The New Jersey Foodhound™

A few years back when I was living and working in Staten Island, a co-worker of mine casually suggested "If you like Japanese food, you HAVE to check out Mitsuwa ." Naturally I immediately googled it and found my next culinary destination. My suggestion: make it yours too. The Grub: Mitsuwa above all else is a small supermarket chain that provides a very wide variety of Japanese and other Asian ingredients to the community at reasonable prices. This location is the only one on the East Coast and I am so glad that its a short drive from my house. On our first trip we spent nearly two hours touring the isles, exploring all of the different sauces, spices, candy, snack foods, produce and ingredients that we had never seen before and are nearly impossible to find elsewhere. They have one of the best selections of fresh fish I have ever seen, much of it sushi grade, as well as a fantastic meat section that includes real Wagyu beef and pre-sliced shaub meat...

For the uninitiated, ramen noodle soup may be one of the greatest food inventions ever devised by man. Those familiar with ramen are well aware of this fact. If you are in search of a complexly flavored, multi-textured, deeply satisfying meal then a big bowl of ramen noodle soup is just what the doctor ordered. Also looking for value? Want house made noodles? Then your search is over my friend, join me at Menya Sandaime . The Grub: Ramen is the feature dish here and you will find little else on the menu. I have made a point to try every variety and honestly, I like them all - but I do have my favorites. Typically when I'm in the mood, my first choice is a bowl of miso ramen, but at Menya my suggestion would be to skip over the typical choices and go strait for the black ramen; a steaming hot bowl of black-bonito infused tonkotsu broth with all the trimmings. The smokey, complex bonito flavor combined with the light, delicate tonkotsu broth is truly a beauty to ...

I have heard people say that the first step to overcoming addiction is admitting you have a problem. Well my friends, I am a sandwich addict, and I will not repent. My blinding addiction has led me on a hunt for the very best meaty-bread mashup money can buy and I am confident in saying I have found the penultimate sandwich spot. A place so hidden, so secret it was dubbed by my former co-worker "the teamster sandwich spot." (He was a big fan of 30 Rock). The Grub: It is first worth noting that the Artisan Bakers Group is not really a restaurant, they are a commercial bakery serving many restaurants in NYC. They do happen to sell sandwiches on the side, out of an unassuming small space adjacent to their baking operation in an industrial park on Staten Island. What they don't have in looks, they make up for 1,000 fold in producing the best god-damn sandwiches I have ever tasted. I mean it, in my entire life I can not think of a better tasting sandwich...

Do you love fresh fried seafood? I know I do. It reminds me of my childhood spent at the Hans Pederson & Sons marina tending to my fathers sailboat, which happens to be across the street from the Keyport Fishery . The smell of the ocean, the soft clanking sound of lines hitting masts in the wind, the warm breeze - all a fantastic backdrop for the meal ahead. Grab yourself a heaping plate of fish, find a bench and chow down. The Grub: I can't get enough fried seafood, especially in the summertime - and given a choice I'm going to get it from the Keyport Fishery . I won't say they have every fish in the sea, but they do have basically anything you could find yourself craving. Platters mounded with flounder, shrimp, clam strips, whiting, smelts, calamari, scallops - or combinations of these served piping hot atop golden fries. Always super fresh, consistent and cooked to perfection. They also have a sandwich menu worth checking out: lobster, grouper, ...

You may think this insane but, I hadn't tried falafel or any Middle Eastern food before finding this little gem, and I now know how ultimately spoiled I have become. Having had it many times since, I can say with absolute certainty this is one of the best places serving the fare. If I'm honest, it's one of the best places I have ever eaten. Period, end of story. The Grub: Pahal Zan offers a small but efficient menu of Middle Eastern classics with an Israeli focus. Shawarma, kebab, falafel, salads - you name it they have it, and it's all so damn tasty. Get it on a platter, get it on a pita, it doesn't matter. The flavors they coax out of the food here absolutely blow my mind every single time. While everything is great, the true highlight here is the falafel pita sandwiches. Packed with hummus, falafel, 3-5 different salads and topped with tahini and spicy sauce, these pita sandwiches are an astounding amalgam of flavors that struggle to find a r...

