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Anthony
January 22, 2011
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Emma’s Brick Oven
Anthony
December 20, 2010
The line was almost out the door on a recent Saturday night when my two oldest kids and I visited Emma’s Brick Oven Pizza & Cafe in Cranford for the first time. A good sign. Even better, the strips of blackened-in-spots thin crust pizza with pepperoni that the guy in charge handed out to everyone on line. Tasted great and a nice gesture.
Too bad that same guy didn’t tell us I had to go to the front of the crowded entrance way and put our name on a list as soon as we arrived. Emma’s doesn’t take reservations. When we finally made it to the front of the single file line, two other families in the know who had arrived after us and were behind us in the line, were seated ahead of us. If there’s a line when you go, get on the list.
Emma’s large brick oven dominates the back of the restaurant. When the cooks open the black metal doors to maneuver the pies, you can see the flames (burning apple wood and coal according to the website) inside. We ordered a large Margherita Pie (Buffalo Mozzarella, Whole Milk Mozzarella. San Marzano Tomatoes, Basil & Parmesan, Reggiano), half anchovy, all prosciutto (quite salty with those toppings of course). The thin crust texture is excellent – crispy with a bit of chewiness, and foldable. Unfortunately, the crust flavor just didn’t do it for me. Something was missing. Maybe it just hadn’t cooked long enough. The pizza sample on line had a nicely charred crust, our pie didn’t. The toppings are very good, though the mixture of cheeses – both whole milk and buffalo mozzarella – obscures the excellent sauce.
Aside from pizza, Emma’s has a full Italian menu with appetizers, salads, pastas and entrees. Fried Calamari with Cherry Peppers is very good – the batter is light and crispy. My daughter’s “Italian Tuna Salad” was just ok. My son ordered cheese ravioli – decent, but no comparison to, say, Spirito’s in Elizabeth.
Service was spotty on a packed Saturday night. Our server was nice enough, but he periodically disappeared and seemed distracted.
Emma’s makes a good thin crust pie I’d like to try again. Definitely worth a visit. Between Emma’s and Orange’s Star Tavern (my favorite place right now for thin crust pizza), I give the edge to Star Tavern for crust flavor and sauce to cheese ratio, though I like the texture of Emma’s crust better. My kids also give the nod to Star Tavern for its wooden booth, old school (i.e. college bar) atmosphere.
Negeen
Anthony
November 29, 2010
Negeen, one of four Persian restaurants I’ve found in New Jersey so far, offers mostly the same menu as Basking Ridge’s Narenj, but charges a dollar or two more for just about everything. I imagine rents in Summit are to blame.
We sampled the Dolmeh (stuffed grape leaves) – tasty and served warm, hummus, kabobs (filet mignon and chicken), and Albaloo Polo (chicken with sour cherries and saffron). All very good. The stand-out item was the drink our daughter ordered – Doogh. A yogurt-based drink, we thought it would be similar to Indian Lassi. Instead of sweet, it was salty, and served with mint. Very different, and very addictive. Doogh is something I will look for whenever I visit a Persian restaurant from now on.
The small storefront restaurant on Springfield Avenue is nicely decorated; seating is tight. Our servers – Spanish-speakers – were helpful.
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La Malinche
Anthony
November 5, 2010
Finding delicious ethnic food in New Jersey is even more satisfying when you stumble upon it. I had never heard of La Malinche before, and the place wasn’t on my list to try, but Rahway’s little ethnic gem is now one of my favorite Mexican restaurants.
Last weekend, craving some Mexican grub, we ended up in Rahway after a misguided attempt to eat at Jose Tejas in Iselin. In downtown Rahway across from the Union County Arts Center, La Malinche is a cute, simply decorated, ten table restaurant serving high quality Mexican standards. Start with hot coffee or Mexican-style hot chocolate flavored with cinnamon. The fresh Guacamole is superb and the authentic Mexican pork (Al Pastor), beef, chicken or Chorizo tacos come wrapped in two soft corn tortillas with chopped cilantro and onions. There are tortas (sandwiches), salads and soups, and entrees like Pollo en Mole Oaxaqueno (chicken with mole sauce), and Bistec Azteca (steak with cactus, poblano and jalapeno peppers). The Chiles Rellenos, coated in egg, are delicious. The Camarones al Chipotle, ordered spicy, is really spicy, and irresistible. Ask about the chalkboard specials.
Service at La Malinche (the name of Hernan Cortes’ Mexican mistress) is prompt and friendly – our server made a point of asking exactly how spicy I wanted the chipotle shrimp. Spanish will help, since the restaurant’s customers are mostly Spanish-speakers. The menu features English translations, so don’t let any language barrier keep you from enjoying some of New Jersey’s best Mexican food.
Spirito’s
Anthony
October 25, 2010
Veal & Peppers
Spirito’s serves up red sauce Italian like my grandmother used to make. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if my Grandfather used to eat there in the 1950s. This Elizabeth favorite probably looks and feels exactly the same. A no-frills, family-friendly dining room with wooden booths against the walls, under old pictures of the Elizabeth docks. There’s a bar area with a separate entrance. Spirito’s is open for dinner only, and closed on Mondays.
The atmosphere is old school, with old waitresses. My son was startled when our waitress, sixty years old if a day, carrying a full tray of dirty dishes from another table, supported her elbows on our table, and the tray under his nose, while she memorized our order.
Spirito’s menu is brief. Pasta and a few meat dishes like chicken, veal parmigiana, and veal and peppers. Everything we had was delicious. I can still taste the garlic salad I ordered six months ago. It’s a must try. The homemade ravioli is excellent – a perfect cheese mixture fills the ravioli and the lasagna. The chicken parm is thin, even light, unlike most versions. The veal melts in your mouth. Everything comes with a tomato gravy that’s been cooking all afternoon. Spirito’s also serves bar pies, which have many fans, but I haven’t tried one yet.
At Spirito’s, there’s no butter with the bread, no coffee, and no dessert. Cash only.
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The Banderas
Anthony
October 17, 2010
Step into The Banderas Restaurant & Deli in Summit and you’ll find the same food served at any lunch counter restaurant (Soda) throughout the Central American nation of Costa Rica – Pinto con Huevos (rice and black beans with eggs), Ceviche, Arroz con Camarones (shrimp fried rice), and Vigoron (pork with cabbage and yuca). The Banderas caters to Costa Rican expats, so the Empanadas, made with corn, not wheat flour, and the Tamales, corn masa with pork in a banana leaf, taste like the ones in San Jose, not like the versions in Managua, San Salvador, or Mexico. For a typical Costa Rican meal, order the Casado (literally, “married”), a heaping plate of rice, beans, steak, fried onions, sweet plantains, salad, and a fried egg. Or try a Costa Rican “Taco” – not what you might expect – shredded beef wrapped in a corn tortilla and deep fried, covered with shredded cabbage, mayo and ketchup. The tropical fruit shakes, with water or milk, are a taste straight out of Central America. At The Banderas (“The Flags”), the only clue you’re in Summit, NJ is the Taylor Ham, Egg & Cheese sandwich on the breakfast menu.
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The Banderas has a counter and about ten tables in the comfortable dining room. The walls are covered by hand painted murals of typical Costa Rican scenes, including an entire wall devoted to the Arenal Volcano. Most customers here speak Spanish, but the servers speak English and the menu in bilingual. Early afternoon on the weekends is when the place is packed with local families. Lunch is the main meal in Costa Rica, so on a recent Saturday around 5 pm, we had the dining room to ourselves. Service is super-friendly, but authentically Costa Rican, so consider take out if you’re in a rush.