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.

NJ Dining: Babylon (UPDATED)

Babylon Mediterranean Restaurant
606 Kinderkamack Road
River Edge, NJ

In August of 2006, Babylon, one of our favorite Turkish/Middle Eastern restaurants was forced to close when its lease was not renewed along with several other stores in the ill-fated Huffman-Koos shopping center in River Edge. Needless to say, I was totally bummed out by this development — not only was Babylon a great dining value but it also made some of the best Turkish and Middle-Eastern food that you could find in Bergen County. To get anything comparable, you had to go to Patterson or Union City. While we still had Kervan in Cliffside Park (a restaurant that has seen better days, its hardcore Turkish crowd long gone) and Samdan in Cresskill (admittedly solid Turkish place, but just didn’t have the precise atmosphere or taste I was looking for) they just weren’t the same — Babylon’s doner and other kebabs were made fresh from scratch daily, and had a definitively home made flavor that couldn’t easily be duplicated.

However, all was not lost. In Late March of 2007, Babylon re-opened only about a mile away from its original location, on Kinderkamack Road on the site of Shanghai Restaurant, which had closed six months before. The owners completely renovated the interior, and now Babylon, menu unchanged, with prices more or less the same, is back and better than ever.

Babylon storefront on Kinderkamack Road in River Edge

Babylon returns! Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.

NJ Dining: Shish! at Whole Foods, Paramus

Shish! at Whole Foods Market
2701 Bergen Mall, Paramus NJ
(201) 226-1244

Other locations: Tribeca, NYC

The new Shish! stand at Whole Foods’s new Paramus. New Jersey location serves Middle-Eastern kebabs and mezze with an organic twist.

I recently had a chance to try the new Shish! middle eastern food stand at the brand new Whole Foods market in the recently revamped Bergen Mall, accompanied by former Bergen Record staff writer and experienced foodie Victor Sasson, who recently has started blogging about healthy and chemical-free shopping options in New Jersey. Victor is a Syrian Jew by birth, with a very discerning palate, and has an even greater level of experience with Middle Eastern food than I do, so I was interested in seeing his reactions to the food there.

Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.

Podcast: Victor Sasson’s “Do You Really Know What You’re Eating?”

Victor Sasson’s Do You Really Know What You’re Eating? Blog has a focused mission on finding the best chemical and additive-free meat, fish and produce in Northern New Jersey.

When most people retire, they play golf, they go to the Senior Center, they join Facebook and post pictures of their grandchildren, they crochet, or they do various things that don’t involve actual work. Not Victor Sasson.

I’ve known Victor for a number of years, and before he retired from a long career as a professional journalist only about a year ago, he was a food writer  for the Bergen Record. Now, like a travelling culinary rogue, he hunts down the very best places to buy groceries and meat and fish and all sorts of things in Northern New Jersey for you to cook at home, with a focus on natural, organic,  hormone and chemical-free foods. Victor has only been blogging since late March, but he’s already amassed over 50 posts on various shopping venues in the local Bergen County/North Jersey area. It’s going to take me a while to catch up.

I recently had a chance to meet up with Victor over lunch at Whole Foods in Paramus’  Bergen Mall. Click Here to listen to Victor and I talk about the changing New Jersey restaurant scene, and his love for Middle Eastern and Korean cuisines.

Off The Broiler Podcast: Victor Sasson

Victor may be retired, but he’s definitely not tired — definitely check out his blog.