TMus1111

Does anyone know anything about a camper (not really a mobile home or a professional lunch truck) parked on the northbound side of Routes 1 & 9 in the Rahway/Woodbridge area selling Mexican food. I drove past the other day and saw it (it was pouring and I was going to fast to stop). I think maybe the sign said Macho Nacho but I thought that was the name of a restaurant in Morristown. The sign said tacos, guac, chicken with rice and beans.

I usually have regrets about not stopping somewhere because I am always in such a rush, even when there really is no reason to be. A few weeks ago driving to the beach in Delaware, I must have passed 15 roaside stands selling fresh peaches, mellons, tomatoes, etc. I wanted to stop, but something in me wanted to get to my destination as quickly as possible. Did I ever regret it when there were no more stands. I could have kicked myself.

I agree about the Famous Amos with Pecans, they taste different - but that may be a good thing, because I was addicted. I love PF Gingerman - yum and after reading about them I must find these Carr's Lemon Ginger Cremes - I have been looking for a good lemon cookie for some time now and these sound like they might be the one.

If I have to choose, as hard as that is to do - between my favorite cake, maybe chocolate with a mocha icing or my favorite pie, either peach or cherry - and they were both equally well made, I would go with the CAKE. I do love the softness and lightness and airyness of a beautiful piece of cake, and I certainly love me some icing. And there are probably way more kinds of cake that I like than pies anyway, actually I think I like cobbler better than pie so yeah, I'll stick with CAKE. My 2cents

My thoughts exactly - those sweet potato fries hooked me from the 1st bite - and now that I have tried the beef rib, it is right along side them in my dreams at night.

First of all, Congratulations. And second of all, I can surely sympathize as I had "all day" sickness for the first 3 months of both of my pregnancies. I am not sure if drug stores still carry it, but I used a cola syrup, which I mixed with either just ice or ice and a little water and drank with the small meals I did eat. Another alternative is to buy a "fountain coke" at a place that is a little heavier on the syrup (there was a place across from my job that was very heavy on the syrup and I must have had 3 or 4 sodas a day from there). The other thing I tried when all else failed was to eat things that wouldn't taste too bad coming back up (sorry if that's gross) - which for me were mainly smooth, sweet and basically not to exotic type things. Best of luck and as someone said, it is all worth it.

Daniel, I also e-mailed the reviewer from the Starledger, so hopefully he will check FSS out. And yes, it is off the beaten path - and word of mouth will probably be very important for them to survive. As for safety, I have lived in Elizabeth for 35 years (and Curlz I also work in Newark, for 15 years) so I would probably feel safe going to FSS at most anytime. But I kinda understand the concern, and for most people, the actual location of FSS is probably not the question, but perhaps the route to get there. I would say that the directions from 13 are "less scenic" than those from 13A simply because the directions from 13A have you on 3rd Street, a pretty busy street, although you may not necessarily want to stop and talk at night time. (not to be confused with the directions from 13 which have you on 3rd Avenue which is not very busy). The directions from 13 take you through an industrial and less populated part of Elizabeth, so its really a matter of which situation you feel more comfortable in. The location of the restaurant is at the end of a main street, right where that street meets the waterfront, and therefore unless you are going to FSS, there isn't much reason to be there. The area is busier during the day than at night though. But I think the answer to this situation is for everyone to come out to FSS so that it is always busy and full of people. Edited to use Daniel's description of "less scenic" just because I like the way it sounds and because I certainly don't want to give anyone the wrong impression. Like almost anywhere, as long as you are alert and aware of your surroundings, you should be fine. Like Daniel says, the locals never bother him.

Thanks Daniel and Tommy for clarification. Sorry, I guess since I got the e-mail they have changed their schedule. And Daniel, as to the beef rib, and this is what Bruce said: "Hi Teresa, To answer your questions about the beef rib: Yes. We are running it as a special now with the possibility in adding it as a regular menu item. "

Tommy, the e-mail I have from Frontstreet says Monday through Sat. 11:30 a.m through 9:00 p.m. As I mentioned earlier, I went on a Saturday around 5:00 and it was great. Only one other table was occupied and maybe 2 or 3 people at the bar ordering take-out.

