Uno Chicago Grill - Clifton, NJ

It was another lazy Sunday afternoon for us and we spent the entire afternoon lazing on the couch, watching TV. We were watching some program on the Food Network about various types of pizzas around America and I realized that I've never tried the Chicago style deep dish pizza before. Yeah, I've been to Chicago before don't ask me why, I just never got around to trying the deep dish pizza. Now, I totally love our NY style pizza and I really think that it's the best pizza ever. Hands down. However, how can I make such a statement without even trying the Chicago style pizza, right? So, I told Kevin that we should go have some Chicago style deep dish pizza for dinner that evening. Now, the big question. Where can we find Chicago style deep dish pizza in the middle of Northern Jersey?
Uno Chicago Grill, of course! After all, they were the ones who invented the Chicago deep dish pizza! We have always driven past this place whenever we go grocery shopping in Clifton, but we never got around to checking it out. I guess today is the day! Since it's located in a shopping/commercial area of Clifton, parking was no problem at all. There were ample free parking spaces available all around the restaurant. I guess we were a little bit early for dinner, so we lucked out and didn't have to wait for a table. I can tell that Uno Chicago Grill is a pretty popular spot, cos all the tables were filled and there was a line when we left.
Before we left for dinner, I went online to see if there were any in store coupons and/or promotions for Uno Chicago Grill. I found out that if we sign up for their Insider's Club, we will get a coupon for a free appetizer. So, I did just that! We ordered the 1lbs of the Honey BBQ Wings ($9.79) to share as our appetizer. Of course, we got that free...so...YAY! The wings were really huge and juicy, just the way I like them! The honey BBQ sauce was also really yummy. Who would have known, that you can find such awesome wings in a pizza place.
For our mains, we of course ordered the deep dish pizza. Since we couldn't agree on a what pie to try, we decided to go with two personal pans. When they brought out the pies, the waiter told us that the pans are super hot. They then helped us remove the pies from the pans and placed them on regular plates. It smelled so good and yummy, we couldn't wait to dig in. Kevin ordered the Chicago Classic ($10.79) and I had the Numero Uno ($10.99) . Kevin's Chicago Classic is crumbled sausage, chunky tomato sauce, Mozzarella and grated Romano cheese. It looked yummy and Kevin said it tasted great too.
My Numero Uno pizza is their all time favorite and one of the most popular pizzas on the menu. It's basically a 'the works' pizza. It had sausage, pepperoni, onions, peppers, mushrooms and their signature chunky tomato sauce, all topped with Mozzarella and grated Romano cheese. Look at how deep it is. It's so thick, you can't just pick it up to eat, like the NY style pizza. You have to use a fork! It was just packed with all kinds of toppings and it was soo flavorful too. Another thing that stood out was the crust. It was so buttery and flaky, mmmm mmmm mmmm.
Our total bill came to $28.85 for 2 drinks, 1 appetizers (which was free) and two pizzas. We had plenty of pizza left over, so I would say that it was enough to feed 3-4 people. Not too bad at all. So, the answer to the question we have all been waiting for. Which is better? NY style of Chicago style pizza? I really love the Chicago deep dish pizza from Uno Chicago Grill. In fact, I am already making plans to return real soon. However, I must say that nothing can beat our greasy and huge sliced NY style pizza! Pick up a huge slice of pepperoni pizza with cheese and grease dripping from the sides, fold it in half and stuff it in your mouth. Ahhhh heaven! Now, that's what I call good pizza! :D

Uno Chicago Grill - Clifton, NJ
426 Rt. 3 West
Clifton, NJ 07014
Tel: (973)574 1303
Web: http://unos.com/

