Once upon a time, I could not fathom the idea of good eats outside of Manhattan. When I moved to Astoria, I realized that there certainly is some amazing and authentic ethnic food in Queens (Note: I<3flushing). What was even more beyond comprehension was the fact that there is good food in Jersey City as well. Yeah, I said it. Jersey City. One of my girl friends wanted to do a girls brunch plus shopping in Jersey City. I was curious. We ended up going to Marco &Pepe, which is in the Grove St area. Just from stepping out of the PATH station, the neighborhood seemed pretty nice and even heading towards yuppie. I was really impressed with the brunch menu here. There were certainly some interesting items, such as rabbit sausage, Fish&Chips (the fish being monkfish), and what seems to be their famous macaroni&cheese.
I opted with the macaroni&cheese, and I'm pretty sure I never want to eat Kraft again. Their Mac&Cheese was made with aged gruyere, bacon, mushroom, marscapone, and aged goat cheese. I got their smaller portion for $10, but I was definitely pushing to finish it. This was definitely a mature take on mac&cheese, and I was seriously wowed by it. Every ingredient went so well together. It actually inspired me to make some fancy mac&cheese of my own, but I still have yet to do that. What I liked about it is that it wasn't so heavy. The cheese wasn't as thick as I thought it would be, so to me, it was almost more just like eating pasta for brunch.
I also got the Chicken&Truffle sausages as a side for $4. It came with 2 almost bratwurst sized sausages. Considering these aren't your average breakfast sausages, $4 is a pretty good deal. While it certainly smelled like truffles, I honestly couldn't taste it which was a bit of a disappointment. The sausage had too much spice that it covered the taste of the black truffles. I'm pretty sure the black specks I saw in there were black truffles, but I could be wrong. If I come back here (which I'd love to do for brunch), maybe I'll try the duck&pork sausage instead.
Not on the topic of food, but Jersey City also has a bunch of really cool boutiques, though some of them are pretty expensive. I think I have to do more shopping in Jersey City too. :)
Marco & Pepe
289 Grove St
Jersey City, NJ 07302
Having frequented Yakitori Taisho since my sophomore year of college, I recently became curious to try Yakitori Totto. Totto is the more expensive and slightly more upscale Izakaya restaurant that foodies and chowhounders swear by. For me, izakaya establishments equals cheap grub, so I was a bit hesitant to spend the money at Totto, unsure of whether or not it would truly be worth the price difference.
Since Carla and I were planning dinner, I suggested Yakitori Totto because I wanted to try some place new but also had a yakitori craving. So we went for it. From the moment we stepped in, it was clear that this place is on a different level than Taisho. In spite of the long wait for a table, it didn't have that hectic and gritty atmosphere that Taisho has.
When we finally got seated, we perused the extensive menu for quite a while. I really wish I could have tried literally everything on that menu. Everything sounds so good. The one downside is that there's a $20 minimum. If I didn't care to try different things, I could have just gotten a $10 dish. In any case, everything I wanted to try the most totaled up to $20, so it didn't end up mattering too much.
My main dish was the Negi Tori Don, which is charcoal-broiled organic chicken with scallions and raw egg over rice. I'm glad that I've become a more and more adventurous eater over the years, and especially in the last year. I even refused to eat wet yolk as a child, but now I'm going for the raw egg. This dish would not have been the same without that raw egg. I simply like the fact that it made the whole dish more moist. I was also surprised at the amount of scallions they put. While I thought it would just be a garnishing of scallions, I feel that the dish was at least 25% scallions. However, no complaints because it certainly add more taste.
I tried three yakitori skewers...
My first skewer was the Tsukune, which is a chicken meatball, but it looked more like a sausage than anything else. I only chose this because so many people have recommended this in reviews and such. Otherwise, it would have been an average, boring, and dry chicken meatball. When I ordered this, I chose the Taze sauce, which is a brown sauce. I'm honestly not sure what it's made out of. Our waitress asked me if I wanted it with a raw quail egg, so I said, "Sure." If that's what's good, then I'll go for it. A raw quail egg was given to me in a tiny saucer. It didn't even really add any taste to the meatball (which I was supposed to dip into the egg), but again, it just made it more moist which I liked a lot.
Secondly, I got Bonchiri (left skewer), which is chicken tails. Yes, chicken tails. I didn't even know chickens have tails, so I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. Turns out, it's quite similar to chicken skin and fat, except better. There was more of a meatier texture, which you wouldn't expect from a chicken tail. As odd as chicken tails sound, this was definitely my favorite skewer out of the three I had. I only wish it were a bigger portion.
