Lunch in Elizabeth

[Dr. Susan]

How I wish we could do Indian food!! But, I doubt this will be an option...not for my sister, who might be convinced to try it, but because of my brother-in-law, whose idea of exotic food is American Chinese. He's a meat and potatoes kind of guy, from Arkansas...need I say more?! But, thanks for the info, Indian is one of my favorites and I will definitely try one of those you listed.

Thanks, Daniel. No, she doesn't eat fish, unfortunately.

Do you know of a restaurant called La Gaviola? When I go to Google earth and plug in the address on Cleveland where my grandparents lived in Elizabeth, I see that this restaurant is marked as being nearby. Also nearby is another restaurant called Kampy's Korner. But, I have looked up both of these names on the web and have not found either one.

Hello Dr. Susan,

Welcome to E-gullet..  I really cant think of any place that has vegetarian offerings... Unless vegetarian includes eating fish.. Then there are a lot of places I can think of..

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LaGaviola is after my time, but Kampy's Korner is a sandwich place a couple of blocks away from Cleveland. Haven't been there so can't speak to it. As I said earlier, I think Jerusalem is the best bet for veggie in the immediate neighborhood. Now, if you want to go down the Garden State Parkway 10 or 12 miles, there are probably lots of vegetarian Indian offerings in Edison. Most of them are clustered on Oak Tree Road. Here's the Google map of them.

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[Dr. Susan]

Mmm. Now I am definitely leaning toward Goodman's or Jerusalem. Perhaps Goodman's,since the idea of going to a place that may have existed when or near the time my grandparents lived there is very appealing. And, we will probably stop at Elmora bagels - bagels are another "exotic food" that my brother-in-law likes!

thanks, everyone! I will let you know what we end up doing tomorrow.

Forget Kampy's Korner. A sub shop and not a very good one. Go to Goodman's and let your sister have the mushroom barley soup or go to Jerusalem and eat vegetarian. Or blow off the whole thing and go to the Carvel on the corner of Elmora and Jersey Ave. Vegetarians like soft serve, right?

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[Dr. Susan]

Forget Kampy's Korner. A sub shop and not a very good one. Go to Goodman's and let your sister have the mushroom barley soup or go to Jerusalem and eat vegetarian. Or blow off the whole thing and go to the Carvel on the corner of Elmora and Jersey Ave. Vegetarians like soft serve, right?

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Well, Goodman's proved to be a great choice for lunch. They had a wide enough variety of food, so everyone was happy. My sister got the lentil soup, which she said was excellent and very hearty, along with an egg salad sandwich. My brother in law got the corned beef sandwich AND stuffed cabbage--which he later referred to as being similar to what his mom used to make. As for me, I tried a new item--a chicken wrap--which was excellent. The only disappointment was my matzah ball soup, which had a single dumpling that was, shall we say, not ultra-light. But, everything was fresh and the portions were large (which met with our approval, as we are all big eaters).

Thanks again to all for your advice. Our lunch at Goodmans and talking to the man who now lives next door to our grandparents' former home were the highlights of the trip.

hmm..I wanted to add pix of some of the entrees but I don't see how to do this.

[Daniel]

I guess no one told Goodmans about adding a little seltzer to the ball.. Then again, the dense ball is certainly a style.. I happen to have grown up eating the lighter variety..

In terms of posting photos.. Here are the egullet instructions for posting photos... instructions

Edited December 9, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[rlibkind]

Glad to hear Goodman's worked out well for everyone Dr. Susan!

What did you think of Elmora Avenue?

[Dr. Susan]

I guess no one told Goodmans about adding a little seltzer to the ball..  Then again, the dense ball is certainly a style.. I happen to have grown up eating the lighter variety..

In terms of posting photos.. Here are the egullet instructions for posting photos... instructions

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Okay, here goes:

<ul> <li>Lentil soup - as hearty as it looks <br><img src="http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/1134153930/gallery_39718_2167_51626.jpg">

<li>Corned beef - as you can see, my brother-in-law scarfed this down so quickly I couldn't get a picture of it in its pristine state <img src="http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/1134153930/gallery_39718_2167_62574.jpg">

<li>Chicken wrap - new on the menu and very good! BTW, the photo doesn't do it justice (camera angle, maybe).

