Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Alfonso's Trattoria

99 W Main St
Somerville, NJ 08876
(908) 526-0616

We were running errands that had us out way past time to get home and cook dinner. We really weren't in the mood for anything in particular, so decided to go to a diner. The path we took, however, led us through Somerville, and on a whim, we went to Alfonso's.

Wow, what a treat. They have a great ambiance, and the food was very good. I had lasagna, which tasted better than homemade. BAJ had a seafood cannoloni that was very good too. Finally, The Boy had macaroni and cheese, which wasn't bad for us and he nearly devoured it.

Portions are large, prices are reasonable, food is excellent.

Alfonso's Pizzeria on Urbanspoon

Another great Somerville restaurant!

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Leonardo's II

2021 Us Hwy 1
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
(609) 396-4466

We went to visit my grandmother, who took us out to eat. I remarked on the decor when we entered the restaurant; it was very nice and different too.
We weren't all that interested in wine, but I overheard that the serve bottles, but lots of other people were BYOBing it up. We also weren't all that interested in appetizers. The specials sounded wonderful, but again, something on the menu caught my fancy.

Our waiter was very accommodating--my grandmother can't hear so well, and he was happy to let her read the specials, apologizing for his handwriting. She also can't eat iceberg lettuce, and so he told us they have other mixed greens that could be substituted. He also was really on top of helping accommodate our toddler's needs of a special plate, keeping the hot food away, etc. It's all in the details.

As for entrees, we all had different things, and each of us enjoyed our meals. I had a chicken dish that was marinated in pesto, served over grilled vegetables, and dressed in a raspberry cream sauce. It was really stinking good; the chicken was so thin and so tender, and the presentation was just beautiful. BAJ also had a chicken dish... I don't remember details, but it was served with tomatoes and fried ravioli. He liked his more than he liked mine. My grandmother had veal marsala, and she seemed to have liked it. She did comment that they served it "the Italian way." I'm not sure what she meant by that, but it typically means she approves of something (as the child of Italian immigrants, it's definitely a compliment).

We all took home leftovers. Portion sizes are pretty large.

If I lived in this neighborhood, this would certainly be my standby Italian restaurant.


Leonardo's on Urbanspoon

Friday, July 17, 2009

Stefano's Woodburning Pizza

1297 Centennial Ave
Piscataway, NJ
732-562-9696

We've been here twice now. The first time, it was just a regular mushroom pie for us, and that was pretty good. The second time, however, we ordered something off their old menu (they have changed names and remodeled the inside) and were really dissatisfied. First problem wasn't theirs... it was a white pizza, which isn't really our thing. We thought it was very dry and also on the doughy side. That said, we did eat the whole pie as leftovers, so it must not have been all that bad.

We'll keep going to Stefano's when we want something different or if we're in that area, but will probably stay away from white pizza.

Stefano's Woodburning Pizza and Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Cafe Primavera

2 JFK Blvd
Somerset, NJ 08873

Cafe Primavera has been on my mental list for a long time, since I've seen such great reviews for it and it's very close. Last night, we went out to dinner with my father in law, and he chose it after we gave him three other choices. YAY!

BAJ and I both got the "Summer Recession Buster" special, which gave us a salad, an entree, and a dessert for $14. He had chicken marsala, and thought it was very good and probably among the top 5 he's ever had. I had shrimp with tomato, basil, and angel hair and it was also very good. The salad was pretty typical--lettuce, a tomato, shredded carrots, and a cucumber, but the dressing was tasty. The Italian Ice was DELICIOUS, so good that my father in law ordered a gelato.

The prices were reasonable, it had a very nice atmosphere, and the food was not only very good but also a pretty good portion size. We WILL be going back to Cafe Primavera!


Cafe Primavera on Urbanspoon

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Papa Johns

65 Raritan Ave
Highland Park, NJ 08904


I have been a longtime fan of Papa John's. It was an addiction in college, and I was so happy when they came to this area. I have been so disappointed since, though. The pizza is fine, I guess, but certainly not what I remember. using their online ordering SUCKS. You wait forever, so it's not even worth the time. We have stopped going to Papa John's and now just go to the local pizza places instead.

