The New Jersey Foodhound™

In the 5 years I lived in Staten Island, I noticed a serious expansion in food options. Typically, it was hard to find anything other than Italian or American food, but growing ethnic communities are slowing changing the scene. To that point, a relatively small Filipino community has taken root and brought their delicious food with them. Phil-Am Kusina , in my opinion, best represents what a Filipino kitchen has to offer - insanely good, authentic home made food. The Grub: First of all, this restaurant has served me some of the best food I have ever eaten anywhere. I gauge this, perhaps unfairly, by my first experience at a restaurant, and at Phil-Am, they left a lasting impression. Now, I like almost everything on their menu so I will try to make this a little more than just listing the entire thing here and just mention my very favorite things. To start, I would highly suggest their Lumpia Egg Rolls - which are somewhere between an egg roll and a spring roll but...

Hell's Kitchen is a great place to work, always lively and never short on food options. If your in the mood for something of the baked variety and find yourself in the neighborhood, then you definitely need to stop by Amy's Bread . Now, don't me wrong, there is a lot of good bread to be found in NYC. Some people say its the water. I think its a lot of talented people that have refined the skill of baking over long careers. And, maybe just a little bit the water. The Grub: It goes without saying that Amy's has bread, and a great variety at that - they have 20+ options to choose from on a regular basis - along with seasonal and special items. The sourdough, French baguette and olive sticks are a few of my favorite things to get here. If you have a hankering for something a bit more sweet, don't worry Amy's has you covered. They offer cakes, cupcakes cookies and and a number of other delicious treats. You can never go wrong with a chocolat...

Before we even moved to the area, my girlfriend and I would explore Bergen and Hudson county for food as a diverse and cost effective alternative to NYC. In doing so, we happened upon what is now, arguably our favorite Korean restaurant. Now, there is no shortage of good Korean fare in the area to be sure, but when it comes to the combination of flavor, consistency, service and overall satisfaction, So Gong Dong Tofu and BBQ comes out on top. The Grub: First off, there are a lot of things that I would suggest ordering here. The menu is a delightful arrangement of flavors and textures that speak to the Korean desire to satisfy whatever it is you might be craving. Every meal starts with the 6 house banchan (side dishes) - spicy pickled cucumbers, fried fish cake, pickled seaweed, pickled radish, kimchi and pickled bean sprouts, all of which are excellent. We usually end up blowing clean through a first serving and ordering a second. SGD also offers a few appetizers ...