<img src="http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/1134153930/gallery_39718_2167_67126.jpg">

<li>Stuffed cabbage - just like Momma used to make. Thank goodness he was getting full by this time so I could get a nice pic. <img src="http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/1134153930/gallery_39718_2167_37660.jpg">

</ul> Thanks for the instructions, Daniel. Between that and my rudimentary knowledge of html, I got it to work. How I love learning new things!

[Daniel]

Great Susan.. Well I hope this starts your photo career here.. We all really appreciate photos.. Thanks for a great post..

[Dr. Susan]

Glad to hear Goodman's worked out well for everyone Dr. Susan!

What did you think of Elmora Avenue?

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Elmora Ave was great. I really didn't know what to expect, and it was much better than I anticipated.

We stopped at the stationery store near Goodman's, then went to the dollar store and on to Elmora bagels, where my sister and I got fresh bagels--yummy! My brother in law insisted on getting a prepackaged bag, which were not nearly as fresh. but he didn't seem to mind. We capped our trip off with visits to the Elmora and main branches of the library. We attempted but were not successful in digging up historical info on Elmora. So, Goodman's was definitely a highlight. There was an interesting mix of people there while we were eating, a motorcycle cop, several people with accents who spoke about doing business internationally, a woman and her elderly mom, and a long line of people getting take-out.

[John]

Yesterday after work I drove over to Jerry's for a few dogs. I've never been to the Majestic, so was hoping to have a chili dog there too. Unfortunately, they were closed. Jerry's was good as usual, but I was disappointed to find that the dogs were smaller. It seems that they switched from 8's (8 to a lb) to 10's.

I brought a few home for my wife. I pulled out the Best's natural casing 8's that I had in my freezer, and sure enough they were bigger than what I brought home from Jerry's.

It's nice living fairly close to Best Provisions. I can get the natural casing dogs and prepare them like Jerry's or Syd's whenever I want.

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Last Saturday (a rare Saturday off for me) I headed over to Jerry's. On the way I noticed that the Majestic was open, so I decided to stop on the way back. I've been to Jerry's a few times since my last post and am happy to say that the dogs are 8 to a lb again. I think that one time they may have gotten the wrong size from the distributor. The dogs were fantastic as usual. Boiled, then finished off on a steel griddle for added flavor and snap. These dogs are always fresh, juicy, and tasty. Only other place I like as much serving beef dogs is Syd's. But I go to Jerry's more because it's only $1.50 for a dog (8 to a lb). And it doesn't matter how many toppings you get; still the same price. Syd's is $3.29 for a 5 to a pound dog that is boiled then charbroiled. Both are Best's with natural casing. I usually buy these dogs (Syd's) at the Best factory and prepare them the same way at home. Same dogs for much cheaper than what I pay at Syd's. When I want a great dog without having to make it myself, I run over to Jerry's.

On to Majestic Lunch. I ordered 2 dogs with mustard and chili. They are indeed grilled Sabrett's, but much smaller than the dogs at Jerry's. My guess is 11 to a lb. They cost $1.60. Good dogs, but one was definitely done too long. The outer casing was brown and sort of like burnt toast with small crumbs falling off with each bite. The chili was flavorful, more sweet than spicy, but good. These are good dogs, but I much prefer Jerry's.

[Daniel]

Yesterday after work I drove over to Jerry's for a few dogs. I've never been to the Majestic, so was hoping to have a chili dog there too. Unfortunately, they were closed. Jerry's was good as usual, but I was disappointed to find that the dogs were smaller. It seems that they switched from 8's (8 to a lb) to 10's.

I brought a few home for my wife. I pulled out the Best's natural casing 8's that I had in my freezer, and sure enough they were bigger than what I brought home from Jerry's.

It's nice living fairly close to Best Provisions. I can get the natural casing dogs and prepare them like Jerry's or Syd's whenever I want.

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Last Saturday (a rare Saturday off for me) I headed over to Jerry's. On the way I noticed that the Majestic was open, so I decided to stop on the way back. I've been to Jerry's a few times since my last post and am happy to say that the dogs are 8 to a lb again. I think that one time they may have gotten the wrong size from the distributor. The dogs were fantastic as usual. Boiled, then finished off on a steel griddle for added flavor and snap. These dogs are always fresh, juicy, and tasty. Only other place I like as much serving beef dogs is Syd's. But I go to Jerry's more because it's only $1.50 for a dog (8 to a lb). And it doesn't matter how many toppings you get; still the same price. Syd's is $3.29 for a 5 to a pound dog that is boiled then charbroiled. Both are Best's with natural casing. I usually buy these dogs (Syd's) at the Best factory and prepare them the same way at home. Same dogs for much cheaper than what I pay at Syd's. When I want a great dog without having to make it myself, I run over to Jerry's.

