The Burger Temple in Weehawken, NJ The Burger Temple in Weehawken is an interesting place: located in an old bank (you can see the vault in the back) and with a cool decor, it is not just serving burgers, but also Colombian dishes like arepas or empanadas. The Burger Temple in Weehawken, NJ The Burger Temple in Weehawken, NJ The Burger Temple in Weehawken, NJ The Burger Temple in Weehawken, NJ We went there for the burgers that look fantastic on their electronic menu, to the point that I was not sure what to order. I finally went for the Bank burger, that is made with two beef patties, ch ..read more

Antique on 112 in Hoboken, NJ There is no question that Antique Bar & Bakery is one of my favorite restaurants in Hoboken: their food is simply fantastic, their dirty ribeye being phenomenal and their bread pudding one of the best I ever had among other things that makes this popular restaurant a visit worth a trip to the mile square city. So, when they opened Antique at 112, few steps from their restaurant, we had to try it. The first time was during the Holidays, a perfect time as many people were traveling. The second was recently: the experience was totally different as the place was ..read more

Bjork Cafe in the Scandinavia House in NYC I passed in front of the Scandinavia house so many times and never noticed that there is a restaurant tucked inside: Bjork Cafe proposes Nordic cuisine in a minimalist decor. We found it on Opentable.com, as we were looking for a place to go on a Friday evening few weeks ago. Bjork Cafe in the Scandinavia House in NYC We started off our meal with ordering some drinks. I admit that I was a bit disappointed that they did not have any aquavit, and so, I settled with elderflower margarita that was quite fruity, while Jodi ordered their elderflower sprit ..read more

This is not the first time we went for afternoon tea at The Plaza Hotel. We wanted to go during the Holidays, but it was impossible to get a reservation. So we went 2 weeks ago, on a Saturday at 11am. As we arrived, they asked if we had any dietary restrictions and gave Jodi a vegetarian menu that was not on their website. On my side, the only choice I had was the Holiday Signature Tea that they probably continue to serve in January. If you never had Afternoon Tea, it is composed of scones, small sandwiches and pastries, accompanied by some tea (I am sure that if you do not like tea, they can ..read more

Toast x Bowl in Hoboken, NJ Since it opened in August last year, Toast x Bowl has been one of our favorite places for lunch on the weekend. This casual place offers an interesting menu composed of sandwiches and rice dishes with an asian flair. I admit that I am not sure which one I prefer, both being quite tasty. The sandwiches are a take on classic egg sandwich. Made with a deliciously buttery toasted brioche, they top the moist scrambled eggs with whatever you will order. My favorite is the bulgogi bliss that is made of toasted brioche, lettuce, red cabbage, grilled onion, mozzarella, scra ..read more

Le Relais de Venise L'entrecôte in NYC When Le Relais de Venise closed during Covid and remained closed until recently, I thought that was it. But then, I started to see people posting about this place. It did not take me long to go there, excited, knowing that the reopening triggered long lines, probably thanks to social media, a phenomenon that happened few years ago with Skirt Steak, a copycat from Chef Laurent Tourondel. We went when I was off from work and, as they were supposed to open at 12pm, we showed up at 11:40am: there was already a line and I noticed that they already started to ..read more

Benihana in NYC, NY Have you ever been to Benihana? Or any Hibachi place? I love these places: they are fun and when the food is also good, this is even better. This was our first time at Benihana: we talked about going there for years but never did until the Holidays where we thought that it would be a good dining experience after seeing a show on Broadway. As we arrived, we checked in for our reservation, but they told us that we had to wait a little. The reason was that they needed all the people sitting at the counter surrounding the hot grill to be present. Yes, unless you are a party of ..read more

Dipped N'Smashed in Hoboken, NJ When Dipped N’Smashed announced it would take over the space of Curry Up Now, few doors from Carlo’s Bakery, I was a bit skeptical: Shake Shack, 7th Avenue Burger and 30 Burgers (that I did not like) are just few blocks away. What would this place offer that would be different? Well, that is when the Dipped part of the name comes into play: they make fresh donuts that you can then customize. So we decided to give it a try, starting with a first visit just to try the donuts. The place is bright and fun for sure with lots neon and murals. As you enter, you need t ..read more

Metropolis by Marcus Samuelsson in NYC Finding Metropolis, the new venture of Chef Marcus Samuelsson that opened few weeks ago, is a bit challenging if you do not know that it is inside the Perelman Performing Arts Center. There isn’t a sign outside indicating that you have to go inside the art center and immediately see a busy place with a sleek dining room. Metropolis by Marcus Samuelsson in NYC The menu, crafted by executive chef Ed Tinoco, who was culinary director at Alinea until July 2023, is meant to be shared, but understand small plates and not family style. For sure, when you see t ..read more

Saka Sushi, Hibachi and Mocktails in Hoboken, NJ It’s funny how first impressions are not always the right one and you sometimes need to give a second chance to restaurants. This is what happened with Saka. When this place opened in Hoboken, replacing Myron Mixon's Pitmaster Barbeque, I was a bit skeptical: there are plenty of Japanese restaurants already in Hoboken, so, what would this one bring to the mile square dining scene? Two things caught my attention though: Hibachi and mocktails. The idea of mocktails is interesting because it takes a bit of craft to pass the line between a juice an ..read more