Lastly, I had Kawa (right skewer), which is chicken skin. It's always a popular item at any izakaya place, and since I always get it at Taisho, I was curious to see how the one at Totto compares. Sure enough, it was better and worth the extra 75 cents. It was not chewy and very easy to bite. There was also a bit more of a crunch without it being overly crispy nor burnt.
For dessert, I ordered the green tea ice cream which came with two small scoops. A bit pricey at $5 for a small portion, but it may have been the best green tea ice cream I've ever tried. It was gummier than most ice creams, hinting that it may be made in-house. Carla ordered the dessert special of the day which was rice cake served with red bean soup. I've never been much of a red bean fan, but I must say that this was a very delightful soup. Very tasty and slightly sweet.
There's no doubt that Yakitori Totto is on a higher level than Yakitori Taisho. The quality of food and friendly service is much higher, but I gotta say that I'm still and always will be a Taisho fan. If I feel like splurging a little on my izakaya fare, I'll certainly come to Yakitori Totto for more chicken tails.
Yakitori Totto
55th st, btwn 8th ave and Broadway
Gabe and I had brunch reservations for Perry St yesterday, and it turned out to be a wonderful meal! It's located way deep in the West Village - the area that people rarely venture out to just because it's so far out west. Even though it has a Perry St address, the entrance is located on the West Side Highway. In any case, it's in such a beautiful, quaint neighborhood with cobblestone streets and very few pedestrians and cars. It was perfect for such a beautiful spring day.
For those who don't know, Perry St has a $24 lunch prix fixe - 2 plates and dessert. The awesome thing is that they also offer it on the weekends, so the brunch menu includes a few normal brunch items such as housemade gravlax and pancakes. Being Jean-Georges second most upscale restaurant in NYC, a $24 prix fixe must be one of the very best deals in the city, considering the amazing quality of food and the Jean-Georges name.
Decor-wise, it's very minimalistic. Everything was white, and there were huge open windows. Even though it sort of has a sterile atmosphere, the decor and huge windows was actually really nice for a warm and sunny day. I was really surprised that Perry St wasn't busy. I guess it's still pretty under the radar. For such an affordable and high quality 3-course meal, I'm surprised not many people are flocking there for weekend brunch. However, I really liked it. The quiet and relaxed atmosphere was a very ideal contrast to the usual brunch spots in the city.
We started off with an amuse-bouche of spring pea soup with parmesan foam. I really loved this amuse. This had a really subtle and surprisingly refreshing taste to it. The only downside is that it was just an amuse. I would've happily had a full portion of that.
Sorry for an un-rotated picture. It's upright on my computer, but for some reason, it uploads like this. Anyways, Perry St has several homemade sodas, all incorporating interesting ingredient combinations. I chose the Passion-Chili soda because I absolutely loved passion fruit and was curious to see how the chili was used in this drink. This is a very refreshing soda which was perfect for the warm spring day. There wasn't any chili in the actual drink. I'm thinking it was infused into the passion fruit mix, so it gave it a very subtle kick. I highly recommend this drink, and I'm glad I chose this instead of a hard-to-beat $5 glass of wine (or $20 bottle). Gabe chose the Cherry-Yuzu soda, which I got to try. This was not overwhelmingly cherry-flavored, and it also had a subtle and refreshing taste to it.
With the many options of plates we could choose, I decided to settle with the Arctic Char Sashimi with lemon, olive oil, and crispy skin as my first course. The sashimi was very fresh, and the lemon and olive oil sauce was both subtle and refreshing (as everything at Perry St seems to be at this point). Surprisingly, the strong taste and crunchiness of the crispy skin contrasted perfectly with the rest of the components of this dish.
Gabe chose the Red Snapper poached in chili oil, with radish salad. As you can see, this is a really pretty dish with vibrant colors. It was also a pretty generous portion. The chili oil of course gives it an Asian flavor without the spiciness or hotness. It was very distinctly "chili" yet was not overwhelming on the palate at all. This was probably the standout of all the dishes we got to try. Highly recommended.
Since I felt like eating something meatier and heartier for my second plate, I decided to get the Grilled Hanger Steak with herbal spinach and liquid gruyere. The steak alone was quite tasty. As much as I love cheese, I was afraid that the liquid gruyere would be a rich creamy sauce, which would have been weird with steak, but it was quite the opposite. It was actually dilute and essentially gave the steak an added subtle taste and moistness. While I liked the spinach, I wasn't really a fan of the thinly sliced jalapenos that came with it. For me, it was sort of an odd ingredient to add to this dish, but it did not taste bad either.
