Food in Princeton

[Richie111]

I spent a summer working in Princeton about 7 years ago. I'm glad to see Hoagie Haven is still around because that was a favorite.

I actually preferred the hoagies from a place we called "Brothers Deli" (not sure if this is the actual name or a derivation) which was on the other side of town by the fire station. I might have heard something a few years back that this place no longer exists...

[wagyuboy]

Whole Earth is a very good health/organic grocery; they can supplement the few things Wegman's doesn't have. Mediterra and Blue Point Grill are the best restaurants (the others are either overpriced or just not good or both) actually, that Thai place down by the Whole Foods is pretty good too, and Tiger Noodles too. Can anyone explain the PJ's Pancakes thing to me? Why has it been allowed to become an institution? Pennington has Edo Sushi, but that's about it.

[Kim WB]

Whole Earth is a very good health/organic grocery; they can supplement the few things Wegman's doesn't have. Mediterra and Blue Point Grill are the best restaurants (the others are either overpriced or just not good or both) actually, that Thai place down by the Whole Foods is pretty good too, and Tiger Noodles too. Can anyone explain the PJ's Pancakes thing to me? Why has it been allowed to become an institution? Pennington has Edo Sushi, but that's about it.

Penningto also has Sumo sushi, on Main Stret in the same building as the coffee house. (new building) It's been open about a year...I'd call it more "asian fusion" than anything else..but very well prepared, fresh sushi,the place is VERY popular, need a reservation on wknds.

[hillvalley]

Just got back from a wonderful 36 hours in Princeton. Squashblossom and I had a great time walking around and checking out all of your suggestions.

We ended up having lunch out both days and found two great places on our own. I had hoped to hit Sakura Express but it was closed.

Instead we ended up at Theresa's Cafe, which is part of the Mediterrazza group. Great meal. We started with the antipasto which was fine, but rather lacking in the meat and cheese department. There were three types of meat, but only one slice per meat. There was one triangle of cheese. Do not have a clue as to what kind. As our main we shared a pizza. They are only 4 slices and I could have eaten the whole one myself (which is saying a lot). We had a prosciutto, smoked mozzarella and arugala pizza. Excellent artisan pizza. The dough was flavorful and perfectly baked. The toppings were generous enough that you did not feel cheated. The cheese was creamy and pulled into a string when you took a bite.

For lunch today we went to Zorba's brothers. Good, basic Mediterranean food. I have a cheeseburger which was fine. Squash and my sister both had gyros that they were pleased with and my other friend had a wasabi chicken sandwich which as delicious.

I want to put in a plug for the Herban Garden, a small farmer's market next to Witherspoon's Bakery (good bread, by the way). It opens on June 5th. I think there is only one farmer, but her crop is gorgeous. I can personally vouch for the asparagus, oregano, thyme, pea shoots and strawberries (I had the first one of the season!) They will also have fresh eggs. I'll post pics later. When you stop by tell her hillvalley sent you.

Couple of comments on your suggestions:

*Love Small World coffee. If I lived in Princeton I would be a regular. There is a wide variety of drinks that do not have coffee. The mango lassi looked amazing, but at $5 a pop, it was not in the budget. Something to look forward to.

*We found a pretty good Asian market next to Whole Earth. Good selection from the usual countries.

*There is now bubble tea in Princeton. The Fish & CHips place has become a Taiwan carryout. Word of warning, they only take cash. Speaking of tea, the natural vitamin shop near Sakura has a good loose tea selection. There were a variet of flavored green teas that I had never heard of.

*Was told that PJ's is not worth the wait in line. We had planned to try it but the line was long and a friend said it isn't that good unless you get pancakes.

Thanks for all the help.

[Kim WB]

"Instead we ended up at Theresa's Cafe, which is part of the Mediterrazza group."

There's a few Therese's throughout the state, New Brunswick and I think Franklin. They are also involved in the cluck you franchises.

I'm glad you enjoyed your visit..it is a great place to live.

Edited May 16, 2004 by Kim WB (log)

[Helena Robinson]

There's a few Therese's throughout the state, New Brunswick and I think Franklin.

The Theresa's in New Brunswick has been closed for a few months due to a fire. As a matter of fact, we drove down Easton Avenue last night and noticed that the site is now literally a hole in the ground. :(

Too bad... But then, Ken just reminded me that he had read the owner wasn't going to rebuild - after all, they had just put in major $$$ on renovations.

