Repeat Offenders

Remember how I talked here about my love of La Sicilia and their hot pepper appetizer? Well, take a look at the bad boys below. Don’t they look heavenly? (you can stare, it’s ok)



We couldn’t stay away for long so we returned for more deliciousness this past week. This time around my husband ordered the Lobster Fra Diavlo dinner and I had an eggplant parm sandwich. Their food is so freakin’ good it isn’t even funny.
Look at this lobster over pasta:



Not only was the food beyond tasty, the dinner bill came to $35! I mean, if that doesn’t make you want to eat there I don’t know what will.

Order Up!

I looooove me some Italian food. My husband loves Greek food. My mother loves French food. You get the picture....

My in-laws? They love the diner. Any good diner within a 20 mile radius and chances are they’ve been there. My father-in-law is totally on a first name basis at his regular diner with all the waitstaff!! So when Father’s Day rolled around, we figured what better place than to take my hubby’s daddy but ....you guessed it...THE DINER!!!

The Pilgrim Diner was quite crowded and there was a little wait due to all the dads out celebrating, but their food is always worth it. High turnover means fresh food and that’s what you want in a diner; that and good service. I think Pilgrim managed both on a very busy day.



Wondering if a diner in North Jersey is any good? Leave a comment on the blog and I’ll check with my in-laws. Seriously, they would probably know :-)

Greek Goodness

I think my husband was Greek in a past life. The guy will NEVER say no to the food. If I asked him at midnight after we just ate a six course dinner if he wanted to go get some Keftedes, I’m betting he’d say yes?!

Needless to say, we go out for Greek very frequently. Our favorite Greek restaurant is here, but this past weekend we decided to try It’s Greek To Me that just opened in The Promenade Shops at Clifton. The perfect weekend weather called for outdoor dining and The Promenade has really nice outside seating.

We are self proclaimed experts in the field of Melitzanosalata (eggplant dip). Everywhere we go it is our appetizer of choice so naturally we started with some dip and warm pita. My personal favorite is at Stamna, but It’s Greek to Me had a pretty good version with lots of chopped raw onion in it.

The entrees consisted of a grilled seafood platter with shrimp, calamari and octopus for my hubby (again better at Stamna) and a chicken souvlaki pita with a side of Greek fries for me. My only complaint is that their tzatziki needed some work. It should be cool, creamy and garlicky, not warm and bland. The Greek fries were some of the best I’ve had to date though– extra crispy with lemon and oregano. Yum.
It’s Greek to Me is a chain restaurant so in fairness it can’t compete with authentic Greek eateries. However it made us happy to sit outdoors, eat lots of fresh tasting food, sip our white wine and just chillax.

Perfect date nite with my hubby Michael...er, um, I mean Stavros.

P.S. – For super high end Greek that will blow your mind, eat at Avra or Milos in NYC.

Close to Home

I love a long drive to a new restaurant destination, but I also enjoy knowing that there is great fast food close to home.

Believe it or not I've never eaten at Famous Ray's Pizza in Verona, NJ until yesterday. I can't imagine how many times in my life I have driven past this establishment since it practically sits on Bloomfield Avenue. Maybe a million?

After tasting my lunchtime slice of artichoke and spinach pie with pastry like crust, I will return again and again. If spinach artichoke dip and pizza had a baby, it would be like this stuff!





Good and cheap. Can't beat that.

B is for Borgata, Bliss, Buddy, Belly, Band and Bloody Mary! (Part Deux)

When we last left off, ALJ and I were drinking champagne at 5 o’clock. Oh how I miss Borgata....

After we departed The Sunroom it was time to rest and freshen up before dinner. It is sort of absurd to say we needed to “rest” before eating again. I mean, up until this point, we had done nothing but eat, gamble, shop, and drink!!! (See why you all need to visit Borgata?)

The room brought us a change of clothes and we re-emerged onto the casino floor at 8pm ready to eat again. We were having dinner at Wolfgang Puck American Grille.

The restaurant has a Tavern section and a Dining Room section (separate menus). We opted for the Tavern because the environment is irresistable – a terrace set a step above the gaming floor. I should add that I would like my home to be decorated like this restaurant! Look:



After we ordered our bottle of New Zealand Sauv Blanc to share with dinner, we put in an order for the following...an appetizer of the Antipasto Plate for Two and two entrees that we would share...Almond Crusted Salmon over Potato Puree in a Red Wine Reduction and a house made Fettucine with Tomato and Serrano Ham Sauce.

The Antipasto was served on a large round plate and had some porchetta, salami, olives, eggplant caponata, beets with goat cheese and anchovies with grilled bread for mopping up all the deliciousness. My favorite was these tiny white pearl onions that had been grilled and marinated. Perfect appetizer with the wine.
Our entrees came out and they were picture perfect. Once again I forgot to take entree photos (sorry, blame the wine). But I did manage to take a photo of the empty plate with NOTHING ON IT because everything was delectable. I’m still wondering how I could replicate the pasta dish in my own kitchen. Guess it will never happen and that’s why he is Wolfgang Puck!





Sadly we had to pass on dessert because we just didn’t have an inch of room left.