Sorry once again for a picture that blogger won't upload correctly. Gabe chose the Roasted Chicken Sandwich with chipotle-lime mayo and avocado. This is also came with a serving of kettle chips which seemed to have been sprinkled with a little bit of parmesan cheese and, believe it or not, sugar. It tasted really good - a nice combination of sweet and salty in one bite. The sandwich itself was wonderful. The chicken alone was very tasty, which is something you usually don't find in chicken sandwiches. While the chipotle-lime mayo was a little spicy, it tasted good and complimented the sandwich very well. It's too bad we can't get chicken sandwiches this good everyday.
There were only two choices for dessert, so I went with the Chocolate Pudding with "crushed violets," a light cream, and a bit of chocolate cake. Each component was layered. This was a more mature take on your average chocolate pudding. The crushed violets reminded me of pop rocks without the popping effect.
Gabe got "The Sunflower" which was a a vanilla creme (I think?) with meringue, mangoes, and kiwis. I actually preferred his dessert over mine (we basically shared desserts). It was lighter in taste, and I liked the crunchiness of the meringue.
I can't recommend the Perry St lunch enough. When the dinner entrees range from $24-46, you simply cannot beat a $24 3-course lunch that is offered all year round and 7 days a week. Not only that, but you have over a dozen plates to choose from as opposed to only 3 options per course. It makes me wonder why people bother going to mediocre restaurants during Restaurant Week when you can enjoy this Jean-Georges restaurant deal any day of the year.
Perry St
176 Perry St
New York, NY
Joe's Shanghai is famous for their xio long bao, also know as soup dumplings, so you can't make a trip here without ordering some of those. I've been to the location in Manhattan's Chinatown as well as the one in Flushing, Queens. I MUCH prefer the location in Flushing. While it is far, I find the quality, value, and portions to be significantly better. This location also isn't clogged with tourists who don't really know why they're there to begin with, aside from the fact that it's perhaps the most famous Shanghainese restaurant in the city.
These are the famous soup dumplings that Joe's attributes its fame to, and for good reason. I've honestly never tried soup dumplings anywhere else, so I can't compare, but as far as I know, these are the best in the city. If there's better, then I'd be happy to hear where I can get them. My technique is to nibble a tiny bite, slurp some of the MSG-filled broth, then eat the rest of the dumpling in one bite while leaving some of the broth in there. The broth is perfectly flavorful. What an explosion in my mouth. The only thing to watch out for is that you don't spill any of the broth because what a waste that would be.
I wish I knew the exact name of this dish, but it's not on the menu online since it's featured on the Chef's Daily Specials menu. Basically, these were crispy fried prawns (head on) with some peppers and preserved egg yolk. I wasn't really sure of what to expect from the preserved egg yolk, but WOW. It added another flavor and texture to the battered prawns. The texture was almost along the lines of cream cheese, but not quite as creamy. Even though this dish may be pretty atypical of what most people would order at a Chinese restaurant, this is perhaps the most memorable dish I've had at any Chinese place. Definitely order this if you ever make it out to Joe's Shanghai. It's only about $12 for 15 whole prawns on skewers. I'm pretty sure this would be way more expensive in Manhattan, if they even serve this there.
This doesn't look like much, but this is the Braised Pork Shoulder, which I loved as well. I've actually never been a fan of pork in it's most natural form. (Meaning, I'm all about the sausages, but you won't see me eating pork chops or lechon) There was such a ridiculous amount of meat in this dish though that it was basically impossible to finish. It was certainly swimming in a lot of sauce (not sure what kind), but the taste was not overwhelming. Since I don't like the natural taste of pork, a lot of sauce worked for me. The meat was also so tender. It really just fell off of bone. 
This was a heaping portion of the Pan-Fried Noodles with Beef. Some people don't like the really thick noodles. I do as long as it's pan-fried, so I really liked this dish. As long as you like the thick noodles, then get this because it's pretty darn good.
These are among my favorite dishes at Joe's. If you can, go to the one in Flushing. If not, then deal with the tourists and the more cramped one in Manhattan. I haven't been to the midtown location, but I think it's safe to say don't go there.
Joe's Shanghai
136-21 37th Avenue
Flushing, New York 11354
