If the idea of kayaking through the “water” of the Hudson River always seemed strangely appealing to you, but the idea of paying for such a privilege put the kibosh on your dreams, check out today’s Click This!
SUNDAY, July 6, is Hoboken Cove Boathouse’s Free Kayaking Day and it’s [...]
I can’t say I have ever been a big fan of feta, but since becoming a teacher, I have been surrounded by feta-fanatic Greek women. They cook and bake or bring in all kinds of feta-filled foods (even green olives!); every day is a Greek feast [...]
The Meadowlands Fair returns this week!
If you like spending your hard-earned money riding around in death traps, playing fixed carnival games and eating funnel cake, your time has come!
There are plenty of money-saving promotions going on:
June 26: Preview Dollar Day - Enjoy $1 parking, games, rides, and admission.
[...]
On a recent Saturday night, as our stomachs growled (and neither my wife nor I wanted to cook), we decided to venture out to a nearby Italian restaurant called Bella Sera (saving precious gas money by staying within 2 miles of home). I called [...]
Saturday, in search of something out of our routine (Peruvian, Thai, Colombian and back again), we chose to eat from Ana’s Kitchen. A quaint little Brazilian/Peruvian spot with a bright yellow awning, Ana’s Kitchen offers (what I assume to be) typical Brazilian/Portuguese fare along with plates like [...]
In college, a feast of all-night studying usually meant popcorn and soda for nourishment or, if lucky, some ramen noodles, of course. Now that I’m married, it means ordering in. I should have gone with the popcorn Saturday night.
We ordered from Rice Shop, a restaurant whose [...]
Today, Krispy Kreme will be giving out free doughnuts but you won’t be getting any!
Unfortunately, Kristpy Kreme, its inviting red light and warm fresh doughnuts are not located in New Jersey.
Fortunately for Jerseyites, one of the top ten doughnut places in the country is located within our [...]
Ok, so while we may advocate massive consumption and enjoyment of calories, we aren’t against being healthy or going exercising. However, it is fun to see a site explain how sit-ups can actually be bad for you. Finally!
Check out today’s Click This!
(*Obviously I am being completely sarcastic. In [...]
Are you a member of the Jersey-based Clean Plate Club**? Do you horde take-out menus and then circle or highlight your favorite dishes? Do you have bold opinions and crafty words to share about your favorite neighborhood haunts?
(**out-of-state memberships are transferable for new residents)Or perhaps you drink like a fish, [...]
The review of my night at Hoboken’s Oddfellows is being postponed until I can experience their crawfish-by-the-pound deal. When my group went the other night, their delivery of the live-from-the-bayou shellfish had not been received due to Memorial Day. So, my full review of that night will be posted after [...]
Well, I’ll tell you what I’ll be doing Tuesday. It’s crawfish season at Oddfellows, and they’re selling them by the pound every Tuesday night April 29th-June 24th. I’ve never been to Oddfellows and I’ve never eaten crawfish whole. I know they’re local to Louisiana, and I have heard good [...]
Walking along Park Ave from Weehawken to Union City, my ever-hungry eyes spotted a red and white awning down a side street. Ooo! Could it be? A Peruvian restaurant? Yes! We eagerly turned down 48th St. and, judging by the crowds and the [...]
Okay, I know that a funeral repast is not the usual way to review a restaurant, but this was my dilemma. I just couldn’t stay quiet about the meal we had yesterday at Rita and Joe’s, a cozy Italian restaurant in Jersey City.
Let’s put [...]
Maybe it’s the scarcity of backyards and the desperation of those stuck with little hibachis on their balconies, smoking out their upstairs neighbors. But BBQ restaurants are booming in NYC, as everyone knows. Even Justin Timberlake owns a spot in Manhattan dishing out southern fare. But don’t [...]
Go to Applegate Farms every Wednesday in May, from 4-8PM, for a free scoop! To help them celebrate their 160th anniversary, the Jersey-based ice cream shops are giving away a junior sugar/wafer cone or cup of ice cream. All you have to do is bring this coupon. Click [...]
As you drive up into their stone-paved driveway with overhead portico, you are greeted with a very pretty fountain and pots of greenery, giving a very nice Italian courtyard welcoming feel. It is only about 1 mile off Rte. 280, so it was pretty [...]
