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Well, I actually ended up hitting Johnny & Hanges a couple of hours ago. They offer two different types of hot dogs there, the regular "Jersey wiener" which is pork and beef as well as the "bigger" ones which are pure beef. I got a plain one of the former and an Italian style of the latter. I have to say that I definitely prefer the all-beef dog. It's got seasonings which just give it more of a kick, though I'm not sure how much I liked the Italian style toppings. I've got visit one of those Italian style hot dog places discussed on a previous thread before I make a judgement call on the whole genre though. As Double O said, Johnny and Hanges have tater tots (again referred to as "potato rounds") which is a plus, but I didn't get them this time around. I'm going to have to hit some other places this week so I can make a more informed comparison.

i think you need to try it again. at the very least so that i'm not the only person on this board who has an opinion on it. I was actually thinking the same thing myself. Plus which, all this talk of hot dogs has give me the strange desire to eat them. I'll get there before the end of the week.

As I said above (in my first post under this topic), Clifton is the place worth travelling to if you want hot dogs. The Hot Grill for "chili" dogs and Rutt's Hutt for rippers with relish. However, if in the neighborhood of Hawthorne (and not wanting to drive elsewhere), I would suggest The Goffle Grill over Clixes. As far as Johnny & Hanges goes, I've only been there once since they moved out of Paterson and I can't really remember how they stacked up in the grand scheme of things. Not to say they're unmemorable, but I'd need to do a new comparison.

I haven't been to Clixes in a while, but I remember their hot dogs as being just a notch below The Goffle Grill's. I like the interior better at Clixes (dark wood instead of bright plastic), but like The Goffle Grill, it's not a place I would recommend unless you're in the neighborhood. And if you ARE in the neighborhood, I'd probably say you should stop by The Goffle Grill first anyway since it's just down the street. Also, The Goffle Grill has tater tots (I think they call them potato rounds on the menu) which can be a nice alternative to french fries.

and there goes my theory on the goffle grill dogs being smaller than ruts. Not so fast, Tommy! He said the same BRAND, not the same SIZE! I'm sure that Thumann's offers THOUSANDS if not MILLIONS of possible sizes within that particular product line and... er, um, ahem. Yeah, things look pretty grim for your theory... better luck next time. edit: typo

The Goffle Grill is good if you're in that neighborhood (Hawthorne), but if you're travelling for dogs, you're better off going to Clifton. Rutt's Hutt may not have "all the way sauce" (watered down chili of sorts), but The Hot Grill (also in Clifton) certainly does. Personally, I'm not a big "hot dog aficionado" (at best, I consider them to be snacks), but friends of mine who live either in or next to Hawthorne still say that The Hot Grill and Rutt's Hutt are well worth the trip.

Since we're bringing these Mexican threads back up top, I might as well share my little (read: long and drawn out) tale of La Chalupa. I was down in Red Bank last Sunday for the Red Bank International Film Festival and had a couple of hours to kill between features, so I headed over to La Chalupa around 1:30pm or so. The place was pretty packed but there were a few open tables. I sat down at one next to the door, facing the street. Two women sat at a table directly across from me just a moment later. A waitress (one of three in the room) provided them with menus and dashed off. I figured she was probably going to get a menu for me, since there's no way she could have missed the only "guero" in the place. As is often my custom when dining solo (which I was), I took out my sketchbook and began sketching (what else?). After a minute or so, the women across from me decided to dine elsewhere and walked out. Shortly thereafter, a waitress walked over to their table and picked up their menus. I looked up at her and she walked right past me without a glance. At this point, I was curious... just how long would it take for them to realize that I might actually want something to eat? I decided to let things run their course rather than actually flag down a waitress. Any guesses? 5 minutes, you say? 15 tops?? Well, after 1/2 an hour or so, I was really finding it amusing. After all, I had my sketchbook to entertain myself, I wasn't really very hungry, and it was an interesting sociological experiment. I began to wonder if perhaps they didn't serve whitey in this establishment, because the lunch crowd was starting to thin out considerably, but I was still without so much as a menu. A few minutes later, an older white couple (late 30's) sat down and were given menus within 90 seconds. There goes that theory. Finally, after 45 minutes, my peripheral vision registered a waitress standing sheepishly to my left. I looked up at her and waited for her to say something (it WAS an experiment after all) which turned out to be, "Did you want anything?" My reply, "Do you have any menus?" after which she exhibited an appropriate look of disbelief and said, "You didn't get a menu... this whole time?" She looked a bit like she expected the next words out of my mouth to be a string of profanity. Instead I just said, "Not that I know of, no." After that, she brought me a menu and things became pretty standard in the service department. It was as though the first 45 minutes never existed. Pretty odd. She complimented my sketch, we talked a bit about drawing, and she had that look of being impressed with my Mexican food knowledge when I asked for a Jarritos. All in all, it was a pretty surreal dining experience. The chips and salsas were terrific. The Bistec a la Mexicana was less impressive. I forgot to specifically order it with jalapeños, so they assumed I wanted bell peppers instead. Regardless, the steak itself wasn't as flavorful compared to others that I've had (cough! cough! Potrero Grill! cough!), but after 45 minutes of waiting, it was satisfying just to have food in front of me. I used the salsas to spice it up a bit. I'll give this place another shot the next time I'm in Red Bank, but after the results of my sociological experiment, I'll be sure to make myself the squeaky wheel as soon as I sit down.

