The New Jersey Foodhound™

In the past few years, ramen restaurants have exploded in popularity. On both the East and West coast, the delicious noodles have migrated from being a freeze dried college snack to an Instagram worthy comfort food. There are many variations of the simple Japanese noodle dish; thick noodles, thin noodles, soy sauce, salt-based, spicy, black garlic, the list goes on. Toppings almost always include pork, scallions and a boiled egg. Ramen broth should be packed with flavor, the pork should melt in your mouth and the noodles should be springy. Surprisingly, this holy grail combination is tough to come by. Luckily, it can be found every night at Trio Ramen Azuma in Fort Lee, NJ. It is directly across the street from its sister restaurant, Soba Noodle Azuma . A contrasted interior of wood and metal offers a pleasing modern atmosphere. Focusing on the food, the extensive appetizer menu has many classics: edamame, dumplings and chicken skewers. There are also some unique items: marinated...

I was first introduced to Eddie Huang's Baohaus by Anthony Bourdain on an episode of his landmark TV series - No Reservations . Might I add, I have never been lead astray by Tony, R.I.P. That said, this was one of the first restaurants my (at the time) new girlfriend and I wanted to try together - and it has since ended up becoming one of our favorite food-on-the-go spots when we visit Downtown Manhattan. The Grub: The menu isn't very long here and it doesn't have to be. It's that damn good. They offer a handful of variations on the gua bao, also known as just bao or Chinese bun - usually filled with pork belly. Which, as it so happens is one of the options, dubbed the "Chairman Bao," along with a fried chicken bao dubbed "Birdhaus." Rounding out the menu are tofu, fried fish and spicy chicken bao, all with their own cleaver moniker. Add a side of Taro fries if you're extra hungry and grab a Lang Lang, basically a Chinese Arnold Pa...

The typical American supermarket: rows and rows of the same boring fruits, vegetables and assorted grocery items. A small fish/meat counter with the familiar cuts of sad looking salmon, chicken and beef. Familiar breads, cereals, maybe a natural aisle if you are lucky. Same old, same old. Imagine if your weekly grocery shopping was a global adventure packed into one store, with novel, well priced products at every turn. Food Bazaar , located in Fairview, NJ (among other locations) gives you this experience and so much more. If you are chef, a foodie, an immigrant looking for a taste of home or all three - this store will win you over. If he were still with us, I would like to think this would be Anthony Bourdain's dream supermarket. At its inception, founder Francis An "discovered that the needs of the minorities and immigrants were largely being ignored by most mainstream businesses in New York, especially supermarkets," leading to a multicultural store that serve...

If you were born in the USA, chances are you have had the opportunity to dine at one of our illustrious and ever-present establishments known as The Diner. Diners and diner food have been a part of the American zeitgeist since the early 1900s, and guess what,  they started right here in New Jersey! You might be surprised then, to hear I plan on talking about a diner not within the geographical confines of the state I call home. Though there are many that deserve a mention, and they almost certainly will get one at some point; the White Haven Family Diner in White Haven, PA stands as one of the foremost examples of what a diner should strive to be. The Grub: If you aren't already familiar, diners, when at their very best, are a simple creature on the surface and mired in nuance if you care to pay attention. Like all things, the devil is in the details. White Haven Family Diner has a very simple menu - sandwiches (so many sandwiches!), platters, burgers and breakfast. Not co...

While in Stroudsburg, PA during my college years I was introduced to the wonderfully flavorful, at times intensely spiced, and always satisfying world of Thai cuisine. Up until then, my culinary experience into Asian food was comprised mainly of Japanese and Chinese offerings - which to be fair are fantastic in their own right. Something though about the flavor profiles of Thai food, the use of fish sauce, Thai Chili, basil and other ingredients that I, at the time, considered unorthodox - would lead to my biggest food obsession. Said obsession could best be distilled into the experience provided by one restaurant in particular - Pok Pok . The Grub: Now, Thai food is very readily available throughout the New York Metro area, but that wasn't always the case. With so many competing for the titles of "most authentic" or "best" or "most traditional" (especially if you have taken a walk down 9th Ave. in Hell's Kitchen) it may be hard to decide whi...

When most people think of Japanese cuisine, foods such as sushi, tempura and ramen often come to mind. Those who dig deeper into the diverse culinary offerings of Japan will be astounded by the flavors of soba noodles, various pickles and of course, curry. Yes, curry is another incredible, complex and addictive Japanese food offering. Curious? Head over to Abiko Curry , located in the food mecca of Palisades Park, NJ. When crossing the threshold, one senses are treated to a preview of the delicious food to come. The spicy sweet smell of curry permeates the air supported by the aroma of crispy-fried pork and chicken katsu. The options for curry range from the basic curry and veggies, chicken, pork or shrimp to the interesting and quite tasty bacon-spinach option. Whatever you choose, it traditionally is served along with rice, but can also be enjoyed with udon noodles. Abiko also offers combo sets that come with katsu, rice and curry and a soda too!  As a fair warning, ...

Ah, Thai food; a cuisine so ubiquitous to the New York metropolitan area, yet so hard to get right. Any restaurant can cook up a Pad-Thai, Tom-Yum soup or Drunken Noodles. The question is - can they do it correctly? If you are looking for down-home, grandma style Thai food, then look no further than T&Thai Restaurant in Cliffside Park, NJ. The location has undergone an incredible transformation in the past 2 years: they closed, changed ownership, renovated and came back better than ever. The first thing you will notice is the warm and welcoming service as the waitress consistently seats patrons with a smile. The next thing to note is the extensive menu of traditional Thai classics, including changing and thoughtfully selected specials. My orders have included spring rolls, Pad-Thai, mango sticky rice for dessert and mango juice to wash it all down - each as delicious as the last. These dishes are outstanding, but the star items on the menu are under their curries. I promise...

Are you looking for reasonably priced, high quality sushi? Of course you are. Since were on that topic, I feel like I have the perfect place in mind. Sushi House in Fort Lee is one of the better, and maybe the best sushi place in the area. If somehow that is proven factually incorrect, I will go ahead and default to "its my favorite, now get off my back!" Now, there are places where you could spend a lot more and get a very high quality product, and there are a few places where the opposite is true. So I felt it would be worth it to point out the best of both worlds in Sushi House . The Grub: As you may have guessed, they serve sushi here. Sarcasm aside, it's really good. Sushi House offers the traditional set of  rolls you might find at most sushi bars, as well as a decent-sized list of their specialty rolls and a-la carte sushi. I highly suggest their spider roll with deep fried soft-shell crab, I get it nearly every time I go and its phenomenal. They also make ...