I love hanging out in Hoboken. The square, mile-long city has plenty of perks. I consider it "the village" of New Jersey. Plenty of diverse restaurants and bars, great nightlife, people, and just an overall great vibe to the city.
When given the chance my friends and I will travel to Hoboken not so much for the food, but just to hang out in a fun city. That being said, you can't expect much from the restaurants in this area.
Onieals is nothing too special. It's your average neighborhood Irish bar. They do, however, serve a menu that is slightly a step above than the competition. In fact, residents in the area rave about the food here, and it sure does fill up quick. Lets see if they're correct, or if this is just the best of what New Jersey has to offer.
Yes, if I sound bitter toward NJ restaurants, please check out my experience at Casual Habana.
At first impression the waitstaff here is very friendly. Everyone from the hostess to the two cute, young female servers we had residing over our table gave off nothing short of a happy vibe. Every time they looked and addressed us they smiled. They were on point with their service. They were very helpful in navigating us throughout the menu. They checked on us regularly. I would love to have service like this everywhere I go.
Showing posts with label new jersey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new jersey. Show all posts
Aug 2, 2011
Jul 14, 2011
BonChon
The freshness, the bold flavors, the passion put into every piece of food that comes out of the kitchens, the unrelenting pursuit of perfection. That is why Korean food makes my mouth water.
BonChon chicken is one of many Korean fried chicken chains that have popped up in the United States over the past few years. Like pizza joints across New York, fried chicken restaurants live all over South Korea. Never eaten as a meal but more as a snack, South Koreans enjoy their wings and drumsticks with hot peppery sauces, garlic-soy sauces, pickled radishes, and beer or soju (think Korean vodka, but VERY strong).
So now their fried chicken lifestyle has made its way over the United States. But what makes it so different from the fried chicken we all grew up on? For years what we have referred to as the ultimate soul food?
Southern fried chicken is all about the crust, and cooks that are truly passionate about their chicken spend years trying to perfect their recipes. Brining, marinating, dredging, and frying. Size, oil temperature, cooking times, and condiments all come into play. Most of the time served with skin, and sometimes not. Arguments can be made for hours going back and forth as to who does it best, and which method is correct.
BonChon chicken is one of many Korean fried chicken chains that have popped up in the United States over the past few years. Like pizza joints across New York, fried chicken restaurants live all over South Korea. Never eaten as a meal but more as a snack, South Koreans enjoy their wings and drumsticks with hot peppery sauces, garlic-soy sauces, pickled radishes, and beer or soju (think Korean vodka, but VERY strong).
So now their fried chicken lifestyle has made its way over the United States. But what makes it so different from the fried chicken we all grew up on? For years what we have referred to as the ultimate soul food?
Southern fried chicken is all about the crust, and cooks that are truly passionate about their chicken spend years trying to perfect their recipes. Brining, marinating, dredging, and frying. Size, oil temperature, cooking times, and condiments all come into play. Most of the time served with skin, and sometimes not. Arguments can be made for hours going back and forth as to who does it best, and which method is correct.
Jun 17, 2011
Shake Shack vs Five Guys
DC vs NY and everything in between. Which Eastern burger chain will soon dominate all?
Five Guys Burgers & Fries - the very first location opened in Arlington, VA in 1986, and in the next 15 years slowly started to expand into the DC-metro area. It wasn't until the year 2002 that Five Guys decided to franchise into Maryland and Virginia. Now, they have over 750 locations across the Eastern seaboard. The first NY area location opened within the past two years, and has now quickly expanded to 15 in NYC alone.
Five Guys used to be a destination burger joint for me. I was first introduced to their burgers in a PA location back in 2007. Soon after, whenever I was back in PA or DC Five Guys was definitely one spot I HAD to visit. The restaurants themselves don't have much to them. Red and white tiled walls, cheap wooden tables with free unshelled peanuts, and bags upon bags of potatoes in the front. But their burgers are amazing. No less than a double patty, formed and cooked right in front of you, you make your own combination, and so incredibly juicy.
As busy as they ever are, the lines move quick. Side note, and also a huge plus, you can order right from your phone. Go here to the android website to download the Five Guys app.
You have your base choice of hamburger, cheeseburger, bacon burger, or bacon cheeseburger. Then you get to add any combination of free additional toppings, which include mayo, relish, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, lettuce, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup, mustard, green pepper, A1 steak sauce, bbq sauce, and hot sauce. Let them do the math for you, that's over 250,000 possible burger combinations.
