Lotus Cafe

Chinese food is much like a pizza joint.  They are everywhere and most of the time they are pretty much the same.  They cook the same food and have the same menu.  But, sometimes you come across that special place that says no thanks to the cookie cutter formula that most others subscribe to.   This is one of those places.

Lotus Cafe

This place is weirdly found in a mini-mall area.  Yes, I know what you are thinking. Good food in a mini-mall that is unpossible!  Not only is it possible, it is a true story.  

When you walk into the place you will think you have walked into a normal Chinese restaurant  and you will have the instinct to walk away, RESIST IT!  Yes, the waiters can be a little rude, but I find it a partially charming.   The menu is somewhat traditional, large and with many choices. 

I know what is running through your head right now.  My credibility must be shot right now.  You are probably saying that this place is probably not worth the trip just because it seems so run of the mill.  I submit that it is quite in-fact the exact opposite.  

I will stray from the story for a bit to drive a point.  When you are going through a day and have a pleasant surprise, you are instantly uplifted.  This is that place.  It is a pleasant surprise, one that you would underestimate just from looks alone.  I say to you, do not be fooled about how the place looks, it's personality speaks volumes.  It's personality being it's food of course. 

Not only does the food come out in a relative quick time, but it comes out delicious.  I have yet to be really disappointed by the meals I have eaten there.  

If I may make several choices that has earned my love at this place.  First is the Sesame Chicken.  Second Sesame Prawn. Third Ginger Filet of Sole.  Fourth Sesame Steak.  Fifth Egg Roll.  Sixth Wonton soup.  These my readers/friends/random people is what makes this place so good.  I have yet to find another place to that makes these 6 dishes as good or better.  

Here is the score:

Service: 4

Food: 4.5

Decor: 4.5
Price: 4.5
Total: 4.3

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Follow link for more info

http://www.lotuscafenj.com/

 

Country Pancake House

Breakfast is a meal that I love to eat at any time.  This meal is good at any time and place period.  One of my favorite meals is breakfast for dinner!  I know people say you can't start the day without breakfast; sometimes it's hard to end the day without it either.

Country Pancake House

BEST BREAKFAST EVER.  Yes, I said it and I meant it.  They make some of the best breakfast food I have ever had ever.  When I think of breakfast, I think of these guys.  No exaggeration here people.  There are so many reasons why this place is great and I will go into great detail about it.

Pancakes:

They make some of the fluffiest and most tasteful pancakes around.  The smallest pancake is the size of a normal dinner plate and they give you 4.  Then you can also order the big one which is literally the size of a pizza pie and they give you 2.  The best and most interesting part is that it does not taste like batter.  When you make a pancake that size, being undercooked is always an issue.  They have found a way to avoid that issue.  

Menu:

Huge.  That's all I can say.  Sometimes I hate a huge menu.  Huge menus easily confuse me, but this is the exception, it's very easy to read and also be tempted. 

Other food:

They make everything good here.  Like everything, meaning eggs to burgers.  That's right they also make burgers.  I am a burger fan and they make one hell of a burger.  It's big and sloppy, just the way I like it.  Do not get me wrong, I prefer a burger that does not fall apart, but this is a real burger that keeps true to the spirit of burgers.  

I know I am jumping around a little bit, but here is a story of what happened to me one time there.  I ordered a normal meal from them and asked for a side of bacon.  Usually when I ask for a side of bacon, I get like 4 strips.  These guys served me something that looked like half a packet of bacon.  This is the only place I have ever said "that's way too much bacon".  Once I said it, I retracted it and proceeded to eat it all.   

There is so much more to talk about for this place.  For instance, they make fresh juice.  They squeeze and make their own juices. 

Here is the score

Service: 3.8 (can be slow at times, but only because this place can get packed.  I once stood in line to eat here for an hour, true story.)

Food: 5

Decor: 5

Price: 5 (great food at cheap prices!)
Total: 4.7

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Follow link for more info.

http://countrypancakehouse.net/

U Pie Company

Pizza is very much a staple food.  I have traveled to many a places around the world and everyone seems to have their own version.  I am not here to tell you which version is the best.  I love my pizza and everything it represents.