Friday, March 14
>>Seanchai & The Unity Squad at 8:30PM at the Kearny Irish American Club, located at 95 Kearny Ave., Kearny. (I have to point out that the club does not allow women to be members. Ummm…archaic much?)
Gencarelli?s Cucina in Montclair is a new feature of Bloomfield Ave, having opened only a few months ago. My friends and I tried the place out for my birthday a few weeks ago (no, it?s not too late to send cards/gifts). When we arrived, we discovered they had [...]
We almost didn’t go inside Mucho y Rico. It is a Peruvian restaurant on Park Ave in Weehawken that really doesn’t look like much when you first go in. Plastic chairs, cheap tables with plastic tablecloths, and plainly painted walls. Stark. Unappealing. Small-diner-esque.
Call me a snob, [...]
It is one thing to choose a restaurant for the first time sans prior knowledge of its food as you’re walking past. There are visual clues that at least hint to the flavor inside; the decor, the smells, the crowd (and sometimes reviews are hung [...]
Hudson Restaurant Week 2008 is just 2 weeks away!
From Jan 28 - Feb 8: thirty-two participating restaurants will offer prix-fixed meals at reduced prices. And new for 2008? Eight new restaurants have been added to the list: Hudson Tavern, City Vino, Azucar, East LA, Gaslight, Harsimus Cove, Ox and [...]
Before I visited Lee’s Hawaiian Islander in Lyndhurst a few weeks ago, I had driven past it countless times, pondering its facade. It’s a huge, very orange, windowless building right smack dab in the middle of residential River Road, with a big sign that says [...]
I am not in the habit of talking to strangers, and I don’t make “bus friends.” You know - those people who insist on making small talk while you’re waiting for the 5:40 bus that always seems to be late, or who look at what you’re [...]
Hello Folks!
I bet all of you are way too busy trimming trees and drinking nog to bother reading things on the internet. But if you’re checking in, don’t despair. There’s plenty to look forward to:
The elusive Nicole Little will be bringing you her first review in months: Lee’s Hawaiian Islander, [...]
These Burgers Are Magically Delicious
Not too long ago, Ali, myself and our significant others went out to continue the ever-worthy quest for the best burger in Jersey.
On this particular night we decided to head over to the Cloverleaf Tavern in Caldwell on Bloomfield Avenue, where a friend had recently gone [...]
Normally readers, I would never suggest that you support chain restaurants in lieu of local businesses.
That is unless a nearby chain featured the best deal ever!
Donna and I took our men over to Johnny Carino’s in the Clifton Commons the other night for their two for $19.99 special.
That’s [...]
Some Enchanted Evening
Once upon a time there was a restaurant named Bella Napoli. It was a very popular little restaurant that everyone raved about but it got too big for its tiny location and moved from Clifton to Bloomfield.
In its place, next to Pizza Hut by the entrance [...]
As my boyfriend and I lazed about on Black Friday, avoiding all stores, places near stores, and roads that lead to stores, we started whining about how we wanted some nice leftover-turkey sandwiches. So on the day after Thanksgiving, we headed out to Boston Market like fools. [...]
“Just before Thanksgiving last year, police in the quiet northern Jersey community of Ramsey in Bergen County responded to a call about a roving pack of troublemakers who had snarled up traffic during the morning rush hour. An NJ Transit station security camera captured a grainy image of the hoodlums [...]
I just found a website I’d like to share with you. Healthy Dining Finder, from a company based in California, analyzes restaurant menus and tells you what’s healthy there. Sounds like a great idea. The only downside at the moment is that the great majority of places reviewed (at [...]
My husband and I have a favorite Spanish place in the city that is known for its lobster, but also reigns supreme in service and paella. So, while our standards were high, we were ready to like Cibeles if only because of [...]
One chilly night last week, Ali, her man and I went to Seńorita’s. It was the first night we’d been out together in a long time, and I was really looking forward to it.
The first thing we noticed is that this two-story [...]
You may remember her best as Pat on Saturday Night Live, the sexually-ambiguous, annoyingly-voiced character, but Julia Sweeney has many other (and I must say better) talents. She had a wonderful one-woman show called God Said, Ha! about how she had developed cancer shortly after her brother died of cancer. [...]
Well, folks, it’s been a while since my signature has dared to grace these pages but that may soon change. I can’t make promises, though, so I will tell you why. As Ali mentioned earlier, we’ve been going through some changes. I left my previous employer and am training to [...]