Five Guys Burgers & Fries - the very first location opened in Arlington, VA in 1986, and in the next 15 years slowly started to expand into the DC-metro area. It wasn't until the year 2002 that Five Guys decided to franchise into Maryland and Virginia. Now, they have over 750 locations across the Eastern seaboard. The first NY area location opened within the past two years, and has now quickly expanded to 15 in NYC alone.
Five Guys used to be a destination burger joint for me. I was first introduced to their burgers in a PA location back in 2007. Soon after, whenever I was back in PA or DC Five Guys was definitely one spot I HAD to visit. The restaurants themselves don't have much to them. Red and white tiled walls, cheap wooden tables with free unshelled peanuts, and bags upon bags of potatoes in the front. But their burgers are amazing. No less than a double patty, formed and cooked right in front of you, you make your own combination, and so incredibly juicy.
As busy as they ever are, the lines move quick. Side note, and also a huge plus, you can order right from your phone. Go here to the android website to download the Five Guys app.
You have your base choice of hamburger, cheeseburger, bacon burger, or bacon cheeseburger. Then you get to add any combination of free additional toppings, which include mayo, relish, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, lettuce, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup, mustard, green pepper, A1 steak sauce, bbq sauce, and hot sauce. Let them do the math for you, that's over 250,000 possible burger combinations.
Jun 9, 2011
The Grease Trucks
It's no surprise to anyone that there is a food truck craze going on in America. From NY to LA, Chicago to Austin, food trucks are popping up everywhere. You can now find gourmet meals offered to you right on the sidewalk, offered at a fraction of the price of a restaurant, with the same amount of quality and friendly service.
Chefs and other professionals that want to get into the food industry are realizing it is easier than ever to start your own mobile food truck business. And with the impact of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, food trucks are getting as much media attention and followers as the latest restaurant establishments. Call it the newest trend. Call it a fad. Yet, The Grease Trucks of Rutgers University are some of the originals. Started in 1979, the R U Hungry? food truck was the first, and the original Fat Cat was born.
If you've never heard of the Fat Sandwiches, here's a rundown. Imagine taking fried, greasy food, mixing it with lettuce, tomato, and onions, topping it with French fries, and stuffing it into a roll. The orginal Fat Cat took every college kid's favorite meal, the double cheeseburger and French fries, and stuffed it into a roll with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and ketchup. Sound delicious? It is.
In 1997, a student by the name of Darrell Butler went up to R U Hungry?, and asked if he could take chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, and french fries, mix it with marinara sauce, and eat it as a sandwich. Call it sheer genius or a drunken mistake, but alas, the Fat Darrell was created. Thirteen years later, Maxim magazine named it the number one sandwich in the country.
Chefs and other professionals that want to get into the food industry are realizing it is easier than ever to start your own mobile food truck business. And with the impact of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, food trucks are getting as much media attention and followers as the latest restaurant establishments. Call it the newest trend. Call it a fad. Yet, The Grease Trucks of Rutgers University are some of the originals. Started in 1979, the R U Hungry? food truck was the first, and the original Fat Cat was born.
If you've never heard of the Fat Sandwiches, here's a rundown. Imagine taking fried, greasy food, mixing it with lettuce, tomato, and onions, topping it with French fries, and stuffing it into a roll. The orginal Fat Cat took every college kid's favorite meal, the double cheeseburger and French fries, and stuffed it into a roll with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and ketchup. Sound delicious? It is.
In 1997, a student by the name of Darrell Butler went up to R U Hungry?, and asked if he could take chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, and french fries, mix it with marinara sauce, and eat it as a sandwich. Call it sheer genius or a drunken mistake, but alas, the Fat Darrell was created. Thirteen years later, Maxim magazine named it the number one sandwich in the country.
Jun 7, 2011
The Brownstone Diner & Pancake Factory
One of my closest friends introduced me to The Brownstone Diner a few years ago. Ever since, I was jealous of the fact that she lived, literally, twenty feet from the entrance. This diner has now become my favorite in the area, as well as so many others I have introduced it to.
It may be the welcoming family spirit of the Bournias. Since the early 70's this place has been family owned, and every member of the family can be seen from time to time working in the diner. You can tell they care. They care a lot about their customers. Every one of them is friendly, and welcome each diner with a warm smile and open heart. You feel at home from the second you walk through the door, and this could also be due to the fact that the diner has a feel of someone's home kitchen. There is no endless stainless steel or neon lights here.
