YO! Sushi- Paramus, NJ

YO! Sushi is the largest sushi chain in the U.K. and they are making their way across the pond to the former colonies. The first location in the Northeast is in the Westfield Garden State Plaza, and they opened April 30th. We were invited to the soft opening and I thought it might be interesting to check out their unique concept. 

What makes them unique, at least here in the States, is that they have a long conveyor belt running called a kaiten around the restaurant on which dishes ride looking like flying saucers from an old sci-fi flik. You take what you want off of the belt and dig in. The plates are color coded and each color has a price. They tally up the plates when you finish, and you pay. The plates are covered, so they are protected, and they have a code on them which I assume tells them when to pull the item from the belt should it not have been selected. 

Don't see what you want? Don't worry as they have a menu of hot foods and more available. All you do is push a button at your seat and the white light next to you turns blue. Blink and a server instantly  appears (well it seemed so anyway). What you order is quickly delivered. In a real hurry? They have a cooler in front with items ready to go. 

We tried quite a few dishes and they were all very good. My favorite was the calamari with a ginger taste. It was lightly fried and the calamari was just the right texture. 

I also loved the spicy dragon roll. Not too spicy though, just the right amount of heat.

The salmon was fresh, tasty, and a generous portion.

I tried a seaweed dish that was good also. The dishes are not labeled, but there is a large full-color menu with pictures of each allowing the diner to easily identify the plate like using an Audubon book for bird watching. It actually is quite a fun activity.

Now I can see an upside to this system, and a downside. The upside is that you can start eating immediately upon being seated and see what the food looks like, perhaps leading to trying something different. The downside is that with everything passing by, those plates can rack up rather quickly on your table, as can the bill. I recommend exercising caution and eating slowly. 

Overall, the food is fresh and good. Not what I would call amazing, but quite good. The selection on the conveyor is simple, but the menu is more extensive. The ambiance is cool, the staff is friendly, enthusiastic, and helpful. I would go back again and you should stop by for a unique sushi experience. They have a website for more information.

Zinburger- Paramus, N

Hand-cut fries

Zinburger has taken that iconic American classic, the burger, and made it all grown-up with sophisticated taste and a bit of class served up in a slightly upscale setting and featuring a wide selection of wines, without going over the top. Yes, they are a bit pricey compared to burger joints, but I don't really think one can compare them to a burger joint. Zinburger is to burger joints as Morton's is to Ponderosa. Well, maybe Morton's is fancier, but you get the analogy.

We stopped by the Paramus location early on a Wednesday and the place was not crowded. It has an upscale, yet slightly casual feel to it. The service was excellent, friendly, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable. Nia took good care of us. 

The Ringer

I ordered the Ringer which had jalapeño jack cheese, bacon, a spicy onion ring, and a big of hot sauce on a brioche bun. I ordered it medium and it came out a perfect medium with just the right amount of seasoning. The burger was juicy, but not greasy, and had no aftertaste. In short, it was delicious and worth every penny of the eleven bucks it cost. 

Teresa got the classic Zinburger at ten bucks and it had a mild Spanish cheese, onions grilled in wine, and lettuce on a brioche bun. It came exactly the medium-well that she'd ordered and she said it was delicious. 

We shared an order of fries, five bucks, and a salted caramel shake, six bucks. The fries were great and the shake amazing. 

Zinburger

Overall, really good food with excellent service and nice ambiance. We'll be back. 

East Coast Burger Company- Ridgewood, NJ

Patty Melt

In a word, amazing, but that may just be an understatement. East Coast Burger Company in Ridgewood, New Jersey takes the concept of Five Guys and Shake Shack and elevates it to a new level with fresh local beef cooked perfectly. After our friend Danielle told me we had to try them, I put them on my short list. 

I ordered the Maytag and applewood bacon burger shown below for  $7.25 and added fries for another three bucks. The burger was amazing with plenty of that great blue cheese and an ample supply of bacon. The fries were just right with that crispy exterior and a nice soft interior. They have bottles of malt vinegar on the tables and that added the perfect touch.

Maytag Burger with fries

Teresa got the Patty Melt on potato bread at $6.25 and she said that she would order it again when we come back. Add in a soda and a delightful blueberry ice cream cone and the whole tab came to $23.00. 

