Mario's Pizza - Newark, NJ

There is a fairly new pizza place (well, not THAT new but new enough) that opened up a couple of doors away from Jersey BBQ Pit that we have been meaning to check out. Every time we drive down McCarter Highway, we would say that we wanna swing by one day to try it but we just never got around to doing so. It was another lazy weekend for us and as usual, we were just too lazy to cook dinner or even head out to grab a bite. We just didn't feel like going anywhere, let alone leave our couch! I did manage to make it down to the lobby to collect our mail though and I saw a stack of delivery menus nearby. I picked one up and realized that it was for Mario's Pizza....how perfect! We could try the food from this new place and we didn't even have to leave our apartment for that. Life is good! :P
The menu itself was rather extensive. Not only do they have pizzas but they also offer all kinds of soups, salads, appetizers, pasta, wraps, sandwiches, hamburgers, wings as well as Italian chicken, veal and seafood dishes. Oh, they also have selection of dessert and drinks too. Unlike some other places that deliver, Mario's accepts credit/debit cards transactions. Delivery is also free, with a minimum purchase of $10. The only thing thing that we didn't really like was the delivery time. We had to wait for an hour or so, just to get our food. The acceptable delivery time around these parts is usually half an hour.
To start off our meal, Kevin and I shared a small cold antipasto salad ($7.50). The large goes for $12. Boy, we were glad that we ordered a small cos the portion was really huge! A whole bunch of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, toasted red peppers, black olives topped with rolls of ham, genoa, salami and provolone cheese. Look at the amount of meat that came along with it! Definitely worth the $7.50. Not only were the portions huge, it tasted yummy too.
After such a yummy salad, this was a little bit of a letdown. Sausage Calzone with Marinara Sauce ($6.25). By the time the calzone got here, it was cold. Really cold. Also, it was super greasy. Look at all the grease on the paper plate. Terrible. The crust wasn't all that great and I felt as though they are skimping on the stuffing. There was only stuffing in the middle, which leaves us with very hard (almost stone like) crust at the end. The marinara sauce was also really watery. I wouldn't order this from them again.
The calzone was really bad but I must say that they redeemed themselves with their wings. We ordered 10 pcs of BBQ chicken wings ($7.25) and it came with complimentary celery and blue cheese. As you can see from the picture, they were huge wings. If there is one thing that I can't stand, it would be tiny, hard, over fried wings. This wasn't the case. They were really huge and juicy. The BBQ sauce was awesome too. Yes, they arrived cold but after reheating it for a bit, it tasted great. Sooooo, the big question now. Would we order from Mario's again? Well, this is a tough one. The delivery was super slow (thus resulting in us getting cold food) and the calzone was horrible. However, we really liked the antipasto and the wings were yummy too. I guess we would give them another chance to see if the long delivery time was just a one off thing and maybe we will try something else from the menu. Will keep all of you posted!

Mario's Pizza - Newark, NJ
1413 McCarter Highway,
Newark, NJ 07104
Tel: (973)497 2031
Fax: (973)497 2130
Web: http://themariospizza.com/

Fernandes Steakhouse II - Newark, NJ

Kevin came home earlier than usual to take me out for dinner on my birthday. He said that he knew of this really nice Spanish/Portuguese churrascaria cum steakhouse in the Ironbound district and that we should totally go check it out. So, off we went to Ironbound for dinner!

Fernandes Steakhouse is not exactly smacked right in the heart of the Ironbound district. It is actually located in the outskirts, so if you don't have the address or a gps, you might just miss it. As we all know, the Ironbound is famous for it's Portuguese churrascaria and Fernandes is said to be one of the best around. Parking is also a breeze. There is a huge parking lot with valet service beside the restaurant.

From the moment we stepped into Fernandes, it felt like we left Newark for a bit and were transported to a Spanish winery in the countryside. With low lighting, exposed brick walls and really rustic decor, I felt that they did a good job with the decor. A perfect place to celebrate a special occasion. Also, there is a mariachi band that plays there during the weekends (too bad we missed out on that).

They have a pretty extensive ala carte menu but we knew that they were famous for their rodizio. So, we both went for the rodizio ($28.75 per person). For those of you who are not familiar with rodizio service churrascarias, this is how it works. You would pay a fixed price and the passadores (meat waiters) would come to your table with different types meat skewers and knives. It's a eat all you can and they would continue coming until you tell them that you had enough. We started off our dinner with a trip to the salad bar (which is also part of the rodizio). The salad bar wasn't all that big but it really doesn't matter. We were saving our stomachs for all the 'carne' that was coming!!! Oh and as usual, there were some pretty amazing bread served too.