Hey Reader,
Have you been asking yourself why our posts have been so few and far between? Did you spend Monday crying at your desk because there’s less for you to read when you’re slacking off at work because it seems we’re slacking off at work?
Well, we’re not!
You see, Donna [...]
Notes about Fungus Fest
- Greeters were wearing Boy Scout-like uniforms with mushroom patches on them.
- Most booth runners were over 50, some with Amish-style beards.
- Was not so much a “fest” as a “fair.” An 8th grade science fair, to be precise - where everyone’s project is about mushrooms.
- There was [...]
Amanda’s is a beautiful restaurant in a renovated brownstone with a long main dining room and smaller dining rooms to the sides. The service is stellar without being at all pretentious, and the commitment to quality is evident in each course. It [...]
Has everyone else seen the commercials for Empire City? The young, happy, attractive couple takes the quick jaunt up to the Yonkers Raceway and wins fabulous jackpots from newly-added slot machines before the older, less attractive, and angry couple makes their way through traffic and [...]
There aren’t too many restaurants where, as soon as I’m leaving, I’m already plotting my return trip. Sabor Peru, just two months old, is one of those places. While not everything we ate was tongue-spanking amazing, the things that were good makes this place a stand-above-the-rest favorite. And I [...]
If you’re like me, you use your phone for more than making phone calls. In fact, I text and email more often than I dial anyone’s number! That’s why you can now get GoOutJersey’s reviews sent straight to your phone!
Just click the “Get Mobile Version” button on the left or [...]
I received this, um, colorful email advertisement (from a location that shall remain anonymous), and it made me ponder: Can you really call yourself trendy and classy and be taken seriously with an email designed and written like this? The background color of the email was a garish green, unable [...]
Honest Answers from Our Favorite Server
1. Does it mean anything when I order my fries well done?
It definitely means I’m going to roll my eyes at you. I currently work at a place that serves shoestring fries that are very similar to Burger King’s. It most likely [...]
If you grew up in North Arlington, you know about Fatso Fogarty’s. Fights, public urination - it has developed a certain reputation over the last two decades. And until I ventured inside last Friday, I always thought it was dirty and dim, and filled with drunken old men and guidos.
Well, [...]
For me, growing up in the early 1980s, the idea that Jaws may come up behind me, as its theme song rang in my ears, was the biggest “fear” at the beach. Well, we’ve all got a new (and real) monster to worry about now — and it will take [...]
My cousin and I went on a blind date last night, but there were no awkward moments with strange yet attractive men involved. In fact, we were the only customers at the restaurant. No, it was the food we were meeting with no prior knowledge. OK, so [...]
In the mood for Thai food early one Friday evening, Chris and I decided on Casual Thai in Hoboken. The restaurant is narrow with two rows of wooden tables lining each side of the space. On one side was a bench with silk pillows instead of [...]
I love me some mini-golf. It is, shall we say, my “sport.” I love being outside in nice weather, socializing, maybe even casually competing. But I don’t love things like running or using any kind of muscle strength – things that could involve me getting injured or sweaty. So mini-golf [...]
With time almost running out for the twice-annual Hudson Restaurant week, I had the opportunity to review one of the few places in Hoboken I haven’t yet written about, The Brass Rail (135 Washington St.)
It was a very hot day, so no one was sitting outside. [...]
Last night, I ventured over to Hacienda Restaurant in Paterson with the hopes of finding a Mexican restaurant with a full bar and food good enough to satisfy a friend who was visiting from the west coast.
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I love Turkish food but what I ate at Sultan Gyro was so terrible I actually almost forgot to write this review. I went there because the Munchmobile actually enjoyed and recommended it. I guess it isn’t always right after [...]
Updated Aug. 2, 2007
Check out our article about the new book, Consider the Source: A Critical Guide to 100 Prominent News and Information Sites on the Web.
The book is written by two former newspaper reporters who saw a need for a way to rate a news [...]
According to a Monmouth University/New Jersey Monthly poll released Tuesday, it would seem that there are a lot of you who actually prefer eating at our very own New Jersey Restaurants to eating in big cities like New York and Philadelphia.
If I know Jersey, and I’m sure that [...]
Remember when I did that pub crawl of Van Houten in Clifton a few months back? Well it’s about time to do another. We haven’t had any straight-up bar reviews lately and I feel I should make [...]
