Pot Luck

NJ restaurant picks... (4.00 / 2)

From what I understand, NJ Monthly's annual restaurant picks aren't taken too seriously by people who are serious about food and restaurants, but here they are anyways.

Many sound good, actually.  Haven't eaten at any, though.  Might splurge for Blu in Montclair next time I'm out there.  I'd also love to try Nicholas in Red Bank and The Frog and the Peach in New Brunswick one of these years, as well.  Maybe Nicholas for a 40th birthday dinner?  I'll think about it, I have nine years to save up for that.  Heh...

Ninety Acres and the Pluckemin Inn are the others I've always heard good things about.  The new Uproot in Warren sounds good.

Here are the magazine's readers choice picks.

Never tried the Trap Rock brewpub.  Basil T's in Red Bank was very good, though.

Why are there two chains (Bobby's Burger Palace and Five Guys) on the best burger list?  Yuck.

I've never had a Hoagie Haven (Princeton) cheesesteak, although I've always heard good things.

Nice to see Hobby's Deli in Newark, an old favorite of mine, make the list as a critics' pick for delis.  But, umm, "Kosher-style"?  How is a place that serves bacon, and offers cheese on sandwiches 'kosher style'?  No, just sayin'.  Millburn Deli is another good deli.  Town Hall in South Orange (home of the original Jersey Sloppy Joe!) is better, though.

Hot dogs - love Rutt's Hut in Clifton.  Jimmy Buff's is another good one in the area.  The Hot Grill in Clifton, too.  Used to be a place called Frank's on US 1 down in Edison that had great Italian hot dogs as well, but the building was torn down about five years ago for a highway widening project (rolling eyes).

Pizza?  Santillo's.  Elizabeth.  End of discussion!  Star Tavern in Orange is a great bar pie, though.  Nancy's in Rahway.  And I must go to Capri in Kenilworth once more next time I go back for a visit.

Seafood - no Bahr's?!  Kidding!!!  Amazing view there, though.  Now if only the food... Again, I'd love to try Blu soon.

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Jul 20, 2010 at 02:31:31 AM UTC

Gha! (4.00 / 2)

Oops, just noticed The Frog & The Peach has foie gras on the menu.

Fugghedaboutit.  That's the one thing I'll draw a line at.  Wouldn't eat there unless they pulled the stuff off for good.

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Jul 20, 2010 at 02:36:03 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

New food cart pod on SE Belmont at 43rd (4.00 / 3)

A new pod just opened here in Portland, food cart capital of the USA. I'm thinking it might be just the spot for tomorrow's lunch.

Have you been there, Jay?

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by: caseyOR @ Tue Jul 20, 2010 at 06:15:31 AM UTC

It's open?! (4.00 / 2)

Holy fsm, I didn't know it had opened already!

:)

I heard about it a few months ago, but tucked it away in the back of my mind because I thought it would still be a while until it opened up.

I've been eagerly awaiting it, especially since it's only a 9 minute bus ride and a 4 minute walk from my apartment, and I've heard it's gonna be late-night focused like Cartopia over at Hawthorne & 12th.

Brb, gonna go look it up.

I am so gonna have a photo diary up on this sometime this week!

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Jul 20, 2010 at 07:39:31 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Hmmm, okay... (4.00 / 2)

Can't find much online so far.  This may just require a stop by on Wednesday evening (can't make it tomorrow, plus I'm broke since I spent $14 on dinner Sunday so it's an oatmeal and rice & beans Monday and Tuesday for me), see what's out there...

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Jul 20, 2010 at 08:02:32 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Btw... (4.00 / 2)

The last numbers I saw were that there were over 450 licensed food carts in Portland.  With a few more opening every week, the number's gotta be closer to 500 now.

That's a food cart for every 1,200 people!

We rule, and sure as shit are absolutely the Street Food Capital of the US!

:)

Honestly, I don't understand why so many cities seek to limit food carts / trucks, keep them on the move, and only barely tolerate them in the first place.  The New York City Council (which requires food trucks to remain on the move at all times) just passed one of the most punitive anti-street food laws in any big American city the other week, by threatening to permanently yank the license of any vendor who gets three parking tickets (yes, gyro trucks and etc have to pay parking meters when they sell lunch in Manhattan, and meter-feeding is as always illegal, and from what I hear NYPD does watch and wait).

We should invite the mayors of the Top 500 American cities to a massive conference in Portland for a few days, show 'em how things work here.

Show these mayors and city officials our downtown carts on a weekday during lunch, our neighborhood carts on weekday evenings / nights and weekends (and hybrids like Mississippi Marketplace which combine a brick-and-mortar pub with a dozen permanent food carts on the same lot), our taco trucks along 82nd and 122nd and Foster and Powell which bring positive street life to neighborhoods sorely lacking in same, etc etc etc etc etc etc!!!!!!!

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Jul 20, 2010 at 08:24:02 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Portland Polish Festival 2010... (4.00 / 2)

This year's festival (the largest annual Polish Festival on the West Coast) will be held on Saturday September 25 and Sunday September 26, up on N. Interstate Avenue at the Polish Library Building and St. Stanislaus in the Overlook neighborhood (easy access from Overlook Park MAX Yellow Line light rail, 2 blocks south), as always.

And it will feature yours truly as a volunteer, as well.

;)

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Jul 20, 2010 at 07:46:04 AM UTC

Good for you, Jay. (4.00 / 2)

Maybe the Polish grandmothers will teach you how to make pierogies. IIRC, the making of pierogies is a goal of yours, yes?

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by: caseyOR @ Tue Jul 20, 2010 at 22:43:24 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Oh, yes! (4.00 / 1)

One day, I will be a Pierogi Wizard!  Just like my (long gone) grandmother once was...

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Jul 20, 2010 at 23:01:45 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Kenner hearings update (4.00 / 1)

I was wrong when I commented previously that this week's  round of BOEM/Coast Guard hearings into the Deepwater Horizon disaster were the final hearings. The Coast Guard captain leading the investigation announced, at the end of today's hearing, that another session would take place in August in Houston.

This week's session is shaping up to be a shambles. Yesterday, one witness called in sick and another apparently just disappeared. Today, BP's two well site leaders failed to appear. One pled illness, the other takes the fifth, same as they did in a previous session. For tomorrow's hearing, one witness already had been rescheduled to August, then at about 6 p.m. Eastern time, lawyers for the other four witnesses notified the board that they would not appear voluntarily. Tomorrow's hearing is canceled.

All of tomorrow's witnesses were scheduled to be Transocean employees with informaion about BOP operations and modifications.

Will not appear voluntarily is an important phrase. I've only read the board's charter once, some while ago, but I'm pretty sure the board has subpoena power, which has not been used in the proceedings so far.

A small amount of useful information is being gleaned. All the witnesses have lawyered up, and counsel sits next to them at the witness table. The most common responses are "I don't know" and "I can't recall".

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by: count @ Tue Jul 20, 2010 at 22:41:31 PM UTC

Heh heh... (4.00 / 1)

The "Blog" of Unnecessary Quotes

Fwiw, I think my new catch phrase is going to be 'police do be out'...

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by: JayinPortland @ Wed Jul 21, 2010 at 01:00:37 AM UTC