[emannths]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but there are a couple good places that have escaped mention in this discussion:

-- Ajihei and Ajihei Too (Chambers St. and Nassau St. respectively): excellent Japanese cuisine. Ajihei is almost exclusively sushi, and the chef (who formerly worked at Nobu) serves excellent fish. Ajihei Too has a full menu of hot food as well. Last time I was there, he had miso-marinated black cod, which was every bit as good as Nobu's version.

--Happy City (Route 1 south of Princeton): A really good Shanghai-type Chinese place. It's big, but it get very full, especially on weekends. Make sure you get the Chinese menu and not the Americanized one. They typically have a variety of fresh/live seafood every night.

Hoagie Haven is cheap and delicious. The chicken parm and cheesesteak are excellent. You can get 15" of greasy goodness for ~$6.50.

Tiger Noodles is good for simple Chinese food of more Szechuan/Hunan influence. The beef noodle soup, among others, is one of my favorites. During the summer they set out a number of tables outside.

If you're looking for a lighter pizza (vs. a greasy one), give Old World Pizza a try. Theirs is a very delicate crust with a very thing coating of sauce, topped with fresh mozzarella and premium quality toppings (incl. very flavorful mushrooms). I think they even sell by the slice, at least during prime hours.

[rockhopper]

As our main we shared a pizza. They are only 4 slices and I could have eaten the whole one myself

A pizzaiolo asked Yogi Berra if he wanted his pie cut into 6 or 8 slices. He said "cut it in 6; I could never eat 8".

[Kim WB]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but there are a couple good places that have escaped mention in this discussion:

--Happy City (Route 1 south of Princeton): A really good Shanghai-type Chinese place. It's big, but it get very full, especially on weekends. Make sure you get the Chinese menu and not the Americanized one. They typically have a variety of fresh/live seafood every night.

Hi emannths, can you elaborate on the location?

South as in lawrence, or into Trenton?

[helenas]

Here is a review for Happy City.

Sounds like a place to try.

[emannths]

Hi emannths, can you elaborate on the location? 

South as in lawrence, or into Trenton?

Mapquest Map

Happy City is at 3495 US 1 in Princeton. The phone number is 609-919-9881. It's in a strip mall area (the biggest store in there is a Staples I think) on the west (southbound) side of the road. It can't be more than about 5 minutes south of Alexander or Washington Road.

[Kim WB]

Thanks..that is where Whole Foods is going in, I think. I've gone past it a million times, it never inspired me to visit but your rec will. Thanks so much.

[craft_man]

We lived in Princeton for MANY years. Happy City was good but uneven. Also might try Sunny Garden. When it's good, it's quite good. It's on Farber Rd. Just South of the mall where Barnes & Noble is. You have to get off Rte 1 South at Meadow Rd. and wind around the back. Farber Rd. doesn't exit off Rte 1 any more.

[Rosie]

WELCOME to eGullet craft man. Be sure to give us reports on where you have dined.

[hillvalley]

squashblossom and I stopped by the Bent Spoon for some of their gelato. This stuff is as good as it gets without flying to Italy. They have about 8-10 flavors ranging from chocolate orange to mango to pineapple. When they can the use local, organic ingredients.

squash and I both had the blueberry. It was pure heaven. Creamy and full of flavor. We ate it while watching Wizard of Oz outside of Mediterra.

Princeton Food Porn: Thomas Keller gets his coffee for French Laundry (but not Per Se, oddly enough) from Small World

[m(a)ce]

Thank you hillvalley for the generous comments on our artisan ice cream (gelato style-ice cream)!

point of fact about small world roasters & the french laundry - they do sell coffee to the "french laundry", but it's a eatery in michigan, not the famed thomas keller one in CA.

[chefdavidrusso]

Hey m(a)ce....where is you gelateria? The next time I'm down that way I'd like to try it. I'm in the mood for something other than a Thomas'....

[Kim WB]

squashblossom and I stopped by the Bent Spoon for some of their gelato.  This stuff is as good as it gets without flying to Italy.  They have about 8-10 flavors ranging from chocolate orange to mango to pineapple.  When they can the use local, organic ingredients.

squash and I both had the blueberry.  It was pure heaven.  Creamy and full of flavor.  We ate it while watching Wizard of Oz outside of Mediterra.

