Stan's Chitch's Cafe

14 Columbus Pl
Bound Brook, NJ 08805
(732) 356-0899      

The other night, we planned to order pizza.  My husband said he wanted to try someplace new, so to the internet we went.  He found a place, but for one reason or another, that didn't work out, and I had it in my head that this was the place I wanted to try--maybe the name, maybe the reviews on yelp, which are sort of mixed--and so this is where we called.

We ordered a half mushroom, half sausage (which is VERY highly reviewed on yelp and elsewhere on the internet).  When it arrived, we were struck by it being on the small side.  But it was a gorgeous looking pie! 

It was a crisp pie; I tend to like a chewier crust.  But it was delicious.  The sauce was the perfect flavor, and though I don't like sausage pizza, the reviews were high enough that I asked for a taste, and I learned that I really DO like sausage pizza, but that I don't like the texture of the big chunks one typically finds on a sausage pizza.  Stan's, however, grinds them up REALLY small, so it doesn't have the weird texture I don't really like.

For the size of the pie you get, it is on the pricey side, but the taste is really unbeatable. 

Vincenzo's Ristorante

665 Bound Brook Rd
Middlesex, NJ 08846

(732) 968-7777

www.vincenzosristorante.com/

When looking to celebrate my birthday, I had a serious Italian craving and wanted to try a new restaurant.  Vincenzo's kept coming up as recommended in my searches, so that's where we decided to go.

Since first impressions mean a lot, let me start there.  The atmosphere is very nice.  It's classy but casual--I didn't feel out of place in my work clothes, and I didn't think my husband was out of place in jeans and a tshirt.  They have a small bar, where some people were having pre dinner drinks.  When we walked in, we asked for a high chair, but were told they only have booster seats.  Generally, this would be ok for us, but since my 17 month old son was not interested in sitting still and sliding out of the strapless booster seat, my husband ended up eating with Squirmy in his lap.  Next, there's not really a kid's menu, but we were told we could choose any pasta in a half portion.  Ok, so they're not exactly kid-friendly, but they're kid accommodating.  

We were greeted with waters around and bruschetta appetizer, along with a really yummy bread basket.  I'd read that the Antipasto appetizer is excellent, and without this knowledge, my husband suggested we order it.  It was excellent indeed, with the most delicious prosciutto I've ever had (I'm generally not a fan, but this was yum), super fresh mozzarella, a variety of olives, and other yummies.  It was a big platter, and well worth the $9.95.

As far as entrees, my husband chose chicken marsala, I chose shrimp with crabmeat, and the boys split a half order of pasta with marinara sauce.  I ordered a glass of house wine, my husband had an iced tea, and we ordered 2 milks for the boys.  Both our meals came with a delicious house salad, with mixed greens (hooray for salads without iceberg lettuce!).  My husband's also arrived with a side of penne with marinara (a strange sauce choice, given his marsala entree, but I know this is pretty standard).  He really liked his meal, and it was enough that he saved half for lunch the next day.  I was so full from the bread, bruschetta, antipasto, and salad, I only had a few bites of mine, which came over a bed of spaghetti.  Mine was tasty, though something seemed to be missing; I think I'd have preferred lumps of crabmeat rather than tiny shreds of it.

Overall, we were happy with our meals, but then the check arrived.  We didn't ask for clarification, since we were in a hurry to get out with our now unhappy boys (certainly not the restaurant or server's fault at all), but we were charged almost as much for a cup of pasta and sauce (the half order) as if we'd order a full plate of penne with vodka sauce (We were charged $12.99, the full size penne with vodka, which likely would have come with salad was $14.99).  Our drink order (not broken down, but a glass of house wine, an iced tea, and two milks) came to $14.50.  I guess I should have asked for prices before ordering everything, since none of these items had prices on the menu, but I did expect to pay closer to $6-10 for the kid's meals, and it seems like our drinks were on the high side too.

Luckily, we had a restaurant.com certificate, but I felt ripped off as I left.  The atmosphere is nice, the food is decent, but the prices and lack of kid friendliness means we won't be back to Vincenzo's.

Bobby's Burger Palace

188 Route 35 South (Monmouth Mall)
Eatontown, NJ 07724
www.bobbysburgerpalace.com

Like most people familiar with the Food Network, I have a crush on Bobby Flay.  So when we finally had the chance to check out his burger joint in Eatontown, I jumped at the chance to try it out.  It's not every day that a celebrity chef's restaurant is going to fit into our budget or not require some travel for us to get there, so we went with our family one day for lunch.

First, the decor.  It felt like an upscale diner; there are U shaped tables, which you'd expect someone named Flo to greet you from the other side.  The color combination is very Brady Bunch, but it's a kitsch I enjoyed... very Americana, shall we say.  Since we arrived early, we were the only patrons at the restaurant, but as we were leaving, we had folks sitting right next to us.  I'd imagine this cafeteria style seating might not be favorable to many American patrons, but I had no problem with it... it's not like they were spitting in my food.

Next, the service.  It was sort of a weird combination of counter and table service--you are shuffled to a counter where you place your order, then directed to sit wherever with a number.  Your drinks are brought to you followed by your food, and you also leave your trash behind.  The service was really helpful at making sure we had everything we needed.

As for the food, for my family, visiting a Burger joint is not common, largely because my husband is not a fan of beef, so when we discovered that one can choose a beef, turkey, or chicken burger, he was sold.  Initially, my husband and I both decided on the Dallas Burger, though he wanted his with chicken, but he ultimately decided on a Miami Burger.  He thought it was excellent on chicken, but thought it would be really lacking on a burger.  My Miami Burger was perfectly delicious.  I couldn't really tell you about it because I devoured it so quickly.  It was cooked perfectly for my tastes; unlike many of the recent crop of burger joints, they cook it to order instead of cooking every patty the same well done.  I do know that the cole slaw was perfect for my liking--crunchy with the right blend of sweet and vinegar.  I made a huge mess of myself, so it was nice that our server had brought extra napkins, you know, for the kids.