Now if you ask me, there's absolutely no better pizza than thin crust pizza. Some of you may prefer the original form, or perhaps even that terrible monstrosity that is Chicago deep dish, but I'm here to tell you that you've been led astray. Thin crust gives you way more bang for your buck, and that buck takes you all the way home at Brothers . The Grub: Typical Italian-American comfort food as you probably remember from your childhood, but some of the best that you can find in the state. It may never compare to mom's cooking but it certainly beats out a number of other restaurants serving the same dishes at two to three times the price. The real standout here though, and the reason you should take the trip at all, is their thin crust pizza. It is hands down some of the best I have ever had anywhere, and I have eaten pizza at hundreds of establishments. Perfect crispy crust without the added weight of too much dough, a well made sauce and just the ri...

Sometimes you just feel like eating a giant pile of grilled meat. When that feeling hits you there could be nothing better than Colombian Picada. My girlfriend and I happened upon this spot while taking a walk through the park in North Bergen. All I can say is, if the food in Colombia is this good I have to book a trip ASAP. The Grub: First off, the food here is, as my New Jersey upbringing mandates I say; strait bangin'. If you're unfamiliar with local parlance that is to say - absolutely great. Rancho offers numerous appetizers and conventional dishes along with a full array of drinks to accompany them. Now, I've always been a meat guy; unless my doctor tells me to quit, I always will be. That being the case, I can think of few better temples to my devoted love than Rancho Mateo . As soon as you enter, you are greeted with no less than an uppercut to your olfactory senses - grilled meats, grilled meats, and more grilled meats - over real charcoal. The...

Oh shabu-shabu, I'm so glad I found you. What the hot pot has provided us before, you have certainly perfected. Never have I experienced dining that is at the same time so communal and yet so personal. Crafting your own special bowl of bubbling soupy goodness with vegetables, meats and noodles galore, there are few things I find myself craving more. Look at me, getting mildly poetic. The Grub: For the uninitiated, shabu-shabu is a meal consisting of your own personal bowl of boiling hot broth, with a myriad of vegetables, fish bites, noodles and dumplings you throw in, along with thinly sliced meat or fresh seafood. Once you cook everything to your liking, there are sauces, oh so many sauces to dip your cooked goodies into. Then, you can get crazy and combine the sauces to create even more flavors - it is truly some of the most fun you can have dining in my opinion. Pay a set price for your broth, then have at the unlimited wall of noodles, dumplings, vegetables, ...

After moving to Cliffside Park I was on a savage hunt for some good, authentic Chinese food. New Jersey seems to come up short nearly every time in this category, and my former home of North Bergen was no exception. Having spent quite a bit of time in Flushing, Queens one tends to become spoiled quite quickly. I can say I was extremely pleased to find the Petite Soo Chow Chinese Restaurant. The Grub: This is hands down the most authentic Chinese food I have found in New Jersey - most everything else boils down to the Americanized Chinese food we all grew up eating. Petite serves up classics like scallion pancakes, fried rice cakes, Chow Fun and Chow Mein. I really encourage everyone to try their Pork Soup Dumplings - little steamed dumplings full of magical, flavorful pork soup and filling which, in my opinion are insanely good. Damn near close too, or exceeding anything I could find in Flushing or Chinatown. While a number of their noodle dishes are extremely good,...

One night shortly after we moved to the area, my girlfriend and I were in the mood to try some soba noodles. While there were, as luck would have it, a number of establishments offering these tasty noodles, we happened to pick this lovely little spot and never looked back. I can truly say it is one of my favorites in Fort Lee. The Grub: The menu here is large and ever changing - to be honest they have multiple. If you've never been here before this may seem a bit daunting but, take your time and look over everything. They have an appetizer menu, a soba menu, a udon menu, a seasonal menu and a specials menu - and maybe a few more that I forgot. Since I have been going here for the better part of 3 years I have tried a lot of their food and can say with confidence its nearly all good. Meals always start off with green tea or water and a little box of fried noodles. I typically order an addictive cucumber appetizer or salted cabbage, while my girlfriend goes for th...

I’d be lying if I said I came upon this place by chance. While watching an episode of the late, great, Anthony Bourdain’s show No Reservations , I was clued into its existence, and now I consider my life forever changed. How could that be you ask? Well let’s just say that proper drive-in fare has lead me to forgo the American fast-food chain forever. The help is surly, the food is piping hot and the drinks are cold – exactly what I’ve come to expect and love from an NJ institution. The Grub: The menu here isn’t big and it doesn’t have to be. Burgers, fries and the oh-so-famous ripper hot dog are the main attractions here. The burgers are the small utility burgers that remind me of some of the best moments in my childhood, and I’m always sure to order one with fried onions. Fries are crispy and perfect each and every time I go, which is good because if nothing else I’m a stickler for consistency. Last but not least the rippers – deep fried hot dogs – the absolute...