Sliders
190 Franklin Turnpike, Mahwah NJ
(201) 529-1717
Sliders storefront on Franklin Turnpike in Mahwah.
Sliders is a new burger place in Mahwah which opened in August of 2009. While it’s a bit down route 17 near the Suffern NY border, I think that it’s well worth the drive now that they are offering their “Secret Menu” platters which I helped them to create. I really hope you go, because I think the burgers are excellent and they are great people too.
The new “Secret Menu Platters” at Sliders designed byOff The Broiler.
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This book is a bit of a departure from her previous and excellent cookbook, Daisy Cooks! in that the dishes are more oriented towards entertaining and she’s really put a serious creative spin into it. The previous book was more of a foundation or introductory type book to Latin American cuisine — this one really makes it take off like a supersonic jet blaring reggaeton music on its way into the stratosphere.
The party occurred at Don Coqui, a brand-new and massive high-end Puerto Rican restaurant in New Rochelle, New York owned byJimmy Rodriguez, who is among the most prominent Latino chefs and restauranteurs in the country. Jimmy has opened several Latino restaurants over the last ten years, including Sofrito restaurant in New York City. Rodriguez has now devoted his energies entirely to Don Coqui, and rightfully so.
I never thought a Puerto Rican place would be a destination restaurant in the burbs of the New York metro area, but there it is. It’s also got an entire floor and kitchen dedicated to catering, so it’s a great place to have parties.
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Welcome,Anthony Bourdain:No Reservations viewers! I’ve added a number of shots to this post that I took during the filming of “Obsessed”. Enjoy.
White Manna
358 River St, Hackensack, NJ
(201) 342-0914
Fast food is not something I indulge in frequently, and when I do, I tend to prefer the classic Americana kind rather than the big chains. White Castle is an exception, just because of the uniqueness of the product.
If the hours are right, and the moons are properly aligned, and my stomach says “throw your best at me, you son of a bitch!” then I head over to my very favorite Jersey burger place of all — White Manna, on River Street in Hackensack.
White Manna as seen in daylight. Photo by “Daniel”, eG Forums
White Manna is a tiny little diner structure that can seat about maybe 15 people, tops. The story goes that the original was built in 1937 prior to the 1939 Worlds Fair exhibition in Flushing, NY, was then used at that event, and then later moved to New Jersey. The Hackensack location is not the original, it was built in 1946.
The “Original” location in Jersey City also serves hamburgers and was started by the original owner of both restaurants, however they are no longer related to each other.
All this historical stuff aside, it’s pretty much acknowledged by everyone who has been to both that the better burgers are at the Hackensack location.
When Tony Bourdain asked me where we should go eat when arranging our interview for No Reservations, I could only think of one place — the tiny little belly bomb joint which has over the last few years probably accrued more web traffic on this blog than any other.
There’s No Reservations at White Manna. Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.
Note: This interview took place in 2006, but I’m bringing it to the foreground because it might be of some interest to our readers.It’s a private side to Tony that you might not otherwise get a glimpse of on his TV show.
Restaurants sometimes have good reasons for calling themselves something they are not. In the case of Honey, a five-month old restaurant-come-grocery store in Teaneck, it’s because that marketing is often more effective than full-monty disclosure. Which is very, very sad, because I think Honey is one of the most interesting ethnic restaurants to open in our area in a very long time.
Why the deception? Honey’s cuisine is Persian — which originates from the country that in the modern day is called Iran and is the current pariah state of the Middle East.
While the restaurant bills itself as Mediterranean, modern day Iran is nowhere near the Mediterranean Sea. Iran borders the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf, and cuisine-wise bears only a passing resemblance to most Mediterranean food. Sure, Persia once controlled the territory which is now modern day Turkey, which does border the Mediterranean, but that was between 550 and 330 BCE , when the Achaemenid Empire controlled most of the civilized world.
The history of Persia is complex and one of the most fascinating in ancient history. Its cuisine is unique, delicious, and exotic. And in this part of Northern New Jersey we’ve had the unfortunate situation of previous Persian restaurants failing, such as Shiraz in Edgewater.
Up until Honey’s opening, we’ve only had access to Afghani food at the very excellent Teaneck Kebab House, Pamir in Morristown and Kabab Paradise in Lake Hiawatha. While sharing a similar cultural history as well as a similar language with Iran, Afghan food is very different in terms of their cuisine. Aside from Honey, Negeen in Summit is one of the few other legit Persian restaurants in the area.
Like other Muslims residing in this country Iranian-Americans are often the unfortunate recipients of bad behavior and harassment from ignorant people who vandalize restaurants and businesses as a result of misdirected anger and hatred. Because of this Persian cuisine in this part of the country frequently goes unappreciated. Los Angeles by comparison has a thriving Persian community, but in New Jersey not so much.
Teaneck just got its Persian on. Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.
I’d like to welcome Spoon & Shutter to the New Jersey food blogging community.
While the paint is still drying on this new blog, which only started in February of 2010, its got some serious talent behind it, so you’ll want to pay attention — it’s run by Susan Leigh Sherrill and Ted Axelrod, the husband and wife team whose works you’ve seen in 201 Magazine. Sherrill works as Food and Entertainment Editor of 201, and Axelrod is a professional photographer who has freelanced a number of food spreads in 201 magazine and elsewhere.
At first glance, you might dismiss Lotus Cafe offhand as your average suburban American Chinese joint in a strip mall, because that’s entirely what it looks like. For the first couple of years I lived in this area, that’s exactly what I did, and now I regret that mistake. While I wouldn’t say it has the depth that Petite Soochowor Chengdu 1 have with their Shanghainese/Sichuan cuisine, Lotus Cafe is putting out some seriously good select Taiwanese-style dishes on its menu, particularly all the noodle stuff they do.
Storefont, 2010
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Rachel and I recently re-visited Tandoori Chef, which has been under new ownership for 3 years. Tandoori Chef used to be part of the same restaurant group as the now closed Indian Chef in the International Food Warehouse in Lodi, but has since undergone significant changes, including the re-branding of the cafe space that it owns next door, which used to be Veggie Express but is now Madras Bistro. It should also be noted that Tandoori Chef has recently lowered the price of its lunch buffet to under $10 a person, and we intend on checking that out soon.
Indian Chef and Madras Bistro in Hackensack are serving some of the best North Indian and South Indian Food in Bergen County.
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Note: This article originally appeared as “Off the Broiler Economic Stimulus Dinner II”. With the recent review of this restaurant in the New York Times, we thought it would be appropriate to raise it to the foreground and update several photos.
Aleppo Restaurant
939 Main Street, Paterson NJ
(973) 977-2244
Posted by offthebroiler 