We also shared fries and sweet potato fries.  The servings are ENORMOUS.  A kid's serving of fries was enough for my husband while the kids and I had leftovers of the sweet potatoes.  Both come with a dipping sauce, in addition to the ketchup, mustard, and variety of barbecue sauces (c'mon, this is Bobby Flay, what did you expect?) already on the table.  I didn't taste the fries-my husband commented they were on the well done side-but the sweet potato fries were out of this world.

Finally, I gave into my shake craving, and my husband and I shared a black and white shake.  It wasn't really anything I'd go over the moon about, but it was a decent shake without that artificial taste you come across in so many drive thru ones.

In all, we had a good lunch that filled our bellies, more than we could eat, in fact, and got to try a new experience!

Blackthorn

1735 Route 46 East
Parsippany, NJ 07054
www.blackthornonline.com/parsippany/

We often find ourselves traveling down 287 and need a place to eat in the Parsippany area.  Not really knowing the area, I turn to the urbanspoon app on my phone to find a place.  On this particular day, I did just that and came up with a restaurant.  We were on our way and passed this place, a location we'd been to previously, back when it was a Bennigan's.  For whatever reason, my husband decided to pull in here instead.

The decor is nice; it reminded me of Bennigan's, though classier and without all the junk on the walls.  The bar area had some great Irish type quotes about drinking and/or life.

We were luckily there right before the lunch rush, which arrived about 20 minutes after we did.  Our service was pretty good, but it seemed like the food took a long time to arrive considering how few people were in the restaurant.  That might have been, though, because our boys were hungry and as a result, quite unhappy.

Our food was pretty typical chain restaurant fare.  Since we went for lunch, we stuck to the sandwich menu, which really doesn't reflect Irish-ness at all.  The entrees are much more Irish inspired, but I never understand why an Irish pub would have quesadillas on their appetizer menu (on The Next Food Network Star, they'd say the chef wasn't sticking to his/her POV), but I guess that's what Americans like with their beer and casual fare--thank you, Friday's!

So the short is, it's typical.  Nothing to really remark about, but good enough for a fast, casual meal.  It certainly fills a void left by the demise of Bennigan's, and is probably a great spot for dinner and/or drinks.

Kanji Sushi and Steakhouse

980 Shrewsbury Avenue
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
www.kanjisteakhouse.com

We  had a plan to go to the Jersey Shore Premium Outlets, but knew we'd be out at a time that would interfere with making dinner, so I turned to the internet to find an interesting restaurant in the area.  A little bit of looking on urbanspoon brought me to Kanji, which looked interesting and sounded delicious.

We had never taken our boys to sushi before, because we figured they wouldn't eat it and what else would there be on the menu for them to eat?  I finally got smart and called--I was told we could order hibachi at a sushi table!  (It makes total sense, but my husband always maintained you couldn't do it.)

As soon as we walked in the door, the hostess remembered my call and was really nice to my boys.  I don't know if she overheard our conversation about asking our server for training chopsticks for my 4 year old, but brought them right over to us.  (As a random aside, it wasn't until he'd finished eating that he asked for crayons, which of course he gets at pretty much every other restaurant we go to.  They didn't seem to have any, but I love that it took him that long to ask for them!)

The ambiance here is incredible.  From the moment you walk in, you forget you're in a strip mall and feel so relaxed, and in my case, just a little less uncool.  To me, it felt very NYC, but I don't dine in NYC as much as many others who could easily argue with me.

We both chose The Chef's Choice Sushi Platter, which came with soup and salad.  The ginger dressing on the salad is the best I've ever had at a hibachi place; I honestly thought this was a salad I just didn't like, but it was delicious and amazing at Kanji.  I wasn't nuts about the soup we were given, but still ate about half of it.  This was just the right amount of food for my husband, but a few pieces of sushi too much for me.

So, this was my first time eating sushi at a real sushi restaurant (at least, as far as I can recall).  We've gone out for sushi, but I've been pregnant.  I thought the sushi here was amazing--super fresh, great texture, and delicious.  My husband felt it was pretty comparable to the other sushi places we've tried.

Now, let's talk about kid-friendly.  At first glance, I'd say no.  In reality, though, it was very kid friendly.  Along with my two kids, there was another baby there, probably 10 months old, and another kid over in the hibachi area.  As I said, the hostess made my kids feel totally welcome and also had trainer chopsticks for my son, and the regular chopsticks made great banging toys for my one year old.  My four year old ordered shrimp hibachi, which he shared with his brother.  It was a ton of food!  Both boys liked it, and my husband and I thought it was the best hibachi rice we've ever had.  My husband commented that usually at hibachi, you get EITHER rice or noodles, but my son got both, and I thought the vegetables looked better than what we've gotten at other hibachi restaurants (I saw broccoli and carrots that looked incredibly fresh).

So, while the bill may have been higher than we'd have paid at a more traditional restaurant, we got delicious food, a ton of leftovers, and a much more interesting experience. I'd also wager that, with the exception of the hibachi meal, our sushi dinners were far more healthful than anything we'd get at a more traditional restaurant.

Rainbow Diner

849 Route 70
Brick, NJ 08724

We were at my parents' house when it began to rain, so we decided to head home a bit early.  Because of the change of plans, we weren't thinking about our food needs.  I turned to my urban spoon app and looking for nearby diners, and the Rainbow Diner was highly rated, so we made our way over.

The parking lot is on the small side for the size of the restaurant inside, but it's more tight than not enough spaces.  When we got inside, we were met with a full lobby of people waiting to go in, which isn't that surprising for a Sunday, particularly a rainy one in the middle of a holiday weekend.  Despite the size of the crowd in the lobby, we only waited about 10 minutes.


