North Jersey Mexican

[tommy]

with adobado sauce or mole on the side.

tommy, you'll have to judge for yourself, with such different reactions to pick from.  One thing I'll say is that its definitely not Americanized.

i don't think mission burrito has mole or adobado. thereuare, do you know otherwise?

[jhlurie]

It's actually a bit of a challenge to get them to give you the Mole sauce, unless you speak good spanish. They pretend not to understand you.

The adobado is easy. Whenever you say "sauce" they seem to assume you mean "hot sauce" and give it to you.

[thereuare]

Tommy, i think s/he was refering to the need to put mole sauce on the tacos at El Gran Mexicano (just as you say you need the sauce at "The Cheap Taco Place" in NYC)....

Mission does not have mole or adobado, but they DO have a kick-ass pico de gallo!

Tommy, El Gran Mexicano puts cheese on their tacos, so from that respect, alone, you might not think it so authentic.

[tommy]

Tommy, i think s/he was refering to the need to put mole sauce on the tacos at El Gran Mexicano (just as you say you need the sauce at "The Cheap Taco Place" in NYC)....

Tommy, El Gran Mexicano puts cheese on their tacos, so from that respect, alone, you might not think it so authentic.

i was just wondering if mission had mole.

and you're probably right about the cheese issue.

my god i'm straving.

[tommy]

Since it would be unfair for me to take without giving, I'd like to say that The Potrero Grill on E. Mercer St. in Hackensack is a favorite of mine.  

is that the place that looks like a little house? right by the overpass thingy?

[Rachel Perlow]

Since it would be unfair for me to take without giving, I'd like to say that The Potrero Grill on E. Mercer St. in Hackensack is a favorite of mine.  

is that the place that looks like a little house? right by the overpass thingy?

Yes.

And, FYI - El Gran has a really good fish special, but only on Fridays. I've also enjoyed their enchiladas. You don't need the sauce on the carne or chorizo tacos, and I'm sure they'll leave off the cheese if you ask. Jason frequently gets things sans queso (did I just mix French & Spanish?).

[201]

Since it would be unfair for me to take without giving, I'd like to say that The Potrero Grill on E. Mercer St. in Hackensack is a favorite of mine.  

is that the place that looks like a little house? right by the overpass thingy?

Tommy- Yes it is. It looks as though it was probably an Asian restaurant in an earlier incarnation. I stopped by for a little take-out today around 12:30 and it was packed for lunch. Mostly a courthouse crowd blindly ordering quesadillas like there was no tomorrow. I HIGHLY suggest ordering off of the specials menu if you go. They've got a website where you can check those out: www.potrerogrill.com. Look under "menu", then "house specials". I have no idea what the "daily specials" item on the front page is about.

Rachel - "sin queso" would be the phrase you were looking for.

Tommy (again, but from another thread) - RE: Blue Moon in Wyckoff... I'm not a fan of this chain to begin with, but you'll be especially unhappy with the bloodless heathen hordes of munchkins running all over the tables, walls, and ceiling. Well, I might be exaggerating a WEE bit about the kid population there, but it's certainly a factor.

[tommy]

201, you are helpful as always.

thanks.

and thanks to you too rachel.

[thereuare]

How is Potrero's "All U Can Eat" on Wednesday nites?

Does a crowd of people spoil the evening?

Also, it appears that it would NOT be buffet style, has anyone been? Is it indeed buffet style or do you just continue to order food until you don't want any more?

[201]

How is Potrero's "All U Can Eat" on Wednesday nites?

Does a crowd of people spoil the evening?

Also, it appears that it would NOT be buffet style, has anyone been?  Is it indeed buffet style or do you just continue to order food until you don't want any more?

I've been there a few times on Wednesday nights, but I only ordered the All-You-Can-Eat special on the first such occasion. I don't really recommend it. I haven't noticed whether it brings in an unusually large crowd, but the restaurant is small anyway (about 10 tables seating 4 each) and tends to feel crowded most of the time. As I waited for my take-out order today I noticed how noisy it can really be. The owner(?) even turned up the stereo a bit so that the music could be heard over the din.