U Pie Company

This is a small place located in the heart of Englewood NJ.  This is going to be a simple and easy review.  I would rank this place on my top 3.  Now that is a bit of a high standard considering that I have been to many pizza places.  The following is why I think this way.

First they make your pizza order a personal sized pizza, but not the crappy circular 4 slice ones.  The personal pizza comes in a oval and with 6 slices.  It's kind of a mini sicilian pie, and the best part it was all for me!

I do not know what this cook does to make this pizza so good, but I can't ask him to stop.  He makes this pie as if it were cooked in brick oven.  Yes, I said it "as if".  He makes this pizza out of a oven.  I am not saying that pizza made from an oven is bad, but i honestly prefer brick oven.  The quality and flavor and everything about it can be taken to the next level because of the brick oven.  This man was able to pack in so much flavor and awesomeness into his pies but he does. 

This man got it right.  He represents what is right about food.  He makes it clean, tasty, cheap, surprising, comfortable and best of all easy.  So here is to you sir making that pie for me at U Pie Company you did it right.

Service: 4 ( a little slow at times)

Food: 5

Decor: 4

Price: 5 (great food at cheap prices!)
Total: 4.5

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follow link for more info

http://www.yelp.com/biz/u-pie-company-englewood

sorry they don't have their own web site.

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 EDIT: 2-8-2013

Sadly I passed by this place today and it was closed for good.  It makes me sad when I see good places go out of business.  I will miss their food.  

Filling Station and The 9W Market

I don't know why I haven't written a review about this place.  This is by far my number one place to go eat.  I consider this place to have some of the best food I have eaten period.  No joke or exaggeration here people, this is the place to eat at.

Filling Station and The 9W Market

This place is almost literally located in the middle of nowhere.  I have to drive almost 20 min just to get to the place from my house.  This place is surrounded by farm land and trees.  That is one of the major reasons why I love this place.  The fact that I can have a quiet place to eat and get away from the world.  This is a retreat for me, almost a mini-vacation.   This place to tucked away from the world that I often get lost in my mind and just enjoy the area.  I would say that this place is perfect in any season, even considering that most of the seating is outside.  

Lets talk about the food.  This is kind of complicated because the Filling Station and The 9W Market are two different places that share the same land and owners.  One is strictly a burger and ice cream shop and the other is a hot food and drink almost cafe type of place.  I will review both.

Filling Station

One word is all I need for this place.  This word is amazing.  They have found the secret to making the best damned burgers and fries that I have EVER eaten period.  When I eat a burger or french fries I use the Filling Station's burgers and fries as the bar.  When I first ate their burgers I literally heard a symphony in my mind.  Up to that point I thought I knew what a burger was, then I was educated.  This place takes  burgers and fries to a new and amazing place.  The texture, flavor and taste of that first bite was so great.  Honestly I wish I was a poet to be able to really put the food in better words.  The burger I ate was a kobe beef burger and it was just out of bounds awesome.  I know what you are saying.  Kobe beef is good all the time, and I agree.  So I also ate their regular burger and it was on the same level as the Kobe beef burger.  

So eat the burger here, and change your life.  You will never look at burgers the same again.  

The 9W Market

This place is kind of like a cafe and or coffee shop with an amazing kitchen to boost.  I have eaten many of their dishes and drank many of their drinks.  Honestly, I cannot say much more than may I have more.  I can spend days there just eating their food and desserts.  Their desserts are also one of my favorite things ever to eat.  Sometimes they have some homemade pies that really just blow me away.  They also feature one of my favorite iced teas ever, Joe Tea.  I can really sit here and talk about all the food there, but I think I will just run out of words to use.

Overall

Both shops are equally amazing.  I love to eat at both places all the time.  The staff is super friendly and amazing.  The food is cooked great and made great.  Some of the best highlights is that they use all organic food.  No hormones or steroids here people, all free-range and grass fed animals.  All the veggies are also all organic, no pesticides and chemicals.  Their bread comes from one of the best bakery's in the area, the balthazar bakery.   

So if you want to taste and eat real food, this is the place to go.  I am serious here people.  This is my favorite place to go to eat.  I almost did not review it just so that I can keep this place to myself, but I want to keep them in business.  Oh, I forgot to mention that this place is frequented by bicyclers so you may see a few of them there. 