Unlike most of the other patrons, we ordered lunch.  First, my son ordered a kid's meal, a hot dog.  The menu said it came with fries, but our waitress was very accommodating in replacing them with veggies.  The meal arrived, and I was really surprised that he got two hot dogs.  The problem, however, was that rather than coming on two hot dog buns, they were across two hamburger rolls.  My four year old kinda sorta...freaked.  The waitress (and, I think, an owner?) came over to see what was happening, and I asked if he could have something different.  They were totally willing to help us out.  (End of the story, my son decided he didn't want something else, and ended up eating the hot dogs and buns "deconstructed," but I was thrilled by how wonderful the server was.)

I got an enormous and quite delicious French dip, and my husband had a very large Pastrami Reuben. 

Pastrami Reuben

French Dip

We both liked our meals a LOT, but raved over the cole slaw; it was delicious.

 We were really pleased with our meals.  We had a little discussion about the cole slaw after the fact, when my husband said it was delicious, but that it comes from a can.  I said, "Well, their menu specifically said everything is from scratch!"

The Rainbow Diner is deserving of their full parking lot, as far as we're concerned!































Diner, Brick

Asian Garden

145 Woodbridge Ave. Highland Park, NJ
(732)985-8863
http://www.asiangardentogo.com/

Today, I had grand plans for dinner.  We were going to a local amusement park for the day, but since the boys nap around 1, it wouldn't be a big deal for me to stop at a grocery store on the way home to get the stuff I needed for dinner and make it.  It didn't happen, though, since we stayed at the park until 4, and it's an hour ride home.  Exhausted, we decided to with Chinese food.  I turned once again to my urbanspoon app, and came up with the highly rated Asian Garden in Highland Park.

We ordered a Chicken Lo Mein combo platter and a quart of Won ton Soup.  I was told this would be about 10 minutes, and it was ready in less than that.

My husband kept saying that each part was SO good, and it was.  I don't know if it was the best I've ever had, but it was darn good takeout Chinese food.

As a side note, we've been on the lookout for a takeout place that gives plastic containers, and Asian Garden hit the mark... they're the first in the area we've found that gives a reusable container.

Broadway Burgers

56 East Main St
Somerville, NJ 08876
www.broadwayburgers.net

The great thing about being teachers is that we're ready to eat way earlier than the rest of the world.  So when the belly starts to rumble at 10:30, you get to an empty restaurant at 11:00.

Such was the case today when we visited Broadway Burgers.  By the time we left, the place was pretty full, but we got super fast service because we were the only customers.

Our first impression was parking.  I was driving around looking for parking, and it was sort of hard to find.  We ultimately found a spot with a meter right in front of the restaurant, at 25 cents a half hour.

Going to the currently trendy burger restaurants is hard for us, considering that my husband will not eat beef.  So a burger joint with chicken, turkey, ostrich, and buffalo on the menu, in addition to angus burgers, is going directly to my wishlist.

Because my husband doesn't eat beef, I don't cook a whole lot of it, so it's really rare that I'd go for something other than a straight up burger.  I didn't in this case, because the Annie Get Your Gun burger (turkey burger with swiss and cranberry sauce) was singing my name.  It was awesome; the burger was so moist and flavorful and the bun was outstanding.  So I really can't compare to some of the other burger joints we've been to recently.  But this burger was yum.

My husband went for a Jekyll and Hyde.  I tasted it and have to say I wasn't nuts over it.  The chicken needed to be pounded a little thinner for my liking; it was tough for me to bite into the sandwich because the chicken was too thick.  He liked it, and thought it was pretty tasty.

My 1 year old had a kid's burger, which came with fries and a soda.  I have to tell you, we don't like to give our kids either of those things, though we sure do love them.  So, my husband and I split them so we didn't have to order our own.  At first bite, my husband remarked that they were really good fries, though we agreed they got REALLY salty the further down we went.

I have to tell you about the Broadway Special, because it's an incredible deal.  Like I said, I didn't have a beef burger, so I didn't try this one.  The Broadway special is a 6 oz. double cheese burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle,ketchup,mustard and mayo. Served with fries and a small fountain beverage.  For only about $5, this is an incredible deal--considering I paid $6 for sandwich only.  This seemed to be the thing everyone who came in after us ordered, so I'd imagine it's pretty good too.

I asked my husband if he liked this place or 25 Burgers better, after he commented that this place was really good and that we could come back any time.  He replied that he liked 25 Burgers better.  I think the atmosphere is a big selling point for 25... I literally felt like I was sitting in the '60s there, but Broadway Burgers is definitely doing something right too.

And please let me comment on the service.  As I said, we were the only ones there when we arrived.  Walking in with a one year old got him lots of attention, but also the counter girl helped me find barbecue sauce (which, along with ketchup, mustard, and napkins, are sort of hidden behind the soda machine), checked in to make sure we were ok, and refused to let me return the high chair to where I found it.  Good job!

Mr Assante Pizza

201 US Hwy 22
Green Brook, NJ 08812

We were looking for something a little bit different, so I turned to Yelp to find places nearby that might be cheap and yummy.  I stumbled across Mr Assante's, which was well reviewed, and which a friend had mentioned as really good.  So we called (since I couldn't find a menu anywhere online) for the specials and was happy to discover one of them sounded absolutely delicious, so I ordered it, and hubby went for a Chicken Parm sub, his standard.


We were both REALLY happy with our dinners.  My special was pasta with eggplant, roasted red peppers, and a few other tasties, came with delicious bread and salad.  


It's kinda far, though, so we probably would only go back if we were in the area, though we DO want to try their pizza, which is totally raved all over.


But if you live close or are in the area, definitely check out Mr Assante's!

25 Burgers

552 West Union Ave (Rte. 28)
Bound Brook, NJ 08805
www.25gourmetburgers.com

We were out and about and wanted to go to another local burger joint.  Due to a town wide event, navigating the streets to get there was nearly impossible, so we went looking for somewhere else.  Since 25 Burgers was on my mental list and in the area, that's where we headed.

