new to Northern Bergen Co- help!

[doggirl]

Please help me out!! We recently moved from the Upper West Side of NYC to Ramsey NJ. My cooking repertoire is limited at best, and my husband is hungry! Can anyone please recommend good places in the area for all types of cuisine? I've been spoiled by having dinner delivered 5 nights a week in the past and now I'm panicking!! Take out is a plus but we love good food and will travel to get to it.

Any and all help is deeply appreciated.

Thanks!!

[dodge621]

not to far from Ramsey in Piermont, NY is Xaviers and Freelance Cafe

also Saddle River Inn in Saddle River

The Chef's Table, Franklin Lakes

Morton's and Schmick and McCormick, Hackensack (Riverside Sqare Mall)

[Jason Perlow]

Please help me out!! We recently moved from the Upper West Side of NYC to Ramsey NJ. My cooking repertoire is limited at best, and my husband is hungry! Can anyone please recommend good places in the area for all types of cuisine? I've been spoiled by having dinner delivered 5 nights a week in the past and now I'm panicking!! Take out is a plus but we love good food and will travel to get to it.

Any and all help is deeply appreciated.

Thanks!!

I work in Mahwah, the Tiffany Diner on RT 17 is actually quite good.

Much of the focus of the NJ boards here is northern NJ and bergen county... you should probably do searches on various cusines (italian, chinese, sushi, etc) within the New Jersey boards and I guarantee you will find TONS of stuff. Really.

[ngatti]

You probably live around the corner from cafe Panache. It's on Main Street

Nick

[201]

It really depends on your personal preferences. Are you looking for upscale, casual, Asian, French, steaks, vegetarian, and so on? Probably the first thing you should do is get a good map of Bergen County, because you're going to get a lot of recommendations from neighboring and not-so-neighboring towns, depending on exactly what it is that you crave.

However, in Ramsey, the most-agreed upon top restaurant is Café Panache on Main Street across from the little movie theater. It's (new) French cuisine with some crossover to Italian, but unfortunately I've never been there myself so I can only tell you that it's been well-received without offering my own impressions.

As Jason Perlow stated, the Tiffany Diner is your best local diner, but in my opinion they've fallen off a bit in the past few years. Still though, at ALL costs you should avoid the Horizon and Stateline diners. If you're not yet familiar with the institution that is the Jersey diner, just remember that they're best when everything else is closed and stick to the simpler items on the menu.

Terri's Gourmet Chinese (in a little shopping plaza on Spruce Street, just off Main Street in Ramsey) is decent Americanized Chinese food. I believe they deliver as well, so you might have already tried them.

The Trackside Inn is pretty popular (read: noisy) these days after its semi-recent renovations. Personally, I don't think there's anything outstanding about the food there, but you'll probably have to go just so that you can tell your neighbors that you have gone.

Pietro's Pizza is to be avoided at all costs. Generally agreed to be the worst pizza in Ramsey and rumored to stay in business only as a front for some other type of business.

If you like thin crust pizza, I'd recommend Kinchley's on Franklin Turnpike in Mahwah. It doesn't look like much, but it's very close to Ramsey and they've got nice thin crust. It's probably a good place to bring kids if you've got any.

In Allendale, some of the dishes at Allendale Bar & Grill can be hit or miss, but it's a nice local alternative to the spreading influence of chain restaurants on Route 17 (largely a culinary graveyard). It can get almost as noisy as those places though.

Hmmm... there are many other places to try in the area, but I can't say that I've tried them myself. Again, if you're looking for something specific (Thai, Mexican, Seafood, etc.) I'll second Jason's recommendation to do a search for the term. Most likely you'll turn up something less than 30 minutes away.

Good luck.

[tommy]

"my cup of tea," in allendale, comes highly recommended by "me." and i'm a very important person. asiain/pan-asain byob.

[Rosie]

As time permits scan the whole NJ board from the beginning. There are hundreds of restaurants listed. Also, just go into Ridgewood. There is a restaurant on every block. Some favorites are La Tour and 28 Oak.

[tommy]

There is a restaurant on every block.

there're more than that rosie!

favorites in ridgewood: malee thai, sakae japanese. also, the village green cafe seems to have some promise. i had a pretty good meal there last week. my fish was horrible, but the rest of the meal was spot on.

[Rachel Perlow]

Welcome doggirl! I did a search for Ramsey and found lots of threads that mention your town. Feel free to post questions and reviews of the restaurants you try out (or are curious about) if you can't find any references to them on eGullet already.

[jhlurie]

If I lived near Ramsey I'd be at Kinchley's all the time. It's some of the best Pizza in NJ. It is--unfortunately--fairly crowded, but I'm pretty sure they still do take-out.

Xaviar's, in Piermont, is certainly as good as dodge621 mentions, but not discussed was the one month waiting list for reservations. Instead, try for the ajoining wine bar next door (I forget the exact name--anyone know?), which shares a kitchen with Xaviar's and is walk-in. The only catch is the wait, since its first come first serve I've heard that occasionally people show up at 5pm to eat at 7pm. There's also a decent informal pasta restaurant across the street from Xaviar's called Pasta Amore (845-365-1911 -- 200 Ash St, Piermont, NY).