Here is the score:

Service: 5
Food: 5

Decor: 5

Price: 2 (on the expensive side for the food, but worth the price tag)
Total: 4.25

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Follow link for more info

http://the9wmarket.com/

Smokey Joe's

OK. When I think of BBQ. I think of smoked pork with a equal amounts of love, flavor and portions. Southern BBQ is one of my all time favorite foods to eat, it is my comfort food. Just great food all together. My issue with this type of food is that everyone thinks that they can copy it or pass theirs off as an alternative. This is one of those instances of trying to make something more than what it is.

When I go a restaurant that claims to have southern BBQ, I expect to feel like a place of BBQ. I would expect to smell the smokey grill and pork in the air. I expect the place to be everything anyone would expect a BBQ place.

Smokey Joe's is located in New Jersey in the town of Teaneck. I had heard that this place had some inspired BBQ dishes. I had my doubts, they were to be confirmed.

I walk into the establishment and I was not so kindly greeted by some man. He gave me a look as if I were out of place or I walked into the wrong restaurant. I shrugged it off and proceeded to my table. As he left he told me that my server will be out shortly to greet me. I assumed shortly meant within 2 min. I was at my table waiting for about 10 min before I had attention. I know what you are thinking, there must have been a lot of people there. No there wasn't, there was one other family there. So it wasn't that this guy was too busy. When the waiter approached he did not introduce himself or welcome me either to the restaurant. I proceed their "signature" dish, brisket with sweet potato wedges and vegetables.

That is what I had to deal with at first. Let me talk about everything else. The decoration and layout felt more like a place to eat Mediterranean or Spanish food. The walls were colored with a color only to be described as pumpkin. Music being played seemed a better fit for Temple then a southern BBQ place. Oh yes I forgot to mention that this place was Kosher. 

While I waited for the food they brought out some cornbread and some type of preserve. The cornbread was fresh and hot, but it was too dry. The preserve was very well made. It was sweet and savory, it complimented the cornbread very well.

I also wanted to touch on their menu. It was big, confusing and with very little selection. Their food was very poorly marked off. I had to read the menu several times to actually find some other dishes.

The food finally comes out and I was fairly excited. It came out faster than I had expected.

Yes, it looks good, but you know what they say about looks they can trick you. I started with the vegetables. They were very well prepared. The flavor was there. Then I moved onto the brisket. The first bite was great. I had to kind of take a step back of how good it was, but I also realized that I was very hungry at that point. So I continued to eat and realized all the faults. There was not enough sauce. The sauce really made the plate amazing. It really brought out the flavor and texture of the brisket. The issue was that there was not enough. I don't know why they didn't use it more on the meat. I am sure it was not to overpower or take away from the meat itself. As I ate I realized that the brisket was overcooked. It was taking me more time to chew the meat. I was hypnotized by the sauce. I am going to guess that the sauce has a lot of Asian influence to it. It was sweet and savory, it didn't really taste like traditional "gravy". So I asked for more of it so I can power through the meal. It saved the meal all together. Then I came upon one slice that did NOT have any sauce. I was curious. I ate a slice and was immediately turned off. It was overcooked, dry and tasted almost like cardboard. I immediately put the sauce on it to cove the taste up.

Here is the score
Service: 1
Food: 2
Decor: 1
Price: 1
Total: 1.25



I do not recommend going to this place. They are trying very hard to be something that BBQ is not. They tried to make it fancy and sophisticated.

My final note. I left the restaurant hungry. That is a shame on them. BBQ is known for its large portions and heartiness. I should have left that place satisfied and full. Instead I left hungry, disappointed and broke. The meal cost me $30 with tip.

NOT WORTH IT.

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follow link for more info

http://smokeyjoesbbq.com/

Mr. Tod's Pie Factory

Pie.  I have been on a very long quest to find some really good pie for a long time.  There are few places in my area that only specialize in baked goods.  Those places are more likely to be a cupcake place.  So I have been on a quixotic journey to find it, only to find it right in front of my eyes.

Mr. Tod's Pie Factory

This place is literally 4 blocks away from my house.  I have passed by it so many times and not given it a second thought.  I honestly thought it was a pizza place.  When someone says pie to me, I think pizza.  So, naturally I never walked into the place.  

