The New Jersey Foodhound™

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...

It will probably surprise no one that the population of Staten Island is roughly 35% Italian-American . From its reputation to its depictions in popular film and TV, its a personality the island -  for better or worse, just can't shake. So I say, embrace it by taking a ride to Alfonso's Bakery to get yourself some authentic Italian pastries. You'll feel like a part of the crowd in no time. The Grub: Alfonso's is a purveyor of all things baked, be it breads of all shapes and sizes, cakes, cookies, canoli, and other fine Italian pastries. Starting with their selection of breads, I would highly suggest trying one of their sesame twists, if there are any left that is. Nothing's better to sop up some of Mamma's home-cooked sauce! Make sure to browse the cookie counters as well, the almond cookies and Italian rainbows are some of the best I've ever tried. Lastly, grab a half-dozen, or hey, even a dozen canoli and get out fast because there will almost c...

Have you ever tried a Mexican Torta? I'm ashamed to say that before my trip to Cafe Con Pan I had not, but doing so inspired me to try them everywhere I could. After sampling the offering's of many Mexican restaurants around Staten Island I can say confidently that the sandwiches at Cafe are head and shoulders above the rest. The Grub: Cafe Con Pan has a number of excellent Mexican classics on their menu, among which are the Tacos, pastries, breakfast, fresh made juices and smoothies. What makes a trip here worth it though are their huge tortas, or Mexican sandwiches for the uninitiated. They come with your choice of various meats: roasted pork (cecina), bistec (steak), al pastor (spicy pineapple pork), and are then piled high  fresh veggies and a heaping handful of amazing, stringy cheese or Mexican queso Qaxaca. All between their own home-made bread no less. Try one of their tortas especiales if you find a "regular torta" boring. Nothing quite fills you up l...

As a general rule, I happen to be a proponent of trying to find the most authentic version of a cuisine possible. Be it Italian, Chinese, or even American, I'm not a fan of fakes or of low effort, dumbed-down versions of the food I should be eating. That said, every so often an Americanized Chinese restaurant creeps into the fold despite my best efforts to keep them away. One such restaurant - Jade Island in Staten Island, NY ,  stands a thankful bastion of tradition, hearkening back to years I can hardly remember - or wasn't around for. By the way, If you thought that tiki-themed restaurants were gone for good, brace yourselves - you're in for a treat! The Grub: If you have eaten Chinese food in the USA before, you know exactly what you're in for at Jade Island . All the classic dishes make an appearance: wonton soup, chop suey, chow mein, lo mein, beef with broccoli, chicken with cashew nuts - all of which are just as good, if not better than where you probably ...

I love pizza, so you can imagine how thrilled I must have been when I moved to Staten Island. An island filled with Italian Americans, in New York City? They would have to make the best pizza in the world right? Well, as it turns out, the search for really good pizza was long and fraught with the perils of a terrible meal. Until that is, we found Pizzeria Giove , which ended up serving me one of the best pizzas I have ever had. If you're a pizza lover like me, I stress that you should check it out. The Grub: Where do I start. Well, first Pizzeria Giove is technically an Italian restaurant and a pizzeria. What I mean by that is, there is a large selection of stuff on the menu, pretty much every Italian appetizer or entree you could want out of any conventional Italian restaurant. Having tried a number of the dishes I can they are all good, but that's not what were here for. You can get fried calamari and spaghetti somewhere else. Here, you should be getting ...

I hate to say that I use Yelp far more often than I should. Not to sound like too much of a grandpa, but I remember a day when you would see a new restaurant and try it out. That simple. Maybe you heard about it before, maybe you hadn't, that didn't really matter so much. You were hungry and in the mood to try something new, and those were the only real thoughts that mattered. I'm happy to say those exact thoughts brought me to the aptly named Dominican Food Corp. also known as R&A Deli . The Grub: R&A is one of those hot table joints with a back kitchen constantly replenishing the food in the front. If you've spent any time in the NYC area, you've probably already been to a place like this before. If you haven't, or if you're looking for a new spot like I was, then stop in here and grab something. In my humble opinion, the food here is some of the best you'll get in its price range. Head to the end of the counter and tell...

In the 5 years I lived in Staten Island, I noticed a serious expansion in food options. Typically, it was hard to find anything other than Italian or American food, but growing ethnic communities are slowing changing the scene. To that point, a relatively small Filipino community has taken root and brought their delicious food with them. Phil-Am Kusina , in my opinion, best represents what a Filipino kitchen has to offer - insanely good, authentic home made food. The Grub: First of all, this restaurant has served me some of the best food I have ever eaten anywhere. I gauge this, perhaps unfairly, by my first experience at a restaurant, and at Phil-Am, they left a lasting impression. Now, I like almost everything on their menu so I will try to make this a little more than just listing the entire thing here and just mention my very favorite things. To start, I would highly suggest their Lumpia Egg Rolls - which are somewhere between an egg roll and a spring roll but...

I have heard people say that the first step to overcoming addiction is admitting you have a problem. Well my friends, I am a sandwich addict, and I will not repent. My blinding addiction has led me on a hunt for the very best meaty-bread mashup money can buy and I am confident in saying I have found the penultimate sandwich spot. A place so hidden, so secret it was dubbed by my former co-worker "the teamster sandwich spot." (He was a big fan of 30 Rock). The Grub: It is first worth noting that the Artisan Bakers Group is not really a restaurant, they are a commercial bakery serving many restaurants in NYC. They do happen to sell sandwiches on the side, out of an unassuming small space adjacent to their baking operation in an industrial park on Staten Island. What they don't have in looks, they make up for 1,000 fold in producing the best god-damn sandwiches I have ever tasted. I mean it, in my entire life I can not think of a better tasting sandwich...