Update Feb 2014 – A second Charlie’s location has opened in Union, NJ (2576 Route 22 East)
Since 1962, Charlie’s “Famous” Italian Hot Dogs in Kenilworth has battled all comers for the title of best Italian dog in Jersey. At Charlie’s, each component of the traditional Italian Hot Dog – a hot dog (or two, if you’re hungry), sweet peppers, onions and sliced potatoes – is deep fried separately before the sandwich (meal) is assembled in a half-round pizza bread with a smear of spicy brown mustard. I tried the single on my visit. The bread is soft, but not too soft. The natural casing dog has an excellent snap and flavor. The potatoes are not healthy, of course, but I found them crispy and less greasy than those at Dickie Dee’s or Jimmy Buff’s, where all the ingredients are deep fried together. (more…)
We first noticed this tiny restaurant after dropping off our daughter at a Sweet Sixteen party nearby. On the basis of the nondescript, well-worn awning that screams Jersey Italian, we decided to stop for dinner (without any research!). (more…)
Guest review by Michelle Stavrou (@JerseyGirlEats) of Jersey Girl Eats
Sushi & Sashimi for 2
“After moving to the suburbs from Hoboken, my husband and I lamented the lack of an exceptional sushi restaurant. In Hoboken, it’s hard to walk down the street without passing at least one sushi spot, and while they aren’t extraordinary, most surpass what we tried in the suburbs. Our Hoboken favorite was Robongi. Once Mizu Sushi opened in Cranford, though, we were able to claim a new favorite sushi spot.
Nestled in Cranford’s downtown, Mizu Sushi is a place where care is taken not only with the food served, but with the service provided. On one visit, the waitress saw we had brought sake and gave us sliced cucumber to put in our sake glasses, which brought a smoothness to the sake we hadn’t tasted before. We visit often enough that the waiters can now recite our orders as soon as we sit down. That may make us predictable, but it also shows Mizu’s attention to detail.
Edamame (photo by Michelle Stavrou)
The restaurant offers a number of standard hot entrees, including udon soup (perfect for warming up on cold winter nights), chicken teriyaki, and pineapple fried rice. The entrees are solid, but the main attraction is the sushi. An order of sushi and sashimi for two delivers a platter piled high with pieces of sushi and sashimi, as well as rolls. The variety of fish can change but yellowtail, tuna, and salmon are always included. All of the sushi is flavorful and fresh, but the salmon is the standout. It nearly melts in your mouth, and without fail I always save it for last. Mizu was where I first discovered my love for white tuna, and now I’ll fight my husband to make sure I get the last piece.
Mizu also offers dishes you might be hard pressed to find at other New Jersey sushi restaurants, like sweet shrimp (ama ebi) – sweet, tender, shrimp that can be eaten in one bite. For sushi non-purists, the restaurant has special rolls with names like “Hot Sexy Roll” (yellowtail, jalapeno, and seared spicy scallop), “Strawberry Heaven Roll” (spicy crab with strawberry outside), and “Sweet Lady Roll” (shrimp tempura and mango with spicy tuna). And did I mention it’s BYO? So bring a bottle of sake or wine and enjoy some of the best sushi the suburbs have to offer.”
Update (2017) – Additional 25 Burgers locations have opened in Branchburg, Fairfield, New Brunswick, and Bound Brook, NJ.
Review (Jan 2012) – Good burger karma permeates the 25 Burgers location in Linden, which occupies the same building, and appears to use the same griddle, as the world-renowned slider mecca White Diamond of Linden, which closed in 2009. Linden is the second of five 25 Burgers locations in Jersey. The original location is in Bound Brook. Others are in Branchburg, Matawan and Woodbury.
The 25 choices on the menu include 12 Angus beef variations, some chicken burgers, specialties like a Pulled Pork Burger, a Blue Claw Crab Burger and a Chipotle Bison Burger, and one burger – #25 – that changes monthly. These beef burgers aren’t sliders – they are larger and not all cooked with steamed onions. Even with some crazy toppings though, the burger underneath is very good. The meat isn’t cooked to death like many other fast food versions. There is juice in the middle and it tastes like beef. The soft deli or onion buns match well. The topping combinations make for a delicious, but messy meal. Try the amazing Six-Alarm Burger – #7 – (salsa, jalapeno and hot peppers, chipotle sauce, pepper jack cheese, lettuce and tomato). The “Boardwalk Fries,” medium thick cut and generously sprinkled with seasoned salt, are outstanding. 25 Burgers also serves hot dogs and shakes.
Two down, twenty-three to go!
Burger options abound in Linden, NJ. You can still enjoy classic Jersey sliders at White Rose System on Elizabeth Avenue. On St. George Avenue, 25 Burgers offers some of the best burgers among the new crop of specialty chain burgers joints. Sit at one of the small tables against the windows, or order yours to go. Great burgers are alive and well in New Jersey.
Fish & Chips
Fish and chips shops aren’t that easy to find in New Jersey these days, so it was an easy decision to try Westfield’s Cod Almighty Chippery (great name!) after my daughter’s recent soccer game in nearby Scotch Plains.
Cod Almighty has been open a little over a year. It’s a tiny storefront in a shopping center on South Avenue. Six tables and a small counter fill the nautically-adorned space. From the counter, you have a perfect view of the all-important deep friers.
Prepping the Mahi Mahi Sandwich
Fried food is the name of the game here – fish (cod, whiting or basa (Vietnamese catfish)), chips, clams, chicken strips, zucchini, mushrooms, and even pickles. The chips are quite good. The batter on the fish we tried was a little on the dark and greasy side, not as crisp and flaky as some I’ve tried in England, but a solid version much better than what’s on the menu at many Irish pubs around Jersey. I do not recommend the fried pickles, beyond the novelty value. They end up as heated pickles from a jar, inevitably sliding entirely out of the batter when you bite one. If you want to say you’ve eaten fried pickles, eat them whole to keep the pickle and the batter together. Make sure they’ve cooled down a bit before you do it. The menu includes a few non-fried sandwiches, salads, a seafood chowder and steamers. I do recommend the deep fried Oreos. Pop one of those in your mouth and brace yourself for a steaming burst of Oreo-flavored soufflé. Not an authentically British use of the deep fryer, but very satisfying.
Links
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The New York Times
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