In any event, here's the deal on the AYCE:

1) As thereuare suspected, it's NOT buffet style. That could be seen as a plus for fresh preparation, but since service here (specifically the kitchen) tends to be slow, it winds up being a negative since you'll have to wait a while for your food.

2) Nearly everything comes out as a complete dish with rice and refried beans, but you'll soon find yourself asking your server to make those sides disappear on forthcoming dishes.

3) As with most AYCE situations, the dishes are chosen from two categories... basic and boring. Obviously though, that's my competely non-objective opinion.

4) A friend of mine keeps telling me that the quality of the dishes in the AYCE menu has improved since I tried it a long time ago, but I'm still convinced that's all in his head along with his idea that paying $20 for dinner is expensive.

5) I believe it was $8 about 6 months ago, but it has now gone up to $10. Take that for whatever it's worth.

6) Also in the "take it for what it's worth" category, they did hire a new chef a few months ago. I don't know if he was replacing or supplementing the original chef. I haven't noticed any real change in the cooking, but the aforementioned friend of mine (see #4) says, "That must be it! This new chef is better!" Needless to say, I take everything he says with a truckload of salt. He's got this nasty habit of convincing himself that cheap food is ALWAYS better.

To sum up, I very much enjoy Potrero Grill (even on Wednesdays), but I don't go for the All-You-Can-Eat.

[jhlurie]

re: the cheese issue

I don't think its strictly true that "no cheese = authentic Mexican". I think that differs in different parts of Mexico. The important thing to me is that the thing shouldn't be swimming in cheese--it should use only a touch of it.

other mexican news:

As has been mentioned elsewhere we are even shorter on decent Mexican around here until La Posada opens up again.

[kelly]

Since it would be unfair for me to take without giving, I'd like to say that The Potrero Grill on E. Mercer St. in Hackensack is a favorite of mine.  

is that the place that looks like a little house? right by the overpass thingy?

It's up the street from the record on River Street, Just follow the railroad tracks up from

that low overhanging (truck jamming) railroad bridge on river st.

On my travels today , I noticed a mexican rest. on Queen anne road, Bogota/ridgefield

park , right around the rt 80 overpass, . Looks like a small place.

[Jason Perlow]

Call me crazy but I actually like Badlands Tacos in Oradell.

[jhlurie]

Okay Jason, you asked for it--"you're crazy".

But Badlands is okay. tommy would go nuts on the authenticity front, but its "okay" in a similar way to Burritoville in NYC. Fresh, but as authentic as a Japanese Elvis impersonator.

Potrero Grill is satisfactory, at best. Good fajitas though, although nobody judges Mexican by that anymore... do they?

[201]

Potrero Grill is satisfactory, at best.  Good fajitas though, although nobody judges Mexican by that anymore... do they?

Interesting. May I ask what dishes you've tried there? As I posted earlier, I generally stay with the house specials and avoid things like tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. The fajitas DO look excellent, but I haven't tried them yet either since they too fall low on my list of preferences.

[tommy]

re: the cheese issue

I don't think its strictly true that "no cheese = authentic Mexican".  I think that differs in different parts of Mexico.  The important thing to me is that the thing shouldn't be swimming in cheese--it should use only a touch of it.

what types of mexican cuisine include cheese anywhere near the amount or with the ubiquitousness that we find at most of these places? Oaxaca? Yucatan? i honest don't know much about the cuisines of mexico, but i've been tempted to read up on it so i can know for sure about this cheese issue.

[jhlurie]

re: tommy's issues about Cheese

near the amount

Thank you for making my point for me, tommy! The criticism of the authenticity was that the taco had cheese at all. Well, frankly, it had very little cheese (and without tons of lettuce or tomato cluttering it up either, actually--it was pretty much just a soft corn wrapper, meat, sauce and a tiny touch of cheese as "glue"). You aren't going to try and argue that Mexicans don't ever put cheese on things? The thing which always smacks me in the face as inappropriate is the gloppy overuse of it, not the use of it at all.

