These Burgers Are Magically Delicious

Not too long ago, Ali, myself and our significant others went out to continue the ever-worthy quest for the best burger in Jersey.

On this particular night we decided to head over to the Cloverleaf Tavern in Caldwell on Bloomfield Avenue, where a friend had recently gone on a date. They are said to be famous for their burgers and beer selection.

The decor is very traditional tavern — wooden booths, a warm ambiance with dark lighting and music. It was very inviting to walk inside, see the bar, and make our way to the back where our table was. We faced the open air patio. And, despite being a Wednesday night, it was hopping with customers — young couples with children, elderly friends, families, etc. It had a really welcoming atmosphere. You felt like everyone there was relaxed and enjoying themselves.

As appetizer, we ordered the “hot bubbling crab dip” (with a name like that, how could we not?) which comes served with a hot fresh baguette. It was definitely warm when it came and really delicious — one of us isn’t too crazy about crab, and even he enjoyed it.

For dinner, three out of four of us opted for a burger platter. I ordered the country bourbon burger which comes with gourmet bourbon sauce, cheddar and fried onions. Ali got the blackjack burger, which advertises Cajun spices and both Monterey and pepper jack cheeses. My husband ordered the Santa Fe which comes with guacamole, bacon and raw onion. Each cost just $9 and came with trail cut or waffle fries. The non-burger-eating diner ordered the fresh, beer-battered fish and chips.

Each of us enjoyed our meal — although I felt the bread was dense and got soggy too quickly. I ended up eating the insides and leaving the bread on the plate. My husband believes this was easily the best burger he’s ever had, though Ali griped that hers was too dry and mild but commented that the meat was definitely of a high quality.

For dessert we ordered the homemade key lime pie, which was tasty and refreshing, and the chocolate confusion cake was more overwhelming than confusing.

It’s nice to see a local restaurant packed to the gills - even on a weeknight. It’s no doubt due to the good service, quality food, and inviting atmosphere.

Cloverleaf Tavern
395 Bloomfield Ave
Caldwell
(973) 226-9812

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Another Reason To Go To Rutherford

Only eight ice cream companies competed in New Jersey’s Ice Cream Festival, so we can hardly scoff at the places who didn’t win. And that would definitely be a mistake with Ice Cream Charlie’s, who wasn’t even a competitor. In fact, my first experience with them definitely fared better than my first experience at Applegate’s. Not to knock the “People’s Choice” Winner, of course — everyone has an off day — but Ice Cream Charlie’s was so delicious I actually went back the next day for some more. (All in the name of accurate reviewing, of course)

The little shop featuring homemade ice cream is on the southern end of Park Ave in Rutherford - the area that isn’t overflowing with restaurants. So, you might not find it at first if you’re leaving After Athens, hoping you could walk toward the dessert shop.

While it’s on a quieter part of the street, it’s by no means a hidden find. There was a crowd both Saturday and Sunday when we went. But, thanks to the hustling of high schoolers working during their summer vacation, the line moved rather quickly. The flavors tasted in my group included pistachio, rocky road, black raspberry, and pineapple orange.

First of all, the texture really made their ice cream a winner for me. Although none of us had soft-serve, each of our servings were smooth and creamy like soft-serve. I have found that this is not always the case with homemade or hand-packed ice cream, where sometimes you can feel like you’re fighting against the dark lords of the under-cup just to get your spoon in (which was my experience at Applegate’s).

Rocky road is my favorite and I expect it to be gooey with marshmallows and crunchy with almonds (none of this peanuts or walnuts crap I’ve heard about) . The version at Ice Cream Charlie’s is not sufficiently marshmallow-y, but definitely crunchy and the chocolate was really delectable. It was very rich.