I ate at 3 Chicas a week or so after it opened. I was pretty disappointed... not that I had high expectations or anything, but I was disappointed nonetheless. The funniest thing to me was the "salsa bar" (I think that's what they called it) to which the owner proudly directed me. Of the three little bowls of pathetic salsas that comprised this "salsa bar", two were empty and the third looked to be straight up jalapeños with juice out of a jar. I believe that surrounding it were various packaged condiments, but that might just be my mind exagerrating things. And yes, they give you disposable plates to eat on. The owner was talking up how great his place was to a couple of other customers, but he should've been concentrating on ANY other aspect of his business. Anyway, it's possible that I MIGHT give this place another try for takeout, but I doubt it. Prices are more reasonable than the Blue Moon, but I don't really like that place much either (see other threads). I've been curious to try Mamacita's, but just haven't gotten around to it yet... nor have I crossed the state line to try El Bandido, though I imagine that will come soon since it's had a few substantial recommendations.

Well, I just spoke with my brother who said that Mitsuwa in Edgewater should certainly have natto and also told me a Japanese grocery store in Ridgewood which definitely has it. He said most any Japanese grocery store should have it. As for eating natto prepared in a restaurant, he said that one can often find it at "the better sushi places". It's probably going to be placed on top of a roll in such a place, but you might be able to get it in a different form. I'd imagine it's a rare request coming from anyone who doesn't look to be of Asian descent, so you might have to work hard to actually convince the waiter that you want it. I still haven't asked his girlfriend about it (she wasn't home yet), but if she has any more to add, I'll post it later tonight.

My brother's girlfriend is Japanese and enjoys natto quite a bit. My brother, however, described it as something like this, "People usually say something 'tastes like shit' just because they don't like it, regardless of what the actual flavor is. If I had to bet on it though, I'd say natto is probably the closest you can get to the actual flavor of shit without eating feces." They've worked out a system where if she's going to eat natto, she has to let him know so he can leave the house for a couple of hours. Seems strange to me, but I haven't had any first-hand experience with it since my brother feels the need to "protect" me from it. In any case, they live in Colorado right now, but used to live in Jersey so I'll find out where to get some natto when I speak with them later today. Just off the top of my head (if you're looking in Jersey at all), I'd say to try Mitsuwa in Edgewater. It's a very good Japanese supermarket and they MIGHT even have some prepared natto dishes. If not, you can always try to reconstruct some dishes from Iron Chef.

I don't know, Tommy... I just don't know. Maybe we should just tell them "231-C Franklin Avenue, Nutley. Bring a pen and a notebook." ???

Jason and Rachel - This first question probably deserves its own thread, since it's something I've been wondering about for a while, but since it specifically refers to this restaurant at the moment, here it is... Do you mention eGullet.com when you try new places? The reason I ask is that I find it hard to REALLY give constructive criticism for a restaurant unless I'm asked for it directly. However, unless I'm in a place BECAUSE of good recommedations from this site, I rarely mention it. I think a thread like this one though could really help a restaurant realize their weaknesses, strengths, and potential. Of course, they'll never get here unless they know about it. How do you usually mention the site (if at all)? Anyway, I did tell the hostess that I would like to see them phase out the American menu and carry more Vietnamese dishes. Of course, I also realized that she quite obviously doesn't recognize the Vietnamese names for dishes, so I'm not even sure if she's the person one should talk to about the menu. As the topic heading states "(halfway at least...)", this place is clearly not full-on Vietnamese, but I really, really, really, REALLY want a nice Vietnamese place in Ridgewood! What can we do to sculpt this place into a pho house worthy of the title? Maybe we should slip little instruction manuals, menu suggestions, mint, limes, bean sprouts, and basil under the door? I was hoping that if we get enough people to go in there and express a sincere desire for them to focus on the Vietnamese, that they might start to listen. My impression is that the average person who goes in there doesn't really KNOW anything about Vietnamese cuisine and can't give useful feedback. ARRGHGHGHGRR... I'm so frustrated and now I'm in the mood for Vietnamese! I wish I hadn't cancelled that trip to Boston this weekend. Hopefully Saigon Republic isn't booked all weekend.