One day I was in the area of the restaurant and I decided to walk in, I wanted to grab a slice.  I was expecting pizza and all the stuff that came along wit it.  I walked up to the counter and was surprised with baked goods.  My fist thought was "oh wow this pizza place has desserts up front"  and as I looked around I came to realize that I was an idiot.  I saw that this "pie" factory was meant for baked goods.  So I adjusted my line of thinking and looked at the variety of food they had.  

Oh man can I tell you that they had quite the variety of baked goods indeed.  The young man behind the counter was nice and very helpful.  He suggested the mini peach cobbler and their apple crumble.  I was more than happy to accept his suggestions because those two were my two favorite type of pies.

I asked for them to be heated and of course with a scoop of ice cream.  I cannot tell you how delicious these two were.  I have been a big fan of peach cobbler for years.  I have a high standard because I have a friend that makes them for me.  I use her peach cobbler as the bar because it's so amazing and this place came so close to hitting that bar.  The apple crumble was just all around so good.  I cannot complain about anything from this place.  Plus, it was cheap so everyone wins. 

 That is what I ordered. 

Here is the score:

Service: 5
Food: 5

Decor: 5

Price: 5 (great food at cheap prices!)
Total: 5

In short, if you like pie and not the pizza kind, go to this place.  They are super friendly and helpful.  

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Follow link for more info:

http://www.whybake.com/

Best Dumplings

So I started writing this review and it kinda sounded like I was phoning it in.  I cannot do that to my reader(s), plus this place is good.  This one will be a short review though.

They decided to name their business "Best Dumplings".  In my experience of dumplings I think they forgot to use the word "EVER".  I might be exaggerating a little bit, but the dumplings here are that good.

This is a small place tucked away in Englewood, NJ.  Actually you would probably miss it if you weren't looking for it. 

They offer many types of dumplings and two styles of preparations.  They offer chicken, beef, and vegie steamed or fried.  I honestly can tell you that they are ll equally good and delicious.  I often buy two different types in bother either steamed or fried. There is only one word I can use for the dumplings.  Delicious.  I love their dumplings because they are made with love and fresh.  If you go around back you can actually see them make the dumplings by the bag.

Oh, I forgot about the dipping souse.  This souse is like having fireworks on a normal night. 

The staff is super friendly and the place is tiny.  There is really only one table to eat at, so needless to say get your food to go. 

I am not saying that this is spectacular.  I am saying that this place is very good for a very good meal.  So if you are looking for something different and good.  I am a big fan of this place.  I do believe that these are the best dumplings in the area. 

Here is the score:

Service: 5

Food: 5

Decor: N/A

Price: 5 (great food at cheap prices!)

Total: 5

YES! That is my first 5! HAZZZAH!

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 For more info please follow the link


Here is the score:


http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/53/1494770/restaurant/North-Jersey/Best-Dumplings-Englewood

The Blind Boar BBQ

I love barbeque.  When I say love, I mean love.  There is something about BBQ that I cannot say no to, it means so much to me.  I don't know what it is about BBQ, the food or the flavor but I just can't resist.  I have a high standard for it as well.  I know good QUE when I have it.

The Blind Boar BBQ

This place is located in a town called Norwood, NJ.  As many of you would speculate, a good BBQ place would be hard to find in NJ.  You would be right.  I have traveled much of NJ in search of good que and have turned up a handful that I can say is amazing.  

Lucky, this has reached that level.  The Blind Boar has earned a spot, in my mind, in the top 3 BBQ joints in NJ/NY area.  I know what you are saying, NY has a ton of great BBQ places.  Yes, I agree and have eaten in most to all of them already.  Blind Boar is still on my list of top 3, and that is with Dallas BBQ in mind.  

The atmosphere was great.  I felt as if I was out somewhere outside of NJ.  Yes, they had all the ornamental decor out there to sell the idea of southern feeling.  I actually enjoyed it.  When I walked into the place I was instantly greeted by a haunting aroma of BBQ.  Like the smell of their food made my mouth water instantly.  I was then greeted by the owner, Mario, and the hostess.

