Dinner at Taqueria in Jersey City, NJ

Taqueria finally re-opened post-Sandy a few weeks ago, and since it's re-opening there has always been a ridic long line to get in.  Dan and I were fortunate enough to get in with no wait.  I think overall that the new changes make things a lot better - namely the wait service versus ordering at the counter then sitting down.  I like the expansion of the menu and am excited to try some other new dishes that I didn't get to.  The only negative was the guacamole - very onion-y and no other flavor it seems besides onion and avocado.  Where were the tomatoes?  Cilantro?  Jalapenos?  Not worth the $7/8, but yay for complimentary chips and salsa. 

Complimentary chips (a little salty) + overpriced guacamole

Fish taco on left, steak on right.  Dan's order and both were as good as he remembered.

Dan's Barbacoa (lamb) taco.  Delicious as usual.

 

Beef flank taco on left (one of the new ones!)  Super tasty, tender beef.  A little fatty but nothing I couldn't eat.  I liked having beef that didn't make me need to chug a glass of water (a.k.a. Steak is too spicy for HP!).  Carnitas on right.  Old reliable haha



My chorizo taco - one of my favs.  Love the sausage and cheese combo

Brunch at The Hamilton Inn in Jersey City, NJ

Found a delicious new brunch spot in JC.  Don't know how we hadn't been here before, but had some great food and even better drinks.  We started with the French Onion Soup Dumplings, which were sooo tasty.  Perfectly caramelized onions and provolone and gruyere.  Every bit as good as the ones at Stanton Social.  Then I had Chilaquilies and Dan got LBLT - lobster BLT.  Both dishes were pretty good.  Not necessarily the most memorable dishes but quality food.

Pear Bellini and Bacon Bloody Mary.  Both excellent and mine was only $4!  I also had a mango bellini, which was possibly even better, but forgot to take a pic.  I actually didn't loathe Dan's Bloody Mary, which is unusual for me.  Probably because of the bacon.

French Onion Soup Dumplings with provolone and gruyere.  Amazing.

Shot of the dumplings after we dug into it

LBLT - butter poached lobster, smoked applewood bacon, caper lime aioli served with French Fries

Chilaquilies - eggs, tortillas, chorizo, queso fresco, pico de gallo

Dinner at La Conguita in Jersey City, NJ

It seems almost impossible to get seated for dinner anywhere in JC on a Friday night without a reservation.  Except at one reliable place - La Conguita.  The food is always delicious, inexpensive, and more than enough to eat.  And as of late, the service has been pretty good as well.

Side of red beans, rice, and plaintains

Braised Chicken with potatoes, yuca, and lots of garlic sauce

Churrasco - skirt steak with chimichurri

Dinner from Park & Sixth in Jersey City, NJ

We went to Park & Sixth because I had seen on their facebook page and an incredible pic of one of their specials - mac-n-chese grilled cheese with bacon.  It was one of THE cheesiest and heart-clogging dishes I've ever had and it was totally worth it.  Dan got the Beast.  As per usual haha.  Also delightfully terrible for him.

Mac-n-cheese and bacon grilled cheese with seasoned Old Bay fries.  Only $9!

Dinner from Buon Appetito in Jersey City, NJ

When in doubt, order from Buon Appetito haha.  We ordered two new pasta dishes and both were awesome.  Dan chose chicken with broccoli rabe on linguini.  The sauce was basically garlic and olive oil and it was delicious and tasted pretty healthy.  They were not stingy with either the chicken or broccoli rabe.  I chose Shrimp Fra-Diavlo on linguini as well.  Had a nice kick but not too spicy, and lots of large shrimp.  Yum.

Chicken with broccoli rabe on linguini

Shrimp Fra-Diavlo on linguini

 

Dinner at SmashBurger in Clifton, NJ

Another delicious dinner at SmashBurger.  This time I tried the chicken and was pleasantly surprised.  I think my chicken burger had more hearty ingredients on it than what Dan got.  Dan also obvi enjoyed his burger.  And we were both pleasantly surprised by the Veggie Frites - flash-fried green beans and carrots.  The green beans were DELICIOUS.  And healthy!  The carrots weren't quite crisp enough but a good alternative to fries.

Veggie Frites

Make Your Own Burger with American cheese, grilled onions, and bacon

Avocado Club - Chicken with avocado, bacon, lettuce and tomato on a multi-grain bun.  No ranch or mayo for HP.

Dessert at Torico in Jersey City, NJ

Everyone should go to Torico in JC!  Home-made ice cream in soo many flavors.  Home-made soft-serve in tons of flavors.  Home-made waffle cones and other cones.  Make-your-own ice cream cakes.  Only downside is sometimes they run out of the more popular flavors (i.e. why I don't always get pistachio even though I always want that).  They also readily give out samples.  Oh other downside is all the kids haha, but I guess that's expected.

Pistachio on a sugar cone.  That's ONE scoop wtf.  Maybe next time I'll get kiddie size

Chocolate marshmallow on cake cone.  And my lovely pistachio again