My husband, much like the mayor of Bloomfield, is not a big fan of ice cream. It’s quite sad — no romantic moments sharing ice cream sundaes or banana splits dot our history — but he truly enjoyed the black raspberry and pineapple orange. Unlike the pistachio, which had full-sized chunks of the nut throughout, the fruity flavors did not have hunks of fruit inside, from what he could tell. No matter, the flavor was not sugary or false-tasting; it was very true to the real thing.

So, while I know I ought to give Applegate’s a second chance, Ice Cream Charlie’s is my favorite at the moment.

Ice Cream Charlie’s
200 Park Avenue
Rutherford
(201) 939-8133

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Check out the Star Ledger’s article here.

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My Both Sides Of the Table posts with Ali will give you more of a review, so check back here in the next day or so for those. You can also read the Munchmobile’s blog soon for a more detailed explanation behind my rankings (assuming they post it. I was kind of a last minute add-on). But here they are with a very short intro to why my #1 is #1.

5. Brother’s
4. Pizzatown USA
3. Sciortino’s
2. Caffe Capri
1. Santillo’s

Let’s just say, I don’t drive very much, but I will learn how to drive to Santillo’s.

As we made our rounds, none of what we tried quickly jumped to “best” on any of our lists. No one was stumping for “their favorite” with any convincing gusto. Either we were realizing our expectations were far too high or we were really off the mark on what we thought would quickly be winner. I mean, pizza could easily be declared “the” state food and we had only eaten at four places, so what were we thinking? It couldn’t be that easy… right?

And the problem wasn’t that any of the pizza was bad. In fact, nowhere did I feel the cheese or gravy were sub-par (although Pizzatown’s slice was so floppy it was nearly impossible to eat). But even while some were truly distinctive, none could be described as “bring your whole family - now!”

Then we went to the fifth place on our agenda which had already previously been declared #1 by the Star Ledger: Santillo’s in Elizabeth which was inside a house, its entrance on the side, down an alley. Inside there was just a tiny counter - no seats, no tables, nowhere for all of us to even stand. But, as Pete correctly opined, “You can’t eat ambiance.”

With one bite I knew this was the pizza I think I had been looking for. And to top it off, we ate it in the middle of an alley, hovering around the box like we were strangers to this thing called pizza, grease dripping down our hands because we couldn’t dare wait for paper plates. And this after being filled to capacity with pizza.

I’m not sure what “did it” for everyone else, but for me it was like all the positive points of the previous pies (”this one has yummy sauce”, “this one has the best crust”, etc.), were finally melded together into one truly flavorful pizza. The kind that makes you go on a 7-hour road trip until you find it. I mean, let’s face it - most people want their pizza delivered, they don’t go pick it up unless it’s truly special. A pizza you can’t forget.

Of course, I did half-wonder if knowing it had already been ranked #1 subconsciously made us enjoy it more than if we hadn’t known. But the warmth of the owner and the pride he took in his old-fashioned, seemingly-mile-long brick oven, made me think only happy thoughts as I sat cross-legged in his driveway, devouring his creation.

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First, I have to say thank you to Pete Genovese, Kelly Heyboer, and to the Star Ledger for a great day. It was a lot of fun meeting the other bloggers. I feel like Ali and I, the newbies of the group, learned a great deal from them (sometimes more than we wanted! haha). I also have to say if you ever have the chance to go on the Munchmobile, go! go! go!

This glorious specimen is from Santillo’s in Elizabeth.

So, as you know by now, Ali and I were part of a special “all blogger” Munchmobile excursion. The food for the day was pizza. The goal was to find the best. Up until the middle of our adventure, I was beginning to think there was no such thing, and this surprised me.

It’s not like I’m a hard-to-please, extreme-connoisseur-food-extraordinaire or anything, with standards the normal pizza-eater doesn’t consider. While I can truly appreciate people who look to the “history” and “tools of the trade” used by the pizza maker, I tend to take a different route. As someone who grew up among Italian Americans (including my own family), who ate pizza every Thursday after dancing school (sometimes still wearing our “tarantella” white leotards and green-sequined skirts**), or on Fridays after the youth bowling leagues, the things that have defined a “best” pizza to me/us have always been more subtle, less “quantifiable”. I never before had to think about what made pizza delicious to me. So, I’m glad this trip challenged me to do so in ways I hadn’t before.