Papa Johns Pizza on Urbanspoon

Biagio's Harbor Cafe

509 Us Highway 9
Lanoka Harbor, NJ 08734

We decided to take my parents out to dinner, and they chose Biagio's. This was our second trip there, and it has been very good both times. The first time, we went on a Sunday, and my mom commented that her food wasn't as good that time as it was this time (she ordered the same item).

Prices were fairly reasonable; it came to around $20 for each of us (after soft drinks). They are a BYOB. I ordered the special of Eggplant Rollatine... for an extra dollar, it added soup AND salad (as opposed to just one of those) as well as dessert. The soup I chose (cream of spinach) was excellent, and my meal was as well. I chose the cannoli desert, which I ended up taking home. This was two small cannolis, but they were still tasty.

Everyone enjoyed his meal at our table, and we were pleased with the service. Our waitress wasn't fabulous, but the owner was bussing tables, running checks, joking with the customers, which helped speed that process.


Biagio's Harbor Cafe on Urbanspoon

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Daylight Donuts

149 Pierce Street, Suite 8
Franklin Township, NJ 08873

BAJ found this one day by driving by, and figured he'd give it a try one day. He came home RAVING about their donuts. The next time I had a chance, I figured I'd give it a try too. I asked the two owners which donuts are their favorites... one of them suggested this amazing sounding concoction of a chocolate covered donut with raspberry filling. He didn't have them ready, so I figured I'll come back and try it another time (since I was heading out to work), but he did offer to make it for me right there. I tried my donut (don't remember which choice I made) and it was OUTSTANDING. So fresh and tasty! I came home and told BAJ about the donut the man described to me, and we were BOTH drooling over this, so that weekend, went back and had the man make them for us. It was FABULOUS, but messy. Definitely not something for the drive into work.

We LOVE Daylight Donuts, and are so glad we gave it a try. The owners are so very nice; they not only offered to make me that donut special, but they also offered my toddler son a donut.

Daylight Donuts on Urbanspoon

Desert Moon Cafe

Franklin Commons
456 Elizabeth Avenue
Somerset, New Jersey
Phone: 732-805-0810
Fax: 732-805-0820

After my very first Zumba class, I was in the mood for Mexican food. We had seen this place, and wanted to try it, so that was the time to try. It earned lots of bonus points for being close to us (closer than Chipotle or On the Border or Baja Fresh), but we thought it wasn't as good as those other options and that the value wasn't as good as the two take out places on that list. I felt that the portions weren't as large as Chipotle and the options are better there and Baja Fresh. Baja Fresh's food is much fresher and tastier and they have way more options.

In short, we will probably go back should we have a serious desire for Mexican, but we would probably be more willing to make the drive to one of the other Mexican take out places around.

Desert Moon on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

China Magic

25 Plainfield Ave, Piscataway, NJ‎ - (732) 885-8887‎

The other night, I was kind of in the mood for Chinese food. We never tried the place right around the corner, so went for it. We were very pleasantly surprised... it was really good! We compared prices to the other restaurant in Piscataway we had visited, and for every item we ordered, China Magic was more expensive--by no more than 50 cents, but still, something to consider.

For us, though, it's worth the extra cost to have GOOD Chinese food right practically within walking distance!

China Magic on Urbanspoon

Harvest Moon

392 George St
New Brunswick, NJ 08901

I LOVE beer. And someplace that offers me beer that I can't necessarily get anywhere else earns really high marks. I've been to Harvest Moon before, and have generally been pleased with the beer and the ambiance, but disappointed in the food, feeling that there really weren't many options and that I was just settling.

Tonight, however, was quite the opposite. Since we had our toddler with us, as well as a friend with whom we wanted to chat, we asked to sit in the dining room instead of the downstairs bar. As far as ambiance, it was ok... our service was pretty good. We ordered a beer sampler, which gave us about a large shot of each beer offering. There wasn't one on there that any of the three of us was interested in having as a pint. I found one I would have ordered, but still felt as though I was settling.

The food, however, was REALLY good. Our friend got a burrito, and not only was it REALLY large, but she said it was wonderful. BAJ ordered a pizza, which he said was good, but it didn't seem to be enough for him. I got a chicken wrap, which was delicious and I brought home leftovers as well.

When we got home, BAJ said that he just doesn't like their beer, and I have to concur. If I were to hear they are bringing back Crazy Girl Golden, I might change my mind, but otherwise, I probably won't be going back to the Moon.


Harvest Moon Brewery on Urbanspoon