MJP

1 - What's the best NNJ Chinese now that China 46 is on hiatus? I can't speak for Chengdu 1, but Hunan Cottage in Fairfield's Chinese menu can't be missed. China Chef in Secaucus does a decent dim sum on Sundays. 2 - What's the best NNJ Japanese? I've heard good things about Matsushima in Edgewater, behind Mitsuwa - it's where the Japanese businessmen go for reminiscence. However, nothing beats Tomo's Cuisine in Little Falls for fresh, beautiful sushi and seriously authentic Japanese food. 3 - What's the best Portuguese and/or Spanish place in the Ironbound? There's so many of the best; Brasilia Grill on Congress Street really takes the cake for the best rodizio out there. For non-rodizio Portuguese, Sol Mar way down Ferry Street is NOT to be missed. Casa Vasca is the place to go for serious Spanish and Catalan cooking. It has the most delicious mariscada out there anywhere. 4 - What's the best NNJ Korean restaurant? Keo Ku is solidly superior Korean food if you're from out that way and don't want to go all the way to Fort Lee/Ridgefield Park. But you're really missing out if you're not going to the Korean areas of Bergen. Myung Ga has a fantastic selection... there are silken tofu soups that are pure wonder in the winter. 5 - What's the best Southeast Asian (Thai, Vietnamese, etc.)? I really like River Kwai in Totowa. The location is deceiving from the outside, but the range and variety of dishes are superb. Brookside Thai in Bloomfield is also seriously wonderful. 6 - What's the best Italian-American red-sauce place, and the best Italian market? The best red-sauce place? E&V in Paterson (it's not the hellish part!). The best market? Corrado's in Clifton. 7 - Anything else not yet mentioned on this topic that simply must go on a NNJ best-of list targeted at NYC residents. South Paterson can't be missed. Toros (the one in Clifton, just on the Paterson border) has kofte kebab that will blow your mind and fish dishes that are subtle and wonderful if you like whole small fish. Stop at Nablus or Mondial on Main Ave. for dessert. Or just grab a pita sandwich and fresh fruit shake at Assayad. I also really like Sabor Peru in Rutherford; it's a very sexy place in a town that's getting a rep for very sexy restaurants.

My girlfriend and I go to Mitsuwa regularly, once every couple of weeks, for Asian ingredients, Japanese speciality stuff (It's worth it for inexpensive tofu) and lunch. We go to Han Ah Rheum as well for seafood; it's where I go to buy paella ingredients. South Paterson is also our go-to as well for all the Middle Eastern food and ingredients. I also love going for cheap as hell, but delicious, lunch stuff at Top Quality Food Market in Parsippany. I don't touch the meat or fish, but everything else is pretty decent.

I thought the address sounded familiar; that's where Broadway Photo/Video used to be. I spent many a Friday night in that store as a kid deciding on video game rentals for the weekend. :-D I might stop by there for lunch today.

sychoc, where is this place in relation to the intersection of Bloomfield and Passaic? I was raised in North Caldwell and now work in Fairfield, and I'd kill for a step above generic dragon for an occasional lunch.

Being born and raised in North Jersey and raised with many trips in to NYC, I can say that so far there is one serious competitor to any place in NYC: Cafe Matisse in Rutherford. It's a very secluded, very intimate location that really does feel like a minor oasis. The atmosphere, food, and service are at or above the par set by restaurants like Picholine without the stiffness. I don't have an inferiority complex about Jersey; I love this state and wouldn't want to live in NYC. It's just not for me, although there are many merits and flaws to both. I think that just as Manhattanites rightfully say that there's no serious, immediate, pressing need to do food locations outside of the five boroughs and subway stations (save for Mitsuwa, which I think everyone who ever tried Japanese food needs to stop by at least once) and Cafe Matisse, NJ residents can find food that's just as good, if not better in some respects, than Manhattan. A trip to Edison isn't so bad if you're driving from North Jersey, but it would become more of a hassle, I think, if you were driving or taking mass transit from the city. Ironbound is good if you want to take a jaunt to Jersey for the night, or if you're going to be at NJPAC, especially now that the Light Rail runs from Penn Station to NJPAC. With the prevalence of Chinese regional restaurants coming to light, there's Chinatown options as well. My point is this: I think this thread can be a useful rough guide to Jersey for NYC residents. Is it a "you must eat at these or you're not a foodie"/required reading? I don't think so, not as much. So let's keep the automotive politics clear from the food politics, maybe? :-P