On to Majestic Lunch. I ordered 2 dogs with mustard and chili. They are indeed grilled Sabrett's, but much smaller than the dogs at Jerry's. My guess is 11 to a lb. They cost $1.60. Good dogs, but one was definitely done too long. The outer casing was brown and sort of like burnt toast with small crumbs falling off with each bite. The chili was flavorful, more sweet than spicy, but good. These are good dogs, but I much prefer Jerry's.

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John, the man knows all there is to know about hot dogs.. I am assuming they do less business on a Saturday.. Who was working @ Majestic.. Husband and wife or the son? I am thinking its local crowd sans work week people on the weekends and they might sit around longer on the grill.. I cant imagine the women serving an over cooked dog..

Do you get chili at Jerry's.. Whose is better between the two.. I would like to take a to go order of chili from the Majestic and add it to the Dog at Jerry's.. What was your take on Majestic's Mood.. For me I just love the warmth of the place..

Edited December 12, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[John]

When I was there the woman was working the grill. Her son was there also. Later, I had to go back looking for a lost cell phone and met the older guy. I like Jerry's dogs with just mustard, but I have had the chili there. I don't really like onions, and this chili has a bit of an onion flavor, so I would probably pick the chili at the Majestic. But for good chili, I buy pints at The Hot Grill and Father & Son (which is in nearby Linden).

I like the atmosphere at the Majestic. It's a small, old fashioned luncheonette. I was the only one there late on a Saturday afternoon. I'll be back again.

[Daniel]

Its been awhile since I ate lunch at work.. Today, I ordered from Portugal BBQ.. I have written about this place before on this thread..

207 Clark PL

Elizabeth NJ 07206

908-289-6554

This place has the best BBQ 1/2 Chicken fries rice combo.. Its just so good.. Anyway, today I tried Picadinho.. Pork bits with shrimp in a garlic sauce.. Served with a huge amount of rice, fries, and pickled vegetables.. I gave a plate of it to a co-worker and still have enough for two lunches tomorrow.. It was 10 bucks and a great bargain... The pork was cooked over the charcoal fire making it taste amazing.. Served with a brown Portugese garlic sauce.. Oh baby.. What a great meal.

[Daniel]

Another Portugual BBQ Lunch..

Got the short ribs.. Three huge short ribs cooked over that open charcoal fire.. It was smoking,juicy, perfect.. The charcoal is great, Cowboy Charcoal.. Served with a huge plate of rice and fries.. 9.50

Spotted a fairly new restaurant and picked up a menu today.. Its a Cevechira..

The full name is Cevicheria El Tiburon..

#3 Second Street

Elizabeth, NJ

(908)289-4078

Along with ceviches and fried seafood they offer traditional Peruvian Dishes as well.. Dont know what my week looks like but it looks like an exciting place

Edited January 18, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[howard88]

Daniel:

It looks like you are eating some damn fine comfort food for lunch.

I wish I worked closer to Elizabeth.

Two questions I have.

How were the short ribs? and

Is Portugal BBQ open dinner hours?

[Daniel]

They close at 9o'clock..

As I said upthread the short ribs were great.. The meat is cooked in these rotating metal fish grilling clamps over a fire of burning lump charcoal.. They paint this wet rub on the meat as it spins.. Giving it a really salty, smokey flavor.. It almost had like a crust on it.. Very good.. I also doused the meat in tabasco..

I still stand behind my claim of them having the best BBQ Chicken I have ever had.. Its a half chicken with rice and fries.. Its super.. There pork sub is very good as well as there chicken sandwiches..

The place has a couple of tables.. And is on a fairly safe side street.. I would tell you to go there or Chick's Seafood right around the corner.. They have a bar and some good dishes too! I have had at Chicks, anything from Rabbit, to Chicken Salad, to a whole grilled fish.. Chicks and Portugual BBQ have an amazing cheese steak too.. Not Philly Style but actually a large piece of meat cooked churrasco style.

Please report back on your experience..

Edited January 17, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[Daniel]

I've been to the Philadelphia Grille about 3 times. In my opinion, the best cheesesteak that I've tried in N.J. Admittedly, A Philly Cheesesteak traditionalist like Holly would probably dismiss this bread as not authentic, but it was darn good.