When we walked in, I felt like this must've been what the food joints of my parents' youth in the 60s must have been like.  The walls are decked out with celebrities of that era--Marilyn, the Beatles, Elvis, Sophia Loren, Audrey Hepburn, among others--and you feel like the music is straight out of the jukebox; I was singing along with almost every song.

My son ordered a hot dog.  He enjoyed it.  It was pretty big, I guess.  It's hard to judge how good any food is when a 3 year old is involved.

My husband had a chicken burger; I can't recall which one.  He was a little disappointed that he couldn't get a chicken with any of the toppings that go along with the burgers, which I think is a valid point.  But, he also didn't ask if he COULD; he instead read and trusted what the menu said.

I had a Maui burger.



We all enjoyed our meals.  I had a hard time refraining from eating the whole thing, despite being absolutely stuffed (we also had fries with our meal) because it was so darn perfect.  I could go on and on about how good the roll was.  I couldn't, however, really speak to the burger itself; the toppings were so great, that I don't think I really paid attention to it, you know?  If you, like my mother, won't eat a burger that's not practically mooing, this may not be the place for you (at least, not the burger part of the menu, they have lots of other choices!) because they didn't even ask how I wanted my burger cooked.
Hubby raved about his, joking that he would be stopping every night on his way home from work.
So, yeah, we'll be back again.  And we'll see if we end up back at that OTHER burger place......

Mount Holleran Towne Tavern

450 North Beverwyck Road
Parsippany, NJ 07054
www.mhtownetavern.com

We were on our way home from an event and figured we'd stop for some dinner. I used the urbanspoon
app on my phone and this came up.  It sounded interesting so we went.

It's looks really cool but laid back inside, sort of that industrial feel of exposed ductwork and the like.  The menu isn't huge, but there are a lot of decent looking choices.  There's no kid's menu published, but we asked our server, who went and got the info for us.

We started with the Caprese stack.  It was awesome.  The mozzarella was super fresh, the basil and greens were yummy, and the balsamic was perfect.



While there were a lot of great looking entrees on the menu, we both chose to go with sandwiches.  My husband got a Pastrami Reuben and said it was good, but nothing to really write home about.  I went with the cheesesteak.  I asked our server if it was Philly style, and she didn't know what I meant, so I asked if it was chopped steak.  She said yes.  And it was.  I didn't clarify my question, since I meant THIN chopped steak.  It was, indeed, chopped steak--they took a steak and chopped it up.  Or something.  I like steak, but I had a hard time eating this without gagging.  No fault of the restaurant at all, it was not what I expected.

Our server was incredible at not only noticing that I had barely eaten my food, but also correcting the issue so that we left happy customers.  Incredible service there.  That alone gives them super high marks in my book!

Freschetta Simply...Inspired

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of FRESCHETTA® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Freschetta has a new line of frozen pizzas, and I was given the opportunity to try the new line.  This coincided perfectly with a crazy night in the Feisty home, so BAJ went to the store and picked up one of Freschetta's Simply Inspired pizzas.  He chose Chicken Bianco, because they only other variety available at our store had pepperoni, of which I am not a fan.  (I assume this lack of variety was because it's a newer product.  FRESCHETTA® Simply…Inspired™s website lists 8 kinds of pizza, many of which sound awesome to me!)



I have to say, I was dubious that this thin crust pizza would be enough for us.  The packaging states that a serving is 1/3 of the pizza, but we cut ours in typical 8 slice fashion, an with a side salad, 2 slices was enough for me.
We thought this was fantastic.  It's really tasty, and though we're not typically white pizza fans, I really enjoyed the sauce on top.  This variety was particularly great because you've got all your food groups on one pie--protein in the chicken, carbs, dairy, and veggies (olives, roasted red peppers, spinach).  It's also reasonable in the calorie department, coming in at 360 calories for 1/3 of the pie.  As New Jersey residents, we have a certain understanding of what pizza crust is all about, and thin crust typically doesn't meet it.  This was good anyway, because it wasn't cracker like, as so many thin crust pizzas tend to be.
As someone who tries to be mindful of reducing her family's impact on the planet, it can be hard to buy convenience foods.  But, Freschetta has a new packaging for this product, which their website claims saves paperboard, trees, and fuel because it uses 30% less packaging.  But you don't lose any of the quality, either.  The pizza tasted delicious and fresh.
If you'd like to learn more about Freschetta's Simply Inspired line, you can:
- Visit freschettasimplyinspired.com to learn more about our eight great-tasting varieties, and find which flavor is simply… you!
- Check out @FreschettaSI on Twitter and “Like” www.facebook.com/FreschettaSim… on Facebook
*** On their Facebook page, they are offering weekly giveaways of awesome prizes through the rest of 2011. Also, starting soon, they will be offering the opportunity to download a $2 off coupon for FRESCHETTA® Simply Inspired on the Facebook page!

The Dish Cafe Does Dinner!

I love supporting local restaurants, and I love looking for restaurants that are just a little bit different. In NJ, going to a diner for breakfast is good, but pretty standard. But not at the Dish Cafe. Their quirkiness, great food, welcoming atmosphere (go ahead and pick your own seat always makes me happy), and great prices, have made them one of my favorite breakfast spots in the area.

So, I was really excited when I saw they were going to start serving dinner. I didn't know what to expect; would it be typical diner fare for dinner?

The answer to that is a resounding no. The regular menu is available all day, so you can get breakfast stuff or lunch stuff (my husband had a panini and my son had a cheeseburger) but there's a small dinner menu. It's small, but I still felt like there were so many options that I'd happily choose (rather than so many places where I feel like I'm settling. The menu had steak, chicken, pasta, and seafood options. In all of those except steak, there were about five options.

In addition, they had a TRUE specials board--not like a "featured" item that's on the menu all the time anyway.

