The New Jersey Foodhound™

Pre-Pandemic I took a three-day trip to the Islands of Trinidad and Tobago equipped with a lifelong love of their incredible food. Particularly, the delightful snack called Doubles. If you are unfamiliar, doubles are two fried, puffy pieces of dough with a semi-spicy chickpea mixture in the middle. They are best served hot and wrapped in wax paper. GT West Indian Cuisine and Deli in Bergenfield, NJ is one of a handful of places in all of New Jersey that serves up fresh, incredibly flavored Doubles for a mere 2.00 each.  Get an order with “everything” meaning the full spice mixture. I cannot emphasize how satisfying these small pockets of fried wonder are. They are worth a trip from anywhere in the Tristate area and are the thing to try at GT’s. If you feel like diving deeper in into Trinidadian cuisine, this shop also has an amazing spread of curries ranging from mango to goat, which are served with a massive piece of roti. Top off your meal with a unique drink ranging from a peanu...

There are a lot of places to find a bagel on Staten Island, but I'm going to be honest - most of them aren't very good. Of course that's just my opinion, but I spent a great deal of time visiting over 30 shops and the best of the best by far is Hot Bagels & More . The Grub: Hot Bagels & More is your average NY/NJ deli establishment with a number of breakfast and lunch options you would typically find at any deli. What really separates them though is their bagels and bialys made in-house. Again, these are by far the best iteration of each I was able to find on the island. The dough consistency, bite, crunch and texture are 100% on-point when compared to a number of the more bread-like or improperly baked bagels available on SI. I highly suggest an Everything bagel with cream cheese, or my personal favorite, a bialy with butter (according to wikipedia:  Bialy, a Yiddish word short for biały or bialystoker kuchen, from the city of Białystok in Poland, is a small...

Ever heard of a salt beef sandwich? If you don't live in London you likely haven't by name, but you may know it by taste. In the US we refer to this delicious meat product as "corned beef" but let me tell you - one is definitely better than the other. Head over to Tongue and Brisket for the best possible rendition of this English classic and see what all the fuss is about. The Grub: Tongue and Brisket serves up a delightful menu of breakfast and sandwiches to suit a variety of tastes all at very  reasonable prices. Fancy a traditional English breakfast? T&B has you covered with their Breakfast Set - 2 eggs, 2 sausages, hash brown, beans and toast. Something lighter perhaps? Beans on toast or a sausage sandwich will do just fine. The real show-stopper, and what you really should stop in for - is their Salt Beef sandwich . Perfectly cured brisket placed between two slices of rye bread with mustard and a pickle. In my opinion, it compares to or beats any ...

Do you like food? Well, how about more than you could ever eat in one sitting? A prospect that likely does not ring positive in the ears of all who listen, but I implore one and all to hear me out. If you have a LARGE appetite for very good food, or just want leftovers for the week - I highly suggest you try out Harold's New York Deli . If nothing else, you will be in jaw-dropping awe of this temple to the food gods; one step in the front door and you will see exactly what I mean! The Grub: Harold's has an extremely vast menu which caters to the needs and wants of any discerning diner. Soups, salads, steaks and of course their world-famous sandwiches, along side a heaping helping of pickles and 'slaw from their walk-up bar equal one hell of an experience. By the way, if you find yourself saying "I wonder if the quality is sacrificed for quality?" - you just shut your dirty mouth! Everything is delicious, and by the way, I'd love it if the...

While touring the streets on our second day in Montreal, we bumped into a local that gave us a few key food suggestions for our short trip. One of his suggestions, was a visit to the apparently world-famous Shwartz's Deli . Having now eaten there, I can't overstate how good it is and how it is definitely worth your time if your in town. Maybe I can help put it in perspective by posing a question: Ever heard of Katz's deli in NYC? Well, despite the calls of blasphemy by some, I can say that this is its tastier cousin. The Grub: The offerings at Schwartz's Deli aren't that wide or that varied, and honestly that's a good thing. It means that the focus is exactly where it should be, on preparing quality meats to go on some amazingly slammin' sandwiches. At the "to go" stand up store - they have 3 sandwich options: the marvelous Smoked Meat, the Turkey and the Salami sandwich. You can also get fries on the side, which I highly sugg...