The New Jersey Foodhound™

In and around my area there just so happen to be quite a few spots to grab high-quality ramen. Blackbeard Ramen in Cliffside Park is one of those - and if you find yourself in the area I highly recommend a trip!  The Grub:  Would it shock you to hear that the featured cuisine at Blackbeard is, in fact, ramen noodle soup? It certainly shouldn't! Blackbeard doesn't have what one would call an "extensive" menu by any means, but then again the ramen is so good you really wouldn't them to focus on anything else. They have four soup options on the menu : Tonkotsu (pork broth), Tonkotsu Gyokai (pork/dashi broth), Miso (pork broth/miso), and Green Curry (pork/fish broth with a Thai twist). Pick whatever fits your mood when you sit down and get ready for a good meal. If you think you need a starter or something on the side, I would suggest trying the Cha-Don rice bowl with chashu pork - always a welcome addition if I'm feeling extra hungry! My Order: Miso R...

Another reinvented neighborhood spot, Avo's Grill underwent a major renovation and menu revamping about a year ago. The interior is now carries a chic, modern style with a beautiful black-top bar. The front of the restaurant opens in nice weather so you can dine al-fresco and still be indoors. Service is excellent, this is the type of place where the wait-staff remembers your orders and food preferences - a serious boost to any dining experience. Food at Avo's can best be described as elevated Mediterranean with a Turkish twist. While there are a number of stellar things on the menu, one of the first things to try is an appetizer portion of their garlic dill fries. No kidding, they are probably some of the best fries in Northern NJ.  Another excellent starter, especially for sharing, is the Meza Plate - which comes with Hummus, Babaganoush, Tzaziki, Mouhamara and Pita Chips. Moving on to main courses, the Fatoush salad is a great, light choice and comes with chopped lett...

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...

This great little pizza joint opened about a year ago and I'm ashamed to say I haven't tried it until now, but boy am I glad I did. Napoli Wood Fired Pizza and Bakery offers what the name would suggest - pizza and baked goods cooked by wood-fired stove. But the apathy that belies its name kept me away too long - the truth is, the product is out-of-this-world good. I mean, so good I cant remember the last time I had pizza this good, and I work in NYC. The Grub: Napoli offers a pretty long list of classic wood fired, thin crust pizzas - some with toppings you are undoubtedly used to, and a few that may be a bit more unique and tantalizing. Margarita, pepperoni-sausage and peppers, ground-beef jalapeno, 4 chilies,  and 4 mushroom are just a few of the insanely good choices. I will have to admit though, I'm a sucker for just a plain pepperoni pizza and theirs is so good, I want another one as I write this. All the pizzas are thin crust, charred to a per...

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,...