The Grub Hut

 

The Grub Hut has been on "my list" for a very very long time.  We finally wandered over there when another place on the list was closed on a Sunday.

The Grub Hut is a pretty interesting fusion of BBQ and Mexican food.  As you can see, I went all out with the Mexican, ordering a Make Your Own platter with a Jefe's Way taco and a ground chicken burrito with black beans.  Oh, it was so good and way too much for me to eat for lunch (their website indicates a lunch menu, but we were not given it as an option, maybe because it was Sunday).

I loved their eclectic decor; it's really a cozy place with a neat vibe since it's in a small walking/downtown area.

Moe's Southwest Grill

120 Cedar Grove Ln, Somerset, NJ 08873

(732) 560-5000

Moe's welcomes you from the second you walk in the door.  Literally, they yell, "Welcome to Moe's!" when you walk in.  We took the whole family, and my husband was really excited to see that they have one of those "make your own" Coke machines where you can make a huge number of different combinations.  It was pretty cool getting a Raspberry Coke rather than my typical Cherry Coke.

I loved Moe's.  First, they use really fresh ingredients, grass fed steak, free range chicken.  It's fresh like Baja Fresh but customizable like Chipotle.  I got the Joey Jr the first time we were there, which was the perfect size for me.  I loaded it up with all the stuff I like.  It also comes with really fresh tortilla chips and you can visit the salsa bar.

On our second trip, I decided to give their tacos a try, choosing a soft and hard shell taco, both with chicken.  These were really tasty to, though the hard shell pretty much fell apart and I sort of had a taco salad by the time I got home.  I forgot to visit the salsa bar since I got take out, and was pleased that the chips were plenty good enough to snack on without any salsa.

Love Moe's!!

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.

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!

Fiesta Mexican Restaurant

342 George St
New Brunswick, NJ 08901

We have been on the hunt for non chain Mexican food that's outstanding. I've had a hunch for a long time that New Brunswick would be a great place to find that. We've had some missteps, but I turned to an internet message board, and Fiesta was suggested as very good.

So, off we went, with the two kids in tow. Hey, I've passed this place a bunch of times! First, I really liked their salsa. It had a little bit of spice, and a nice cilantro flavor too. It was perfect. BAJ ordered a chicken chimi, and said it was good. The Boy got a chicken taco, and they were really accommodating and offered no spice, no onion, no peppers and put the peppers on the side for us. I had a Fiesta Platter, which (I think) was an enchilada, a taco, and a flauta. I really enjoyed mine, although I wasn't nuts about the rice that came with it (though I don't typically like rice anyway). It had a "salad" (a few pieces of lettuce, a slice of tomato, and some dressing) and some black beans too.

Hard to judge service--ours was great, but we were the only patrons in the place!

Overall, we were pleased, but aren't sure if it will become a go to Mexican place for us or not.

Noa Noa

114 French St
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Menu

We've been looking for a really great "hole in the wall" Mexican place for a long time. For some reason, Noa Noa came to my attention as a possible score (highly recommended on Google Local).
So, we went for takeout last night. BAJ ordered a chicken burrito, which he said was fine, but that we should keep looking. I ordered the Noa Noa 2. I didn't tell them what kind of meat, so it appeared they used all the choices. The first bite I had of my Taco dorado was fabulous--I think it was beef inside. As I continued through it, I had chicken and then pork. The pork was tasty, but had lots of pockets of fat inside. The same experience with my burrito--it was great on the chicken side, but the pork was kind of icky.

Their prices are pretty good, at least compared to our neighborhood On the Border... You'll also find a much more authentic Mexican taste here. I'd never had prickley pear before, yet found it to be pretty tasty and definitely interesting!

So, our search continues for a great hole in the wall Mexican place. We KNOW it's out there, especially with such a large Hispanic population in New Brunswick and Bound Brook...

El Meson

40 W Main St
Freehold, NJ 07728

You know when there is a restaurant that you've heard so much about that you just can't wait to try it? And you go and try it, like it, but then realize it's so far away it's not really worth it? Yeah, this is that story. I know, it's not that great of a story.

Anyway, I had heard about El Meson since planning my wedding in 2005. We got married in the area, and were searching for a restaurant in which to hold our rehearsal dinner. This came up in a discussion with a friend, and she said she had heard it was the best Mexican food around. In a quick google search, I discovered others agreed. It wasn't at all what I expected, and I don't know if I'd consider it the best Mexican food in the state, but it was pretty darn good.

As far as being "authentic," I don't know if that's true or not. What part of Mexico this style of cuisine is from, no idea on that either. I do know that their menu consisted of nothing one couldn't find at a typical Mexican food restaurant a la On the Border. But it tasted way better... the one exception, I'd say, was my chile relleno. There was just something about it that disappointed me. I was a little bit saddened to see they didn't have mole sauce on the menu; it's something I really enjoy but have a hard time finding. Each entree gave you a choice of salsa--the waiter asked if we wanted hot, medium, or mild, but having read the menu, I requested salsa verde; it was excellent!!!

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.