OK, so I have not blogged in 5 months. Sue me! It’s not that I have not been eating during this time. It just means that I have been too busy. Nah. I, have been lazy and enjoying my retirement with no deadlines and just fun on a daily basis. But now, I am vlogging again in earnest and to prove it, here is what I have been eating. And, believe it or not, actually losing weight doing it.
My good buddy and retired Executive Chef, Joe Gatt, visited me over the summer and got to enjoy some of the restaurants in my neck of the woods. We dined on juicy rib eye steak at Harold’s NY Deli in Lyndhurst, NJ with friends, Steve Longo and Bernie Zlotnick. Got sushified by Chef Louis at his Momoya establishment in Bloomfield, NJ, enjoyed a breakfast burrito at The Schuyler Diner in Lyndhurst, enjoyed the summer rolls at Binh Duong Vietnamese restaurant in Bloomfield, winding up for dessert at Tops Diner in East Newark.
One of my favorites is the coconut custard pie from Tops Diner.
My monthy foodie events have gotten even more attendees, all looking to experience a new ethnic food restaurant and enjoy the dining experience knowing that all of the food I order will taste delicious. Some people do have their favorites and it seems that almost everyone who joins me for a meal wants to go to Harold’s NY Deli in Lyndhurst for something. Joe Gatt joined me there for corned beef.
I enjoy celebrating my birthday at a delicious dim sum brunch at The China Gourmet in West Orange, probably the best in North Jersey. I try to go at least 2 times, my birthday and Father’s Day, although I have been pursuaded to attend these dim sum brunches more for all sorts of reasons.
Here’s a sampling of one of the carts that are wheeled to your table. If you go, try to get there around 11 am or all the good stuff is gone. When you sit down, order Mexican buns for your dessert. The tastiest roast pork comes out around 12:15 and is worth the wait as is there crispy duck.
Eleven people joined me at Momoya for the feast of the seven moons and Chef Louis, again performed his magic by creating even more delicious samplings. It was Stacey’s birthday so we had Chef Louis prepare his famous deep fried cheesecake. Yum.
Joe Gatt came down from his kingdom in Vails Gate, NY to join us at Momoya and the next day we had breakfast at The Stack in North Arlington, NJ. and a wonderful lunch at La Sicilia in Belleville.
I went out west to meet my buddy Dan Cohen and his wife Emma who took me to a lovely Thai restaurant for lunch. Everything was delish and the owner joined us for dessert.
October brought Neil Nathanson and his son, Daniel, to Steve’s Sizzling Steaks in Carlstadt for Dan’s first exposure to a maggi sauce infused filet mignon. I have been eating there for over 30 years and always found it a treat.
October’s foodie event was held at Mi Bandera in North Bergen, NJ for their version of churrasco grande and chiccarone. Dan and Emma joined Internationally recognized illustrator Andrea Mistretta and her husband Perry Quaranta and me for these tasty steaks.
Neil wanted to do another photo shoot with his Smart Car so we wound up in China Town for a quick bite at Wo Hops. Wo Hops is so well known that I have met people from all over the world who have eaten there. The place and the waiters are all still there and the food is special.
The NJ Craftsmen Club, of which I was the last sitting President, had a reunion at Redd’s in Carlstadt and it turned into a lot of fun remembering all of the events and speakers. The printing industry is going through severe changes and many of these members are out of work as their business models don’t coincide with today’s technology.
Finally got to try Joe’s Crab Shack in Clifton with Neil and his family and as it turned out, had a good meal and a fun time. I don’t usually go to the chain restaurants but I have heard about Joe’s and when Neil said he was going, I joined in.
In November, Steve Longo and Al Natale had a memorial lunch for our good friend Ho Nam at Keo Ku Gan in Parsippany. Ho has been gone now for 3 years and although we are sad by his death, we are all blessed by having him in our lives. I introduced many people to Ho’s creative sushi over the years and I traveled the world with him, dining in restaurants throughout Europe and Asia. Still, some of his inventive blends of sushi came from his employment at Kiku in Paramus, a restaurant I still go to for their ama ebi festival which takes place late Jan and through Feb. The Asian New Year brings out the best in all of these restaurants.