Walking in, I thought to myself, “This is the kind of tavern whose local charm and style mega-chains like Applebee’s have tried to re-create.” And where Applebee’s and such replicas have failed, Franklin Steakhouse and Tavern succeeds beautifully.
When we entered [...]
Another Reason To Go To Rutherford
Only eight ice cream companies competed in New Jersey’s Ice Cream Festival, so we can hardly scoff at the places who didn’t win. And that would definitely be a mistake with Ice Cream Charlie’s, who wasn’t even a competitor. In fact, my [...]
Since our official launch on April 20, 2007, GoOutJersey has been featuring more columns, Thoughts of the Day, editorials, and general bloggy-ness for your reading pleasure. This also includes Click This!, our recommended link of the day, which sends you to blogs or sites with [...]
Going to baseball games is one of my favorite summer activities, but a visit to a major league park is a serious investment. While I love my Yankees, spending $50 for a nosebleed seat and a hot dog isn’t always the [...]
Stupid Things Customers Say
Do I have to tip you?
No, sir. This is actually just a hobby of mine. I love staying up until the wee hours of the morning getting beer sloshed onto my shirts and listening to poorly sung karaoke music just so that I might [...]
Yes, Hoboken411 has it right: when we gathered for our Munchmobile pizza quest, I mentioned that a friend (GoOutJersey’s own dear John Busco) had recommended Giovanni’s pizzeria in Hoboken. Here’s why (with a possible dare to duel for Perry?) — Donna.
Have you ever eaten a large [...]
Friday evening, I attended the opening night production of Mile Square Theatre’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Sinatra Park Amphitheater in Hoboken.
The big rounded steps leading down to the stage made perfect benches for the audience to sit and watch the show. There were people of all ages, and [...]
Yay! It’s time for Hudson County Restaurant Week(s). From Monday, July 23 through Friday, August 3, nearly 30 restaurants in the area are offering a special prix-fixe menu for around $23-$35 for a three course dinner (specifics vary by restaurant) - [...]
The People’s Choice
Applegate Farm’s peanut butter fudge brownie ice cream was the winner of the “People’s Choice” award at the 2007 New Jersey State Ice Cream Festival held in Toms River on Saturday, July 21. This is Applegate’s third award from the festival, having won in both [...]
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Check out the Star Ledger’s article here.
[...] 
My Both Sides Of the Table posts with Ali will give you more of a review, so check back here in the next day or so [...]
First, I have to say thank you to Pete Genovese, Kelly Heyboer, and to the Star Ledger for a great day. It was a lot of fun meeting the other bloggers. I feel like Ali and I, the newbies of the group, learned a great deal from them (sometimes more [...]
I have to make this quick because boyfriend just whipped up some Shop-Rite brand macaroni and cheese and is expecting [...]
Associate editor Nicole here, holding down the fort. Our faithful co-editors-in-chief Ali and Donna just checked in from their Munchmobile road trip. They finished up at Brothers Pizza in Red Bank, and are just sitting down to eat in South Amboy. Bless their little foodie hearts, they’re still hungry and [...]
Hey all,
Today, Ali and I will be on an all-too important quest as guests aboard the Star Ledger’s Munchmobile. Together with fellow food bloggers and the paper’s Peter Genovese (author of New Jersey Curiosities), we will be searching for the best pizza in the state.
Never heard of the munchmobile? [...]
CaffĂ© Capri in East Rutherford is the kind of place where eating dessert before dinner only increases your appetite. One spoon-sized taste of their bacio gelato and I couldn’t wait to order the actual meal.
The restaurant’s bright space is divided in two — when you enter, [...]
We received many comments on our review of the Park Ave Bar & Grill, and we invited Melissa, who had a particularly negative experience there, to write for GoOutJersey - because of her bold opinions and writing style. We know about her bad night at PABG, now here’s [...]
Despite the slightly gruesome name, Van Gogh’s Ear Café is a pleasant coffee shop that somehow pulls off a cool-but-not-pretentious vibe. Conveniently located right off Parkway exit 140 in Union, the café is situated on a bustling main street. It’s hard to miss [...]
Today’s New York Times has this article about Michael Mercurio, the “latter-day environmental knight errant” from Long Beach Island who has taken an innovative approach to energy use but has become a target by future-fearing neighbors as a result.
This article includes a photo of Mercurio’s home and the [...]