So, I guess my personal standards include a thick layer of sauce with a bold, fresh tomato flavor, a thin crust that isn’t too crispy — I like it to have enough chew while being a sturdy stage for the toppings. Too crispy and you’re eating a giant cracker, too soft and it’ll flop until your toppings are MIA. I’m not as picky about the cheese - although I do tend to favor fresh mozzarella. Also, I think I look for an authentic approach from the makers - the more old school, the more I appreciate it, and the more passionate the makers seem to be.

We didn’t really know what to expect from the day. One of the rules of the Munchmobile is you’re not supposed to know where you’re going. We learned the towns as we went, but usually didn’t know which pizzeria. We made a total of five stops (in this order):

1. Red Bank — Brother’s
2. South Amboy — Sciortino’s
3. Clifton (on the border with Elmwood Park) — Pizzatown USA
4. East Rutherford — Caffe Capri
5. Elizabeth — Santillo’s

Want to know which came in #1? Me too! Check back here Friday through Monday for mine and Ali’s rankings, as well as”Both Sides”-style reviews from us on each place in its own right. You’ll also need to buy tomorrow (Saturday)’s Star Ledger for photos by Mia Song, and a column by Kelly Heyboer (who live-blogged during the trip). I expect to see more posted on the Munchmobile’s own blog as well.

And definitely make sure you check out the upcoming/already-up posts and pics from our fellow bloggers:

Liz George from Baristanet.com
John from redbankgreen.com
Perry from hoboken411.com (who unofficially declared all pizza in Hoboken bad - unless you’re eating it drunk. So, sorry, John Busco, we did not get to try Giovanni’s, which hoboken411 specifically said is only good cold, after a night of untamed drinking.)
Jason from OffTheBroiler

And as sick as I am right now of pizza, I’m looking forward to our hypothetical follow-up trip when we go eat/review long-standing pizzerias. Is there such a thing as a “best pizza in Jersey”? If so, will we find it?

If you have recommendations, favorites, etc., post them in the comments below!

**Obviously I am describing the little girls in my family. The old Italian men never wore such things or went to dancing school. As far as I know.

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Hey all,

Today, Ali and I will be on an all-too important quest as guests aboard the Star Ledger’s Munchmobile. Together with fellow food bloggers and the paper’s Peter Genovese (author of New Jersey Curiosities), we will be searching for the best pizza in the state.

Never heard of the munchmobile? Then click this. Check that page for updates as we eat our way around the state, and we’ll have some of our own stories here later.

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Leave Your Belt At Home

Caffé Capri in East Rutherford is the kind of place where eating dessert before dinner only increases your appetite. One spoon-sized taste of their bacio gelato and I couldn’t wait to order the actual meal.

The restaurant’s bright space is divided in two — when you enter, you walk into a spacious area with tables, a counter and dessert display, and then there’s a second area off to the side that is all windows, from floor to roof. When we went last night, everyone was seated in this glass house of sorts, so it felt welcoming and popular, but not too crowded. You might feel lured into sitting in front of all those windows, too, but you know what the best view is? Watching the young man twirling pizza at the brick oven as waiters and waitresses banter in Italian.

We found ourselves inside after just barely squeezing into the tiny parking lot because an Italian friend of my mother’s raved about the pizza. But after reading the menu, we knew we couldn’t just get the pizza.

I was tempted by their range of pasta, poultry and other dishes, such as shrimp and calamari with linguine, or the fresh, homemade fettucine with mushrooms, ham, and peas in a light pink sauce.