After we were done with our salads, they cleared up our plates and started to set the table for our main course. They also brought out some complimentary sides and again, it is free flow. You can get them to top up the plates if you need more. We had a huge bowl of black beans, fries, rice, fried banana (they were good!), some sort of salsa and tapioca powder.

Ahhh at last. The passodores started bring out the meat on skewers and boy, did they bring out the meats! There were so many different kinds of meat and it was coming out non stop! Filet Mignon and turkey chunks wrapped in bacon, sirloin steak, prime rib, chorizo (some sort of spicy Iberian pork sausage), chicken wings and drumsticks, pork tenderloin, roast beef, short ribs, ham, cheese steak, garlic steak, chicken hearts, flank steak, beef kebabs....there were so many different types of meat, I can't really remember everything that they brought out!

Check out some of the meats that were part of the rodizio. The BBQ chefs were kind enough to allow me to step into their kitchen to take a picture of all the meats. Boy, they smelled so good and were soooo yummmy!

We initially ordered Iced Tea (which is actually Snapple - $3.75 each) to go with our dinner. However, mid way through our dinner, we noticed that almost every table had a pitcher of sangria. We thought that it was a good idea, since it goes really well with all that meat. So, we ordered a small pitcher ($15.50) too. Guess what? The sangria tasted amazing!!! Seriously, I have never tasted sangria that good before. I later found out that Fernandes is really famous for their sangria too! The two things that they are well known for is their rodizio and sangria. Looks like we hit a home run there :D

After we were done all the meats and told the passadores to stop, the captain came over and asked if we would like some dessert. We said no thanks, we were too full to eat anything else. He then said that we HAVE to try their grilled pineapples. It's part of the rodizio and truthfully, he has never eaten pineapples that sweet before. We have to try it. Well, if it's really that good, okay I guess. So, they brought out some pineapples on a skewer and yeah, they were good! I think they must have rubbed on some cinnamon on the outside of the pineapple before grilling. Also, the grilling really brought out the sweetness of the pineapple. It was juicy, super sweet, with a hint of cinnamon. Very good!

Overall, we had a great rodizio experience. The ambiance was really nice, the passadores were friendly and the food as well as the drinks were just awesome! Definitely a perfect place to go to when you are celebrating a special occasion. Judging from the almost empty pitcher of sangria and the goofy big smile plastered across my face, I must say that I did have a very happy birthday indeed! :P

Fernandes Steakhouse II - Newark, NJ
152-170 Fleming Avenue,
Newark, NJ 07105
Tel: (973) 465 4533/589 4066/589 4099 (reservations)
Fax: (973) 589 6312
Web: http://www.fernandessteakhouse.com/

Jersey BBQ Pit & Grill - Newark, NJ

It was almost dinner time last Sunday and we were getting pretty hungry. As usual, we were too lazy to get all dressed up to go out for dinner (also, we didn't have time to eat out and make it home in time for Amazing Race!), so we decided to either take out some food or order in. I remembered seeing this new BBQ place by McCarter Highway while we were driving by a few days ago, so I said we should go check it out.

I'm not exactly sure how new Jersey BBQ Pit & Grill is but I think I can safely say that it's been opened for less than two months. The whole plaza is less than half a year old, so there are many new shops that just recently opened there (mental note: must check out the new pizza place as well as the seafood shop too). Parking is no problem, there are ample parking lots in front of the restaurant.

Being a new place, everything was clean and nice. We found out that it's actually a self service restaurant. So, you walk up to the counter and place your order, no matter if you are taking out or eating in. The menu was pretty extensive, from individual value meals to family meals. They also had sandwiches, salads, soups and finger food. You could also order party trays that comes in various sizes (can feed between 15-50 people).

We ordered our food to go but if you like, there is also a section where you can dine in. You get a choice of bar stools, booths or regular tables. There were also quite a number of large screen TVs located all over the restaurant. At that time, they were showing some HBO movie but I guess it can be a good place to watch the game too.

Ahhhh, here is our food. Look at how neatly they packed it for us. Most of the food is made to order, so we had to wait for about 20 mins to get our food. That's fine, at least we know that the food is fresh. We'll probably call ahead to place our order first the next time we do order from there. That way, we can just drive down there and pick up the food, instead of sitting there and waiting. Oh, we also found out that they do deliver. However, there is a $20 minimum order and a $2 delivery charge.