Daniel, thank you thank you thank you. You already know I am a huge fan of you, your pictures and Front Street Smokehouse. I have been twice already and can see it becoming a regular weekly affair. When I go, I am pretty anonymous, but maybe I'll have to speak up and then I can get to see some of the stuff you have. Question - the Beef Rib, is that on the Special board or is still a work in progress - cause I want one. And I can't say enough about the sweet potatoe fries - they are truly awesome. I though the same thing about the pulled pork, definetely a vinegary yummy taste to them. But my chicken didn't look like yours, I think I got the chicken legs instead of the half chicken (looks like another reason to return). And as for the atmosphere, it really was great on the Saturday afternoon when I went. When I went back on a Friday night, it was a bit more crowded, I guess because it is also a bar - so we got it to go. Susangiff - to answer your question - definetely no reservations. It really is a small place with a bar on one side and a few tables, maybe 8-10, and a pool table on the other. Just walk in and have a seat kinda place. P.S. I really hope people will check this place out now that Daniel has shown everybody some BBQ Porn. I just want to make sure they have enough customers to keep them in business for a long time to come.

Nope, not the way it is out of the oven. Literally upside down -- like the bottom of the pan is facing the ceiling and the cake is "hanging" from the inside of the pan, hovering over the counter. I've never actually done the toothpick thing (I do it differently), but you would put long toothpicks around the edge of the cake and turn it over on the counter. The picks would be holding the inside of the cake pan up off the counter and the cake would be hanging out underneath. You don't grease a pan for a chiffon because you want it to cling to rise nice and light. When time to take it out of the pan, you slide a knife around the edge and pop it out. Wish you could draw in the thread... ←

First my dislikes, as that is a small list. Cabbage cooking and the smell of cheese. I HATE THE SMELL OF CHEESE and try to avoid that section of the supermarket. Now my likes, I love the smell of almost anything baking in the oven, whether its meat roasting or dessert baking. Along the lines of dessert, I live about 4 or 5 blocks away from the Interbake Company (formerly Burry Cookie factory) which is a commercial bakery taking up about 2 city blocks. First thing in the morning and late in the evening, when they are baking probably thousands of cookies or cakes or whatever it is they make these days, the smell in the air is intoxicating, so sugary sweet and cozy and warm - but the downside to this smell is that there is no way to actually taste it - I mean what tastes like hundreds or thousands of cookies/cakes baking at once - nothing.

Front Street Smokehouse if finally open for business. I went on Saturday afternoon around 5:00 - the place was pretty empty, I guess because this place is still pretty much a secret. Its a small, but clean, nicely decorated place with a bar on one side, a pool table and maybe 8 or 10 tables for sit down. You can order take-out at the bar, but we decided to sit down to eat since it wasn't crowded. Their kitchen is open from 11:30 a.m until 9:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. We tried their brisket, a half rack of ribs and the pulled pork. The sides we ordered were mac & cheese, sweet potatoe fries and cole slaw. The brisket was fantastic, great smoke ring, tender and very flavorful. The ribs and pulled pork were excellent as well. Wonderful taste and the bottle of warm BBQ sauce they give you is not only very tasty, but its nice to be able to control the amount of sauce yourself. The mac & cheese was really really good - and I couldn't get enough of the sweet potatoe fries. All in all, a very good meal, a nice atmosphere -and for me its great to have good BBQ so close to home. I realize it may be a distance for some, but it is worth checking out. I know Daniel went, and when he returns from his trip to Vegas he will be posting his review, and hopefully some pictures. And there is another review in the "Lunch in Elizabeth" thread.

I think a trip to Front Street is a great idea for anybody looking for some good BBQ. I went this past weekend and the ribs and the brisket were outstanding. I know Daniel went before he left for Vegas and will get his review up when he returns from Vegas (and hopefully some pictures too). Somebody else also checked out Front Street and posted in the "Lunch in Elizabeth" thread (maybe a moderator can move the review to the "Front Street Smokehouse" thread. I am no expert, but if anybody is interested in reading more about the guys who are running Front Street - it has its own thread.

