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/

The Shannon Rose - Clifton, NJ

We spend a lot of time in Clifton, NJ (even though we live in Newark). Actually, 'a lot of time' would be an understatement. Most of our weekends are spent in Clifton (if we are not in the city). We do our grocery shopping there, our favorite departmental store is there, our favorite bookstore is there and quite a few of our favorite restaurants are also located in Clifton (there is this kickass Chinese Buffet place in Clifton that I am so in love with!). So yeah, Clifton rocks! :P
Like I said earlier, there are quite a number of restaurants in Clifton. You can find small hole in the wall mom and pop places to huge chains like TGIF, Applebees, Chevys and so on. There is this Irish pub/restaurant that we have been meaning to check out since forever. Groupon had an awesome deal for Shannon Rose a while back. So, we took advantage of that and finally headed out to have dinner there a few weeks ago.
When we first walked in, we realized that it was huge! You really couldn't tell from the exterior but yeah, it's huge. There is also an outdoor seating area for the warmer months. The decor is pretty much your typical pub/restaurant, with lots of wood everywhere. Check out their beer list. They have all kinds of local and imported draft as well as bottled beer. The beer flights (4 different types of beer) as well as the Guinness Mixes looked good too. Oh, and before I forget, there is live music playing almost every day of the week. Cool eh?
To start off, we both shared The Ploughman's Sampler (12.99). All of the appetizers looked so good, we couldn't decide on one. So, we went with the sampler. This way, we get to try some of their more popular appetizers. The sampler consist of Beefed UP Nachos, Corned Beef Spring Rolls, Irish Potato Skins and Shannon Rose Wings. I must say that all four of the appetizers were really yummy but my favorite is the Corned Beef Spring Roll. Corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and some spices wrapped up in a wonton skin. It's really really good. Kevin loved the Irish Potato Skins too. Definitely a good choice if you want to sample a selection of appetizers.
For Kevin's main, he tried the Homemade Shepard's Pie ($11.99). Fresh ground beef mixed with vegetables, topped with mashed potato and then baked to perfection. It comes with a side serving of soda bread. Now, I must first say that Shepard's Pie is ranked among the top 5 of Kevin's favorite food. His dad used to make the most awesome Shepard's Pie ever! So, it takes a lot for him to say that a particular Shepard's Pie is good. Guess what? He said that Shannon Rose's Shepard's Pie is really good. Wow! It must be really good then :P Also, it was huge. Kevin only managed to eat half of the portion and he took home the other half for lunch the next day.
I ordered the Guinness Beef Stew ($12.99). Tender huge chunks of prime beef, potatoes and vegetables slow braised in a Guinness broth. Mmmmm mmmmm mmmmm. It also came with a side serving of soda bread. It was a tad bit oily but it was so so so good! The beef was really tender and the stew was so flavorful. The portion was also very hearty and huge. I too has to pack half of the stew home for my lunch the next day. Overall, we would give Shannon Rose two big thumbs up. Wide drinks selection, good live music, really yummy food and rather affordable prices. What else could a person ask for? We will most definitely be back!

The Shannon Rose - Clifton, NJ
Clifton Commons
98 Kingsland Road
Clifton, NJ
Tel: (973)284 0200
Web: http://www.theshannonrose.com/shannon-rose-clifton/

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/

Century Buffet Bar & Grill - Clifton, NJ

Let's take a break from the Langkawi travelogue for a bit and see what we have been up to recently back here in NJ. We were out shopping in Clifton last weekend and before we knew it, our tummies were rumbling and it was already time for lunch. For those of you who are familiar with the Clifton Commons area, you would know that they are many restaurants and eateries to choose from. So, we decided to get in the car and drive around to see what there is to eat.

We drove by Century Buffet and saw quite a number of cars in their parking lot. We have driven past Century Buffet quite a number of times before and we always wondered, what kind of buffet it was. There wasn't any sign outside indicating if it was a Chinese buffet, Pizza buffet, Seafood buffet...etc. So, we decided that today was the day that we would go check it out.

From the moment that we walked into the restaurant, we knew that it was a Chinese buffet. It had all the typical 'decorations' and 'furnishings' of a Chinese buffet. There was a big board at the entrance with all the prices too. The prices looked pretty reasonable. A regular weekday buffet lunch is $6.95 per adult and dinner is $11.95. On weekends, they have a special buffet brunch which cost $11.95 and dinner is $13.95. There is also a 10% discount for all senior citizens and kids under 2 ft eat for free!

We ordered our soda ($1.50 each with free refills) at the counter and they brought us to our table. On the way to our table, I took a quick glace at the buffet and it looked larger than the usual Chinese buffets that we are used too. Good! :D We started by trying out some of their soups, I had the Hot & Sour Soup and Kevin had the Wonton Soup. I believe there were 6 or 7 different types of soups to choose from.