Check out our big tray of food. We ordered the Family Meal Combo #2 ($19.75). We got a whole flame grilled BBQ chicken (cut into 8 pieces), 1/2 rack of BBQ pork ribs, 4 pieces of Pork Tenderloin and 2 sticks of Steak Skewers. That is sure a lot of food! Kevin loved the ribs and I really like the pork tenderloin. It was so juicy and tender...mmm mmm mmm. Actually, everything was really good, it was kinda hard to pick a favorite.

All Family Meal Combos come with a huge serving of yellow rice, french fries, a tub of black beans, some BBQ sauce and two rolls. I like how the fries are those thin shoestring fries instead of those thick cut ones. It's really yummy and crispy, not soggy at all. For the price we paid, the portions were huge! It was enough to feed the both of us for three days (dinner, lunch the next day, supper and lunch the following day). I only wish they gave us more rolls. They were super yummy. I am not sure if they baked it in house or they buy it from somewhere but boy, were they good! We both give Jersey BBQ Pit & Grill two thumbs up and we will definitely return in the very near future.

Jersey BBQ Pit & Grill
1417-1419 McCarter Highway,
Newark, NJ 07104
Tel: (973) 497 1818
Web: http://www.jerseybbqpit.com/

Campino Mercado - Ironbound District

This is a really backdated restaurant review. We went to celebrate our anniversary there more than a month ago but since we were really busy trying to get things organized before we left for Malaysia then, I didn't have time to blog about it. I was deliberating if I should even blog about this (since it was so long ago) and came to the conclusion that I should. Why? Wellllll, cos it's a very nice restaurant and the food is just amazing! =D

Campino Mercado is a Portuguese restaurant located in Newark's Ironbound District. For those of you who don't know, the Ironbound District is also sometimes known as "Little Portugal" due to it's large Portuguese community. Naturally, you can find many amazing Portugese restaurants in this area. Campino Mercado is one of the more popular ones due to it's uber yummy food and ambiance. It doesn't look like much on the outside (looks somewhat like somebodys house) but you get transported to a whole new country the moment you step inside. One side of the restaurant reminds me of some marketplace in Europe while the other side looks like you have walked into a Portuguese house. With the low lighting and rustic decor, I would gave them a 10 for ambiance!

It was a pretty huge restaurant but there were only 3 tables (including us) that night. With the other two tables finishing when we were seated, it felt as though we booked the whole restaurant for ourselves! With all the servers old enough to be our grandfathers (seriously, I would say they were no less than 75!), it further adds to the charm of the restaurant. Don't let the age fool you, they were still great at their job and really friendly. After we placed our orders, they brought out some really good freshly baked buns, olives and some olive oil. I enjoyed the buns and olive oil so much, they were so gooood! Kevin on the other hand loved the olives, boy, he polished the whole dish of olives off by himself!!

To start off our meal, we shared the Stuffed Mushrooms with Cream Cheese & Crab ($9.50). I would definitely recommend this to everyone. The cream cheese and crab combo was out of this world! Not only that, but the broth that it came with was sooo thick and sweet (probably from all the crab). It was so good, we would have been happy just to dip the buns in it and make it our meal! :P

For our mains, Kevin ordered the Sirloin Steak with Collard Greens ($16). It came with a side of Potato Wedges. The steak was really well marinated and cooked to perfection. He didn't really like the Collard Greens though, but I like it. I like how they stir fried it with croutons. Overall, a yummy dish.

I ordered the Duck Breast with Oyster Mushrooms ($18). It came with a side of Mash Potatoes and some Grilled Vegetable Medley. What can I say about this dish? I took one bite and there was a taste explosion in my mouth! It was so flavorful, with a myriad of different taste, coming from all directions. Yes, it was THAT good! Everything on that plate was good, from the duck to the mash potatoes. Boy, I could eat that everyday for the rest of my life and still not get bored of it.

Overall, it was an awesome meal. With really good food, great ambiance and super friendly servers, it was definitely an anniversary celebration to remember. Oh and by the way, our drinks were on the house! I don't know why, maybe it was an anniversary gift or maybe they were just being nice. Either ways, thanks guys! :D

Campino Mercado - Ironbound District
70 Jebez Street,
Newark, NJ 07105
Tel: (973) 589 4004
Fax: (973) 589 8820