I am sure your review will be worth the wait, especially if you have pictures. There is a Front Street thread already started - so if I have the chance to go before you return, I will post there. Enjoy your trip (any chance it will involve food/pictures)?

Hey Daniel, if you thought you saw titmfatied, that means you were there right. So any chance we'll get a report and pictures. I stopped by yesterday and picked up a menu, but didn't have time to actually eat. The kitchen is open until 10:00 at night, so I am definetely going to be trying it sometime this week probably for dinner. Daniel, if you do have a review, maybe you can post it in the Front Street Smokehouse thread, and maybe that will get more looks.

Daniel, if I had read your post last night, I might have skipped work today. Well, I'll wait for your report. Enjoy.

I was just going to post in the Front Street thread - hoping you would see it and stop by. I can't go until the weekend, so I hope you make it and report back before then.

I'm a little scared to post, since after reading the previous responses I am definetely in the minority with regard to question no. 5 about chicken wings, hot sauce and fried rice. I am from No. Jersey so maybe that explains it. I think that Chinese take out is a completely different experience than eating at a Chinese restaurant, and while I enjoy both, when I get takeout it is more of a comfort food experience, best enjoyed when the weather sucks and you can call up and have your food delivered to your door, from some little hole in the wall place. Chicken wings with pork fried rice is a staple and I have eaten it for years, there is just something about opening the styrofoam container and putting hot sauce on the chicken and eating it with a fork (although I don't really like the plastic kind they send in the bag) along with the pork fried rice. The only time I get white rice is when we order pepper steak. My new favorite at the moment is crab sticks, covered in hot sauce with pork fried rice. Yes, yes, I know - its not really crab - in fact I am not sure exactly what it is they have formed into long sticks and deep fried, but I love it and on a cold, rainy night after a long hard day at work, it makes me feel all better. In fact the weather today in Jersey is perfect for chinese takeout - I think I know what we're having for dinner.

Decided to go to dinner at the last minute with 3 friends, so I called Bloomfield Steak House to make a reservation for 9:30 - on the phone they said they were taking the last seating at 8:30, but they would give me a reservation for 9. I was there maybe 10 years ago for NYE and the were open past midnight, guess things have changed since then, and I can understand the staff wanting to celebrate with their friends and family. The service was fantastic, very accomodating. We had a wonderful time, it was a very relaxed environment and the food was delicious. I had the lobster, and tasted someone else's steak. We were the next to last party to leave around 10:30, and we never felt rushed. After dinner we decided to go to church, and then back to my house for some champagne. All in all a very nice way to ring in the new year, especially considering that everything was last minute.

I think my friends and family are finally figuring out that I really DO want food/cooking related gifts. I received a beautiful collection of OXO wooden spoons, turners, etc.; some silicone pot holders in black to match my appliances; a slow cooker; a can opener, spatula and spoon rest - all by kitchenaid in orange to match my kitchen. I even got some bath products that smell like food although they are not edible (eggnog, hot chocolate and ginerbread stuff). Oh and some marshmallows from Bath & Body Works (pink and white covered in white chocolate) that were edible.

I love Edys seasonal flavors of ice cream: eggnog, peppermint and gingerbread. Yum.

Another vote for the Pam with flour added - everything slides right out of all my pans.

Friday Brunch - turkey sandwich with dressing on a huge soft roll - and sweet potatoe pie; I ate dinner out while shopping - grilled shrimp and bacon club, yum. Dessert - pumpkin cheesecake. Today - my Mom's turkey hash - which I look forward to every year almost as much as T'Day itself.

I am making sweet potatoe pies - individual mini ones and regular size ones, Caramel Bread Pudding that Marlene made during her blog (I hope its the right recipe, she directed me to cooks.com but they have like 300 different recipes) I started soaking my raisins for this last night in rum, and I want to make a third thing but not sure about timing. I'm sure someone will bring some kind of desert, with 20 people for dinner I can't be the only sugar addict.