Dinners from Lena y Carbon in Passaic, NJ

Our favorite Peruvian spot is Lena y Carbon.  There are several in North Jersey and we've ordered from Passaic ones as well as Harrison.  To be honest I cannot recall which one this is from but some of them don't have the roasted chicken when I'm in the mood so that often impacts which particular store I order from.  We have some go-to dishes (tallarin verde, tacu tacu) but everything we get is always delicious and the portions are gi-normous.

Dinner #1: Look at the giant container on the far right!

Tacu Tacu con Bistek

Tallarin Verde con pechuga

1/4 pollo al carbon with side of chaufa (fried rice)

Papas fritas y maduros

Dinner #2: Tacu Tacu con pechuga

Tallarin Verde con Bistek

Maduros and red onions that Dan said taste like ceviche minus the fish

Everything in dinner #2

Dinner #3: Tallarin Verde con Bistek

Milanesa de Pollo

Dessert from Grace Street Coffee & Desserts and Keki Cakes

Olivia and I had a snack/dessert at Grace Street, after picking up souffle cheesecakes to go.  Although I'm not a huge fan of matcha (green tea), I loved these beignets because I can't say no to beignets.  The ube cheesecake was good but a bit thicker/denser than I expected so hard to eat all of it.  The cream puffs from Keki though were outstanding.  I wish I had gotten more because the were so good

Matcha beignets with fruit tea and ube boba at Grace Street

The Keki boxes were exciting

Inside of the pistachio cream puff.  Amazing texture outside (a bit crunchy with crystallized sugar) and delicious filling inside

Pistachio and ube cream puffs.  Both were excellen

Ube souffle cheesecake

Definite bounce but dense

Dessert from Dominique Ansel Bakery in NYC

I order cronuts and kouign ammans from Dominique Ansel because they had ube cronuts.  I did this months in advance which seems crazy but cronuts are still popular, and in terms of costs of travel, it practically evened out.  The cronuts are sweet but I loved the ube filling and ganache and coconut flakes on top.  Worth the cost to me.

Breakfast from Erie Bakery in Rutherford, NJ

Our favorite bakery to visit on the weekends is Erie Bakery.  They have amazing everything, but we love the biscuits, donuts, olive oil cake, and creamed puffs, but you can't go wrong with anything.  We often have FOMO after we go because their Instagram will show other amazing offerings.  Always worth it and we'll get multiple things that lasts for several days.  This post covers 6 different trips

Trip #1: 2 ham and leek scones, 2 rosemary and goat cheese scones, olive oil cake, and madeline

Another money shot

Trip #2: more scones, olive oil cake, and 2 smores cakes.  The cake is as moist as the olive oil cake

Trip #3: One scone but that was all there was.  Donut, olive oil cake, ham egg and cheese crostata, cinnamon roll, and cream puffs

Close up of the olive oil cake.  While I can make it, I love their individual size and the citrus flavor w/frosting

Cinnamon roll.  This honestly was prob the least memorable

Their scones are the best but you have to make sure your timing is right or they'll be sold out

Ham egg and cheese crostata

Cross-section.  You can see the ham and cooked egg

Looks average but sooo perfectly moist inside with nice crunch outside

Cream puffs are the best

Trip #5: cream puffs, olive oil cake, scones and various bourekas

Scones and bacon and egg boureka

I had to google but bourekas are Jewish turnovers.  Inside of the bacon and egg boureka

Inside of the ham scone

Inside of the nutella boureka

I can't remember what this one was

Trip #6: scones, olive oil cake, smores cake, and dulce de leche donut

Dulce de leche donut.  Like a bomboloni

Love that smores cake

Home-made St. Patrick's Day meal

 We picked up marinated brisket from the grocery store and used the Instantpot to make a delicious and easy brisket with steamed carrots and garlic mashed potatoes.

Steamed baby carrots

Garlic mashed potatoes

Brisket with fat peeled off

Sliced brisket

Everything all together

Dinners from Carlito's Tacos in Lyndhurst, NJ

Carlito's has arguably the best Mexican food in town, although it's BBQ forward versus traditional Mexican.  Since we can pick up, can avoid the extra fees.  Reasonably priced and amazing meat.  Also fresh-pressed tortillas and delicious platters.

Dinner #1: Pulled pork platter w/white rice, black beans and sweet plantains

Everything all mixed up

Dinner #2: Brisket platter.  White rice, black beans and maduros

Lunch from Happy Belly Cafe in Clifton, NJ

Happy Belly Cafe is such an amazing cafe.  We've only gone in person once but we order often.  They have a great Asian sandwiches/treats and for some reason they are very into the K-pop group BTS, which is just fun.  The fees are so high on Uber Eats but to me it's worth it for their katsu sammie and their taro shake.

Pork Katsu sandwich

Tuna Melt sandwich - even as someone who doesn't like mayo, I enjoy this

Shrimp Po Boy - as good as you can get not in NOLA

Empanadas

Cheesy cheddar fries - messy but tasty