As I said, my family all had lunch items, but I got a pasta dish, a vegetarian one too. It came with a lovely salad--what made it lovely? It had mixed greens and no iceberg lettuce. It came with a great balsamic vinaigrette dressing. My pasta dish was $8.95 and was HUGE. I will no doubt get two or three lunches our of this. I was sort of in the mood for steak, so checked that out--I think the more expensive steak option was $18.95... still pretty reasonable!

So, if for some reason, you haven't yet checked out Dish Cafe, you absolutely have no excuse. Yum!!

Jose's Mexican Cantina

125 Washington Valley Rd
Warren, NJ 07059
http://www.josescantina.com/menu.htm


 

I screwed up dinner tonight, and have absolutely nothing in the house to make dinner.  So, we turned to one another and decided to get food out.  We decided on Mexican, and after looking for some reviews online, chose Jose's Mexican Cantina, after reading some pretty positive reviews.

The decor is pretty kitschy Mexican, but it was nice.  My son loved the brightly colored blankets that divided the booths.

I chose the enchiladas, and decided to go outside of my comfort zone and get the spicy suiza green sauce instead of the typical mild red sauce.  This is the meal pictured above, though the cell phone lighting makes it look far worse than it appeared in real life.  My husband chose the chicken chimichanga, and remarked that the sauce was really good.  The boys shared a kid's enchilada and a kid's quesadilla.  I was really happy when the waiter said it was no problem to have the enchilada sauce on the side.

It took a little longer than expected for our food to come, especially considering that the restaurant was fairly empty.  We were way in the back, and we started to wonder if we had been forgotten.  Soon after we began to wonder, our food came out.

I was really happy with the kid's menu.  They have standard Mexican fare choices, as well as things a picky kid might like:  chicken fingers...  The kid's meal comes with fries and a soda, which we didn't want to give our guys, so I was super thrilled to see we could order the food without the fries and soda, and it was $4 to do so.

The short of it is that we weren't blown away by the food.  I wasn't crazy about the green sauce (that's what I get for trying something new, I guess), and the prices seemed a little bit high.  If we lived closer, we might give it a second chance, but all these things together and we probably won't be going back.

Restaurants I want to try: Breakfast

Cafe Bua
1353 Stelton Road Piscataway, NJ 08854

Surf Taco

1300 Richmond Ave
Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
http://www.surftaco.com

Yummy Taco Goodness

Taking advantage of the gorgeous day, we took a ride to Point Pleasant today.  After walking the boards, we decided to try Surf Taco, a place I've wanted to try for a long time.

Looking at the menu, there were so many options, I had a tough time deciding, so went for combo #2, which was 2 tacos, rice, beans, chips, and a soda.  I chose the Teriyaki Taco and the Fish Taco (something I've been wanting to try for a long time, but was really wary about.  I figured it was their namesake, so I'd probably not get a better fish taco many places).  Aside from the tacos being so full they made a mess, both tacos were outrageously delicious.  My husband got the same burrito I had my eye on, the Jenk's.  He said it was good, and I couldn't even get a taste.  The Boy got a mini quesadilla, and he seemed to love it.

We were really happy with Surf Taco.  The three of us ate for about twenty bucks, and while we could have eaten for less, it probably wouldn't have been moderately good for us like the food we chose.  The food was delicious, the place felt cool:  good music, video of surfers doing cool tricks, etc.  Finally, it was counter service, yet we were asked both if everything was ok and if we were finished, at which point, she took out plates and garbage for us!   So despite having counter service, the service was excellent!

Whether my review would be the same if it was July 9 instead of April 9, I don't know, but it was wawesome today!

Enzo's Pizza

585 Stelton Rd
Piscataway, NJ 08854
(732) 752-9552

We were out and about the other night, and decided to pick up a pizza.  We were in the area, so thought we'd try Enzo's.  My husband asked if we'd been there before, and I said we had, but about 8 years ago.  So, we decided to give it a try.  We got a half mushroom, half pepperoni.

It was your pretty basic pizza pie.  Nothing really special, I'd say the sauce was a little bland.  

Friendly's

1060 Stelton Rd
Piscataway, NJ 08854

When thinking of family friendly restaurants, Friendly's is a great choice.  The kid's meals (along with the grown up ones) are very reasonably priced, especially when considering they come with ice cream at the end.  This was on our mind yesterday when we wanted to have a quick meal before running a few errands.

Alas, there was no quick meal to be had at this Friendly's location.  Out of three visits here, we've had at least two bad experiences.  Yesterday, we went a little after noon, and the restaurant was about 3/4 full.  We were sat right outside the kitchen.  A woman, who appeared to be a manager later, took our drink order, and then another woman, who appeared to be our waitress, returned with them later.  She quickly took our food order, and we didn't see her again until our food came out.  Due to our seats with a view of the kitchen, it became pretty apparent to me that they were "in the weeds."

Generally, it would be no big deal that our waitress didn't stop by until the food came, but when you wait for 20-30 minutes for sandwiches at the chain equivalent of a diner, it's a problem.  Fortunately, my infant son had just woken from his nap and was in a good mood and my 3 year old was also in a good mood, though he started asking where his mac and cheese was after waiting about 10 minutes (at which point we assured him we hadn't been waiting that long and that his food would be out any minute.  Oops).  Thankfully, they brought our kids' food out first, followed by my husband's sandwich.  He started snacking on fries, not wanting to eat his sandwich before mine came.  Another 5-10 minutes later, mine finally arrived.

I generally wouldn't hold such an experience against a restaurant, but since it's happened twice, we won't be going back to this location.  As far as the food and the prices; it's Friendly's.  You know what you're getting.  Our food was good and mine was fresh, but that doesn't outweigh waiting for so long to me.

Willie's Taverne

285 Us Hwy 202
Bedminster, NJ 07921
http://www.williestaverne.com

I was meeting with a friend for dinner and drinks, and we chose Willie's as a halfway point.  She'd been there before and liked it, and I'd heard of it and was curious to try it.  I got there awhile before she did, so hung out in a little bar area on the side of the actual restaurant (it's called Legends Sports Bar).  In that bar area, there were lots of tvs, and everyone seemed to know each other; I felt really weird and self conscious, but that's probably just me.