I walked into one of their rooms that I could only assume is their main dinning hall.  It was pleasant and made me feel very comfy.  The menu was super easy to read and understand, the only problem was that I wanted to eat it all.  They had some fantastic menu items that made me salivate.  The waiter walked over and introduced himself to us and started off with pleasantries.  He was actually very pleasant and easy to talk to.  Oh I forgot to mention, they had my favorite beer on the menu, Rogue Dead Guy ale,  that alone should make you want to go there.

I happened to be there with my friends, so we decided to order "The Killer" Combo Platter.  Which consisted of 2 types of Ribs, half a chicken, pulled pork, 4 sides and cornbread.  I was indeed very happy to see this on the menu.  That meant I was going to taste everything I wanted to eat.  Oh, this is also a food challenge.  If you were to finish this place alone within 2.5 hours, your meal is free and you get your picture on the wall.   Needless to say, challenge accepted.  I plan to come back sometime very soon to accept and defeat the challenge.  And I will document it, via pictures or video. 

Anyways, back to the food, it was great.  I haven't had this type of great BBQ in quite some time.  Their Memphis style was fantastic.  It was smoked to perfection and fell apart and melted in my mouth. Their Dr.Pepper baby back was phenomenal.  It was sweet and tangy at the same time, and it had great texture and flavor.  The BBQ half chicken was a surprise, I half expect any and all chicken to be dry.  This chicken was moist all throughout.  The pulled pork was good as well.  I love the sauce, but the pork was a little dry to my preference.  The cornbread was stuff from my dreams, it was just so good.  The four sides were good too, I wish I just had more of it.  My friends had ordered iced teas, it came in mason jars.  I fell in love once I saw the mason jars.

I cannot say any more.  I loved the place.   I loved the food.  I loved everything about it.  This is a MUST GO.  If you enjoy BBQ and good food, this is the place for you.

Here is the score:

Service: 5

Food: 4.9

Decor: 4.5

Price: 5 (great food at cheap prices!)

Total: 4.7

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 Follow the link below for more info

http://www.theblindboar.com/

Rutt's Hutt

I recently visited this place.  I have decided not to write a review, instead I will write a love letter.

Rutt's Hutt

To whom it may concern:

I came to visit your place of work and try your food.  I really appreciate what you gave to me.  Some would think that a hotdog is a hotdog.  They are wrong, oh so very wrong.  What you have given and or made for me was, for lack of a better term, magic. 

I do feel that your exterior and interior feels a little outdated, but it adds so much character.  I also do feel that your employees need to be more welcoming, but again part of your charm.  Something about your facility just felt like I was at a friends place.  I did also enjoy the option of having beer/liquor with my food.  Your establishment just feels like I could be there right before a Jets game.  

 Now I just feel like I must show what I bought from you. 

 Yes, Hotdog and your onion rings.  Your homemade relish and mustard was magnificent.  They came together like they were meant for each other.  Did i mention that the fact that you deep fry your dogs is just so great.  If I had a choice I would throw bacon onto it, but then again I would put bacon on everything.  The onion rings were top notch, I have had better but it was fantastic. 

 To answer your question, yes it was so good that I had to get it twice. 

So Rutt's Hutt, I heart you.  It is hard for me to say that because I have another other hotdog place that was special to me for years.  I cannot say that you have replaced them, but you have come close to beating them, only if you had chili cheese dogs. 

To sum it up.  It was a great meal for cheap.  Atmosphere is okay, an acquired taste and or open mind to go into it.  Service was okay.  I really do wish they had an option to add chili to the cheese hotdog.  I don't know why they don't do it.

Here is the score:

Service: 3.7 (They weren't rude, but they weren't nice either.  I got my food)

Food: 4.6 (Deep fried dog is great, but they didn't have the choices I wanted)

Decor: 3.8 (Not dirty, not clean.  Feels outdated.  I loved it)

Price: 5 (great food at cheap prices!)

Total: 4.3


 Hugs and kisses

___

 Follow link for info

http://www.ruttshut.com/

Rudy's Ristorante and Pizza, Closter NJ location

Like any foodie, I love to find surprises in places that are unexpected.  I love to find that little hole in the wall with mind blowing food.  

