Kosher Orgy: Save the Deli launch party at Ben’s

For those of you who have been living under a rock the last several years, my friend David Sax has been working diligently on his book Save the Deli, a chronicle of his travels throughout the United States and Canada in his efforts to seek out what remains of our dying Jewish Deli culture.

I was invited to his launch party this evening and I have to say, the man seriously knows how to throw a kosher rumpus — invite Borscht Belt King  and Friar’s Club dean Freddie Roman as master of ceremonies, attempt to feed some of the hungriest fressers in the city with enough cholesterol and saturated fat to kill a rogue elephant, and get Jewish Elvis to entertain the masses. Now THAT my friends is a party.

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Want to make Steve Jobs’ head explode? There’s a phone for that!

Many carriers and device manufacturers have claimed to have iPhone-killers. They tried and failed to unseat the giant, which has a huge following of users and a massive application store. But right now, at least in the United States, iPhone is tied to AT&T Wireless, which has been riddled with 3G coverage problems, much to the frustration of the company’s subscribers.

Click to read the rest of this article at ZDNet Tech Broiler.

October 14, 2009 Updates: Daruma, Havana’s Cuban Cafe

Daruma in Englewood, opened in 2004, is still producing some of the best and most creative Sushi and Sashimi creations in Bergen County.

Babaloo! Havana’s Cuban Cafe in Edgewater is still banging out delicious Latino delights.

Englewood, New Jersey: A Personalized Dining Guide for my Friend Muammar

My dearest friend Muammar:

It is my understanding you are going to be visiting our local integrated community of Englewood next month. While I am hearing there may be some resistance to your choice of accommodations, I can certainly understand why you’d like to come here.

Englewood is without a doubt one of the best dining destinations in the entire Northern New Jersey / Bergen County area. Our governor, congressman and mayor may want to keep you away for various politically inclined reasons, and some of our local residents may want to have a word or two with you about the friends you are keeping, but in the interest of maintaining friendly relations between our two nations, I would would be happy to dine with you at any of the top-notch local eateries below.

Given that I am not familiar with your particular culinary leanings, I’ve compiled a list that is a sample of different cultural cuisines. All of them also do take-out, just in case you have any security concerns and want to send the boys over to pick something up.

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Victor von Frankenstein Never Had to Deal With RMAs

Several months ago I put up a blog post called “Extreme PCs and Homebrewing: Rest In Peace”, which needless to say attracted a great deal of responses on both side of the fence, those that agreed that due to the economy and the factors surrounding the business of homebrewing and component sales, system building is probably in its last days, and others who vehemently oppose the notion that the practice of home-brewing your own computer is going away.

Read the rest of this article at ZDNet Tech Broiler.

Off The Broiler Supports Partners in Caring

The ShopRite organization recognized the pervasive problem of hunger experienced by so many people right in the neighborhoods served by their stores. It’s a problem that not only exists during the holiday season, when attention is focused on charitable giving, but it also exists throughout the year.

With the help of more than 50 manufacturers, the ShopRite Partners in Caring program is committed to helping to feed and meet the nutritional needs of families and the elderly who may otherwise go without. These generous companies are a major reason why ShopRite Partners In Caring has been such a success.

Off The Broiler is proud to be part of a network of regional food blogs which supports the efforts of ShopRite and the companies which support this critical charitable cause to fight hunger.

Today, the ShopRite Partners In Caring program supports 23 regional food banks and more than 1,400 charitable agencies with food or meal components. With a $2 million annual donation, more than $20 million has been donated since 1999 in the fight against hunger.

How It Works

Companies that have joined ShopRite in the fight against hunger are marked in stores with the ShopRite Partners In Caring shelf label. By choosing these products, ShopRite customers support manufacturers who contribute to the program.

Each of the 217 ShopRite stores in the six states that ShopRite serves (New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Maryland) selects qualified local organizations to benefit from the program. These local food charities use their designated funds to acquire supplies at a food bank.