Next, we headed to get our appetizers! There were all kinds of salads (crab salad, pasta, salad, potato salad, garden salad...ect) to choose from but we went straight for the seafood :P Fresh oysters, mussels, scallops, broiled crawfish, jumbo shrimp, two types of crabs, a few types of sashimi, freshly made sushi rolls...there were so many stuff to choose from, I just couldn't remember everything! Very very good selection for the price we paid.

After the appetizers (we were already pretty filled up then :P), we headed to check out the hot food section. It is basically split into three sections. There is the 'American' food section - pizzas, chicken wings, roast chicken/turkey, nuggets, pasta...you know, the whole works, the 'American Chinese' food section - BBQ pork ribs, sweet sour chicken, teriyaki chicken on a stick, pretty much the stuff you would get from a typical Chinese take out restaurant and lastly, the 'Authentic Chinese' food section. There was a dim sum section as well as a host of super yummy Chinese dishes like Steamed Fish, Vegetables with Mushrooms, Stir Fried Lobster Tails, Peking Duck, Stir Fried Venison and the list goes on! The picture is the selection we got from the American Chinese food section. I didn't take anymore photos after that, we too busy eating :D

By the time we were ready for dessert, we were already too full to take too many things. Apart from the stuff in the photo, they also had quite a big selection of cakes, donuts, sago, different types of pudding and ice cream (both soft serve and regular). Overall, we had a awesome lunch and I think that the food served here is tasty and fresh. The price is also reasonable and if you were to head over to their website, you can print out some coupons too. Definitely worth a return visit!

Century Buffet Bar & Grill - Clifton, NJ
166 Main Avenue,
Clifton, NJ 07104
Tel: (973) 471 8018/8718
Fax: (973) 471 8665
Web: http://www.centurybuffet.net/

Charlie Brown's Steakhouse - Clifton, NJ

This is a relatively backdated post. I'm still really busy, trying to settle things before our trip to Malaysia (yes, we leave tomorrow!) but as promised, I'm trying to update this blog as much as I can. A couple of weeks ago, we had dinner at Charlie Brown's Steakhouse. It's the largest steakhouse chain in NJ, with it's first branch opening it's doors in 1966. We've heard quite a lot of good things about it, so we decided to go check it out ourselves.

The moment we pulled into the parking lot, we knew that we had to wait for a table. The huge parking lot of filled with cars! We had to circle a few times and ended up parking way across the other end of the lot. I guess dinner time on a Saturday is peak hours for them :P True enough, when we walked into the restaurant, there were just people standing everywhere, waiting for their table. We had to wait for almost 25 minutes before we got a table.

For our appetizer, we ordered the Three Cheese Crab Dip ($8.99). Jumbo lump crab meat, seasoned with Old Bay seasoning and then baked with three different types of cheese was just amazing! It is served with crispy frybread chips. Just look at how much crab meat there is in the dip. So creamy and yummy!

We had a choice of the salad bar or soup with our mains. We both went with the soup. Kevin ordered the Lobster Bisque and again, it was gooood. I tasted a little of it and boy, it was thick, creamy and really good. There were also quite a few pieces of lobster in the soup.

I had the French Onion Soup. Now, this must be the best French Onion Soup I have had in a very long time. It was so flavourful and hearty. So, up til now...Charlie Brown's Steakhouse has been living up to it's name, really good food.

For our mains, I ordered the Chopped Steak ($13.99). It's about 16 oz. of chopped USDA Certified Angus Beef steak, served with a side of frizzled onions, rice pilaf and mushroom sauce. I ordered the steak medium well but when it arrived, it was way past well done. The outside was pretty charred and the inside was dry. The frizzled onions were also soggy and oily. Overall, it was quite a disappointment really.

Kevin ordered the Fish & Chips ($13.99). Four pieces of tempura battered cod fillet, served with fries and coleslaw. Yes, the portion was relatively huge but taste wise, it really didn't hit the spot. The fish was just alright, nothing much to shout about. We have definitely tasted better. Overall, it was just an alright dinner experience. The starters were totally amazing but the mains really didn't impress us at all. The service wasn't all that great too (we had to actually ask the server to refill our drinks, even though she walked by many times and saw our empty glasses). So, would we return? Well, having to wait 25 minute just for a table, coupled with mediocre service and a total bill of $47.24, I would say that the chances are pretty slim. However, I am so in love with the Three Cheese Crab Dip, so I don't know. It's a tough call on this one.

Charlie Brown's Steakhouse - Clifton, NJ
1296 Van Houten Avenue
Clifton, NJ 07013-1632
Tel: (973) 471-1400
Web: http://www.charliebrowns.com/