My eyes moved back to where the appetizers were listed and I was happy enough to see fried calamari, but then I saw calamari mimmo, something I had never seen before. It is essentially fried calamari with arrabiata sauce (my favorite!) - it was not as crispy since it’s actually swimming in the sauce, but this was not a bad thing by far - think of when you sop up bread with the last bit of garlick-y, tomato-y sauce. Ooooo - my husband is lucky I’m the sharing type.

There were four of us, so we ordered two pizzas (they’re all 12-inch) - a margherita which, if you don’t know, is with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil, and a quattro stagioni which comes with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, artichokes, black olives, wild mushrooms, and prosciutto. The crust is thin, but not burnt at all, and had a firm, salty flavor. It really was a great platform for the toppings. It was a good medium between crispy and chewy. And after you’ve had fresh mozzarella, all the other so-called cheese slices anywhere else just seem like unsavory imitations that aren’t worth the tummy ache.

Although the pies are smaller than what you normally might expect (there are no 18-inch “large” pies), each of the four slices were large (but don’t picture the long, floppy, greasy slices you might normally expect either - no blotting necessary!). So with two slices each, each of us were completely filled to the brim.

But of course there was room for dessert (especially after that first taste - we had to make room!). So, we enjoyed some of the hazelnut gelato, and some of the bacio gelato. If you’re not familiar with the Perugina baci (which means ‘kiss’ in Italian) candy, it is a mix of milk and bittersweet chocolate and hazelnut chunks. Real (and hershey) kisses wish they could taste this good. Both flavors were rich and intense and, when together, they really enveloped and complemented each other.

I had initially thought the food wasn’t going to be enough because the four of us are healthy eaters, but from beginning to end, the meal was completely satisfying and filling.

Caffé Capri
119 Park Avenue
East Rutherford
(201) 460-1039
www.caffecapri-er.com

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Today’s New York Times has this article about Michael Mercurio, the “latter-day environmental knight errant” from Long Beach Island who has taken an innovative approach to energy use but has become a target by future-fearing neighbors as a result.

This article includes a photo of Mercurio’s home and the windmill, making it today’s “Click This”. It’s far less obtrusive than even I had pictured it.

Also, the article quotes the lawsuit Mercurio’s neighbors filed which says,

“…in a 14-mile-per-hour wind, the three fiberglass blades produce noise greater than 50 decibels, the rough equivalent of light traffic or a noisy refrigerator.”

Oh no - they might hear a noisy fridge or… *gasp*…. light traffic? I understand people want their peace and quiet but, frankly, their short-sightedness is appalling. Plus, in their carefully-sculpted language, they make you think 50 decibels would have you walking around with your fingers glued inside your eats. So, just to give you a larger reference point, according to this site:

Careful, they may ban public conversations next — 60 decibels?!? Do they think we’re living in Newark Airport?!!?

What’s your thought on the topic? Do you want to tell Mercurio where to stick his windmill, or do you want to ask him how to install one in your backyard?

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Each time I passed this place, I was both curious and repulsed. As much as I’m into kitsch, boxcar diners just make me think of tiny greasy grills with giant hairy “cooks” hovering over them, with ash-dangling cigarettes in their mouths.

But it advertised Portuguese BBQ (churrasco), so my intrigue soothed my nerves and we went in. Thank goodness.

It’s actually quite clean, if sparse, once you enter this tiny spot. Much of the interior is a basic, chrome, diner style - not even a Portuguese flag, or Portuguese music over speakers, so I was a bit disappointed. It’s like they just moved in to what used to be Nunzio’s and just started cooking, without ever glancing up at their surroundings. This was not going to be a late-night romantic meal.

The menu is fairly simple, too - there are two appetizers: Portuguese sausage BBQ (chourico assado) and clams in garlic sauce. My eyes quickly jumped over to the desert page on the back, which included caramel flan, cheese cake, chocolate mousse and rice pudding. Mmmm - we definitely were going to have to share one of those.