I've been there a few times, the most recent of which being about a year ago. It's popular with commuters for getting dinner and drinks straight off the train. I consider it a neighborhood/bar food type place and couldn't really see myself going out of the way for it.

This is stretching the topic a bit, but could be funny nonetheless (in a very twisted sort of way): In their teenage years, my brother and some friends of his once saw a group of vegetarian/animal rights protestors outside of a turkey/chicken farm that provides fresh-killed birds. They drove straight to the supermarket, picked up several pounds of assorted chicken parts, and proceeded to strafe the protestors with raw chicken parts thrown out of a moving vehicle. They even made a few passes until they were out of ammo. I'm sure someONE was injured (emotionally and/or physically), but it certainly wasn't while they were eating.

I feel much better knowing I'm not alone in the "hot pepper to the eye" category (and that Mr. Santos gets such joy from seeing such injuries)! Just remembered a food-related injury from when I was very young (maybe 4 years old). One evening neither my brother nor I would finish our vegetables, so my parents naturally said that we would get no dessert if we didn't clean our plates. Shortly thereafter, my brother quite accidently fell off his chair, hit his head, and began crying. To stop his crying, my parents gave him a bowl of ice cream. ... Observing this chain of events, I quite blatantly pushed my feet against the table and sent my chair falling backwards to inflict a nice head injury with the hopes of getting some ice cream out of it. Guess who DIDN'T get the ice cream? Well, at least I got a fun story to tell. Less fun to tell is that my mother spilled a pot of scalding coffee all over me when I was 2-3 years old. It's one of my earliest memories and probably contributes to the fact that I never developed a taste for coffee.

Does that "Newark-style Hot Dogs" place on Route 1 that's painted like an Italian flag sell the same type of hot dog? I'm not sure exactly which town that is (Edison?), but I've always been curious about that place.

I just noticed this thread, but luckily no one's contributed my particular injury: Recently I was eating a particularly nice banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) with very potent hot peppers on it. The juice from these peppers was all over my fingers which I then absent-mindedly happened to use in rubbing my left eye. YOUCH!! And I thought they had a nice kick in my MOUTH! Luckily, this did not occur in public. Sadly though, it was not the first time I've had that same injury.

Tommy - I hear you on that. Maybe if enough customers provide constructive criticism, we can get that pho a bit stronger? I'd really REALLY like to have a Vietnamese place more "in the neighborhood" of Ridgewood, so I'm hoping this place develops nicely. As it stands, it's certainly not on a level to replace Little Saigon or Saigon Republic (why does Hanoi get no culinary respect?), but I think it could be a supplement and a nice addition to the neighborhood. You've got to expect that a place that serves around a 60% American menu is holding back on the Vietnamese side. I mentioned when I was in there that I hoped they could phase out the American menu and concentrate more on the Vietnamese.

I'm not pressed for time now, so I can give a somewhat more coherent and detailed account of the food. Firstly however, I just want to give the little bit of background info that I got from my visit yesterday. This current restaurant opened about 3 months ago. It's basically just a converted house and I assume that at least ONE employee uses the second floor as a living space. Previously, the owners had owned a coffee shop/restaurant in Wyckoff (in the Boulder Run shopping center; didn't ask the name) where they started introducing some Vietnamese items on the menu. A friend of mine who's deeply infatuated with Vietnamese food actually went to the Wyckoff location once only to walk out because, "it didn't look like they had Vietnamese food there. It looked like a hamburger and fries type of place." Naturally, he didn't ASK to see a menu or anything... just stormed out of the place disappointed. Apparently the customers who LOOKED at the menu did enjoy the food so as more of the family came over from Vietnam, they decided to open a restaurant focusing more on the food than the coffee. I had spring rolls minus the shrimp (just shredded pork instead). These were four LARGE rolls served with a peanut sauce, all of which was very nice. Next was a small (think medium-sized) bowl of pho bo vien (beefball soup) which had a deceptively clear broth. Upon seeing the broth, I was a bit nervous, but it actually had a nice flavor to it. It definitely could've been stronger, but it was nice all the same. One thing I did miss was the plate of basil, jalapeños, limes, and bean sprouts that usually accompany Vietnamese soups. The rice noodles themselves were the wider variety, but I'm sure they can substitute others according to preference. I also ordered a dish of rice with a sliced pork chop and a slice of egg casserole (completely forgot the Vietnamese name for this) which is actually in my fridge waiting for dinner. The pork chop was very nice, but my friend and I had to run out before I delved into anything else. Prices were very reasonable. Somewhere in between Little Saigon and Saigon Republic. There were two sizes of pho, I think $5.75 and $7.50. Entrees were around $7.50 to $10 I believe. I'd really like to see this place concentrate on JUST Vietnamese food and develop a larger menu, but that's going to be hard to do until they start getting some really interested customers. It's a tough location for a restaurant.