Princeton Food Porn: Thomas Keller gets his coffee for French Laundry (but not Per Se, oddly enough) from Small World

I'd check on that...it is a FL, but not THE FL...I think a place in the midwest somewhere.

edited to add I should have read Mace's post first. Sorry.

Edited July 6, 2004 by Kim WB (log)

[hillvalley]

That sucks. Something sounded funny about the story when I heard it. Oh well.

Mace, squashblossom runs spring hill farms

[Rosie]

Thank you hillvalley for the generous comments on our artisan ice cream (gelato style-ice cream)!

point of fact about small world roasters & the french laundry - they do sell coffee to the "french laundry", but it's a eatery in michigan, not the famed thomas keller one in CA.

LOL--in any case the coffee was VERY good when I dined at The French Laundry.

Give us the address of your ice cream place. Hours too!

[hillvalley]

Sigh. I'm still not over my FL disappointement. Oh well.

This is a pic of my gelato from the bent spoon. Sorry it's so blurry. Turns out mace himself personally scooped my order. It's a smal eg world

Looking at it makes my mouth water. Someone has to try the whipped banana and report back.

I tried a few more of your suggestions plus found a new place or two.

Sakura Express serves cheap sushi and other Japanese fast food... The owners (Albert and Andrew) are great fun though they do hassle the customers.

I don't think they are there anymore. I went for lunch and there was a japanese couple behind the bar. It looked like they owned the place. Fortunately, the sushi is still good. My sister and I shared 4 different roles, which was one too mane. We had the rainbow, spider, dynamite and one I forget. The softshell crab role was disappointing. One roll had hamachi, salmon, tuna, avocado, cucumber and tobiko. The whole roll was then rolled into some kind of seaweed that was the color of old yellow lettuce. It was delicious none the less.

I got a bubble tea and an order of chips from the Fish and Chips place. The bubble tea was good, although it is made with flavored powder (instead of syrup). The chips were great. I will definately go back for a full meal.

Small world does sell their coffe to a place called Fialte on 518 in Hopewell. Excellent coffe, great muffins and a room just for kids to play in. I don't drink coffee but I am now craving iced lattes from small world.

Also on 518 down in Hopewell is That's Amore. Last night after squash put in 13 hours on the farm we did one last meal out. Both of our dishes were good. Squash had rigatoni in a radiccio veal sauce and I had ravioli in creamy tomato/wild mushroom sauce. Unfortunately we both wanted lasagne, which they were out of. The BYOB thing is a PITA!!!!

Today on my way home I discovered the Burrito place at the corner or New Road and Rt. 1. It's a little shack on the side of the road. The burritos were as good as they get. I picked up 3 mediums for the ride home. The tortilla held up nicely to the chilli/cheese/lettuce filling. This would be my first stop after a night of drinking

[m(a)ce]

Rosie/chefdavidrusso,

the bent spoon is located @ 35 Palmer Square West, across from the town green. . .

currently we are open until 10 pm sunday-thursday, 11 pm friday & saturday.

please introduce yourselves if you make it to our shop.

Matt & Gab

[ryanj]

My aunt lives in Princeton, so I have a few favorites of my own out there from visits. Ferry House is great, one of the best tuna tartares I have ever had. La'heire's, where my aunt works is good. Ask for Spikes. Small World is definitely the best coffe in town. My friends just opened a gelato shop in Palmer's Square, haven't been, don't know the name, but definitely worth checking out. They learned from some of the best. Victor's Pizza, a must have every time in town. Bagels at Abel Bagels are great. The Chinese place on Nassau is really good and cheap, some one mentioned it but I don't remember the name. Chuck's wings on Spring Street is some of the best wings I've had. The fish market on Nassau knows their stuff and has good product, sometimes better tuna than I can buy for my restaurant. There is also a produce market somewhere around the fish place that has great stuff, white cherries that were to die for on a recent visit.

[ryanj]

Me again. Bent Spoon is the name of the place. Tell them Ryan, Diane's nephew sent you. same goes for La'heire's.

[Daniel]

I was just brought to little cupcakes from the Bent Spoon. They were awesome! Too bad the gelato doesnt travel as well. My mother still got ice cream at the halo, but she also had a small there too.