But then we realized we had about $25 between the two of us and there wasn’t an ATM nearby (or even a few blocks away), thus quickly limiting our options. It was 9PM and they close at 10 Monday through Sunday so, to make things easy, we decided to go for the BBQ Combo (chicken and ribs). At $12, it brings enough for two people and fit our meager budget enough so we could also get drinks to wash it all down.

A large oval plate was very quickly brought to our table, with a heaping pile of rice and beans (we could have opted for rice and french fries or boiled potatoes and veggies), and about 10-12 pieces of chicken and spare ribs.

The chicken was moist and truly delicious - it didn’t even need the thick BBQ or hot sauce we were given on the side. The ribs were also flavorful, and its skin was crispy (unlike the chicken) - the meat, however, was a bit dry but my companion and I didn’t feel this took away from the meal. We were both satisfied with a few pieces each, leaving enough to take home for another day. Our bill came to $21, including tip.
One thing that surprised me is that the BBQ part of the menu is actually quite small. The heart of it actually seems to be meat plates such as steak with mushrooms, chicken breast in garlic sauce, pork bits with clams, boiled cod fish and even meatballs with spaghetti. But perhaps BBQ is what Stephanie’s (which seems to have two other locations) is most famous for. They also offer salads and sandwiches, which I imagine are quite tasty.

So, if you’re ever wandering around Washington Street and only have $20, Stephanie’s is worth a stop. Just don’t expect much in terms of ambience.

Stephanie’s Barbecue III
8 Centre Street
Nutley
(973) 661-4441

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Friends Don’t Let Friends Swim & Drive

Pretty much the only time I went to the beach as a kid was when my parents were willing to drive 2 hours to Wildwood or Cape May. I loved these trips and still look forward to going, but sometimes I wish the beach were closer and there wasn’t as much of a gas-guzzling excursion involved.

Well, I recently took a trip to Sandy Hook, and it’s my new beach destination of choice. Here’s why.

For one, not only do you not have to drive, it’s better if you don’t. Parking and traffic are rumored to be terrible. There are buses, but I opted for the ferry that leaves from two locations in Manhattan - Pier 11 and East 34th St. Yes, I had to get myself up early enough to catch the 8am-ish Decamp to get to the city (the other option was drive to the PATH), but I hate driving, so I tolerated all the public transportation. And, yes, the ferry is a bit costly, but when you average in the price of gas and parking, and the aggravation of driving, it’s well worth the $40 round trip per person. Of course, I wasn’t going with five people packed in a car, sharing the cost.

Extra benefit: you can take your bike on the ferry, and your dog (it’s only like $3 extra to take your bike).

And did I mention the ride was just 40 minutes?

There are five public beaches in Sandy Hook, a 2,044-acre barrier peninsula, with uncreative names like “North Beach” and “E Beach”. And then there’s Gunnison, the nude beach. Yes, nude. But Hetero men can stop drooling - most of the sunbathers here were gay men or old couples. Some teeangers sitting near me actually came running back in horror, complaining to their mom.

We chose to go to E Beach which has public bathrooms and a restaurant, and seemed to attract more families than horny teenagers in mini-kinis. So the atmosphere was tamer than what you might find in Seaside.

When we went, the water was so frigid it actually hurt, but every inch of sand was packed anyway. My husband who, for some unknown reason, isn’t bothered by cold water went swimming and was actually numb for about 15 minutes after getting out. And he said the water was “okay, not too bad” - so if you’re attracted to things like Polar Bear Clubs, please come now and don’t wait until August when the water is a little closer to body temperature. The water was also really rough and at times there are rip tides to watch out for.

There is no beach town or commercial community of Sandy Hook – it is actually a National Park that is also home to a military base and a lighthouse. So, no boardwalks, but I have read that in nearby Highlands there are seafood restaurants, and nightlife and outdoor activities. I didn’t get a chance to go, so if you’ve been there, please let us know if it’s worth the trip.

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