwich made an ignominious return on the potato and I could only stomach three bites of the potato as the dry, crusty taste of reality slapped me in the face. I was hoping it was just dry at the surface and I dug my fork deep into it. I shouldn't even say dug, that poor thing split like Moses and the Red Sea when I plunged my fork into it. It came with some butter, I didn't even bother. If this potato had a family they would seek out whoever cooked it with revenge in their eyes. I disgustedly chucked it out the window of my van and said a prayer for whatever poor stray animal would come upon it. It was so bad I'm gonna have to go get a potato tonight and cook it the right way just to get this nightmare out of my mind. STAY AWAY FROM THE POTATO!!!!

Thank you so much for the thread. I've wanted to explore Paterson for a while but I've had no clue where to begin. For anyone who's interested, I performed a search of the places suggested throughout the thread using Google Local. For what it's worth, Google Local is my favorite tool for sleuthing food spots. I love the thought ballloon for directions, links to reviews and references, and I love how you can zoom in and put the map on satellite so you can actually see (from about 500 ft up) the neighboorhood you're looking for. Toros Website (website is for the clifton location, I'm not sure if the same menu is served in Paterson) Toros (google Local) 489 Hazel St, Clifton, NJ (973) 772-8032 (Turkish) Toros (Google Local) 1083 Main St, Paterson, NJ (973) 742-6877 (Turkish) suggestions by MJP: kebobs, yogurtlu kebabs, borek and pide bread, patlican salasi, cacik Istanbul Cafe (Google Local) 942 Main St, Paterson, NJ (973) 247-0066 (Turkish) MJP reccomends for takeout only Assayad (Google Local) 341 Crooks Ave, Clifton, NJ (973) 772-7370 (Palestinian) Alloush (Google Local) 127 Crooks Ave, Paterson, NJ (973) 881-8829 (Lebanese cafe) Adam P suggests: fresh fruit juice bar, panini-pressed sandwiches (especially the nakanik) Pastry: Can't find any info on the web for Al-Aqsa or Mondial, but I do see Albustan (Google Local) and Nablus (Google Local) on main st. There are no Egullet reveiws for either.

red jacket middle of the bar. I thought you came in as I was leaving? The guy with the blue shirt seemed to know eveyone in the place.

Made it down there today and all I can say is WOW!! I'm no BBQ afficianado but I love good food and this is some wonderful Q . I've been to R.U.B. in NYC (had Burnt Ends) Been to Indigo Smoke in Montclair (had a bit of everything) Been to Big Ed's enough times to know that it was too many times Been to the RUB HUT in Manville (tried the brisket, pork, and chicken) Backyard smokes at Friend's houses Front St, IMO served the best meal of the lot. Today I came in around 11:45 AM, saddled up to the bar and ordered the 1/2 rack of ribs with the brisket and pulled pork to go. Two sides were included as was a small cornbread muffin. I had the mac and cheese and bbq black beans for sides. Cost 21.95 plus tax. (I have a menu in my workvan and will bring it home over the weekend and transcribe it in a post. I wish NJ had a menupages.com) While waiting for my meal I took a good look around and the bar area is very nicely done. I'd assume Daniel will be taking some wonderful pictures so I'll save any descriptions. They have birch beer on tap. They serve it in frosted mugs. I love birch beer on tap and I love frosted mugs. I had their version of a black and tan (birch beer on Sam Adams) while I waited for my food and enjoyed every last drop. I was in a rush and had to eat while on the go so please forgive the deficiency in description as I was more gleefully shoveling the food in my mouth while driving than making mental notes of flavor. (Mac and cheese is fun to eat with your hands!!!) The smoke ring on the brisket was dark red and thick . The meat was moist and succulent and the taste was fantastic. The pulled pork was melt in your mouth tender but not falling apart and had a nice hint of vinegar. I'm not a big rib eater but the half rack of pork ribs was really, really tasty. It didn't stay on my tounge long enough for a breakdown of flavors I could describe but I enjoyed them very much. The mac and cheese was good. Nice big square. The BBQ black beans had a good amount of pork in them. They tasted a bit too salty for me but I tend to go light on salt so others may find them perfectly enjoyable. After the salt taste subsided there was a nice second layer of flavor and I had little problem shoveling them into my mouth. I wouldn't say I'm anywhere near qualified enough to declare this the best BBQ place as I've only been to Indigo and R.U.B. in the city once each and I'd never want to judge a place based on one visit. I can say I really enjoyed my lunch today. I brought my friend the leftovers (food is always best when shared ) and he finished them off happily and agreed the food was excellent. I can also say I will be back soon for another meal.

Same here. I tried to set my whole day around getting down there but it wasn't to be. Hopefully tomorrow.

Would you happen to know what time it opens?

If an establishment has an outdoor dining area or bar is the ban in effect for those sections as well? If not, I would think places with these accomodations would see more business.

being the operative term...In NJ, I've found... Pamir 85 Washington St. (bet. Cobb Pl. & Phoenix Ave.) Morristown, NJ 07960 973-605-1095 www.pamirrestaurant.com to be excellent - tho' not particularly close to my nabe either (Montclair). And there's always... Afghan Kebab House West 50s 764 Ninth Ave. (bet. 51st & 52nd Sts.) Manhattan, NY 10019 212-307-1612 Their half spiced chicken every bit worth the trip. ← Don't quote me on this, but I'm almost certain the Afghan Kebab House of NYC has an affiliation with the Afghan restaurant on Maint St. in Metuchen. It opened up within the last year and is located right across the street from the train station. I will check it out tomorrow and update.

A liitle far for you but worth it I think for a good cake. Try Labon.com for real buttercream. I'm not too into their pastries but I really enjoy their cakes. They use all natural ingredients. Directions: 5 minutes off the NJ Turnpike. Take NJ TPK Exit 10 into Rt. 287 North down 4 exits (about 1 mile) to Rt. 27 South (New Brunswick) exit. Go past next 3 lights (about 1 mile. Last light you will see the Pines Manor on your right). You will see the Plaza Diner on the left. They are imediately past the diner in the center of Nixon Plaza (a strip mall on the left). This is directly across the street from the Clarion Hotel. For pastries I like a little Italian pasrty shop named Scalla on RT130. It's located in a strip mall in North Brunswick maybe 2 miles south of where 130 starts from Rt 1 south. It's on the left hand side at the intersection of Adams Rd. I agree with the Freehold/Manalapan area as far as needing a bakery. At the intersection of Rt79 and Rt18 there might even be a property available that's worth checking out. It used to be a gourmet deli but went under a couple months ago. It should be big enough to turn into a bakery. Take 79 south from 18 and it's about 1/2 mile down the road on your left hand side. Haven't been down there in a while, so I'm not sure if it's still available.