Pizza Village Cafe II - Belleville, NJ

This is a really backdated post. I have been meaning to blog about this place for the longest time (I believe we first tried the food here back in Dec) but never really got around to it. Since the first visit, we have returned many times. Therefore, the food featured in this review is not merely from one visit, but over a space of time (I think we have been back like 4 times since the first?).
Pizza Village Cafe II is located in a strip mall, just next to the huge State Fair Superstore. We found out about this place when we were visiting the Christmas decorations outlet at the State Fair. From the moment we walked in, we knew that this pizza place is different from the rest. Not only was it super clean, but the staff working there were really polite and helpful. Definitely not your typical hole in the wall pizza place. We noticed lots of families dining in and it's really kid friendly too. We have always ordered out whenever we go there but I wouldn't mind dining in, in the future. Another good thing about this place is the availability parking spots. There are ample free parking lots located right in front of the restaurant. No need to drive around just for a parking spot.
So, what's good there? Well, the menu is quite extensive. Apart from pizza, they also have pasta, sandwiches, calzones, stromboli, wraps, wings, salads, Italian style dinners as well as a host of appetizers. During our first visit, we tried their Garlic Knots (6 pieces for $1.50). It was really good! Warm dough knots with lots of garlic butter, herbs and huge chunks of garlic. Mmmm mmm good! It is so good that we would make it a point to order that every time we get food from Pizza Village. It's like our 'must order' item on the menu.
Their wings ($7.75 for 10 pieces) are rather good too. You have a choice of two flavors, BBQ or Buffalo. We tried the Buffalo wings and it was not too bad. I am not a big fan of coated wings (I'd rather have them naked) but this is really not too bad at all. The wings also comes with free celery and bleu cheese.
I hate to admit this but although this is a pizza place, we have never really tried their pizzas. The nearest we got was when I ordered their Sausage Calzone ($6.25). From the taste of the calzone, I can tell that their pizzas should be really good too. The calzone dough was really good and it was stuffed with a whole lot of sausage, ricotta and mozzarella cheese. Really really good. The marinara sauce wasn't the greatest but it wasn't bad either. I'm not really bothered about that though, since I would usually eat my calzones without sauce anyways.
Now, what we really really like from Pizza Village are their sandwiches. Seriously, they make awesome sandwiches. I don't know if they bake their Italian breads in house or they buy it from somewhere else but either ways, it's yummy! Kevin tried their Ham & Cheese Sub ($6.50) and he said that it was really good. All cold subs are served with lettuce, onions tomatoes, oil, vinegar, mayo and spices, in a huge Italian roll. Yummy stuff!
Their Hot Italian Sandwiches are really good too. Kevin (and myself) is in love with their Italian Meatball Sandwich ($5.50). The meatballs are really really good and it's served with just the right amount of home made sauce and topped with loads of cheese. Delicious meatballs, home made sauce and melted cheese, all stuffed into a huge Italian roll = SUPER AWESOME MEATBALL SANDWICH!
Since we loved the Meatball Sandwich so much, I decided to try another of their Hot Italian Sandwiches. The Home Made Eggplant Parmigiana Sandwich ($5.50). Don't get me wrong, it was good but not quite as great as the Meatball Sandwich. If we were to compare the eggplant parm sandwich with other eggplant parm sandwiches that we have tried, I must say that it ranks pretty much up there. However, if we were to compare the meatball sandwich to the eggplant parm, then the meatball sandwich reigns supreme! :P
Another one of their sandwiches that I totally love is their Philly Cheese Steak. They have regular Cheesesteak ($6.00), Cheesesteak with Mushrooms or Peppers ($6.50), Pizza Cheesesteak ($6.50), Cheesesteak with Pepperoni ($6.50) or Cheesesteak Hoagie ($6.50). I tried the Special Steak ($6.75), which is pretty much Cheesesteak with everything :P The Special Steak comes with Mushrooms, Sweet Peppers, Fried Onions and their delicious Cheese Sauce (remember to ask for it, it's by request only). This is really an awesome sandwich, you should totally try it. Overall, I must say that Pizza Village Cafe II is a great place to go to if you are looking for some quick, affordable and uber delicious food. Two thumbs up. Oh btw, they deliver too!

Pizza Village Cafe II - Belleville, NJ
229 Main St
Belleville, NJ 07109
Tel: (973) 450 1818
Fax: (973) 450 3000
Web: http://pizzavillagecafe2nj.webs.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/