IHOP Restaurant - Elizabeth, NJ

We were in Jersey Garden Mall a couple of weeks ago and as usual, we would lose track of time whenever we are there :P Before we knew it, it was already close to dinner time (looks like we totally skipped lunch!). Since there isn't many food outlets (and their food court is ALWAYS packed) in the mall, we decided to drive out to see what is available around the area.
There used to be a diner just opposite the mall but we vowed never to go back there. It was a horrible diner, with bad service and equally bad food. When we passed the diner (or what USED to be the diner), we were pleasantly surprised that the diner was no longer there. An brand new looking IHOP was in it's place. Woohoo!! Looks like that horrid diner went out of business or something. Who knows. Anyways, we totally love IHOP, so we decided to go check this new outlet out.
After we settled down, we saw that they were having a special, just for the month of October. When you order one of their combos (prices start from $4.99), you get unlimited buttermilk pancakes to go with it! Yup, all you can eat pancakes! We decided to give that a pass though, cos seriously, how many pancakes can you eat? I know that the max I can eat is probably two :P Also, they are giving away a 'SCARY FACE' pancake to all kids under 12 on Oct 29th. So, if you have kids below 12, remember to head out to any IHOP on Oct 29th for your free pancake!
The servers were really friendly and attentive. They all look so happy and stuff...lol! I guess it's a new outlet, so everybody is excited. Our server took our order and came out with our drinks also immediately. Really fast. Kevin had a soda ($2.19) and I had my usual unsweetened iced tea ($2.19). Our server was really good in making sure that our glasses were always filled too. Two thumbs up for the awesome service.
Kevin ordered the Ham & Egg Melt ($6.99). Ham, scrambled eggs, American and Swiss cheese, stuffed between two slices of grilled sourdough bread. It comes with your choice of either seasoned fries, onion rings, fresh fruit, soup or salad and a dill pickle. Kevin went with the seasoned fries. He said that the melt was really good. I believe him, cos he polished off everything on his plate!
I had the Pot Roast Melt ($7.99). Slow cooked pot roast, caramelized onions, melted Swiss and American cheese topped with rich beef and mushroom gravy, in between two slices of grilled sourdough bread. Mmmm mmmm mmmmm, it was really really good.
I chose the soup of the day as my side. I had a choice between cream of broccoli and potato soup or minestrone soup. I went with minestrone. Good choice I must say. It was really thick and hearty, very very yummy. Just add in some crackers and I can have that as my meal!
Since we were in IHOP, we HAD to order dessert :P It was a toss up between pancakes, stuffed french toast, waffles or crepe and we went with crepe in the end. I'm glad we did cos it was delicious! We shared the Nutella Crepe ($6.99) and really, it was awesome! Three egg batter crepes filled with Nutella and fresh slices bananas, topped with strawberries, powdered sugar and some whipped cream on the side. We can feel ourselves getting fatter and fatter as we dig in but hey, everybody is allowed to indulge, once in a while :P Overall, we had a great dinner in IHOP, with some really yummy food, affordable prices and excellent service. I'm glad that we found this new outlet and you can bet on us returning in the very near future!

IHOP Restaurant - Elizabeth, NJ
650-672 Kapowski Road
Elizabeth, NJ 07201
Tel: (908)353 7600
Web: http://www.ihop.com/

Pollo Tropical (Chicken On The Grill) - Clifton, NJ

We were driving around the other day, looking for something quick and affordable to eat, when I remembered this grilled chicken place that I wanted to check out. It's located at the strip mall, just off Route 3 West in Clifton. When we arrived, we saw a poster on the window, promoting some new $4.99 combo. Sounds good to me! =)

The decor of Pollo Tropical is indeed very errmmm 'tropical'! Really nice though, with Jimmy Buffet music playing in the background and a tropical island theme all around. I didn't get a chance to take any photos becos there were just too many people there. Pollo Tropical is famous for their grilled fresh, never frozen, hormone-free chicken. Not only it is healthy (since most of the fat is 'grilled off'), but it's really affordable too. They are a semi self service restaurant, so tipping is optional. In fact, there are signs all over the restaurant telling you that you do not need to tip.

After placing our order at the counter, we headed over to the drinks fountain to get our drinks (refillable, of course) and also to pick up some sauces from the sauce counter. There were quite a lot of sauces to choose from, ranging from your regular ketchup to exotic sounding sauces like Guava BBQ and Pineapple Rum. Here is the complete list of sauces available.

• Cilantro Garlic - Fresh garlic and cilantro blended with tangy lime juice
  
• Fresh Salsa - Onions, tomatoes and cilantro
  
• Guava BBQ - BBQ sauce with a touch of exotic guava and a splash of hot sauce
  
• BBQ - Their classic BBQ sauce
  
• Curry Mustard - A blend of curry and mustard with mayo
  
• Mojo - A blend of garlic, onion, lime and olive oil
  
• Pineapple Rum - A blend of tropical pineapples with dark rum
  
• Salsa Fuego - Roasted jalapenos and tomatoes
  
• Spicy Amazon - Blend of special spices and chipotle peppers
  
• Spicy Hot Poyo-Poyo - Spicy island chilli peppers

After placing our order, we were given a number and we were told that the waiters will bring our order to us. We were quite pleased that we managed to find a table, since it was so packed that day. Before we could even take a few sips of our drink (regular soda - $1.60, large soda - $1.90), our food arrived. Very impressed with the speed and service.
We both ordered the 1/4 chicken combo with 2 sides ($4.95). We had a choice of either Traditional or Spicy Hot Poyo-Poyo chicken. We both went for the Traditional. I must say that it was a great choice. The chicken was oh so yummy! Reminded me of Nandos, only a hundred times better!! There were all kinds of sides to choose from too. Here is a list of their sides:

Signature Black or Red Beans

White or Brown Rice

Yellow Rice with Vegetables

Curly Fries

Caesar Salad

Boiled Yuca with Mojo

Balsamic Tomatoes

Kernel Corn

Mashed Potatoes

Coleslaw

Mac n Cheese

Our whole meal came to a total of only $14.43. Definitely worth the price, with the amount of good food that we got. At the bottom of the receipt, there was a note asking us to go to a website to answer a short survey about the service, food..etc at Pollo Tropical. The survey only took us less than 5 minutes and upon completion, we received a coupon for a FREE 1/4 chicken with two sides meal! Of course the coupon is valid only with the purchase of another item of equal value or more. That's not too bad. This means, the next time we eat at Pollo Tropical, we only have to pay $4.95 for two 1/4 chicken meal. Yay!!! =)

Pollo Tropical (Chicken On The Grill) - Clifton, NJ
374 State Rt 3
Clifton, NJ 07014-1900
Tel: (973) 745-0242
Web: http://www.pollotropical.com/

Hooters - Union, NJ

After getting our car from Planet Honda last weekend, we decided to look around for a place to eat dinner. We really didn't expect the whole process of getting a car to take THAT long, so by than, we were famished! It's the first time we were ever in that part of Route 22 and we didn't really know what restaurants are out there. We were pretty excited (for different reasons, I guess :P) when we saw a Hooters opposite our dealership. I loveeee the wings at Hooters and Kevin (so he claims, he always says that it's all about the wings and nothing else) does too. Since it's been a while since we went to a Hooters ( I believe the last Hooters we went to was the one in Clarke Quay, Singapore about 4 years ago), we decided to go check it out.
The exterior of this Hooters doesn't really look like a Hooters at all. Usually, the decor of Hooters would shout fun and would make you want to go in. This Hooters is a little bit different. It looked so plain on the outside, it reminded me of an auto parts shop! :P Also, there is a 7 eleven sharing the same shop lot with them. How weird. The interior decor however looked like all the other Hooters out there. The only weird thing was that it was almost empty! There were only a few creepy looking guys (who kept staring at the girls) and two couples in that whole large place. You would think that it would be packed during dinner on a Saturday night. Granted it was pretty early for dinner, but still...
Another thing I noticed about this Hooters is that the Hooter girls don't look like Hooter girls. We all know that Hooter girls are usually pretty hot looking and have certain errm...assets? The girls working here looked like any other girl, working in any of the local bars. Putting looks aside, they also looked unmotivated and downright bored. Now, that's pretty bad, since Hooters is known for their fun and energetic atmosphere. Thank goodness we were only there for the wings, so it didn't really bother me much. :P
Our waitress took our drinks order and left us to look at the menu. We ordered a soda each ($2.99). Look at the guy in the background. That's what it looked like throughout the restaurant. Single guys sitting alone or in pairs, just eating their food or ogling (nothing much to ogle at anyways) at the girls. There is just this depressing overall feel to the whole place. Definitely don't feel like a Hooters at all.
Ahhhhh the main attraction. This was the whole reason why we came to Hooters. The wings! We have always loved to wings at Hooters, they are just so mmmm mmmm good! There are 8 different sauces to choose from and you can get the wings either breaded or naked (unbreaded). Of course, if you are feeling rich, you can always get the Gourmet Chicken Wing Dinner. For $50 bucks, you get 20 wings and a bottle of Korbel champagne! :P
Kevin ordered the 10 piece wings with BBQ sauce ($8.49) and I got the 10 piece wings with Samurai (Teriyaki style) sauce ($8.49). We both got our wings 'naked'. Hmmm, somehow that sentence didn't come out right..LOL! Anywaysss, the million dollar question. Was the wings as good as we remembered them to be? Simple and short answer - NO. Not only were the wings pretty small, they were a little bit overcooked too. Kevin said his BBQ sauce was 'just alright' but my Samurai sauce wasn't really the greatest at all. It tasted weird and wayyy wayy wayyy too sweet. I do not know if the low quality of wings served is just confined to this particular branch or the standard of wings have generally gone down in all Hooters nationwide. Either ways, the wings were not as great as we remembered them to be. Definitely not worth the $8.49 for 10 pieces.
On the other hand, the Onion Rings ($4.99) that we ordered to share was really good. I would say that it was the saving grace of our meal! Really yummy and crispy. I am not so sure that type of sauce it comes with, but the sauce tasted great too! Overall, we were pretty bummed due to the 'wings letdowns'. Also, the atmosphere in this particular branch is just terrible. Maybe it's just a bad day for this restaurant, who knows. Oh well, I am guessing we won't be returning to this branch anytime in the near future. The good thing that came out from all this is, Kevin can now not use the line " Oh, I want to go to Hooters for the awesome wings. It's all about the wings and nothing else". We all know that the wings are not that great anymore...so what now? :P

Hooters - Union, NJ
2319 US Highway 22 Ctr
Union, NJ 07083-8535
Tel: (908) 964-5317
Web: http://www.hooters.com/