You have got to try this place. Oh, they also serve lobster rolls wherein they use a whole lobster for each order. From what I've heard they are great. 

Smashburger- Ramsey, NJ

New Jersey Burger

This has been on the short list for some time now and today was the day to try Smashburger. Now at first glance one might think "Five Guys rip-off," but after trying them I found that they are different, and perhaps better. They are definitely competing against Five Guys, as well as Jake's Wayback, In-and-out, Steak and Shake, and more and doing a good job of it.  The Smashburger chain has over five hundred locations, was started in Denver Colorado by Tom Ryan. 

The Ramsey staff was friendly and helpful, and the restaurant was clean and bright. I ordered the New Jersey Burger, they have a regional burger in every market, which had bacon, blue cheese, grilled onions and onion straws on an onion roll. I got the regular which weighed in at 1/3 of a pound instead of the 1/2 pound large. The regular was a perfect size for an amazing burger. The meat was very good and the combination of ingredients went well together. Teresa ordered a regular cheeseburger which came with onions and she was quite pleased. 

We shared an order of sweet potato fries, some of the best I've tasted, and we also shared a shake. Actually we didn't have to share as they split the shake into two glasses for us which was a nice touch. 

Overall, we spent twenty bucks for two burgers, some sweet potato fires and a milk shake and we left full. The service was excellent and the restaurant clean. We'll be back a few times and so should you. 

Lambertville Station, Lambertville, NJ

We travel between Orange County New York and Chester County in Pennsylvania quite often and for some time we thought we'd found all of the decent restaurants along the way, and a few bad ones. Well, one day we strayed off the beaten path and discovered New Hope in Pennsylvania and Lambertville in New Jersey. Between these two small towns on the Delaware River, there must be at least fifty places to try. This should keep us busy for a long time. 

Today we cruised through the Pennsylvania side and couldn't find a place to park so over the river to Jersey we went. We found a parking spot a few blocks into town and walked back toward the river where we'd spotted the Lambertville Station. We looked at the menu they had outside, I love it when restaurants do this, and decided to give them a try. Before we did I thought that this could either be very good, or nothing more than a tourist trap.

The place is big, well it was a railroad station, with a large patio outside along banks of the canal, but it was too chilly for that so we went in. The upstairs dining area was a bit full with a fifteen minute wait and the hostess said we could put our name in, or go downstairs and maybe there was a table in the bar area, or the Tapas room. We went down and that hostess said that a table opened just up in the bar, and she was adamant that we grab it quick. We did. I looked around and it had a British Isles feel to it with lots of wood. 

The bartender brought us water and menus and we perused. It came down to fish and chips, a burger or eggs benedict. I ordered the Angus burger (see the picture above) with bacon and blue cheese for ten bucks and it came with fresh chips which were quite good. By the way, the blue cheese was not listed as an option but they can do pretty much whatever you ask for. I ordered it medium and when I ate it I realized it was closer to being well-done, but it was a darn good well-done burger retaining plenty of moisture without being greasy and it had plenty of flavor. The roll was sweet in taste, and very fresh.

Teresa had the small burger shown above. It was five ounces compared to my eight ounce burger and it had a sautéed pear slice on top with cheddar cheese. She said it was delicious. My son Mark ordered the fish and chips and he said the fish was cooked right and only lightly battered so that it wasn't heavy in taste and the last piece was as good as the first.

We had three excellent meals for thirty-three bucks and the service was friendly and good. I guess it turned out to the first choice, very good, although they probably do cater to tourists. On the way out we picked up a paper that said they also have game meat in the evening such as elk, pheasant, crocodile, and a few others. I'll have to go sometime to try the pheasant. I think we'll be back a few times as we only scratched the surface of this place and there seems to be so much more to explore. Stop by and see for yourself.

The Fireplace Restaurant, Ramsey, NJ

I have passed this place hundreds of times. Sometimes I wondered what it was like and wanted to stop but Route 17 was busy and by the time I could get into the right lane I was already past it. Other times I'd already eaten. Well, today I made the effort to be in the proper lane and we stopped by. I'm glad we did.

Remember those restaurants on the side of the road before the Clown, the King and the red-headed girl with the pigtails took over? Well, that's what The Fireplace Restaurant is. This place isn't a retro burger place like so many companies are trying to create, this is the real thing like it used to be. It was started in the late fifties by an FBI agent and his family. 

