LA hound to Edgewater... Help!

[nomnomnoms]

Hi Guys,

I'm going on a business trip to Edgewater this weekend (Fri~Sunday) and need suggestions for dinner.
To my understanding, there isn't much there? I'm willing to drive 20~ 30 minutes for a meal. My budget is around 30 bucks a meal, and I'm looking to eat something that I can't experience in Los Angeles/ Orange County (so please, don't refer me to the Mitsuwa food court).

Thank you so much for your help!!

[njfreqflyer]

Any suggestions in that area for soft shell crab? This is the season and I don't recall seeing those as an offering in La-La land.

[menton1]

http://lizjohnson.lohudblogs.com/2010...

[nomnomnoms]

i'm definitely open to street joints, since *i* personally think that it shows local flavor more.

definitely will try dickie dee's... but more recs would be highly appreciated :)

[menton1]

Bennie's-- Englewood. Good Lebanese, very good hummus.

Mo Pho, Fort Lee. Top quality Vietnamese. For a slightly nicer ambience, go to the sister restaurant, Saigon, in Englewood.

Axia-- Tenafly. Upscale Greek, about 15 mins away.

A lot of buzz about a newly opened sleek New American in Closter, about 15 mins away. Name is Locale.on Piermont Road 1/2 mile north of downtown.

[menton1]

I respectfully disagree about Newark. It's also probably more than 30 minutes unless you go at 3AM...

Newark restaurants specialize in quantity. HUGE portions. The payback is that the food is neither authentic nor of a high quality. Portugal natives confirm this.

A Spanish (Spain) option is 10 minutes away, Tapas de Espana, in Englewood. Cute environment, decent food.

The most authentic and best Portuguese option is in NY, Pao, on Spring St. Real Portuguese bread, and authentic cooking right out of Lisbon.

Of course, if you do go to NYC, the options are limitless. The ferry, as the poster above mentioned, is a great way to go, you'll definitely be there in under 30 min!

[njfreqflyer]

Hmmm. I may be willing to yield on the driving time -- I do tend to drive at, umm, speeds a visitor to our fair state could probably not sustain -- but I will claim an exception to the "Newark = huge portions" rule on behalf of Casa Vasca. My experience there has been "quality" and "value."

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Casa Vasca
141 Elm St, Newark, NJ 07105

[fourunder]

Are you up for Chinese, Spanish or Italian?

Big Red Tomato in Fort Lee......http://www.brtnj.com/

DiPalma Brothers in North Bergen......http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2006/08/30/nj-dining-dipalma-brothers/

Trattoria Sorrentina in North Bergen....http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2007/10/07/nj-dining-trattoria-sorrentina/

Tapas de Espana in North Bergen.......http://www.zagat.com/Verticals/PropertyDetails.aspx?VID=8&R=87777

Petite SooChow in Cliffside Park......http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2010/05/08/the-last-supper-with-david/#more-3424

http://events.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/...

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Big Red Tomato
1205 Anderson Ave Ste 1, Fort Lee, NJ 07024

[njfreqflyer]

If you want to stay Jersey-side, consider a trip to Newark, which is just at the 30-minute mark from Edgewater. Two dining ideas that are not available in LA come to mind:

1. Italian hot dogs. These are a big deal around these parts. And it's not just about the hot dogs or sausage; it takes the right bread, and fried peppers, onions, and potatoes to make it all work so well. There are several threads on this board (and maybe older ones on the Mid-Atlantic board) that discuss the subject in detail. Dickie Dee's on Bloomfield Ave. is probably the place to go given your travel radius. Note: this is basically a pizza joint; it’s not intended to be fine dining.

2. Portuguese / Basque food in the Ironbound section. I happen to be a fan of Casa Vasca, but Seabra's Marisqueira is another recommended place. There are also Spanish restaurants which offer rodizio, which is a rotating selection of several different kinds of roasted and barbecued meat on skewers served tableside. Again, you can find lots of opinions on these and other places in Newark/Ironbound in past threads on this board.

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Casa Vasca
141 Elm St, Newark, NJ 07105

Dickie Dee's
380 Bloomfield Ave, Newark, NJ 07107

Seabra's Marisqueira
87 Madison St, Newark, NJ 07105

[menton1]

Are you willing to head over the GW into NY City? If so, then the possibilities become endless! It should also meet the 30 minute requirement, Bridge is 5 min from Edgewater.

[njfreqflyer]

If you do choose to head into NYC, consider taking the ferry from Weehawken instead of driving. The NY Waterway Ferry (http://www.nywaterway.com/) leaves from Port Imperial just a bit south of Edgewater along River Road. It gives you a great perspective of the City and you won't have to worry about parking in Manhattan.

[sixelagogo]

I don't know how much Cuban and Dominican food you can get in LA, but North Bergen (1 town down from Edgewater) and Union City offer up some good latin (read: NOT Mexican) eats. Bergenline road is lined with them and for about 8 bucks, you can eat like a queen/king.

Also: there's a pretty large turkish population in cliffside park, also very close to edgewater. Might want to head up that way and look around

I'm assuming you've had yer fill of Korean food in LA, but Fort Lee and Palisades Park are K-town-a-go-go (no, really). Some details from a local blogger: http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/20...