Anyway, my friend arrived and we sat down in the actual restaurant and I discovered there is ANOTHER bar area.  Our food was very good, and our server was excellent; we were there to chat and he was very respectful of that and I never felt pressured to clear the table.

It's been awhile, so I don't recall specifically what we ate, but the prices are reasonable.  You'll pay about the same you would if you went to your favorite American chain restaurant.

Check out Willie's!

Thatcher McGee's

8 Wanaque Ave
Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442
http://thatchermcghees.com
 

Hubby grew up in Pompton Lakes, so it was with excitement that we watched this place go up.  We heard really cool things about it (like that they had real Irish thatchers come in to make the roof), and were very curious.  We tried on a few occasions to go there on weekend nights, only to be discouraged by the very long wait due to the curiosity of others.

Then life happened and we just didn't get there.

One day we were in the area all day and needed something to eat.  We decided to swing by, and were thrilled that the parking lot on that Saturday was fairly empty at 5pm.

Since we had our young kids with us, we chose the restaurant side over the bar side.  We were happy with the food and the service.  The atmosphere was pretty cool too, and there are fun quotes on the bathroom walls.  We had the very awesome Thatch Fries, hubby was very happy to find a Pastrami Reuben on the menu, and I enjoyed my chicken pot pie.

Prices are reasonable.  So, if you want what seems to be a true Irish experience in North Jersey, go check out Thatcher McGees!

Restaurants I want to try-Elsewhere

• Applegate Farm--Hanover
• Blue Point Grill--Princeton
• Fox and Hound Tavern--Lebanon
• Gabriel's Fountain--Martinsville
• Iberia Peninsula--Newark
• The Italian Pantry Bistro--Roselle
• Ming II--Morristown
• Olive and Fig--Flemington
• Pazzo Pazzo--Morristown
• Raymond's--Montclair
• Rutt's Hut--Rutherford
• Tito's Burritos--Morristown
• Zeppelin Hall--Jersey City
• Mud City Crab House--Manahawkin

Restaurants I want to try-Somerset County

• Toscana's--Bridgewater
• Thai Kitchen--Bridgewater
• Tapastre--Somerville
• Sublime--Peapack (hahahahh, yeah, right)
• Store--Basking Ridge
• Spain 92--Raritan
• Sophie's Bistro--Somerset
• Scampi's--Somerville
• Origin--Somerville
• Louka's Last American Diner--Branchburg
• Grub Hut--Manville
• Green Knoll Grille--Bridgewater
• Grain House--Basking Ridge
• Char--Raritan
• Broadway Burgers--Somerville
• Bella'--Basking Ridge

Restaurants I want to try-Middlesex County

I can never remember which restaurants are on my to try list, because said list is a mental one and my mind is full of swiss cheese.

• Buon Appetito--Edison
• Catherine Lombardi--New Brunswick (hahaha, someday we'll have money.)
• Cereal Bowl--New Brunswick
• Costa Chica--New Brunswick
• Delta's--New Brunswick
• Due Mari--New Brunswick
• Evelyn's--New Brunswick
• Kona Grill--Iselin
• Little Spain--Edison
• Main Street Trattoria--Edison
• Makeda--New Brunswick
• Panico's--New Brunswick
• Portuguese Fisherman--South River
• Tula--New Brunswick

Whew!!

I just noticed that I'm the number one blog on urbanspoon again!  This is a totally meaningless win, but I'm a little too competitive.  I was very nervous because the blog that was beating mine for a while (I don't know how long because I haven't looked) was rising really quickly.  For whatever reason, though, I'm back at number one!

So, thank you for clicking on my blog links at urbanspoon!

Orange Smoke Burgers Giveaway WINNER!!

The original winner has passed on her prize, so I drew another name using random.org.

Samara is the winner!

 

Samara (SIBride9405) said...

I liked Orange Smoke Burgers on Facebook!

So, please email me your full name so I can tell the folks at Orange Smoke.  You will need to show ID to claim your prize.

Orange Smoke Burgers Giveaway WINNER!!

I used random.org to select the winning comment, and it was number 18:
 

Tara said...
Follow your blog publicly with GFC
sweetpeonies07 at gmail

Hooray!  I'll be sending you an email!

Stuff Yer Face

49 Easton Ave
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
www.stuffyerface.com

How is it even possible that I've never posted about Stuff Yer Face?  Before we were married, we loved hanging out on the patio on warm spring/summer days, just people watching.  Our lives have changed, but we still love Stuff Yer Face.

First is the food.  Their bolis are great, and you can get pretty much anything you want on them.  You'd think a place like this wouldn't have veggies to lull you into thinking it's on the healthy side, but they do.  My favorite is the Laura Boli, with all kinds of veg.  I also like that you can get a boli in any size to fit your appetizer--the baby boli is very small (think kids' sized) but comes with soup or salad for the same price as a regular boli.  One thing we've tried that is really interesting is the Potachos--essentially, it's nachos using potato chips instead of tortillas.  It's pretty good, in a very weird sort of way.  On our most recent visit, we tried the Broccoli Melts appetizer, which was a pretty good substitute for the now defunct Bennigan's Broccoli Bites we loved so much.

We also love to go to SYF for the beer.  I love that I can try beers I never would have thought of, and we both joined their Beer Club, which (I think) gives you a SYF gift certificate after trying a certain (large) number of beers.  Sorry my details are fuzzy, we signed up on a day we added a large number to our cards.

Finally, this is the ultimate in kid friendly.  If you have a lot of kids, it's ok that you're loud.  The food served is definitely on the "something for everyone" side, and I know my kid likes when he can get exactly what he wants, so the build your own boli is great for him.  The only thing that isn't on the kid friendly side is that they don't (to my recollection) have changing tables, though it's sort of hard for a parent to expect to find one in a college bar, so don't hold that against SYF too much!!