Rudy's Ristorante and Pizza

Here is some quick history. Rudy's was established back in 1963 and pretty much seems like it hasn't changed since then.  I am sure that they have done a few things to the decor over time, but I am fairly certain that most of the stuff inside that place is double my age.  This is by far not a bad thing at all.   I actually enjoy that fact, it gives the place a certain type of character.  Yeah, it's a little dated and a little old fashioned for my taste, but it works.

Let's talk about menu, it's simple and easy to read and choose.  That earns a couple points in my book.  I don't think they have really made any real updates or changes to it in years, and that is great.

I had heard through various sources that there is a hidden star in the menu.  The Chicken Scarpariello was supposed to be an amazing dish to be had at this place.  I happen to agree. 

I do usually take pictures of my food, it is a habit of mine.  I have been debating on if I should put pictures of what I eat.  I decided only on special occasions when my words fail me shall I put a picture.  There is really no amount of words to describe what you are about to see

Yup, you see that little dish on the top right.  You are given a choice of what type of pasta you want with that monster in the middle.  Then you can also request for some nice fresh bread.  When I say fresh, I mean still hot from the oven.  The bread is all warm and soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside.

The chicken cooked to perfection and so is everything else.  There is Italian sausage in there too that really works so well with the chicken the and sauce.  Talking about the sauce, I could just eat the sauce and be a happy little boy.  Give me a basket full of bread and a bowl full of that sauce and call it a day.

This was by far a great dish made with love and care.  It was so completely amazing. Yes, I believe this dish is built for two.  I did not care, I finished it by myself and enjoyed every little bite.  I should have taken a picture of what it looked like when I finished.  Lets just say that there was very little or nothing left on the plate.  The plate didn't need to be washed cause I cleaned the sauce with the bread.  

Okay here is the score:

Service: 4

Food: 4.5

Decor: 3.3

Price: 4.3 (good price for great food)

So a total score of 4.  Not bad for a place that is located inside a mini-mall.  I would say not bad at all.  I will definitely come back again.  Old school Italian food with lots of love and flavor.  You really have to come here to experience it.

___

 Follow link for more info.

http://www.rudyspizza.com/

Greek Village

I love finding places that feel like I am at home.  This is a place that I often pass but never really walked into until a few days ago.  I have been and always will be a fan of restaurants that cook food as if my mom or someones mom cooked it.  There is a certain amount of love that you can taste in each bite of the food.

The Greek Village

This is a nice little place that you would certainly just drive by if you are not looking for it.   Even though it is located on a main street, you would probably just pass on by without a thought.   I would say that you would be making a mistake.  

I have always enjoyed Greek food.  In fact at one point within this past year, it was the only thing I was eating.  On a whim and strong encouragement from a friend, I was asked to go eat at this place.

At first I had my doubts because it looked like any other Greek restaurant to eat in.  Actually this place looked more like a deli with seating in it.  The menu offered the same items like any other Greek place.  The good thing about this place was not only was it super clean but at that time I was eat (off peak hours), all tables were full.  That speaks volumes as that means it's popular at any given time. So my doubt turned into excitement.  

I know that the main attraction to most Greek places is the lamb.  Anyone that has tried to cook a lamb knows the difficulty level of how it is prepared.  So I order one of my favorite dishes to order, Lamb Kokinisto.  A dish that is made of lamb, orzo and some type of tomato sauce with cinnamon.  I also ordered a plate of their meatballs and Greek fries.  From what I believe, this is a well rounded meal that would show off their cooking skills and flavor profiles.  

Lamb Kokinisto:

I NEVER had lamb as well prepared as this.  I was under the impression that lamb, though good and flavorful, was a bit on the chewy side.  This lamb fell apart and melted in my mouth as if it were butter.  The orzo was prepared well, I had better orzo in my life.  The orzo needed to be cooked just a little more in my opinion.   The sauce was literally the cherry on top.  It was the glue that brought the whole dish together.  This particular Lam Kokinisto just reset my bar for this particular dish.

Meatballs:

Can I tell you right now, that I still dream of these meatballs.  When I ordered them, I expected just regular meatballs.  I was so very wrong.  Words cannot describe how amazing these meatballs were.  A nice hard, but not too hard, crust on the outside and soft and delicious inside.  Perfection in every littler bite I had.  The meatballs came with a scoop of mashed potatoes.  The mashed potatoes had a vinegar taste to it, but combine the mash with the meatballs... welcome to flavor town.  This particular dish was the main attraction for me.  I was completely blown away from the flavor, texture and taste of it.  

