New York vs. New Jersey on 'How I Met Your Mother'
i personally love the himym blogging here! but i hope ted's not riding njtransit in the lower right image - it doesn't look anything like that.
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John's Pizzeria in Jersey City, New Jersey
i've been to john's twice (though it was in june/july I believe) and i want to believe that they were still ironing out the kinks. our pizza was lackluster, like yours, but on top of that the service was slow and the second time the AC was broken during a heat wave. I know they can't help mechanical failures but they didn't apologize or even mention it and though it was boiling in there, our water glasses sat empty for a long time.
i want to believe that john's in jc will be better! I'll head back, but now that La Rustique is a couple blocks from my apartment the draw is less strong.
The 'New York Times' Is Not a Fan of Ted Allen's New Food Network Show
I actually like this show a lot. Ted was always my favorite queer eye guy and appreciate the scientific approach to food things. Plus it helped end a long debate with my boyfriend about baking soda's deodorizing qualities. (I lost, but at least we know now!)
What's delicious in Jersey City?
Dosa Hut in Little India is the best!
In the downtown area, Ox is my favorite restaurant and the owners/waiters are really nice and the food is fantastic. There is also Sava for homemade Polish food and Buon Appetito - they have the best Italian sandwiches. On grove street.
If you have a car, I would just go to Trader Joes in Edgewater or the Whole Foods there, though A&P is definitely a step up from the Shoprite.
Cookies Determine Fate of Presidential Candidates
Bill Clinton did submit an oatmeal cookie recipe!
Cook the Book: 'Screen Doors and Sweet Tea'
mint iced tea, with or without a shot of bourbon :)
How Can You Make Valentine's Day Fun Without Pressure?
Cooking at home is the way to go! Even if it's not cooking and just a bunch of cheeses, meats, and olives. The biggest thing about Valentine's Day for us is being able to set the evening aside for just us - no tv, computers, or phones, or anyone else. No matter how much people say that if you love someone you should be able to do that anytime - doing this is hard for busy people and it's nice to have a day where it's a given.
Most worthwhile lapse in good judgment?
wendy's chicken nuggets with honey mustard. i only crave them like once every year but when i go for it, it's like heaven. i also do the smell test with a lot of questionable food - if it doesn't smell off I'll usually eat it. i'm still alive.
Cauliflower...winter's white wonder?
I roast it with a couple of garlic cloves and then I have roasted cauliflower and garlic to toss with fresh pasta, good olive oil, and a pinch of red pepper flakes - my favorite winter meal. I made a bacon/cauliflower soup for Christmas with a trickle of truffle oil on top and it was a huge hit.
Responses to Comments by mayam
New York vs. New Jersey on 'How I Met Your Mother'
It's really just such a bore, people who currently live in Manhattan making fun of NJ. I find that the poeple who most zealously make fun of NJ aren't actually from NY, and have never actually been to NJ. Where exactly do your think the farm fresh produce, meat and cheese you buy at the Union Square market comes from, queens?
New York vs. New Jersey on 'How I Met Your Mother'
The train rides in jersey out of Penn Station do look like this. When I used to live in Philly, I would take the train to Trenton.
New York vs. New Jersey on 'How I Met Your Mother'
Grey's Papaya has Papaya King beat.
As someone who escaped NJ for NYC after 9 miserable tween/teen years, I loved this episode.
John's Pizzeria in Jersey City, New Jersey
@pauliegee everyone is quite opinionated on jclist. there wasn't as much talk about John's as there is for La Rustique, I think because Rustique is not quite a newcomer. There is also less than stellar pizza in the Van Vorst/Harsimus Cove area, so most are just grateful to have something even classified as decent. They can't go around and expect this place to have first-rate service like some of the Italian mob joints in JC.. we just have to keep stressing to people to focus on the pizza, eat it outside the cafe, or take it home!
John's Pizzeria in Jersey City, New Jersey
@Allison I'd love to see that picture. Be sure not to get his back in it. I have only had his Margherita twice(So sue me, I was starvin'). I also had half a veal parm sandwich. It was nothing out of the ordinary. BTW, there is certainly a lot of opinion on La Rustique on the jclist. Is that typical of that site?
@JerseyWarren Do you like in Warren or is your name Warren? I ask because I live in Warren (Somerset County). Before you drew that conclusion about the best pizza in the world you should have hopped over Manhattan and sampled the goods in the Borough of Churches.
Ciao,
Paulie Gee
John's Pizzeria in Jersey City, New Jersey
@jerseywarren: I have to take issue with your theory about " two kinds of pizzerias". There are plenty of mediocre pizzerias in jersey city. Helen's and Stella's are perfect examples of the genre. My own take on jc pizza is as follows:
http://www.izzyeats.com/2008/08/jersey-city-pizza-debate-rages-on.html
As for John's, my experience was similar in that it wasn't stellar. I am glad to have it here though and hope it improves.
John's Pizzeria in Jersey City, New Jersey
My second-cousin, Salvatore Lombardi, took me for my first slice of pizza in Jersey City's Journal Square when we were kids. That became my standard. I've lived all over the country (including both New Jersey and New York, in Manhattan) and visited several countries in Europe (Italy included) and I've concluded that New Jersey, especially Hudson County and Seaside Heights, has the best pizza in the WORLD!
I haven't been to John's but I don't have to go there to know it's good. In New Jersey, there are two kinds of pizzerias, very good pizzerias, and out-of-business pizzerias. Garden Staters demand perfect pizza.
Even the worst pizza in New Jersey is better than the best pizza in most other places, except for a few seaport cities where lots of Italian immigrants settled, like Boston, New Orleans, and San Francisco.
And, the next time I visit Jersey City (where both of my grandfathers were born) I'll go to John;s for pizza.
John's Pizzeria in Jersey City, New Jersey
@pauliegee: I wanted to take a picture of that, but I think he would've grabbed my camera and yelled "You take-a no pictures!" Did you see the menu is half bricks as well? Next time I go in, I will sneak a picture while his back is turned.
Have you had any of the other pies yet? I've only had the Margherita and I'm hoping the whole pie is a might be a bit better than the single slice.
Over on jclist, there's a thread that keeps expanding with half supporters, half "I'll take what I can get".
John's Pizzeria in Jersey City, New Jersey
@Allison Did you notice what a mess he made of the exterior of his Wood Stone oven by covering it with what appears to be a cardboard brick facade?
Ciao,
Paulie Gee
John's Pizzeria in Jersey City, New Jersey
To all the La Rustique people: I just had a slice tonight and to me, the sauce barely tasted of tomatoes, and the only thing I tasted was salt and crust. I enjoy a crispy crust, but I wasn't intending to eat flatbread with some slightly flavored tomato sauce and fresh mozz (is this mozzarella homemade? according to the menu it is--I wouldn't dare ask the guy taking orders in the take-out area, he's extremely unapproachable).
The slice was about as big as my face. Quantity is definitely not quality. But I'd prefer the 10 minute walk to La Rustique (so far) to Helen's, Stella's, or Esperanto's--all pizza places within 3 blocks of my apartment.
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