Orange Smoke Burgers, a review and a GIVEAWAY!!

1314 Centennial Avenue

Piscataway, NJ 08854

http://orangesmokeburgers.com/

 

If you're jonesing for a burger in the Stelton Rd. area of Piscataway, you have a ton of choices:  fast food abounds, as does lots of chain casual restaurants and a steak chain restaurant, plus Five Guys Burgers and Fries.  With all this competition, a small locally owned burger place has to be something special.  

This is certainly the case with Orange Smoke, which is located in the Shop Rite shopping plaza.  At first, you'd think that they're much like Five Guys--simple menu of burgers and fries, and you can build your burger the way you'd like it (though you have no choice in how the meat is cooked; their wall states they only prepare the burger well done, but it's not at all overcooked for this "medium" orderer).  But when you take a second glance, you'll see it's a lot different from Five Guys.  First, and most important for my family (my husband will not eat beef), is that you don't HAVE to get a burger.  You can get chicken, grilled or fried, or even a portabella burger.  Second thing I noticed is that, unlike Five Guys, they have shakes.  Oh yeah, shakes!!  The next difference is the service.  Yeah, it's counter service, but at Five Guys, I noticed people standing around the counter, waiting for their food (both restaurants prepare the food to order, so there's a small wait).  It sort of looked like a McDonald's at dinner rush.  That wasn't the case at Orange Smoke because they bring your prepared food to your table... this was a really nice touch for me.  Along these same lines, I felt the decor and the whole atmosphere of Orange Smoke was classier.  Like I said, it's counter service and it's a burger joint, but it just feels nicer than the competition.

Now, let's talk food.  My burger was really delicious.  Like I said, I thought the meat was cooked really nicely, and I love being able to build my own burger with the toppings I like.  The food was just slightly more than the perfect amount for me.  My husband chose the grilled chicken, and he thought it was really good too; he also loves building his own sandwich with the toppings he likes.  My 3 year old loves his cheeseburger, and he's been on a kick of refusing to eat his meat, so this is pretty huge.  He was really excited about building his own burger too, and surprised me by ordering then devouring the pickles on his.  (A note:  they have a smaller burger, called the Lightweight burger.  We didn't order this, and still the 3 year old at 3/4 of an XL.)

Finally, the price is right here.  They have a weekday "happy hour" sort of special, which is an XL burger (or chicken sandwich), small fries, and large soda for $5.99.  It works out to about the same price as the XL burger, so that was a no brainer for us.

So, our family gives two thumbs up to Orange Smoke Burgers.  If you check them out, definitely tell them you heard about them at Pizza & Bagels!!

On to the giveaway!  This giveaway has ended!

Want to try what we tried tonight?  This giveaway is for just that:  an XL burger or equivalent chicken sandwich or veggie sandwich, small fries/onion rings and large soda.

Mandatory entry:  In order for any of your other entries to count, you must do this step first!

Go to Orange Smoke's website, and take a look at the menu.  In the comments on this post, tell me what kind of burger you would make, and what toppings you would get too.

For a few more entries, do any or all of the following, and leave a comment about each one.  **Note** comments are your entries, so doing the steps without telling me you did won't count

• Like Orange Smoke on Facebook
• Follow Pizza & Bagels publicly, using Google Friend Connect
• Post about this giveaway, with a link to this post, on your facebook wall
• My competitive nature has gotten the best of me.  For a long time, this blog has been number 1 on urbanspoon, but I was recently passed by another blogger.  For another entry, please click here,  then click on "full post by Pizza and Bagels" for any review and leave a comment telling me which restaurant review you clicked on.  Thanks!

 The contest will end on March 9, 2011 at 11:59pm (according to blogger's timestamp).  Winner will be chosen using a randomizer on Thursday.  Make sure you leave contact information, if it's not linked to your Google profile, so I can get in touch with you when you win!

Full disclosure:  Orange Smoke is sponsoring the giveaway.  My family paid for our meal, and these thoughts are my own.

George Street Ale House

378 George Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
www.gsalehouse.com

I received a promo coupon in the mail announcing the grand opening of the George Street Ale House, so when a friend and I decided to meet for dinner and drinks, it was a natural choice.

In speaking with our very friendly bartenders, we learned that the restaurant had recently changed names/style, going from a sports bar to a more upscale atmosphere.  The many tvs, however, remained.  This is great when you're sitting at the bar, and the rest of the place is really nice, almost swanky.  The bar and a small dining area are on the street level, and there is more seating downstairs.  At the bar, you'll find potato chips, which weren't as addictive as bar snacks typically are for me; I didn't have any trouble not mindlessly snacking on them.

The food is pretty tasty, though the prices seemed to be on the high side.  We both went with sandwiches, which were around $10 each.  Entrees were closer to $20 each.  The sandwiches were good, but there weren't any surprises on the menu, with the exception of the enormous "Oozenburger," 2- 8oz burgers topped with a fried egg, bacon, gouda, among other things.  My waistline is expanding just to think of it.  We also shared a crab cake appetizer, which was quite delicious.

Now, the reason we chose the ale house over all the area's other spots:  the beer.  We chose to stick with drafts over bottles, and were told the one beer they always have is PBR.  That's right, Pabst Blue Ribbon.  We decided to skip the Pabst, but to hit all the other drafts on the list.  One thing that's cool is that the beers do change as stock runs out, so you're getting a changing menu and fresh beer.  In fact, in our time there, the menu did change, and a new beer was added.  The thing was that there didn't seem to be a beer that I really enjoyed on the menu.  I'm certainly no beer connoisseur, but the drafts they had weren't to my taste.  There were a few that were ok, and I certainly didn't not finish any of my pints, but nothing that makes me want to recommend the George Street Ale House as THE place in the George Street area to go for beer.

Our servers were awesome; they chatted us up, offered suggestions for beers, and were very welcoming.