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Dr. Moore.. Have you been here before? What are your thoughts.. Are we meeting for a Philadelphia Grille/Amazing Dog Marathon???

[Daniel]

Alkazar Bakery

110-112 E. Jersey Ave

Elizabeth, NJ

908-355-7866

This place is primarily a Pastry Shop.. I really like the dolce de leche offerings they have.. Also its proximity to the bank makes it very convienent for me..

Here is a shot of one of the glass cases.. The majority of these desserts contain dolce de leche..

I also get empanadas and these 9 layer crustless ham and cheese butter sandwiches.. The cheese is like a munster..

This sandwich is really simple.. Butter crustless White bread, a slice of ham, bread, cheese,bread repeat three times.. Sandwich is like 4 bucks..

I got a pound of these cookies for 8 dollars..Short bread like cookies with dolce de leche in between.. Powdered sugar on top..

Edited January 19, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[Daniel]

Los Ranchos Vivero, 434 Elizabeth Ave Elizabeth

Went to the Live Poultry Market on Elizabeth Avenue today.. The place is amazing..I appears they have everything that walks the earth.. They have suckling pig, they have over 60 pounders.. They have live turkeys, rabbits, ducks, quails, and of course chickens... I just did a walk by today.. But am looking forward to getting many things here..

Here you can see the chickens.. On the bottom left you have some turkeys in a cage.. This place is great. Looking forward to next Thanskgiving..

I got fresh chicken and quail eggs..

Edited January 20, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[rlibkind]

There's been a live poultry market in Elizabeth since I was in knee-pants in the early 1950s. For many years it was located on First Avenue near 7th Street, just off Elizabeth Avenue, where the open air market was held every Wednesday and Saturday (not far from Tommy's and Jerry's). Is that where this poultry market is?

[Daniel]

I edited to add the address.. Its right on Elizabeth Avenue.. Its like a block away from the underpass.. So probably around 7th st.. Are there open markets being run anywhere you know of ,Rlibkind..

Edited January 20, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[winewizard]

As an Elizabeth native, I'll add my two cents worth:

1) City Tavern, Eliz ave (near former Liberty Theatre) very good Portugese with considerate & attentive service

2) On a warm day (from Memorial day to about Oct with good weather) you gotta try Lemon ice ( and oher great flavors) from Di Cosmo's. Hight st & 4th ave- just down the block from Spirito's. Make this a must stop there is no better!!

[rlibkind]

I'll vouch for DiCosmo's (didn't I mentioned it upthread?). When I was a kid they also sold pieces of coconut that they kept in a huge jar of water to stay fresh after cracking and stick pretzels. The lemon ice is perfect to "fill in the cracks" after pizza at Spirito's.

As for poultry markets, since I haven't lived in Eizabeth since 1973 and moved out of the area entirely in 1979 I'm hardly up to date.

[Taboni]

I remember going to that open air market all the time when I was a kid. There was a live poultry store there and I remember blowing a little train whistle I had (I think I was 6 or 7) and one of the chickens laid an egg. The owner reached in and handed me the egg for good luck. Funny the things you remember. I couldn't tell you what I wore yesterday but I remember that always.

[Daniel]

Cevicheria El Tiburon

#3 Second St

908-289-4078

Been looking forward to going here.. Besides having Ceviche this restaurant has many other Peruvian Dishes/Spanish dishes.. They serve breakfast as well.. Today I got the ceviche.. A shrimp,crab,mussles,clams, and white fish in a spicy garlicky citrus sauce.. It was pretty good.. The value was certainly there, it was a huge plate that I did not finish..

Something I havent seen used in Ceviche.. THere were corn nuts on top.. Definately added a nice texture element.. I also enjoyed the slice or idaho and sweet potato they added.. It wasnt great.. But It was enjoyable.. And for 10 bucks this could make an inexpensive appetizer salad for 3 or 4 people.. They also have 6 dollar lunch plates that are huge in typical Elizabeth fashion..

Bite:

Edited January 24, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[Daniel]

Portugal BBQ

207 Clark Place

I have been here a bunch of times and written about it a couple.. Today I had a pork sandwich with cheese.. Pork was cooked rotating over an open fire of cowboy charcoal.. As it rotates, it is brushed was a salty marinade.. Lovely, just lovely.. Served with a huge plate of fries.. All for 5 bucks.. Vat a bargain!

Note: This is only half the sandwich.. Easily a pound of meat..

Edited January 25, 2006 by Daniel (log)