Greek Fries:

Greek fries were kind of run of the mill.   The only thing that stood out was they use steak fries instead of shoestring.  

The environment is clean and very Greek (by that I mean white and blue colors everywhere).  The staff was pleasant and helpful.  The prices were better than I expected. 

So here is the score:

Service: 5

Food: 4.3

Decor:3.8

Price: 3.8

All in all 4.2

I highly recommend going just for the meatballs.  I cannot express how much I enjoyed that one dish there.  

___

Follow the link for info.  Unfortunately they do not have a website.

https://plus.google.com/115897027005387203397/about?gl=us&hl=en

East Coast Burger Company

Burgers.  Burgers are a staple in my life.  I have had my fair share of really bad to mind blowing burgers.  So I am always in the hunt for an amazing burger and fries combo.  I believe that a restaurant/diner can be made or broken by the quality of their product.  So when I come into a restaurant that has the main focus of a burger.  You better believe that I already have high expectations.  

East Coast Burger Company

This is a not so little place that I found in Ridgewood NJ.  I was in the are running errands and my usual restaurant was closed, so I was forced to eat here.  I honestly did not have high expectations for this place.  The exterior screamed of trying too hard to look like an old fashioned burger joint, plus the parking lot was empty, which did not bode well because it was peek lunch time.  

Ever the adventurer that I am about food, I took a chance and decided to walk in.   BEST DECISION EVER!  I walk in and see a wall full of options, so much so that I got a little overwhelmed.  That is one of the downsides to this place. Menu is great, but so large and overwhelming.   

So I ask the cashier to help me choose what to eat.  She was nice enough to point out her favorite burger and how she liked to eat it.  So I went with her choices.  I ordered their avocado burger, fries and a coke.  A nice simple meal to really get to know what they are.  

Their system isn't much different from Bobby's Burger Palace.  You order and then someone will bring your food out to you.  It's simple and easy.

The food:

The burger was cooked well.  I was not asked how I liked my burger cooked, but it was cooked well anyways.   Next time I go I will ask if I have a choice on how my burger is cooked.  Like most people I like my burger medium rare.  This burger was more on the medium side.  No real complaints though.  The taste and texture of the meat was good.  

The burger can really be broken down to it's ingredients very easily.  Potato bun, honestly my favorite type of bun; it gives a burger a sweet soft texture that no other bun can even try to come close to. Fresh avocado (good).  Fresh tomato and lettuce (expected).  Sauteed onion (good).  Patty (great).  Put it together and you have a symphony of good texture and taste.  

The fries were hand cut and fresh cooked.  Something I deeply appreciate from any burger joint.   

So all in all I highly recommend going and eating there.  I will give it a 4 out of 5.  That's a "dude you really need to go to this place" level. 

Score Broken Down:

Service: 5 (great people)

Decor/theme/environment: 3 (eh I had a chair to sit in. good enough for me.  Do not get me wrong the place is super clean I just think that the theme/decor is confused.)

Food: 4 (good)

Price: 4(relatively affordable)

So go eat and be merry.

____ 

Info about the place: follow the link. 

http://eastcoastburger.com/

About me

I realize that many of you have spent a lot of time reading blogs, tweets and what have you about anything and everything in the world.  I have decided (with some encouragement) to try my hand at doing some food reviews.

So I came to the realization last night that in order for me to be taken seriously as a reviewer, you as my reader would probably like to know a little more about me.  What makes me an authority on food and all that stuff.

 I do not and will not claim that I am an expert on what is good food or bad food.  All I know is that I have eaten in many places and believe that my tastes are eclectic.  I know what makes a good burger and what makes a bad one.

So to justify and  or for you to really believe me, I am a fat kid that knows his food.  Yes, mostly I will be reviewing food in the New Jersey area, but I travel a lot for my real job so that will give me an opportunity to explore.  I can also that I have been to many countries and have partaken in their food.  I won't say my taste is sophisticated but it is well educated. 

All I can promise is that I will give you my honest opinion on food and everything that surrounds the food.  I hope you enjoy the reads.  I will be posting up one soon about a new burger place I have found.