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.