What about Zipcar? The amount you'd save in time is pretty close to NJ Transit fares to most points. Either or, though, I'll stay out of the car ownership debate. We can't talk about essential mass-transit-compatible Jersey without starting off right: the Ironbound district. It's literally right behind Penn Station, maybe a 10-minute walk to most places. You take whatever train takes you to Penn, then go behind the station to Ferry Street. Just keep walking up Ferry, you really can't go wrong. Plus, Ironbound is probably the safest, least intimidating part of Newark, and that's saying a lot. However, two standouts for me are Brazilia Grill, which is on Monroe Street just steps off of Ferry, and Sol-Mar, which is WAY down Ferry street and might necessitate a quick cab or bus ride. Eat in the bar area, skip the restaurant part. The menus are more Portuguese and the smoking ban makes the area awesome. I can't speak with much authority on getting around Hoboken for foodstuffs, but I know that there's gotta be good things there. If you can take the bus across to Fort Lee, you can get around there for terrific Korean food. Plus, buses run up and down Broad Ave. in Ridgefield Park, home of Han Ah Reum/H-Mart, THE best place for Korean ingredients, conventional groceries, and a really awesome selection of fish and seafood. Their food court is cheap and delicious, with some seriously tasty and unique Chinese and Korean food. I haven't really considered much of Jersey from the Manhattanite's perspective, it's more like the reverse for me: what's accessible in the city by mass transit? :-P I will keep thinking and posting, though. I must, must, MUST second Fat Guy's recommendation of Mitsuwa. It's like Sunrise Mart only bigger and with tons more food. Plus the food court is not to be missed; everyone I've known who ate at ramen places in the city compares them to Mitsuwa. I haven't, so I can't sound off with authority, but I will say that the salt ramen there is what I think of when I think of Japanese food other than sushi. Plus, the Tuna Cut is this weekend! Go and see a whole bluefin get taken apart and reduced to sushi, which you can then buy, and I'm talking chu-toro and o-toro sushi. The GOOD STUFF.

D: This sucks. It's gonna be tough choosing Montclair places now... there's so many I haven't tried yet. Jeff's new place will be my first pick, of course, but it's sad seeing one of the best places in Jersey close, double that since it was so local and wonderful.

It's Lu Nello. I heard decent things from my dad. Their new location is bigger, looks nicer, and the menu looks pretty good. http://www.lunello.com/ Although Anthony Lo Pinto's Crave will be opening soon, and if there's any consideration to history, that'll be THE place to go to. :-D

I drove by last night and there were some lights on in the dining room, but since they've been closed on Mondays, that's par for the course. There were lights on upstairs, though. I googled up their phone number; it goes to an answering machine that identifies itself as Fortunato's. I just called right now, so they might not be open for lunch yet, but I'll try again later. I hope this is just a case of sign repair. I'll cry for weeks if Fortunato has closed. ;-;

I don't think it's open as of yesterday afternoon. It was dead, nobody was on the premises, doors were locked. I'll give it another look at lunch tomorrow and update you all.

In the interest of keeping the Earth thread seperate, here's the latest update: Crave looks complete and it looks fabulous! They did a lot of work on the exterior and it looks like they beefed up and expanded the glassed-in deck facing the airport. No menus or website as of yet, but it's twice the space that Earth had and I'm sure it's going to do great. I may stop by for drinks after work since I'm not five minutes away. Go Anthony!

Wow, it took me forever to get to Sabor Peru and I wish I got there sooner. I called in for takeout since my girlfriend and I felt pretty lazy, but next time, we're eating in for sure. That place is downright sexy in a non-pretentious, brightly-colored way. The owner and the guy who took my order introduced themselves and made me feel like I already knew them, which is tough for me since I tend to be a bit standoffish and grab 'n go. On to the food. We didn't get much, just the Peruvian lo mein with seafood and seafood jalea. The lo mein was tasty, a really unique take with fresh, not-overcooked seafood (squid, clams, shrimp, mussels). The jalea was basic, could have been crispier but we did take-out so next time I know better. It was delicious with this spicy green sauce for dipping, though. Next time we're coming to stay and going for the ceviche and something else. I can't wait to try the chaufas and other wonderful things. It is indeed BYO. www.saborperunj.com

I know that there's one or two sushi places in East Rutherford in Paterson Ave, in the middle of town. I'm going to get my oil changed down that way tomorrow night, I'll run some recon. I should try Osaka Sushi sometime; it's the only game in town, after all.

We're planning a trip to NOLA from January 10th-16th. We'll have a car for a few days. I'd be dying to take in whatever's in season - seafood, game, produce, anything that's fresh and unique. So what's in season? Specifically, I'd kill for real, fresh crawfish.