It's my understanding that the term "vegan" means precisely avoiding all of the above. That's what makes it stand apart from "vegetarian"; veganism is the COMPLETE avoidance of ANY sort of animal product. I've known people who have taken this to the point of not eating broccoli because they read that broccoli MAY have something resembling a very rudimentary nervous system. I never researched that broccoli claim, but at least it's easier than being a "fruititarian". I'm not sure these people actually exist, but in theory they will only eat the fruit which FALLS off of a tree (or vine) because it means they aren't physically hurting the tree. Of course, all of that concern overlooks the fact that the fruit contains the seeds of trees yet to be born... so in essence they're feeding on a fruit fetus. How's that for imagery (and alliteration)? Xenochef - Other than the obvious choices (creative salads, grilled portabella mushroom sandwiches, hummus, etc.) I can't really help you out. Hopefully though, the comforting knowledge that you don't have to deal with "fruititarians" will make your task seem that much simpler!

So I'm driving around today, trying to decide where I want to eat, when my friend in the passenger seat says, "Oh yeah, there's this new Vietnamese restaurant... it's on Goffle Road." Now, this friend and I have a game we like to call "The Bullshit Game" in which we'll dangle a little piece of disinformation and see who bites. Naturally, I immediately suspected that he had started a new match of BSG and when he said, "It's weird though... it says Vietnamese AND American food," I was immediately convinced that it was bullshit. It just seemed entirely too random, so I staked $5 on my claim that there was no such place. Ten minutes later, we pull up in front of a little converted house on Goffle Road with a sign that says, "Vietnamese and American food" (or something to that effect). The name of the place is: TC's Little Taste of Saigon 419 Goffle Road Ridgewood, NJ Most people aren't even aware that part of Goffle Road is actually in Ridgewood, so that's why I say this place is "halfway in Ridgewood", since the other side of the street is Wyckoff. Anyway, it's just after Taylor Rental (on the left) if you're travelling towards Hawthorne (away from Midland Park/Wyckoff/Ridgewood). If you pass the nursery or, even further, the Hess station... you've gone too far. Now for the food. The menu is about five pages, the first two of which are your standard Vietnamese dishes (pho, bun, goi cuon, etc.) and the remaining pages are your standard American dishes (hamburgers, chicken, omelettes, etc.). Obviously they are trying to attract the customers who are nervous about trying Vietnamese food as well as to make the place kid-friendly. I literally had to run out of the place while I was eating (since my friend had a previous engagement which we both forgot about), but from my VERY preliminary tastings here, I'll be heading back. It's not Saigon Republic, but it's worth looking into, especially if you're dining with either of the two groups I mentioned before (people scared to dive right into Vietnamese or children who insist on hamburgers). I believe I saw a sign that says they serve breakfast as well, so if they DO open early enough I can finally have a place to eat pho as it's intended... for breakfast.

Ohmygod...this is THE SINGLE WORST burger I've ever heard about!! Glad to offend! By the way, "Rural west central IL" has to be the most GOD AWFUL place to live I've ever heard about. (ah... the simple joys of insulting others' tastes without first-hand experience ) edit: made it a little more personal for greater emphasis

Indeed.

Interesting. May I ask what dishes you've tried there? As I posted earlier, I generally stay with the house specials and avoid things like tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. The fajitas DO look excellent, but I haven't tried them yet either since they too fall low on my list of preferences.

Interestingly enough, just minutes after I posted about how much I enjoy Cuban sandwiches in Florida, I ended up driving to West Palm Beach for the weekend! It's funny how life works like that. Anyway, I haven't really given enough places in NYC a good try yet, but now that I'm freshly fueled with unfuddled memories of great Cubanos... I'm hitting the streets. Well once it gets a bit cooler, that is. Maybe tomorrow? Anyone got any nominees and/or favorites to be tried? Sergio's... Havana Central... ???