I haven't been there for years, but a Chinese restaurant in Ramsey called "Look-See Restaurant" (201-327-1515 -- 295 N Franklin Tpke, Ramsey, NJ) used to be okay--at least for the occasional low-end Chinese-American buffet engorgement we all occasionally want. Maybe someone who has been there more recently can comment.

[ngatti]

If I lived near Ramsey I'd be at Kinchley's all the time.  It's some of the best Pizza in NJ.  It is--unfortunately--fairly crowded, but I'm pretty sure they still do take-out.

Xaviar's, in Piermont, is certainly as good as dodge621 mentions, but not discussed was the one month waiting list for reservations.  Instead, try for the ajoining wine bar next door (I forget the exact name--anyone know?), which shares a kitchen with Xaviar's and is walk-in.  The only catch is the wait, since its first come first serve I've heard that occasionally people show up at 5pm to eat at 7pm.    There's also a decent informal pasta restaurant across the street from Xaviar's called Pasta Amore (845-365-1911 -- 200 Ash St, Piermont, NY).

I haven't been there for years, but a Chinese restaurant in Ramsey called "Look-See Restaurant" (201-327-1515 -- 295 N Franklin Tpke, Ramsey, NJ)  used to be okay--at least for the occasional low-end Chinese-American buffet engorgement we all occasionally want.  Maybe someone who has been there more recently can comment.

Freelance Cafe

Not much wait, if any, for lunch

Nick

[thereuare]

Kinchley's is great, and highly recommended.

The chinese buffet on Rte 17S across from the pathmark shopping center is surprisingly good.... and CHEAP (like $11/pp for dinner). They keep the food in small containers so they are constantly refilling the bins with hot food. If you absolutely hate buffets then don't bother, but if you can tolerate them in the least, then this place is a must try. (i think they have crab legs on every not but Saturday, spare ribs i think aren't served on another nite, etc). On holiday's they have a "Special Seafood Buffet" at a higher price, but i don't like these nearly as much and usual avoid the place on holidays for that reason.

Welcome to NJ (it ain't as bad as the other states think!)

[doggirl]

Bless all of your hearts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thanks so much, again.

[TheMan,TheMyth]

Tiffany Diner is good, but I like Matthew's Diner in Waldwick a little more.

Allendale Bar and Grill is definitely hit or miss.

In Ridgewood I recommend Marra's or Marcello's. The Pancake House on East Ridgewood Avenue is very popular. The pancakes are grossly oversized though. I do like the complimentary chocolate chip corn muffins they provide.

Blue Moon Mexican Cafe is decent for Mexican food. They have various locations in the area, but I go to the Wyckoff location.

For pizza I like Nellie's Place in Waldwick, but Kinchley's has a good pie.

The Man, The Myth

TapItorScrapIt.com

[finker99]

SHAMELESS PLUG SHAMELESS PLUG

FINK'S FUNKY CHICKEN AND RIBS IN RIVER EDGE

Take 17S to Rt 4E To Kinderkamack Road

The Web Site has our meny

finksfunky.net

Fink

[201]

SHAMELESS PLUG SHAMELESS PLUG

FINK"S FUNKY CHICKEN AND RIBS IN RIVER EDGE

Take 17S to Rt 4E  To Kinderkamack Road

The Web Site has our meny

finksfunky.net

Fink

It's true... this man's plug has no shame.

But he does have a great restaurant, so we cut him some slack.

You can check out the Fink's thread for yourself. It's just one of many Jersey dining destinations outside of the immediate Ramsey area (though still only 20 minutes away once you're on Route 17). If you search around and read a bit in this forum, you're certain to find many more wonderful things...

edit: added another fabulous smiley

[Rachel Perlow]

Coincidentally, I stopped into Fink's for lunch today. Had the pulled chicken which is good, but the pork is so much better. Oh, and if you're in a "fries" mood, get the Cottage fries, as opposed to the regular or seasoned fries.

[jhlurie]

Kinchley's is great, and highly recommended.

The chinese buffet on Rte 17S across from the pathmark shopping center is surprisingly good.... and CHEAP (like $11/pp for dinner).  They keep the food in small containers so they are constantly refilling the bins with hot food.

Yes, I've been there too (this buffet is a different place from the "Look See" I mentioned earlier--which is an actual restaurant which also periodically HAS a buffet). That larger buffet isn't bad, as such things go--at least for a local. I wouldn't travel for it.

[tommy]

fink's cheesesteak is really good. although i'm generally nursing a smokin' hangover when i eat one, i can say that it's probably top-notch even with a clear head.

[ngatti]

One more:

Citrus Grill in Airmont NY is probably much closer to you than Piermont.

Lake Street to *East* Saddle River Road. Left and head North. Coupla/few hundred yards over the state line on your left.

I've already mentioned Cafe Panache.

Kevin Kohler (Panache) and Steve Christiansen (Citrus Grill) are dear friends, and yes, this is a shameless plug.

Nick

[Rail Paul]

I've had good bar food at the brewpub on 202 in Suffern, opposite the train station. Used to be Mountain Valley. Good bar food, not fine dining.

I understand they've resumed brewing their own beer, after a disruption