Applebee's - 2 for $20 deal

We were out getting Kevin some new shirts in Jersey Garden Mall a couple of days ago and since there was a Chili's there, we wanted to go try out their new $9.99 deal promo. However, we later found out that the outlet in Jersey Garden Mall is one of the few outlets that wasn't participating in that promo. What a bummer :( We then remembered that Applebee's was also having some sort of promo. So, we headed back to Kearny to check out Applebee's instead. By then, it was already nearly 8pm but the restaurant was still packed! We were however lucky enough to get a table without having to wait, so all is well :D

We have seen the ad on TV for the "2 for $20 deal" just about a million times but have yet to actually try it. It's a pretty decent deal actually. You get to choose one appetizer to share and you will each get your own full size entree. There were four different appetizers and seven yummy entrees to choose from.

We chose the Boneless Buffalo Wings as our appetizer. We had a choice of Classic, Hot or Honey BBQ sauce. Since we both have a really low tolerance of spiciness, we stuck to the Honey BBQ. When the wings came, we were pretty surprised at the portion. It was pretty big! We figured that we would get a smaller portion, since it's part of a promo but no, it was a huge full sized portion. The chicken tenders were lightly breaded, with a little crunch and it was tossed in just the right amount of sweet honey BBQ sauce. Yummy yummy!

Kevin ordered the Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger. The burger was nicely grilled, really juicy and nicely marinated. It came with some lettuce, onions, tomatoes, pickles and was topped with some gooey cheddar cheese and crispy bacon. Oh and it was also served with a side of fries. Good stuff!

I ordered the Riblet Basket and got to choose between the Southern BBQ, Sweet & Spicy or the Honey BBQ sauce. I went with the Honey BBQ and what a good choice it was! I just love the Honey BBQ sauce! :D The Riblet Basket originally comes with a side of fries and since I am not a big fan of fries, I asked if they would change my side to something else. The server rattled on a whole list of other sides and I went with the Southwestern Rice. It was a little spicy, not a whole lot but just enough to give it a nice kick. Pretty good actually. The riblets were good too.

I think Applebee's hit a home run with this new 2 for $20 deal promo. Our total bill came up to $26.56 (2 for $20 deal and two refillable sodas). For that price, it's really a very good deal. A nice two course sit down dinner at a restaurant for a lil over $25! The portions were just right, not too small and not huge either. Good job Applebee's. Two thumbs up!

Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar
175 Passaic Avenue,
Kearny, NJ 07032
Tel: (201) 246 0020
Web: http://www.applebees.com/

T.G.I. Friday's - Clifton, NJ

We couldn't decide where to go for Kevin's birthday last night. He was really tired from work and didn't feel like going anywhere far. I remembered T.G.I. Fridays sent me a "Buy One Entree, Get One Free" a while back, and since the outlet in Clifton is only about 15 minutes or so away from us, we ended up going there.

By then time we arrived, it was already packed with people. I was pretty surprised actually, with it being a weekday and all. We were pretty fortunate to get a table at the back, without having to wait. I think if we were to arrive just a little bit later, we might have to wait for a table.

Since we knew that the portions will be big, we decided to share an appetizer. We couldn't decide between the Pick Three For All or the Jack Daniels Sampler. In the end, we went with the Jack Daniels Sampler ($13.99). The sampler is made up of Crispy Cajun Spiced Shrimps, Sesame Jack Chicken Strips and some super tender Baby Back Pork Ribs. It also came with a small tub of Jack Daniels glaze. The glaze was so good, I even used it on my steak later on :P

For my main, I ordered the Sirloin Steak and Lobster Tail ($18.99). It comes with a side of Baked Potato and Steamed Broccoli. Since I am not really a big fan of Baked Potatoes, I swapped my Baked Potato for some Sweet Potato Fries. My steak was a little bit overcooked (I ordered medium well and it came almost well done) but it was still good. It was even better after I poured on some of the Jack Daniels glaze from the appetizer. The lobster tail was great, really fresh and yummy!

Kevin ordered the Petite Sirloin and Half a Rack of Ribs ($18.99). He had a choice of two sides and he chose Baked Potato with Sour Cream & Butter and Coleslaw. He said both his steak as well as the ribs were really good. I guess nothing is yummier than slow cooked baby back ribs with the oh so yummy Jack Daniels glaze.

Overall, it was a good dinner. What's even better is, we got one of the entrees for free! Yup, that's right. With my coupon, I got the Steak and Lobster tail for free! The whole dinner, including a refillable Raspberry Ice Tea and Coke for only $38.56 (before tax and tip). Not too bad, not too bad at all :D

T.G.I. Friday's - Clifton, NJ
826 State Route 3
Clifton, NJ 07012
Tel: (973) 778-1828
Web: http://www.tgifridays.com/