Taking eleven people on a tasting of Korean food means another trip to my favorite Korean restaurant, So Moon Nam Jib in Palisades Park, NJ. Their seafood pancake, mandoo dumplings, bulgoki and kang poon sae woo are exceptional and they have their own parking in the rear. Thank God Ho introduced me to this wonderful restaurant.
Sheryl’s daughter, Stephanie has been aching for me to take her to Dickie Dees in Newark for their signature Italian Hot Dogs so we finally got there. Idit, her significant other and now spouse, savored these huge sandwiches and ate the whole sandwich, surprising me because each sandwich was the size of their heads. They did well.
My Vietnam brother, Steve Longo’s son, Stephen graduated from Pace with his MBA and I promised him a Russian adventure at Lada Cafe in Cliffside Park, NJ. This was his first time dining on Russian delicacies so I ordered some of my favorites. Damn, that kid could pack it in. Everybody had a great time.
Long time dining buddy Tony Costanzo read an article in the Bergen Record about Francesca’s Pizza Restaurant in Lyndhurst so we had lunch there. Francesca and her brother Augustino have been serving up Sicilian versions of Italian dishes that had a unique flavor best described as southern Italian and yet, so different from the Italian food I have been eating all my life. Best of all, Francesca makes the most amazing tiramasu I have eaten. It’s tiny, with only 6 tables but well worth the trip.
In December, my good buddy Alex Robertson had his birthday dinner cooked by his hunter son, Andrew. We were feted to as much venison as we could eat and believe me when I tell you it was the best, tastiest venison I have ever eaten. Andrew is a tier one bow hunter and broke out as much venison as we could consume. I sampled every offering and was not disappointed with anything.
Peter Dany and I go back to the 70’s when he was working at Arrow Typographers and I was buying type for my advertising projects. He had never been to Momoya and I promised him a good meal. He was wise enough to bring beer.
Neil has been trying to get me to eat at The Grand Lux Cafe in Garden State Plaza and I finally joined him for lunch there. We wound up with 3 appetizers which we could not finish but enjoyed fully. Interesting place to go if you’re in Paramus, NJ.
A few years ago I put together a few friends of mine in the industry to form Team One Marketing and incorporated my patented technology for personalizing 3-dimensional products for marketing. We had a fun reunion at, yeah you guessed it, The China Gourmet in West Orange, NJ. I can’t get enough dim sum into my stomach. You may feel the same after having your first dim sum brunch there.
Just before New Years Eve, I joined Stephanie and Idit in their home for an end of the year feast. Steph and Idit did all of the cooking with me supplying the recipes. My version of Asian Brussels Sprouts, roasted red bliss potatoes, corn on the cob, sauteed mushrooms and onions and roasted beef tenderloin filets helped ring in the new year. I did not forget to bring an extra helping of Francesca’s tiramasu. Idit also went all the way into Harrison for Portuguese custard cups from Farinhas Bakery. Yum.
Mike Rabinowitz, a good friend and mentor invited me to his home in Stonington, Ct. where I got to see his wife’s paintings. Merrily has been painting for several years and she is working for a gallery show so I chipped in to help build her on-line social media and google standing. They took me to the Dog Watch Cafe for some of the best seafood ever. Who knew this hole in the wall place had such great food? Well, now we all know.
Shelley Feder also worked at Arrow Typographers and I worked with her when I was Editor of the ADCNJ’s monthly newsletter. I originally introduced her to sushi and now I endeavored to raise the bar with a lunch at Momoya. Chef Louis has become my go to guy whenever I want to make someone smile. His artistic approach to sushi let’s him create art out of the food he prepares and Shelley seemed to enjoy the meal.
Lisa Taylor, an artist who works in chocolate, suggested Mykonos in Elmwood Park, NJ for lunch and seeing as I have not captured any Greek food on my vlog, we went. In true form, the mousaka was delicious and the short ribs remarkable, but the desserts were outstanding. It’s not often you see ekmek on the menu. If you do, order it and you will not be disappointed.
Our 4th Annual Grand Mal Lobsterfest at The Manor took place and I was joined by 18 people who also wanted to start the new year with gluttony. New comers where seated next to seasoned attendees and devoured their weight in tails and claws. Even the wait staff was impressed by the amount of crustaceans we put away. Don’t forget about the desserts either. The Manor has a little section just for them. Yum.
Above are the survivors of the 2013 Grand Mal Lobsterfest at The Manor. May we all be available for next year’s feast.
Chew on This 