You place your order at the counter, pay them, and wait a few minutes. Your order is handed to you on a tray and you find a seat. Simple and pretty quick. 

We ordered three cheeseburgers, a combo of fries and rings and a vanilla shake. The total? Fourteen bucks. The burgers were good, not phenomenal, but good. You can tell they're either flame broiled of car-grilled because you can taste it.  The shake was nice with just the right amount of thickness. The rings were okay and the fries were a tad undercooked. You could tell the fries and rings were frozen, but they were good quality. 

There are three sections to the restaurant. The burger counter (they offer a lot of other things too), the pizza counter upstairs, and the breakfast counter in the back that was closed when we were there.

The bottom line is that you really should stop by and taste a bit of Americana past at its best. They're better than any fast food place (except for a Five Guy's or a Jake's) and comparably priced. They have a website for directions, menu and all that stuff.

Metro Diner, Flemington, NJ

The Metro Diner sits on Route 202 just south of Flemington, on the northbound side, and we've passed by saying we should try them sometime. Well, today was the day.


Inside it has more of a restaurant feel than a diner, but the menu was pure diner with all of the standards. We looked through the menu and debated back and forth over the rueben, the French dip, the Philly cheesesteak and the club sandwiches. 

Teresa got the triple decker turkey club with fries and I got the French dip. We shared so I can comment properly on both. The club sandwich had a ton of smoked turkey on it, so much that I took a bit out to make it easier to handle. The French dip had quality roast beef sliced on it with a bowl of au jus that could have been a bit darker, but it wasn't bad. The fries were nice and crispy and hot too. 

I looked at the food going to other tables and the burgers, the omelets and the Ruebens all looked good. Our food, and what I saw going by, had a different feel than typical diner food. It seemed a bit more upscale, a fact that was not reflected in the prices as they were quite reasonable. 

Overall, good food at reasonable prices with good service. They even had a piano player in the front room belting out some songs and pictures of famous actors on the walls. 

Clinton Station Diner, Clinton, NJ

The Clinton Station Diner in Clinton New Jersey, just off Route 78, was featured recently on the Food Network show Outrageous Food with Tom Pizzica. I'd seen the episode, but I didn't recognize the restaurant as one we pass by once in a while on our way to Pennsylvania. Today we were passing by at noon and decided to stop by for lunch. This turned out to be a good decision. One of the reasons we always thought about stopping was that there is a railroad car attached to the building that was once a railroad observation car. We were given a seat in the main dining area, but I peaked into the dining car and realized we should have asked to be seated there as it was brighter and looked interesting. Well, next time.

Still didn't recognize the place from the Food Network until we looked at the place-mats and Teresa pointed it out to me. They make the world's biggest burger, a massive fifty pounder called the Mount Olympus. They also make burgers that are one pound, two pounds, three pounds, and up to a seven pounder called the Zeus, as well as normal sized ones with a whole bunch of toppings choices. I remember the big one on TV. This keeps up with our Food Network restaurants and chefs we've visited and makes number six.

We smelled the coffee as we entered and saw the sign that announces the coffee is made fresh every twenty-minutes so we ordered coffee and water and looked through the menus. Well, we took quite a bit of time looking as the menu is extensive and everything looked so good. I was originally going to get a Cuban burger and finally decided to pass in favor of the Cuban Panini, shown to the left. Teresa got a chicken and eggplant sandwich with marinara sauce on the side. By the way, the coffee was very good.

The food came rather quick and was piping hot, so hot I had to be careful picking up my sandwich. The cheese was melted perfectly, there were plenty of pickles on it and the ham had a nice flavor. The fries were steak fries and there were plenty. Very good sandwich. Teresa's was equally good and the marinara sauce had a nice flavor, better than the marinara at some Italian restaurants we'd been to.

The service was good and attentive and I watched how the waitress handled a complaint at a neighboring table where the woman didn't like what she'd ordered. They did a nice job of rectifying the situation pleasantly. Oh, and the bathrooms were clean.

Overall it was a good dining experience and I think we may take this route so we can stop by more often to sample a few things on the menu that looked interesting. I will try a burger as I saw one being delivered to another table and it looked big and juicy. They have a website for more information.