Every time a customer purchases products with the ShopRite Partners In Caring shelf tag, they support the brands that support the fight against hunger. At ShopRite, customers are not just filling a grocery bag; they are helping to fill empty bowls for thousands of hungry families in your community.

For more information on the ShopRite Partners in Caring Program, please visit:

Web Site: http://www.shopritepartnersincaring.org/

Blogroll: Texas Weiners at SeriousEats, a History and Interactive Map

I completely missed this gem of a post on SeriousEats back in July, all about “Texas Weiners”. Texas Weiners are a genre of hot dog found not in Texas, but in New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania, and it was created by Greek immigrants.

We’ve covered Texas Weiners on our posts about Goffle Grill and Johnny and Hanges. I’ve also created my own recipe for hot dog chili similar to Texas Weiner sauce called “Cleveland Indians Chili”, with a smoked chili bite.

Be sure to visit the SeriousEats site where they’ve been doing an entire series on regionally specialized hot dogs, including The Philly Combo, Tijuana Dogs, and the Flo’s Dog from Maine the Puka dog from Hawaii and the Slaw Dog from the Southern US.

August 6, 2009 Updates: Chengdu 1, Green Door Cafe

Chengdu 1 in Cedar Grove continues to dish out wonderful spicy Sichuan treats.

Green Door Cafe, still fresh from its glowing review by in the Bergen Record by Bill Pitcher, is  banging out fantastic organic and sustainable dining.

Connecticut Dining: Frank Pepe Pizza Napoletana

Frank Pepe Pizza Napoletana
Locations: 157 Wooster Street / 164 Wooster Street (New Haven CT)

Web Site: http://www.pepespizzeria.com

Frank Pepe Pizza Napoletana in New Haven is “The Spot” for some of the best pizza in the entire country.

As I explained in my previous post about Caserta’s in Providence, New England has a unique pizza tradition that is entirely separate, but parallel to that of New York’s. Many pizza enthusiasts agree that New Haven, Connecticut has some of the best pizza in the entire country, as it boasts some of the oldest pizzeria with coal-fired ovens in the United States. Three of these happen to have started by the same extended family — Pepe’s, The “Spot” and Sally’s Apizza, all of which are part of the same Wooster Square old Italian-American neighborhood.

Whenever you mention Pizza to a New Haven native the question of which of these places comes up, and there is a bit of a rivalry between them, much like the issue of which cheesesteak is better in Philly, Pat’s or Geno’s. However, there is one particular specialty in which Pepe’s is known to excel, which is the Clam Pie.

You lookin’ for some A’Beets? Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more. (note, all photos are from May 2008)

Rhode Island Dining: Evelyn’s Drive In

Evelyn’s Drive In
2335 Main Road (Rt. 77) Tiverton, RI
(401) 624-3100

Web Site: http://www.evelynsdrivein.com

Evelyn’s Drive In, on the shores of the Narragansett Bay on Nanaquaket Pond in Tiverton, Rhode Island, is one of the most authentic New England clam shack dining experiences you are going to ever going to encounter.

When I’m traveling  to places that I’m not familiar with, I rely heavily on online sources of information for discovering new restaurants to dine at. Forums such as eGullet and Chowhound used to be where I got most of my recommendations, but now that I’ve long joined the corps of rogue bloggers, I search out “locals” who write blogs like my own, who are close to the action and have the most up-to-date information.

So when I was headed towards Providence, Rhode Island this week on a business trip, I contacted local resident Jennifer Hess, who writes the very excellent cooking blog Last Night’s Dinner.

Jennifer is a recently expatriated  New Yorker who now lives in Providence. One of the recommendations she gave me was for Evelyn’s Drive In, a true New England “Clam Shack” in the historic town of Tiverton, about 22 miles Southeast of Providence crossing the Taunton River and the Braga Bridge. The 41-year old restaurant was featured on a 2007 episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” on Food Network.

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