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Overlooked Restaurants

BeerGut

By BeerGut
in New Jersey: Dining

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Double 0

Double 0

Posted
Posted

Ela

If you like good Spedini you might try Joe and Joe's in Pearl River, NY Its on Central Ave across from the firehouse. The portions are huge and the prices are fairly low. Anouther interesting addition to the area is Defiant brewery. They have 6-7 homemade brews and you can get takeout of beer. They don't have any food.

I'm a NYC expat. Since coming to the darkside, as many of my freinds have said, I've found that most good things in NYC are made in NJ.

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  • 3 weeks later...
jtphjl

jtphjl

Posted
Posted
List five places you think we may have missed but which deserve a visit.

My 5:

1. Bistro EN, Teaneck

2. Esty Street, Park Ridge

3. Relish, Sparkill, NY (Northen NJ area)

4. Fat Cat, Little Ferry

5. Spring Grill, Rutherford

It's not too late with Fat Kat - however you need to hurry - the word is out, Chef Antonio is closing and is scheduled for surgery early September. I made my reservations today, the last serving is Aug.24th :(

"When women are depressed, they either eat or go shopping. Men invade another country. It's a whole different way of thinking."

- Elaine Boosler

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jim07044

jim07044

Posted
Posted

Miele's in Verona (across the street from Amazing Hot Dog). Small casual italian, family owned. Best chicken parm around. Head chef Stephen will take care of you. I've been eating there since 1990 and it's always been consistently good.

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Shmily

Shmily

Posted
Posted

Most overrated...not just in New Jersey but everywhere:

1. all chains...you know before you go what the food and decor are...sometimes that may be exactly what you want...but I would rather stay home..certainly including Legal Seafood, Joe's American, McCormick, and on and on..I can make my own frozen food at home

2.Scalini Fedeli...I have eaten there 3 or 4 times and been sadly disappointed each time....and I certainly hold more expensive restaurants to a higher standard...

3.Doris and Ed's...the food was just ok...very simple...had the prices been half of what they were., I might feel differently..and sadly, the person in charge had a terribly snobby attitude....(I am not certain why)

4.The Manor...I admit that I have had both superb and dreadful meals here...but it should be great ALL the time at those prices...

5a.There are several "old time" southern Italian places in the Valley...in lower West Orange and Orange...the food arrives swimming in oil...bread is stale...

5b.At the risk of offending everyone...I feel for me one of the MOST overrated is Star Tavern for pizza...pizza is swimming in oil...many of the topping come right from cans (like the mushrooms) and I just dont understand why it is always rated as the best pizza...years ago there was an amazing pizza place on Bloomfield Avenue at the Bloomfield end towards Newark..I know it is closed, but does anyone remember it...and have they opened up any place else...crust was so crispy and thin and the toppings were wonderful...not at all oily...it was always rated tops in the local surveys... :smile::smile:

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tommy

tommy

Posted
Posted
are chains actually highly rated?

I guess they must be to somebody...or they would not stay in business... :smile::smile:

i suppose that would go for McDonald's too? i don't think mcdonald's is overrated. it can't be overrated unless it's highly rated. it's hardly rated at all, along with most chains. Legal Sea Foods might be an exception. I think they do some things wonderfully. show me a non-chain restaurants with that consistency, beer selection, wine selection, and oyster selection, and i'll go. i'm guessing you won't come up with one though.

overall i'm much more interested in hearing about overlooked restaurants. i'm not sure what happened here.

tommy:eats.com
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Shmily

Shmily

Posted
Posted
are chains actually highly rated?

I guess they must be to somebody...or they would not stay in business... :smile::smile:

i suppose that would go for McDonald's too? i don't think mcdonald's is overrated. it can't be overrated unless it's highly rated. it's hardly rated at all, along with most chains. Legal Sea Foods might be an exception. I think they do some things wonderfully. show me a non-chain restaurants with that consistency, beer selection, wine selection, and oyster selection, and i'll go. i'm guessing you won't come up with one though.

overall i'm much more interested in hearing about overlooked restaurants. i'm not sure what happened here.

I DO agree about the overlooked restaurants being more interesting...we cannot forget that for many, many people in this country places like McDonalds are important..they might not be able to take their children out at all, excet for such places...

:smile::smile:

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menton1

menton1

Posted
Posted
..we cannot forget that for many, many people in this country places like McDonalds are important..they might not be able to take their children out at all, excet for such places...

What a statement about our culture. How different would our world be without McDonald's? After a couple of weeks, would anybody really miss the place?

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Wiener

Wiener

Posted
Posted

Have to comment on Legal Seafood, which at on time was my Bergen County guilty pleasure on a Sunday afternoon. Used to be quiet, fresh, pleasant and offered excellent wines at decent prices. Legal Seafood is taking a fast nosedive in my opinion. Sevice and food quality continues to go downhill. The Short Hill's location is actually dirty at times and the restaurant staff has become less and less attentive. Also ate in the LS in Baltimore last weekend and it was awful. I am pretty sure we will be seening Legal Seafood being advertised on tv within a month or two. And I really liked this place!

Heuriger Wein is mein Lieblingswein!

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ghostrider

ghostrider

Posted
Posted
Miele's in Verona (across the street from Amazing Hot Dog). Small casual italian, family owned. Best chicken parm around. Head chef Stephen will take care of you. I've been eating there since 1990 and it's always been consistently good.

Miele's buys their ravioli from Belgiovine's in Montclair, which is why that is consistetntly good.

Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea!

- Sydney Smith, English clergyman & essayist, 1771-1845

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jim07044

jim07044

Posted
Posted (edited)
we cannot forget that for many, many people in this country places like McDonalds are important..they might not be able to take their children out at all, excet for such places...

From a business perspective, I think it is inspiring that someone (Ray Kroc in 1955) could start a business and make billions franchising it around the globe. From a cultural perspective, we could be a healthier and less obese nation without Mickey Ds and all the other low-cost high-taste food options out there. Like the tobacco industry, places like McDonald's encourage the children of the next generation to start their bad habits early. Most families have to stretch their dollars farther, and the "dollar value meals" are more appealing than the $10-25 meals at other [healthier] places.

If someone would just bankroll the idea of fresh food fast to achieve the same economy of scale as McDonald's but with all-natural fruits, vegetables, and meats (realizing the large amount of daily waste that will occur without using preservatives) at "dollar menu" prices, you could start to make a dent on America's eating habits.

But of course its more complicated than that ... television advertising targeted at children ... package design and POP store display strategies ... family history and habits ... employment unions and lobby groups ...

Back to the topic ...

Edited by jim07044 (log)
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