Lunch from Hill Country Food Park in Brooklyn, NY

I stopped by Hill Country Food Park, which as of the date I'm writing this post is sadly  closed.  It was a great idea - Austin eats in a food hall style.  Unfortunately I guess the downtown Brooklyn area wasn't the ideal spot for this hall, since it barely lasted a few months.  I got some Hill Country bbq, because how could I not?  Unfortunately this definitely resulted in major food coma for the pm.  Delicious as always though.

All the eats - brisket, mac and cheese, baked beans, and cornbread with honey butter

all for about $13

a TON of fatty brisket. yum

Their mac and cheese is pretty solid

Baked beans with some burnt ends mixed in

Dinner at Razza in Jersey City, NJ

One Friday afternoon Dan and I managed to make it to Razza by 5pm, which is opening time.  We were maybe the third group in line, and within 15-20 minutes the entire place was packed.  The food was delicious as usual.  Some of the best if not THE best pizza you can get in the NYC area.

latest menu

Loved my cider

How I missed the Ceci (chickpeas)

Also can't resister the kale caesar

Maple bacon pizza - fresh mozzarella, bacon, shaved onion, and NY maple syrup. Definitely hands down my fav pizza

Funghi - fresh mozzarella, mixed mushrooms, scamorza cheese and shaved onion

Home-made salmon belly and vegetables

For Valentine's Day, we picked up some salmon belly from the nearby Asian grocery store, and Dan pan-fried it along with brussel sprouts and potatoes.  The salmon was delicious, very meaty texture but nicely balanced with the fat.  The brussels and potatoes Dan cut with some balsamic so it accompanied the belly very nicely.  The belly itself was also a lot cheaper than regular filets.  An excellent V-day meal!

Home-made pork chops and rice and beans

I used the air fryer to make my usual pork chops and it turned out great!  It was a lot faster to cook but I had to do in two batches to make sure the skin crisped.  I didn't turn it over half way through, so maybe I should next time.  I marinated the pork chops in italian dressing then covered in bread crumbs, and cooked at 400 degrees for 12 minutes.  They were a tad burned, so Dan suggested next time cooking at lower temp for longer to get crisper skin.  The rice and beans were a great compliment too.

Air fried pork chops with rice and beans, and cherry tomatoes

Lunch at Rumba Cubana in Jersey City, NJ

Dan and I went to Rumba Cubana for a late lunch and had an incredible meal.  The food was soo delicious and inexpensive, and the drinks, although unlabeled on the menu, were also inexpensive and very tasty.  I definitely would come back, for brunch, for dinner, for whatever.  I'm still so amazed by how cheap it was considering how much food it was.  We had leftovers for more than two more meals.  I highly recommend people go here before they realize how expensive things should actually be.

Complimentary crackers with dip.  Not sure what was in the dip but I really liked it

One side of the menu so you can see how inexpensive the food is

Papa Hemingway Daiquiri (L) - $7.95
Passionfruit Sangria (R) - $7.95

Ceviche de Pescado - $6.95  Sooo much fish, large pieces, and the marinade was just the right level of acidic.  I only wish we had gotten more plantain chips 

Chicharrones de puerco - $3.95!  Sooo much delicious pork goodness

Dan got mofongo with ropa vieja - $7.95, which he ate for three meals total

El Revolico sandwich - $7.95, churrasco steak, fried sweet plaintains, swiss cheese on pressed cuban bread. SO SO good. I  could only eat one third at lunch because I was stuffed from the other food
with side of maduros $2

Inside of my sandwich.  Perfect combo of meat, cheese, and plaintains

still in shock by how cheap this was

Brunch at Greene Hook in Jersey City, NJ

The 'rents, Dan and I went to Greene Hook for brunch.  Looks like they recently changed their menu, so got to try a few new things, which is always something I look forward to.  Everyone was particularly impressed by the pork buns, since the restaurant itself isn't particularly asian-inspired.

Latest menu - February 2019

Pork Belly Buns - hoisin, scallion, cucumber

BLT on sourdough with fries

Mixed Green Salad (mixed greens, beans, egg, potato, and basil) with grilled chicken

Three eggs and style with bacon, roasted tomato, home fries, and toast

Fat Joe - breaded chicken, bacon, mayo, and american cheese

Dinner at Wurstbar in Jersey City, NJ

Nicole, Tracy and I went to Wurstbar for happy hour dinner.  We each got our own sausage and shared poutine.  I had to get one of their monthly specials as it sounded so so good, and ended up being delicious.  Another incredible and inexpensive meal (came out to $25 w/tip, including drinks).

February monthly specials

Three different sausages

Chicken Masala Poutine - Haus cut fries, cheese curds, chicken sausage, spicy masala gravy, cilantro

poutine without the flash

I got Gordon's Ramsey - beef frank, prosciutto, dijon, duxelle crumble, puff pastry and mushroom wine sauce. So incredible