Oh I wasn't looking for a coffee house alternative, just an easier-access location of some coffee joint. I personally could care less about the meeting place aspect of Starbucks. I just want to be able to grab a breakfast sandwich that isn't as death as a McWhatever and a good iced coffee in the mornings when I have to rush out of the house. I do think Sbux has stale coffee, but I do like theirs better than Macca's or any other place. It'd be nice to have a Moon Doggie closer to me than Maywood to get really good iced coffee, but alas, this is not the case.

Here I was hoping that there'd be an alternative to Starbucks out on 3 in Lyndhurst. Good stuff, I'll be checking them out once they open. It's not mroe than a five-minute detour on my way to work.

Aw man, that's just across the street from Cafe Matisse where we just ate. D: S'MORES CUPCAKE, I am SO there at this place right after work today. My girlfriend has been overburdened and she deserves a cupcake.

We went to Seafood Gourmet today as a half-excuse to go to Moon Doggie Coffee across the street. The fish looked wonderfully fresh and delicious and it had the good fishy smell, not the bad spoiled fishy smell. We had a lobster salad sandwich and some Manhattan clam chowder. I ordered New England, but they gave me the Manhattan, and we didn't feel like contesting it. It came out wonderfully; the broth was clammy and delicious, and the lobster salad was not at all heavy but sweet and well-balanced. Celery + scallion = best combo for lobster salad. I got some Cajun crab spread and smoked salmon spread for the Heroes premiere next week too, so we'll see how that works. For anyone who's interested, they do have different specials for takeout and the restaurant now, posted at the fish counter and on the menu.

We went to Cafe Matisse tonight and had absolutely zero disappointments. The grazing menu was a pretty good way to get a nice range of foods, but oh man, was everything amazing. The real standout was a lamb tenderloin over a whipped feta with fresh mint, a tomato and cucumber relish, topped with a lahmajun chip. Everything was amazing there and it was worth taking a date night, especially since we got a table outside in the garden. I didn't see any single problem with the service. The waiters were attentive and helpful without being oppressive. Amazing experience overall.

What about Chan's Dragon Inn in Ridgefield? It's the whole tiki bar thing with very nicely done Chinese-American food.

I never got a chance to have the regular menu there, just the Sunday dim sum. D: Here's hoping he keeps the menu intact!

Lee's Hawaiian Islander in Lyndhurst is quite fun for any age or group size. The umbrella drinks are not to be missed and the food is as expertly prepared and unique as Chinese-American dishes go. http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2006/07...aiian-islander/

Just off of Route 46 in Fairfield (the Passaic Ave/Caldwells or Two Bridges Road exits) is La Cocina, a little deli that's been there for a while. They do all your standard, forgettable deli fare, but there's a section of the menu devoted to Latin-American specialties. They have yuca rellena, platanos maduros, black or pink beans, and Cuban sandwiches available daily, and they have different specials during the week. If you're in the area and are craving some Cuban or Latin food, this is closer than Union City and pretty darn decent. Plus it's inexpensive. I go for the Cubans and platanos and I'm never disappointed. They also do homemade empanadas (Sorry for my lack of the ~ but I don't know the ANSI for it :-P) and other good stuff. Check it out if you're hungry and want something different in the area. La Cocina Deli 35 Little Falls Road Fairfield, NJ (Right next to the PNC Bank)

We went to Bourbon BBQ today and were glad we made the drive from Lyndhurst. I had the brisket and my girlfriend had the pork, and the pork was amazingly wonderful. The brisket was very nice, but it was nice in a dry way. I haven't ever had moist brisket that wasn't braised, but I think I'd order it again. However, the pork was something else entirely. Perfectly moist, just flavored enough, smoky as anything. It went great slathered in the sweet BBQ sauce. The spicy one didn't do it for me; it just tasted like the sweet with some red pepper flakes or otherwise. I might try the hot sauce the next time around. I wish I was around Wyckoff more often to stop by frequently; we ate at 11:45 and I still feel totally stuffed. O_O Next time I'm trying to collard greens. The baked beans were very nice, a balanced sweetness that's definitely taken a lot of flavor from the pork and brisket they put in. I'm damn sure planning on telling everyone I know about this place. I just wish it was closer to me! :-(

I'm going to Sandy Hook with the girlfriend this week sometime and we'd like to have some decent dinner on the way back. Good seafood is a big +, but we don't want to have to do dressy. Otherwise we're good for anything. Any suggestions? I'm not too familiar with the area, so anything on the way back from Sandy Hook or a reasonably not-far distance from the area is preferable.