Star-Ledger's Favorites

[Rail Paul]

The newark Star ledger has three restaurant reviewers. Sharon Gintzler does the Friday review, Cody Kendall handles the Sunday edition, and Pete Genovese does the diners, joints, and munch detail.

Here are Gintzler's faves:

Blue Danube in Trenton (goulash, etc)

E&V in Paterson (abundant, more than overwhelming portions)

Taste in Bloomfield

Spargo's in Manalapan

Eurasian Eatery in Red bank, mentioned the black bean mousaka

Udupi Village in Montclair

Hard Grove cafe in Jersey City for its Cuban classics. Have we discussed this one on eGullet?

Zafra (301 Willow in Hoboken) with its masa turnover with mushroom jalapeno stuffing

Fornos of Spain

Vila Nova do sol mar in newark (263 ferry street) wowed her with the platters

[tommy]

Udupi Village? nevah hoyd of it.

Taste: i got the impression that the place was a front. food was pretty interesting, though. it's a shame, my overall discomfort at the place was enough to keep me from going back.

E&V: he's joking, right? does he simply like big portions for little money? is he a fan of Olive Garden as well, what with their bottomless salad and breadsticks?

are these just "favorites" or do these folks consider these places among the "best"?

[glenn]

Hard Grove cafe in Jersey City for its Cuban classics. Have we discussed this one on eGullet?

Yikes almighty, someone actually likes this grease joint that smells like the refineries of Elizabeth? Jeezus H. Christ, I can't believe it. The only thing worse than dinner here is brunch. Have we ever discussed it? Shall we? Can we start with the wobbly dirty tables? the decor that make you feel like you're in an eglutton nightmare?

[Rail Paul]

Hard Grove cafe in Jersey City for its Cuban classics. Have we discussed this one on eGullet?

Yikes almighty, someone actually likes this grease joint that smells like the refineries of Elizabeth?

"kitschy milieu and cuban classics tickle both taste buds and fancy" That's the story, folks!

She liked the ropa vieja

[Jason Perlow]

Good God, Fornos of Spain in Newark?

The one meal I had there was the most overcooked and disappointing Spanish meal I have ever had in my life. My grandmother couldnt overcook broccoli like the way they did. Soggy papas fritas? Ick. Go elsewhere. Anywhere but there.

[tommy]

paul, what was the context of this list?

[201]

RE: Hard Grove Café

I've only eaten there a couple of times, but I wasn't very impressed. I'm trying to remember what I ordered... I know that on one occassion I got a Cuban sandwich which turned out to be disappointing. It was too dry and I seem to recall that the roast pork was either swapped out for something else or possibly just overpowered by the sliced ham.

And yes, the decor is tacky to the nth degree, but that generally doesn't bother me if the food's good. Considering how close the place is to the PATH station, I'd rather go into the city and eat at Havana Chelsea.

[scarlet knight]

Udupi Village is very good. It is a vegetarian Indian restaurant on Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair. It has some unusual dishes, notably "dosai," a crepe-like item filled with various fillings, such as potatos and onions. It is a fun restaurant for an atypical Indian food experience.

[Rail Paul]

paul, what was the context of this list?

The Ledger ran an article entitled "From Adega to Zafra, a very good year" on Friday.

"The year 2002 was a stellar one for eating out. We look back with particular satisfaction on a bumper crop of mmorable meals."

[rhubarbd]

Hmmmm ... that's one eclectic list (i'm trying to stay positive!). Taste's an odd choice, as are several of the others. Taste is owned by the guy who owns Bangz, a super-busy hair salon in Montclair. He's well-intentioned, but has had three chefs in the one year they've been open. He wants to run a good restaurant, but i think he & his partners are not quite sure how ...

[RockADS21]

Is it me or does The Ledger give every restaurant a favorable or at least above average review? I dont mean to suggest that they should completely knock places but at some point some reviewer would have to just simply not enjoy a place correct? As we all know there are ways to say thumbs down about a restaurant without writing "this place sucks"...it strikes me as if they never feel that anyplace was not up to par...and quite frankly I dont know that they need to go beyond the above list to find a few!

Edited January 8, 2003 by RockADS21 (log)

[Rail Paul]

Is it me or does The Ledger give every restaurant a favorable or at least above average review? I dont mean to suggest that they should completely knock places but at some point some reviewer would have to just simply not enjoy a place correct?

I don't recall many negative reviews in the Ledger. Even a place with lots of overcooked, sloppy, etc still seems to get a GOOD

They did a blisteringly down review of Il Mondo Vecchio a few years ago (like 6). Re-reviewed it a year or two later, recognizing it had overcome its 'tude issues.