Food @ The Touchdown Club - New Meadowlands Stadium, NJ

Firstly, I must apologize for the long silence. We have been pretty busy lately and we have also been having some computer problems, hence the lack of new post. Anyways, all is well now and we are back. As promised, here is the long awaited post about the food available in the Touchdown Club at the New Meadowlands Stadium.
Prior to going for the game, I tried to search the Internet to see what kind of food is available in the New Meadowlands but was pretty shocked that there wasn't much about it. I found one or two press releases, remarks about the lack of choice available and mainly bad reviews about the food in the New Meadowlands. When we were actually there, we were pleasantly surprised. It was nothing like what we read in the reviews. There were a whole lot of food choices available (albeit a tad bit expensive) and I felt that the menu was very well thought out. There were the usual stadium fare like hot dogs, pretzels, nachos, chicken tenders, fries, clam strips, burgers, grilled sandwiches, BBQ sandwiches, cheese steaks, Italian sausages and pepper..you know, the usual stuff.
Apart from that, there were also regional food favorites available. From the press releases, it seems that before the grand opening of the New Meadowlands, Executive Chef Eric Borgia and Sportservice's President Rick Abramson hopped in a car and scouted the area for the best restaurants, serving some of the best local food. From there, they came out with this selection. I must say that they did a pretty swell job! Among some of the more popular local food available are the NY pastrami sandwiches, lamb gyros, Taylor ham and egg sandwiches, Italian roast pork sandwiches, red and white bean turkey chili as well as meatballs made from Chef Borgia's grandmothers recipe.
If you are not a big fan of regional favorites (how can you not be?!?!), there are also a whole lot of international food to choose from. There is a sushi counter serving freshly made to order sushi, freshly made pizza from the huge brick oven in the middle of the club as well as grilled meats from a special grill section.
Now, to all you Food Network fans...check this out! This is only available at the Club and Suite levels. Food Network developed a menu featuring a variety of gourmet hot dogs and salads., just for the New Meadowlands Stadium The menu looks so good but we didn't have a chance to try them out. There is only so much one can eat, right?
Apart from all the food available, there are also three sports bars as well as a wine bar serving all types of beers, wines and liquor. The best thing about the Touchdown Club is....no matter where you go, there are huge flat screen TVs all around. This is totally awesome, cos you really do not want to miss out on any action, while you are lining up for your beer or food.
Here's what we ate. Kevin tried the ever popular Nonna Fusco's Meatball Sub ($9) and I had the Grilled Steak Sandwich ($15). The meatballs were really out of this world! Very very good! Man, I wish I had Nonna Fusco's recipe too! :P My steak sandwich was yummy too. Juicy steak with some really crunchy fried onions on top. Our only negative comment was that the bread for both the sandwiches were a tad bit too hard. The small cup of draft beer that Kevin had was $8.75 and my extra large souvenir cup Diet Pepsi was $6. I guess I would have to agree that the food are a little on the pricey side but I guess if you are willing to fork out $400 for a ticket, what is $15 for a sub rite? Thank goodness for us, everything is on the company account! :P
After half time, we went up to the club area again to get some snacks. We shared a nachos platter, with cheese and salsa ($7.95), a braided pretzel ($4) and another soda ($6). The salsa for the nachos were awesome! Kinda spicy, with a little kick! The pretzel? It was yummy too, just like how you would expect from a NY pretzel (yes, it's the NY water that makes it so goooood!) Overall, I feel that the food selection at the New Meadowlands Stadium is really good (I really don't understand what people are complaining about!) and the quality is on par with some of the nice restaurants around this region. The only downside is that the prices can be a tad bit high, but then again, that's what you would expect to pay when you buy food and drinks at a sporting event, right?

KFC's Double Down Sandwich

For those of you living in America, I'm sure you would have heard of KFC's Double Down Sandwich. Their ads are on TV all the time, you can see the posters plastered almost everywhere and everybody is talking about it. For those of you who don't know, it's the all new 'bunless' sandwich. The concept that KFC is trying to push is...a regular sandwich with just one regular chicken patty isn't enough. Most people need to eat at least TWO to be full. So hey, let's just eliminate the bun all together and use two huge chicken fillets as the bun! OMG! Like seriously, isn't fast food in America unhealthy enough? Do we really need to go this far? With all the hype revolving around this new product, I just had to try it. So, off to our local KFC I went.

I never liked KFC in America (I gotta admit I love the Malaysian KFC though) to begin with. I personally feel that the chicken in KFC is way too greasy, smaller and more expensive compared to the other chicken joints. However, for the sake of trying out a new product, I decided to put that all aside and went in with an open mind.

Alright, this is it. Inside this box lays one of the most talked about sandwich in recent times. Let me warn you that it doesn't come cheap. A meal consisting of one sandwich, wedges and a drink cost $7.99 and just the sandwich will set you back $5.99. Just for comparison, depending on what state you are from, a Big Mac would cost about $3.75 and a Double Whopper around $3.99. So yeah, $5.99 for a sandwich is pretty steep.

Here it is! The Double Down Sandwich. It wasn't as huge as what we saw in the ads but one things for sure, it was really greasy! The bottom of the wrapper was soaked with oil. When I ordered the sandwich, the guy at the counter did a double take and gave me the 'are you serious?' look. He actually had to go make the sandwich while I wait. I was pretty surprised that there wasn't any just sitting there, since it was a new product. Now I am beginning to see why. I guess it's not one of the 'hot sellers'.

