The New Jersey Foodhound™

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...

When my girlfriend said she wanted to take a trip for her birthday, we wanted to go somewhere close by that had a unique feel. Since neither one of us had been to Canada before, we decided on a trip to Montreal. This ended up being a fantastic decision, as we soon realized that the food scene in Montreal definitely rivals that of New York, Boston, San Francisco or Chicago. Once there, my immediate goal was a good steak frites, and as luck would have it, a quick conversation with a local pointed us towards Lucille's . The Grub: Lucille's is best described as a modern Brasserie with a divided focus between steaks and seafood. Their one page menu certainly has something to fit all tastes - cold bar oysters, surf and turf options, taco boards, and steaks galore. They also have a list of signature cocktails and their own lager on tap (the lager is quite good by the way). If you are going to stop by, my first suggestion would be to order their steak frites - whi...

Its no secret that I spend a lot of time eating in Fort Lee. Not only because it's a short drive from my house, but also because the food options are diverse and consistently good. Adding to that list is probably my favorite fried chicken joint of all time - Boom Boom Chicken . Give it a try just once and you'll know why I choose it above all others - and I have a feeling you will too. The Grub: What do they offer at Boom Boom Chicken you ask? Well, Korean fried chicken of course, and lots of it! Wings, legs, combos, popcorn chicken, whole fried chicken, you name it they have it. Every last piece is cooked to amazing, crispy-crunchy perfection and (if you choose) slathered with one of their delicious sauces. If you stop in for lunch you can partake in one of their lunch specials, which includes fried chicken (any style) along with a side of rice or fries and a small salad. If you stop by for dinner, they still offer a combo option but you have to pay $2 mor...

I was introduced to bubble tea shortly after moving back to the Tri-State area by my girlfriend, a self-proclaimed connoisseur of the beverage, and now I can easily say it is one of my favorite things. Ice cold fruit flavored teas with tapioca balls or fruity jelly pieces offer a great play on taste and texture - perfect for the summer time. While there are many places that offer bubble tea, one of the best in the Fort Lee area happens to be Q Tea Tapas on Main St. Get yourself one, then take a relaxing stroll downtown and decide what you want for dinner! The Grub: Q Tea offers a pretty large variety of fruit teas, milk teas, slushies and other desert-like drinks along with a good selection of boba and jelly to accompany them. Kumquat lemon, blueberry, peach, grapefruit black tea and strawberry lemonade are just a handful of great selections among their fruit teas; paired with mango star jelly, strawberry popping boba or the traditional tapioca bubble, anyway you...

After becoming aware of the mind-blowingly delicious phenomenon that is yakitori, I set myself on a mission to find the best of the best. Living on Staten Island at the time, my local options were non-existent. So I searched Manhattan and Brooklyn until I came upon this place: Yakitori Toto . The penultimate purveyor of skewered grilled meats and vegetables. The Grub: For those in need of enlightenment, yakitori is traditionally skewered chicken lightly seasoned and prepared over a special charcoal grill. The term can also be extended to other meats and vegetables which is then served in small-plated portions meant to be eaten along with beer in a tappas or tavern style manner. Toto offers a variety of cuts and rare bites that just have to be tried - crispy chicken skin, liver with salt, beef tongue, kobe beef, chicken heart, and shishito peppers with miso to name just a few. Honestly, everything on the menu deserves a try at least once, even if it might sound as...

A few years back when I was living and working in Staten Island, a co-worker of mine casually suggested "If you like Japanese food, you HAVE to check out Mitsuwa ." Naturally I immediately googled it and found my next culinary destination. My suggestion: make it yours too. The Grub: Mitsuwa above all else is a small supermarket chain that provides a very wide variety of Japanese and other Asian ingredients to the community at reasonable prices. This location is the only one on the East Coast and I am so glad that its a short drive from my house. On our first trip we spent nearly two hours touring the isles, exploring all of the different sauces, spices, candy, snack foods, produce and ingredients that we had never seen before and are nearly impossible to find elsewhere. They have one of the best selections of fresh fish I have ever seen, much of it sushi grade, as well as a fantastic meat section that includes real Wagyu beef and pre-sliced shaub meat...

For the uninitiated, ramen noodle soup may be one of the greatest food inventions ever devised by man. Those familiar with ramen are well aware of this fact. If you are in search of a complexly flavored, multi-textured, deeply satisfying meal then a big bowl of ramen noodle soup is just what the doctor ordered. Also looking for value? Want house made noodles? Then your search is over my friend, join me at Menya Sandaime . The Grub: Ramen is the feature dish here and you will find little else on the menu. I have made a point to try every variety and honestly, I like them all - but I do have my favorites. Typically when I'm in the mood, my first choice is a bowl of miso ramen, but at Menya my suggestion would be to skip over the typical choices and go strait for the black ramen; a steaming hot bowl of black-bonito infused tonkotsu broth with all the trimmings. The smokey, complex bonito flavor combined with the light, delicate tonkotsu broth is truly a beauty to ...