Dinner from Ani Ramen House in Montclair, NJ

Dan and I went to Ani Ramen House in Montclair for dinner on a Thursday night.  The restaurant itself wasn't too large, but there were enough seats that I was surprised that we had to wait as long as we did.  It was definitely worth it though, as the buns were delicious, on par with places we've gone to in the city.  The ramen also was excellent - tasty broth and noodles.  The portions were generous, though one thing we learned is they don't take take-out, which includes leftovers!  You can bring your own tupperware though haha.  When the waiter told us no leftovers, we rallied and almost finished our food.  It was kind of painful, but again worth it.

Spicy Miso Ramen  - classic chicken broth, miso tare with pork charsu, bean sprouts seasoned with roasted chili oil.  Dan got this and enjoyed it a lot; it had some serious heat.

Pork buns.  As good as other ramen joints in the city

Fried chicken buns, which were a special.  So amazing.

Another view of pork buns

Ani ramen - traditional pork broth, soy tare with chashu pork, kakuni, spinach, kikurage, and scallions.  So delicious.  The broth was incredibly flavorable.

Dinner from Tony's Pizzeria in Newark, NJ

We ordered take-out from Tony's Pizzeria in Newark and it was one of the worst delivery experiences we've ever had.  From order to arrival, it took almost exactly two hours.  For a place that was like a 3 min drive away!  When the food arrived, the pizza was lukewarm, and Dan's sandwich was improperly made.  Additionally we called several times to check up and were hung up on once, one time they didn't answer, and another time words were exchanged.  We were about to call and cancel the order outright, despite the fact that we were starving and angry, but the delivery guy showed up.  The only good thing I can say is that the pizza itself was actually tasty, but only after we reheated it in the oven.  If not for the horrendous customer service I would say it's a good pizza option, but this experience was just so negative.  Too bad.  Not too many places to order from in Newark.

Half meatball pizza and half garlic broccoli.  The veggie side was actually even tastier

Jalapeno poppers - soggy

Fried ravioli - cooked so long ago that they were hard :(

Dan's sub had the wrong kind of meat. But he said it tasted good.  Not worth two hours wait though

Dinner at Dinosaur BBQ in Newark, NJ

I think going to Devils games had increased the number of visits to Dinosaur BBQ by 500%.   Not it seems like every game is an excuse for us to go get BBQ haha.  Oh well.  This time everything was really well cooked and they even gave us extra food for free.  Thus, we tip well.

3-meat Combo - pulled pork, pork ribs, and brisket.  Plus sides of broccoli carrot salad and bbq beans.  The ribs were amazing as usual.  The brisket was moist this time.  The waitress deemed the pulled pork dry when she came to us, so they gave us a separate plate of pulled pork for free.  Thank you for that one.  The beans were great; I had never had them before. 

Wango Tango wings - as usual they were excellent. 

Fried green tomatoes - perfectly fried and well seasoned.

Dim Sum Brunch at Jing Fong Restaurant in New York, NY

My parents and I went to Jing Fong in Chinatown for dim sum, after our failed attempt several months when we ended up going to Oriental Garden instead.  This place was massive, and from what I've read very similar to places in China.  Fortunately my parents got there ahead so when I arrived we were seated immediately.  We had to share a table with some random couple, but that was fine.  There was a little bit of a chase-the-carts-around going on to get what we wanted (shu mai), but well worth it and not too much of a hassle.  Everything was delicious and this was definitely among my fav dim sum places.  Not the most stress-free experience, but definitely worth a return trip.

Steamped dumplings with veggies and shrimp.  Delish

They claimed this was pork but doesn't it look like short ribs?  Regardless, this was perfection.  My fav thing and such a big plate.  Perfect mix of sweet and savory, with a little more sweetness.  The veggies were a nice fresh addition too.

Nori wrapped shrimp.    Nice use of the deep fryer

Some kind of beef dumpling.  Not so appetizing looking.  It was okay; probably my least fav thing.

Shrimp in rice wrapper.  One of my fav things to eat.  Well done but hard to eat with their chopsticks.

Deep fried dumplings.  Excellent.

Giant plate of bok choy.  Also excellent.

Some tofu soup thing that I guess is similar to something they eat in the Philippines.  My mom ate almost all of it.  It was mildly sweet but mostly textural.

Congee.  I actually didn't taste this but my dad enjoyed it.

Steamed shrimp dumplings.  No complaints.

The elusive shrimp shu mai.  The best but we only found it at the end when we were all really full.  It was great later though.

Lunch at Bareburger in New York, NY

I had a childhood reunion lunch at Bareburger in midtown.  There are BBs all over the state and in other states as well.  I love all the different protein concepts and that you could conceivably eat healthy if you want, especially as they focus on organic ingredients.  Elena, Malcolm and I shared some sweet potato croquettes, which were a nice mix of deep friedness and healthy sweet potato.  I shockingly did not order a burger, but got a salad instead.  Don't worry though, any healthiness was outweighed by the buttermilk fried chicken tenders I got on top haha.  They were not skimpy - the salad was probably half chicken.  I had enough for a hearty lunch the next day.

Sweet potato croqs with habanero chipotle mayo and stone ground honey mustard.  Nice way to pretend you are being healthy but you are not.

Walnut Ginger Apple Salad - baby spinach, goat cheese crumbles, toasted crushed walnuts, apple wedges, applewood smoked thick cut bacon, honey lemon ginger vinaigrette.  Plus the aforementioned buttermilk fried chicken.  Honestly, the bacon was so hearty that I don't think I needed the additional chicken, but I did enjoy it.

Dim Sum Brunch at China Gourmet in West Orange, NJ

Dan and I met my parents for dim sum in West Orange.  This place was about a 10-15 minute drive away, which is pretty awesome.  Not the best dim sum I've had, but pretty solid.  Comparable prices to Chinatown,  if not a little cheaper, and things move pretty quickly.  They did have real carts, which I always prefer.  Definitely good to know there's a place so close when I'm craving dim sum.

Assortment of dim sum - pork buns, shrimp in rice wrapper, and some dumpling

Bok choy

Shrimp dumpling and shrimp shu mai

Shrimp in bean curd

Lots of pork shu mai

Noodle soup - sadly pretty bland.  But the only thing I would seriously complain about

Peking style pork chops - a childhood fav!  As good as where we used to go in Flushing

Lunch at Matthew's Italian Restaurant in Clifton, NJ

My parents wanted to go to Matthew's in Clifton as it supposedly has the best Italian food in Clifton.  Don't know if that's true, but it was solid.  Everything could've use more seasoning, which was kind of strange, but the ingredients tasted fresh.  Also some great bread.  I wouldn't say it was a particularly memorable meal, but not a bad one.  I don't really see why it would be so raved about though.

Calamari - nicely breaded and fried.  Could've used more salt. 

Tortellini Alla Panna - cheese tortellini, pancetta, peas, mushrooms, cream sauce.  All things HP loves so Dan and I split this along with the filet mignon sandwich.  This was delicious and super rich.

Chicken parm panini - same comment about the seasoning

Bistecca verde sandwich- filet mignon, fresh mozzarella, and broccoli rabe.  Delicious combo of ingredients, and they were all fresh and tasty.  But again, could've used more salt.

Pollo pronto sandwich - chicken, provolone, arugula, onion, sun dried tomato with pesto.  Good but not outstanding.  Again, more seasoning needed.