I'll admit my experience with this is mostly in the U.S. (one trip to Cozumel aside), but I've eaten superior Mexican in four or five different regions of the country and they all had some--but very limited--use of cheese.

re: 201's question about Potrero Grill

201, I've tried most of the regular menu. I met the Perlows there on one of those nights where you can order almost anything on it "all you can eat style" (but just to save confusion let me say that they still cook-to-order in their version of "all you can eat") and we went through most of it. I've been there on at least two other occasions and tried various enchiladas and, of course, the fajitas. Most of it was reasonably good, but nothing really stood out. Jason, for some reason, had a really bad experience though.

[kelly]

Since it would be unfair for me to take without giving, I'd like to say that The Potrero Grill on E. Mercer St. in Hackensack is a favorite of mine.  

is that the place that looks like a little house? right by the overpass thingy?

Tommy- Yes it is. It looks as though it was probably an Asian restaurant in an earlier incarnation.

It was a mexican rest in the late 80's , then it was shuttered for a bit. Before that it was a blimpee's.

[Rachel Perlow]

Jason's bad experience is that everything on the AYCE menu had cheese on it (OK maybe not everything, 95%?). On a busy night like that (Wednesdays are definitely busier than other weeknights), it is hard to get them to comply with the sin queso request.

I thought the AYCE thing was a good deal, but the more interesting items on the menu are not included. They have the AYCE menu in addition to the regular menu on their website. Good chile relleno, enchiladas, chimichangas and several vegetarian items (more than just peppers & onions in that veggie burrito). We learned quickly not to bother with the beef items on the AYCE menu, as they were underseasoned ground beef. Better pork and beef dishes are available on the regular menu, but if you like chicken and basic tex-mex it is one of the better AYCE experiences.

With regard to food being cooked to order and the resulting slow service, it helped to order your next round when the current round was delivered to the table.

[Rachel Perlow]

But Badlands is okay.  tommy would go nuts on the authenticity front, but its "okay" in a similar way to Burritoville in NYC.  Fresh, but as authentic as a Japanese Elvis impersonator.

They make no claim to being authentic Mexican. In fact, they claim to be authentic Cal-Mex.

[tommy]

The criticism of the authenticity was that the taco had cheese at all.

that is not my contention. but if you want to say it is then there's probably not much i can do about it.

[Rachel Perlow]

Tommy, El Gran Mexicano puts cheese on their tacos, so from that respect, alone, you might not think it so authentic.

Jon - I think you were confusing tommy with thereuare. Or maybe tommy was thinking Jon was saying he was the one saying it should have no cheese, when it was actually thereuare saying that. However, from jhlurie's post that tommy is quoting above, it is unclear if he is actually thinking that tommy was the one saying that. But anyway, I hope this cleared up the situation.

[thereuare]

The "no cheese" came from a prior thread/conversation with Tommy (regarding a different place) where he said it was authentic b/c you won't find cheese on any of the menu items (or something similar to that).

[tommy]

The "no cheese" came from a prior thread/conversation with Tommy (regarding a different place) where he said it was authentic b/c you won't find cheese on any of the menu items (or something similar to that).

find it. i don't think you can.

[jhlurie]

Tommy, El Gran Mexicano puts cheese on their tacos, so from that respect, alone, you might not think it so authentic.

Jon - I think you were confusing tommy with thereuare. Or maybe tommy was thinking Jon was saying he was the one saying it should have no cheese, when it was actually thereuare saying that. However, from jhlurie's post that tommy is quoting above, it is unclear if he is actually thinking that tommy was the one saying that. But anyway, I hope this cleared up the situation.

Actually it was from thereuare saying that it shouldn't have cheese and tommy saying fine I shouldn't bother if its got cheese and then me saying okay, but I don't think it matters if there is some cheese and tommy saying where do they use a lot of cheese in Mexico and me saying its not a matter of them not using a lot of cheese, but cheese at all and then tommy saying that's not what I said and then you saying something really confusing.