Épresents a
VERY short tipsheet on low budget / informal Multi-culti neighborhood dining on our home
turf, Hudson County, NJ (plus one
pick in Newark and perhaps elsewhere in the future?)É
Send in your own
one-paragraph restaurant reviews / recommendations / recollections /
rejoinders, from NJ or NYC.
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Our
list, in no particular order:
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Hamburgao,
288 Lafayette St, Ironbound section, Newark (also branches at 282 Kearny Ave,
Kearny and a new location on Ferry St, Ironbound, Newark)
The specialty at this small Brazilian sandwich shop is, as you might suspect,
the hamburger – but oh, thatŐs just the beginning. Hamburgao specializes in sandwich-on-roll
mega-concoctions. And too much, at
Hamburgao, is never enough. For
instance, consider sandwich number 2, the Hamburgao Frango: Chicken breast, mozzarella, ham, bacon,
eggs, corn, potato sticksÉ oh, and lettuce, tomato and mayo. Truly decadent. But if you donŐt want to go that far,
order a cappuccino and a wonderful small Brazilian-style pie like the dainty little
heart of palm empada (also available in an intriguing plus-cream-cheese
variant) or the more hearty cod fish pastel. The Lafayette St branch is bright and
homey, with a family vibe and an interesting multi-culti mix of Brazilian,
Portuguese, Ecuadorian and Mexican diners.
HereŐs a Newark Star Ledger story that reviews Hamburgao and three other Newark
Ironbound restaurants: http://www.nj.com/munchmobile/ledger/index.ssf?/munchmobile/ledger/stories/0806munchiron.html
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AidaŐs,
739 Broadway, Bayonne
Thanks
to correspondent Eddie for sending in this February, 2006 review!
AidaŐs
is a cozy, charming little place with authentic traditional Ethiopian
dishes.
Serving both meats and vegitarian meals. While the decor is a little
sparse
the food and the charm of the owner make up for it. Food is very
reasonably
priced you are sure to walk away rather full. If you like wine with
your
meals be sure to bring your own with you the place is BYOB. This is a very
simple
home feeling place, the owner is also the waitress and cook and always
very
sweet.
If
you like Indian and South American flavors you are sure to like this too.
You
eat with a traditional bread called injera (like a spongey torilla) that you
scoop
up the different fillings with. (Tip: mix up the fillings in one scoop
-
trust me!)
http://aidasethiopian.com
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Honduras
Caf, 7523 Bergenline Avenue, North Bergen. A cozy, bright, friendly, charmingly decorated spot to try
Honduran pupusas - a rounded corn meal dough stuffed with meat and / or
cheese - and other
typical Central American snacks and light meals.
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El
Artesano, 4101 Bergenline Avenue, Union City. A lovely informal Cuban restaurant, not yuppie/cutsified,
but friendly and upbeat. And lots
of great stuff at very reasonable prices. We enjoyed codfish (bacalao) with potatoes and
dirty rice on a recent Friday. The
house special, which we havenŐt tried yet, is pollo relleno – chicken
stuffed with seafood. Could be a good place to try your first Cuban-style
hamburger – with potato sticks atop the patty. A range of appetizers and street food too; try a crab or
codfish empanada for just a dollar. http://www.elartesanorestaurant.com
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Noches
de Colombia, 4329 Bergenline Avenue, Union City. Bustling and charmingly decorated family-style, friendly
Colombian place – great for lunch.
Huge multifaceted omnivorous platters – not for the faint of
heart. And pictures of the food
– that helps!
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El
Flamboyan, Willow Avenue and 10 St., Hoboken. One of the last Puerto Rican / Dominican style cafeterias in
town (although there are still many in Union City and also Jersey City). Still un-yuppified, friendly,
inexpensive and consistently good. Nothing fancy – this is a comfort food
haven. We enjoy pollo asado
(chicken) with sweet plantains (maduros), and also bacalao on Fridays (we do love
bacalao). Or treat yourself to a batido (shake).
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Filipino
steam table joints on West Side Ave., Jersey City. Now accessible via Light Rail from Hoboken or Exchange Place
– just take a Jersey City (not Bayonne-bound) car to West Side Ave
– last stop if weŐre not mistaken – and walk up the street. We donŐt have a specific place to
recommend yet – just give it a try.
ItŐs a look-and-point cafeteria-style situation – see the food,
ask what it is, and if it sounds good, ask for it!
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Mulu
Baltena, 713 Bergen Avenue between Fairmount and Duncan Avenues, Jersey
City. Possibly the only truly
informal lunch-counter type Ethiopian restaurant in the NYC metro area. Friendly, great food and quite
inexpensive. http://www.mulubaltena.com
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Dosa
Hut, 777 Newark Avenue, Journal Square section, Jersey City. A bustling, informal South Indian restaurant
specializing in masala dosa, super-long crepes usually filled with
potatoes – with several typical variations – but here youŐll find
an unusually wide range of fillings.
Plus other regional faves including the pizza-esque uttapam and idly, a
type of wheat ball thatŐs great for dipping in South Indian coconut chutney.
We
also recommend the smaller snack bars on the Newark Ave., Jersey City South
Asian strip, where you can sample a Bombay fave, the Frankie, and also get dosas,
samosas with chickpeas, and other fine streetfare. And wish we could recall the name – but there is now a
Bombay-style bakery on that same Newark Ave. Asian strip – where you can
try a slice of tandoori pizza or buy a loaf of masala bread!
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