The New Jersey Foodhound™

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...

Hell's Kitchen is a great place to work, always lively and never short on food options. If your in the mood for something of the baked variety and find yourself in the neighborhood, then you definitely need to stop by Amy's Bread . Now, don't me wrong, there is a lot of good bread to be found in NYC. Some people say its the water. I think its a lot of talented people that have refined the skill of baking over long careers. And, maybe just a little bit the water. The Grub: It goes without saying that Amy's has bread, and a great variety at that - they have 20+ options to choose from on a regular basis - along with seasonal and special items. The sourdough, French baguette and olive sticks are a few of my favorite things to get here. If you have a hankering for something a bit more sweet, don't worry Amy's has you covered. They offer cakes, cupcakes cookies and and a number of other delicious treats. You can never go wrong with a chocolat...

Before we even moved to the area, my girlfriend and I would explore Bergen and Hudson county for food as a diverse and cost effective alternative to NYC. In doing so, we happened upon what is now, arguably our favorite Korean restaurant. Now, there is no shortage of good Korean fare in the area to be sure, but when it comes to the combination of flavor, consistency, service and overall satisfaction, So Gong Dong Tofu and BBQ comes out on top. The Grub: First off, there are a lot of things that I would suggest ordering here. The menu is a delightful arrangement of flavors and textures that speak to the Korean desire to satisfy whatever it is you might be craving. Every meal starts with the 6 house banchan (side dishes) - spicy pickled cucumbers, fried fish cake, pickled seaweed, pickled radish, kimchi and pickled bean sprouts, all of which are excellent. We usually end up blowing clean through a first serving and ordering a second. SGD also offers a few appetizers ...

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...