So, the short of it is, if you've been through the beers over at the Harvest Moon and are looking for something different, certainly check out GSAH, but don't expect to be blown away by the restaurant or its beers.

Kiku Hibachi

2085 Burnt Mills Rd
Bedminster, NJ 07921
http://www.kikuhibachi.com/

For my father in law's 60th birthday, we decided we wanted to go someplace he would enjoy but that we could also keep our boys (3 and under 1) entertained enough for us to socialize.  My husband believed hibachi would be a great way to go, so we set out looking for a place that was different, highly rated, and between our two locations.  By checking out urbanspoon, I stumbled upon Kiku, which happens to be around the corner from where my husband works.  When he started telling people there where we were going, they started raving about how wonderful it is.

We got there early, for our kids' sake, and this worked out because the reviews suggested it was very important to get there early--this proved to be the case as we left, and the lobby was very crowded! 

First, we all got a salad, which was outstanding (many times, I don't like the ginger dressing, but this was awesome) and Miso soup (which I was not really crazy about, but my husband liked very much).  The hibachi "show" was pretty typical, but the food was delicious.  I couldn't tell you what was different from other hibachi restaurants, but the meat were fantastic.  My husband felt the noodles weren't cooked perfectly, but I thought they were very good. 

We felt the prices were a little bit higher than other hibachi restaurants, but for a special treat, this was a delicious restaurant!

Crystal Diner

2009 Us Hwy 1
Trenton, NJ 08648

A hectic day of visiting my grandmother and running errands for her had us unexpectedly out for dinner.  Since it was just me and my two boys, I wanted something fast, easy, and where they'd be welcome.  Since it was unexpected, and therefore not in the budget, I wanted something cheap as well.  As we passed the diner, I figured it would meet all the criteria.

The boys were certainly welcome; we were not the only family with small kids in at the time.  The hostess did a great job of trying to help me out as I juggled a baby in one arm, a diaper bag, putting on my 3 year old's jacket, and all the other stuff in my arms.  Our server was accommodating of our requests, though she did seem a bit impatient that we took so long to turn over our table (though the place was pretty empty).


It was fast as well; our meals came out very quickly, in typical diner style.  


I'm not sure I'd consider it cheap, per se.  For my burger and fries, a kid's burger and veggies, and a side of veggies (we drank water), it came to $15 plus tip.  While this is certainly fairly cheap, I could have gone to Burger King or Five Guys for much cheaper (though I wouldn't have been able to get the veggies for the kiddos).  That said, both our burgers were really large; I couldn't finish mine.  The burger was "fine," but not really "good."  


So, in short, it served its purpose for us.  If you're looking for something fast and easy, and don't want to go to one of the chain restaurants in the area, this will suffice.  But it's not a place we'll be going back to if we're in a similar situation again.

Red Hot and Blue Bar b Que

2175 Marlton Pike West
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002

We met friends at Red Hot and Blue in Cherry Hill the other day for lunch.  When deciding where to go, BAJ chose this from the list our friends gave us because, as he said, "I'm always up for some Bar Bee Que!"  It turns out, he had a conference at the attached Holiday Inn, and had eaten here before.

For a hotel restaurant, it definitely doesn't have that hotel restaurant vibe.  It feels much like any chain restaurant or sports bar (lots of tvs, in fact, a lot of people were there to watch the big football game on that day).  Yet, because it was so early, the restaurant was nearly empty.  Perhaps this was the reason we had such good service, but it's worth mentioning that our server was very attentive, helpful, and smiled saying "it's no problem, really!!" when I apologized for my young son's mess.

It's hard to comment on the kid-friendliness of a restaurant when there really aren't many people there, but they do have a kids' menu as well as coloring and crayons for the kiddos.

As far as the food--it's pretty middle of the road.  It's not something I'd rave about, and it's not something I'd complain about either.  We all enjoyed our meals, but my husband and I like the chain BBQ place down the street better.  We were so happy when we saw a variety of BBQ sauces on the table, but no one in our party thought they were so exceptional.  Again, if you're stuck in the Holiday Inn or at a conference and have to eat quickly, Red Hot and Blue is quite serviceable, but in an area with a ton of dining choices, this is definitely not a place I'd choose to go to when you can go elsewhere.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

 (908) 756-7770
5020 Hadley Center Dr
South Plainfield, NJ 07080


Like so many others, I've heard wonderful things about Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and so wanted to give them a try.  Alas, a look at their menu shows they really only serve what the name says--burgers and fries.  With a husband who doesn't like the taste of beef, I knew I wouldn't be bringing him here.

So, he's working late and I took a different kind of date to Five Guys; two little boys under the age of four.  My three year old and I split a cheeseburger; Five Guys has two sizes of burger:  "Burger" and "Little Burger."  The difference is that the Burger has two roughly 3oz patties while the Little Burger has one.  I chose a Cheeseburger for the two of us to share.  It was just the right size for the two of us, especially considering how badly the little guy wanted to dig into that cup of fries.  I'll turn to the fries in a minute.

I really like restaurants like this; ones that allow you unlimited toppings.  I went pretty typical:  mustard, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, relish, and I requested sauteed mushrooms on the side (though Little Man went for those too).

This burger is deserving of the hype.  It was really really tasty, not at all fatty or tough, and very messy.  And the price of around $6.50 certainly beats any of the chain restaurants, which would also charge you extra for additional toppings.

The fries were really delicious too.  I do wish they had a smaller size than their small because we threw away about half the container.  Definitely enough fries, though, for my fry loving self and my little buddy.  I chose to dip mine into bbq sauce, which was a great choice, but they also have malt vinegar around because these fries are the kind I just know malt vinegar would be great on as well.

For some reason, I thought they also had shakes here, and sort of jazzed myself up for a strawberry shake.  I guess I was thinking it was Cheeburger Cheeburger or something.  At any rate, I really  like Five Guys, and hope to twist hubby's arm into starting to like beef.