So, what's in the sandwich anyways? Here's the breakdown. Two (really greasy) chicken fillets with two slices of bacon, two melted slices of Montery & Pepper Jack cheese and some Colonel's sauce. Boy, I can feel my arteries starting to clog, just by typing all this. Oh, you can choose to get the grilled version instead of the Original recipe but why bother. If you want to kill yourself, might as well go all the way, right? :P

Now the important part. The taste test. I thought to myself, hey, I wouldn't mind shortening my life by a couple of days and eat this if it's yummy. I also thought that I was being really clever by cutting a biscuit into half and using it as a 'bun'. So, I now have a super tall, extra greasy, sodium filled sandwich. After a few bites, I realized that no way I can go through this in one sitting. It was just too greasy. I can actually feel the oil squirting out as I bite into the sandwich. However, the Chinese in me said that I should not waste food (especially after paying so much for a silly sandwich), so I pressed on. Half way thru the sandwich, I was already beginning to feel sick. By then, Kevin was mocking me and started to say that I should just stop. Why torture myself? He said that it's just gross and that he knew that I couldn't finish the sandwich even before I bought it. OK, now I'm on a mission. I HAD to finish it, just to prove a point. So I pressed on. Not only was it oily, it was really filling. The chicken fillets really fill you up. By the time I took the last bite (it took me almost 45 minutes to finish it, I was like watching TV and slowly nibbling on it), I was sick. Really sick. I felt like throwing up, because of all that oil. I can feel the oil just sitting in my mouth. I had to detox myself by drinking loads of hot green tea and oranges. Also, (trying not to be gross here..) I had the runs all night long. Horrible horrible. Well, on the upside, at least I can say I have tried it when people talk about this 'new' sandwich. All I can say is...never again.

Katz's Deli - Lower East Side, NYC

We were in the city two weeks ago and was looking for a place to have lunch. Since moving to the NYC/NJ region, we have always wanted to go check out Katz's Deli but haven't really gotten around to it. So, we decided that today is the day that we do so! :D

Katz's Deli is located on East Houston St, in the Lower East Side. Founded in 1888, Katz's Deli is one of the oldest and most well known deli's in NYC. It is especially well known for it's pastrami sandwiches. Many people have sworn that it's New York's best! Also, if you are a Meg Ryan and Bill Crystal fan, you would remember the famous deli scene in the movie, 'When Harry Met Sally'. I must admit that 'When Harry Met Sally' is one of my all time favorite movies, so...I was super excited to eat at Katz's Deli, at last.

It being a Saturday afternoon, we expected it to be packed. Well, it was packed but not as bad as I expected it to be. There wasn't a line when we ordered our food and we could find a table right away. How it works is, you pick up a ticket at the entrance and just head to the counter to order and collect your food. Then, you can just find a table and eat. If you do not want to go up to the counter to order, you can sit down at the tables along the sides of the dining room, then a waiter will come up and take your order.

We just picked up our ticket and headed to the counter to order. It's faster this way and also, you get to try out some meat samples first before deciding on your order. There were at least 10 guys making those sandwiches, so things move pretty fast. After ordering your food, you can move down the line to order your drinks.

After getting our food, we didn't have any problems finding a table at all. In fact, we managed to get a table next to the most 'famous' table in the house. Can you see what that sign says?

Here is a close up. Yup! That's the famous table where they shot the 'When Harry Met Sally' deli scene. Since this is a family blog, I will not put up the clip from the scene here. However, if you have not seen that movie before, just click on this link and it will lead you to the clip from that famous deli scene. That's right, I'll have what she's having! ;P

So, what did we eat? Of course we had to try the Pastrami on Rye Sandwich ($14.95). Let me tell you this. In all my 30 years, I have never tasted such good pastrami before. It is so so so good! No wonder they say that Katz's has the best pastrami sandwich in NYC! Just the right amount of lean and fat meat, with some charred bits. Perfect!

We also tried the Corned Beef on Rye Sandwich ($14.45). That's really good too. Of course if I ate that before trying the pastrami, I would say that's its superb and totally awesome. However, if we compare it to the pastrami, it somewhat pales in comparison. However, I must say that it's still very very good. Look at the amount of meat in each sandwich. I read somewhere that they slap on at least 1 lbs of meat in every sandwich!

We also had a complimentary serving of pickled cucumbers and tomatoes. Now, I am not really a big fan of pickled stuff but the cucumbers were awesome! Really tasty and crunchy. I didn't try the tomatoes though, so I don't know about that.

We both had an icy can each of Dr. Brown's Draft Style Root Beer ($2.50) to wash all that meat down. Mmm mmm mmmm, nothing like some full bodied root beer after a big meal.

The sandwiches were so big, we couldn't even finish them. We had to doggy bag half of each sandwich home. We must remember to just share one the next time we are at Katz's. So, was the sandwiches at Katz's as good as we expect it to be? Helll yeah! I would definitely return in the very near future. Two thumbs up!

Katz's Delicatessen - NYC
205 East Houston Street
New York, NY 10002
Tel: (212) 254-2246
Fax: (212) 674-3270
Web: http://www.katzdeli.com/