Growing up in Essex County, I always thought of farms as distant, possibly made-up places. When I would happen to pass one on a family car trip, I would marvel, “Ooh, cows!” as if they were some sort of exotic creatures. Seasonal apple-and-pumpkin-picking outings were [...]
Look! Creating a “civil union” category for same-sex couples who would like to marry allows companies to treat them as if they’re not married at all and deny them benefits! What a shock!
The United Parcel Service has indeed refused health benefits to a same-sex couple in Toms River, NJ, even [...]
Twice a day, to and from work, I have been reading and re-reading this sign on my DeCamp bus:
In May,2006, DeCamp instituted a half-fare student ticket program that we believed would promote and benefit those seeking a higher education. Alas, society has once again proved itself unworthy and completely abused [...]
The following is an actual exchange on a message board I frequent (screen names have been altered):
VM 6/20/2007 8:48:19 PM
So, wha’dya think? Did any of you get this email [to host a Live Earth party] ? Sounds terrific! I’ve already contacted friends about hosting this in our community. When [...]
Each time I passed this place, I was both curious and repulsed. As much as I’m into kitsch, boxcar diners just make me think of tiny greasy grills with giant hairy “cooks” hovering over them, with ash-dangling cigarettes in their mouths.
But it advertised Portuguese BBQ (churrasco), so my intrigue soothed [...]
My favorite Jersey vacation destination allows me to get away from city living for a week and just hang out on the beach, catch up on my summer reading and spend quality time with my darling Chris. People are friendly, the air is clean and there is [...]
There are several major national holidays recognized. Typically, we view the 4th of July/Independence Day as mostly commemorative of our nation’s birth, without the trappings of commercialization associated with Christmas, or the gorging associated with Thanksgiving. We embrace the warm weather and cold beer without thought [...]
Sitting on the front porch after dinner, we heard an acoustic guitar being played down the street. We took a stroll to the sidewalk in front of the Daily Grind, home of the grinder which happens to be served on pita bread (?). But that’s a whole ‘nother story.
Anyway, the [...]
I’m on my vacation in Ocean Grove and one of my vacation joys is having the time to prepare my own food with fresh ingredients. A friend directed me to Delicious Orchards in Colt’s Neck, just off Route 34. I know that for many people grocery [...]
Attention all North Jersey restaurant, sub-shop and pizza parlor owners!
You all need to start including Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteaks on the menu.
Frankly, you could cover any Fear Factor ‘food’ in buffalo sauce and bleu cheese and I’d probably eat it – but there’s something about a Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak that’s just [...]
Beat People With Sticks With Your New Boyfriend
I am dangerous at mini-golf.
This is not a euphemistic way of saying that I’m an awesome player. I’m average. I stay on par.
I’m dangerous because I’m careless and don’t know my own strength. I’ve wacked people with clubs [...]
The Colorado Café is a little slice of country, right here in our neighborhood… sort of. On a winding, un-lit road in Watchung, smack dab between routes 78 and 22, you’d never know you’re five minutes from civilization. This [...]
Welcome to my behind-the-times review of The Shannon Rose.
You were probably all eagerly awaiting the review of the new Clifton hot-spot months ago, when it opened (in time for St. Paddy’s). And I was eager to go and hate and bash. But it was always so busy and so was [...]
Overall, I’d say people are becoming more open to hybrid cars and renewable energy sources than ever before (such as the shuttle buses in Sandy Hook that run on oil from french fries) – and the concept of global warming is far more familiar to people than even five years [...]
We here at GoOutJersey have decided to use this van and the help of Xzibit to form the new A-Team. Ali, solely because she always kind of had a thing for George Peppard, will take on the role of Hannibal in his honor. Donna, our muscle, will [...]
Remember the rise of the metrosexual, circa 2003? It coincided with the popularity of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy – and hetero males all across this great nation started “manscaping,” “zhooshing,” and throwing off everyone’s gaydar.
But by the end of 2006, the straight, rugged man began [...]
Friends Don’t Let Friends Swim & Drive
Pretty much the only time I went to the beach as a kid was when my parents were willing to drive 2 hours to Wildwood or Cape May. I loved these trips and still look forward to going, but sometimes I wish the beach [...]
Every summer I look forward to the state fair at the Meadowlands. My enthusiasm is chiefly based on my love for rickety carnival rides. Far more exciting than anything at a major theme park, the rides at the fair invoke [...]