As many times as I have been here, I can admit I have only conquered about a quarter of their menu. In true diner fashion, they offer well over 100 items, with 31 of them being just pancakes. Hey, if you're gonna call yourself The Pancake Factory, you better have an entire page of your menu dedicated to them. I could go on and on about how great their pancakes are, and in fact I could go on and on about how great everything on their menu is, but I don't have to. Most people already know. It's not surprising to have to wait upwards of an hour or two for a seat here on the weekends. And this was even before the diner was showcased on Guy Fieri's Food Network show "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives". (This will explain the huge poster of him hanging over the window to the open kitchen.)
You can get breakfast here all day (they're open every day from 6am-11pm). As much as I love their pancakes, though, corned beef hash and eggs is, and always will be my go-to for diner breakfasts. I can't get enough of it. When I started living on my own years ago I even found myself buying cans upon cans of corned beef hash to cook at home. To me it is the ultimate comfort food. There is nothing better when you're sitting at home, and eating a plate full of warm, crispy corned beef hash and poached eggs. A sprinkle of tabasco and I'm in heaven.
It may be the welcoming family spirit of the Bournias. Since the early 70's this place has been family owned, and every member of the family can be seen from time to time working in the diner. You can tell they care. They care a lot about their customers. Every one of them is friendly, and welcome each diner with a warm smile and open heart. You feel at home from the second you walk through the door, and this could also be due to the fact that the diner has a feel of someone's home kitchen. There is no endless stainless steel or neon lights here.
As many times as I have been here, I can admit I have only conquered about a quarter of their menu. In true diner fashion, they offer well over 100 items, with 31 of them being just pancakes. Hey, if you're gonna call yourself The Pancake Factory, you better have an entire page of your menu dedicated to them. I could go on and on about how great their pancakes are, and in fact I could go on and on about how great everything on their menu is, but I don't have to. Most people already know. It's not surprising to have to wait upwards of an hour or two for a seat here on the weekends. And this was even before the diner was showcased on Guy Fieri's Food Network show "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives". (This will explain the huge poster of him hanging over the window to the open kitchen.)
You can get breakfast here all day (they're open every day from 6am-11pm). As much as I love their pancakes, though, corned beef hash and eggs is, and always will be my go-to for diner breakfasts. I can't get enough of it. When I started living on my own years ago I even found myself buying cans upon cans of corned beef hash to cook at home. To me it is the ultimate comfort food. There is nothing better when you're sitting at home, and eating a plate full of warm, crispy corned beef hash and poached eggs. A sprinkle of tabasco and I'm in heaven.
May 8, 2011
Casual Habana
I want to start off this post by apologizing. I’m sorry. I don’t want to come off as a food snob or think I’m better than some other chefs/cooks out there. But in this case, I can’t help it. Every industry out there has people that are great at what they do, and then there are the majority that are good at what they do, then the few that just can’t quite cut it, and then the last group, the group of people that just don’t give a shit whatsoever. I know not every restaurant out there can live up to NYC standards. I truly believe you should support your local businesses. Last night I ate at a Cuban restaurant called Casual Habana located in Hackensack, NJ. By golly, everything inside of me told me not to write this post, but I will let every reader out there know that with every last ounce of passion and respect that I have for this field, that I can’t wait to rip this place apart.
Let’s start with the dining scene in NJ. I am sure every person out there has seen an episode of “No Reservations”, featuring Anthony Bourdain. A few years ago Bourdain, who actually grew up in NJ, did an episode of No Reservations based on his home state. He was quick to say that the state that was located so close to the epicenter of dining in the world (NYC) could be such a culinary wasteland. New Jersey, the “armpit of America”, and the most densely populated state in the nation. The first half of the episode is so depressing. Bourdain makes a point to revisit some of the cheap eateries he spent most of his stoner teenage years at. First stop, a fried hot dog in Leonia, followed by an Italian sub at a strip club called “The Bada-Bing Club”, then ending with none other than a grilled cheese sandwich at a desolate beach in Asbury Park.
Although he finished the episode on some high notes dining at a Korean bbq restaurant located in an empty parking lot, showcasing fresh seafood down the shore, and even bringing Mario Batali into the mix to visit an Italian bakery, anyone that is new to New Jersey can’t help but think the state is nothing more than endless parking lots, industrial wasteland, strip malls, jug-handles, and round-a-bouts. Having lived and worked in NJ for a few years I can tell you there are plenty of great restaurants and dining destinations if you look hard enough. But Casual Habana is not one of them.
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