After dinner we were strolling through the hotel and passed by Gypsy Bar. Could a few nightcap drinks hurt while we listened to the band play a few songs? Turns out Loudmouth Band was SO GOOD that we found ourselves planning a trip back to Borgata just to listen to them again! They are worth seeing if you live in the area. You can check their tour dates here.



The end of our twenty four hour bliss came at 11am the next morning when it was time check out. Borgata has so many choices for breakfast that it is often hard to decide. Metropolitan, The Borgata Buffet, Bread & Butter or Roma...hmmm. Feeling sentimental, we chose to end where we started, back at Metropolitan.

More food sharing (a girl thing). We ordered a fried egg sandwich and the Spicy Scramble: scrambled eggs, monterey jack cheese, chorizo sausage and ham served with home fries and toast. The Spicy Scramble won me over and the home fries were some of the best I’ve had. I’m usually not a fan of heavy greasy potatoes in the morning, but these were individual fried potato cubes that were really yummy! We made the right choice coming full circle and finishing up our trip at Metropolitan.



Common sense would tell you that we didn’t want to leave this gastronomic getaway. I will always have the memories though –

Glee tunes playin’ on the Ipod
The blinged out bag I bought with slot winnings
A placemat full of notes from our Wolfgang dinner
Singing Sweet Caroline with Loudmouth Band (and young Mike)
Cocktail breaks
Late night internet session
Talking, talking and more talking

Good times. Such good times.

B is for Borgata, Bliss, Buddy, Belly, Band and Bloody Mary!

Did you ever feel sooo unbelievably happy for an extended period of time that when the happy wears off you actually experience a “happy hangover?” You might chuckle, but it IS possible my friends. It happened to me earlier this week.

You see whenever the “B” word (Borgata) is involved I seem to be so elated during my stay there that when I return home, I’m tired and my head actually hurts. Sometimes there’s even a little nausea thrown in. Yes, r-e-a-l-l-y.

If you have ever been to Borgata then you’ll probably agree with everything I’m saying. If you haven’t, let me school you. When the Borgata Hotel and Casino opened a few years ago, it proclaimed itself “YOUR HAPPY PLACE.” They use this clever marketing slogan on notepads, mail advertisements, and when you log onto their website there is even a link that says “take me to my happy place” so you can book a room. I’m living proof that this is accurate marketing. Borgata will honestly make you so f*&#ing happy you will want to break into song and dance right there in the middle of the casino.

Granted, I am wee bit biased because this is where one of the most monumentous events in my life took place. Ready? I GOT ENGAGED THERE (flashback of me looking down at my hand and the ring, being all, really? this ring is for ME? awwwwww). I only associate the place with happy happy times. And until recently I’ve only shared Borgata experiences with my hubby, in-laws and parents. That all changed when my girlfriend “ALJ” and I came up with using this spot for a catch up session (we live in different states) and a girl's night of pure fun (thus the happy hangover mentioned earlier).

Our trip started off gabbing over lunch at Metropolitan. This is one of Borgata’s casual restaurants that offers contemporary and classic American foods replete with an oyster bar! Time for our order: “Garcon, may we have one order of Buffalo Wings, one Asian Chicken Salad, and two Bloody Marys please. Thank you.” Food was delivered and yes, it was delicious. Maybe not the best food on the planet, but remember you are on the Borgata Happy High so everything tastes better than normal! The buffalo wings were greaseless and came with the traditional crock of blue cheese and celery sticks (love that). The Asian Chicken salad consisted of tender chicken breast served over napa cabbage, romaine, watercress, carrots, and then topped with crispy wonton strips all dressed up in a citrus ginger vinaigrette.



Sadly because we were starving we dug in and forgot to take food photos. I know. I know. This is a food blog. I’m sorry :-( All I took is a slot machine photo of the machine I won on.



After playing some Sex And The City Slots (and hitting a jackpot), we shopped here. Eventually we moved on to having cocktails in The Sunroom at The Water Club. The Water Club is Borgata’s newest tower and The Sunroom is located in the Water Club lobby behind the front desk. It is an area infused with sunlight that connects to the outdoor pools. Decorated with elegant gardens, it also features a perpetual cascade of water along a very long stone wall, which makes for a great serene soundscape! We ordered two champagne cocktails and it would be hard for me to tell you this all doesn’t equal sheer bliss...I mean we were lounging near a waterfall drinking champagne at 5 in the afternoon!!! Are ya kidding?

Ahhhh slots:


gorgeous Water Club Lobby (long sighhhhh):


refreshing Champagne Cocktail:


As if all of the above didn’t leave us giddy enough, the fun continued. Stay tuned tomorrow for Part 2 of this post to hear about our yummy dinner at Wolfgang Puck, the band that made us stay out wayyy past curfew, and our return trip to Metropolitan for yet another meal.....

P.S. – I’m experiencing some residual Happy High just writing this post. Hope you are too ALJ!

More Top Chef....

In the words of style icon Rachel Zoe, I DIE. I DIE. I DIE. Did my ears deceive me or did I actually hear during the premiere episode that Mr. Eric Ripert himself will be a recurring guest judge on this season of Top Chef??!?!?!

That silver hair, that smile, that accent, those knife skills, that sweet demeanor....
Excuse me while I go DIE some more.