Cha Cha Cha Bistro, Morristown, NJ

Perhaps we never noticed it because we are always on the other side of Washington Street at Tito's Burritos, but today we wandered across the street to the small eatery with a black awning that read Cha Cha Cha Bistro.  Inside it was small, but nicely decorated with exposed brick and various picture frames.  The menu was very enticing with various Cuban specialties.  Though we didn't have any, they did offer an array of Cuban soft drinks, smoothies and virgin sangria (you have to bring the wine).

Dulce:
I selected the Havana Steak Salad.  My plate was filled with this VERY hearty salad of mixed greens, marinated steak, avocado, mango, yucca "croutons" and coconut lime vinaigrette.  I added a few dashes of green chili sauce to add some bang and it was perfect.  Meat cooked perfectly and all other ingredients were fresh.  I would advise to put the sauce on the salad as it may tend to be more tangy with the coconut lime and mango.  PB and I also split a side of yucca fritas.  Unfortunately, these were cold and not very crispy.  However, the flavor was nice.  My scale is an 8.  Very tasty, friendly service and cozy atmosphere.


PB:
I ordered the Havana Steak Wrap.  So, basically Dulce and I had the same lunch.  Hers was on a bed of greens and mine was wrapped up.  But I must say, the flavor was really nice, especially after adding a little hot sauce.  It provided just the right kick.  The steak was cooked to perfection and the combination of meat and avocado was spot on.  I have grown to love yucca fries and they were the one reason why we chose Cha Cha Cha's.


However, I agree with Dulce, the yucca was a bit of a disappointment.  The flavor was great but they were cold and floppy.  Had they been served hot and actually been crispy, they would have been great.  Overall, my scale is an 8 and I am looking forward to our return trip to try other options.

Doc's Kitchen, Denville, NJ

There's nothing fancy about this loud and homey neighborhood gem.  The joint is small with booths lining the room and a mismatch of tables and chairs filling in the center.  We heard some great things from friends about this place and finally decided to give it try.  We both opted for their breakfast on this dreary lunch rush.

Dulce:
I order the Florentine omelette with roasted vegetables and buttered multigrain toast.  The omelette was filled with fresh spinach, mushrooms and swiss cheese.  Every bite had a ton of each ingredient!  The only downside was it did need a bit of salt and pepper as there was not much seasoning at all.  The roasted vegetables on the other hand were packed with great flavor and cooked crispy.  The toast was very filling and dense, but tasty nonetheless.  I give the overall experience a 6.5.  I would like to go back to try other dishes, but need to be in the mood for a rushed and loud dining experience.


PB:
While Dulce may have opted for the more sensible option, I opted for the Northwest Omelette.  This thing was so big it barely fit on the plate.  It was packed with Bacon, Peppers, Onions and Cheese.  It comes with Swiss, but as you'll find out, Swiss isn't high on my list of cheeses, so I opted for cheddar.  I must say, the flavor matched the size perfectly.  Each bite was packed with all of the ingredients and with a little salt and pepper, it made the perfect breakfast-for-lunch.  I had the home fries with rye toast and they added a great complement to the omelet itself.  While the service at Doc's wasn't stellar, the food was great and we'll most definitely be back.  I rate it a solid 7.

It's Greek to Me, Clifton, NJ

Located in the new-ish and still growing Promenade Shops at Clifton on Route 3 West, this location of It's Greek to Me (9 are located all over NJ) has great decor and a friendly staff.

Dulce:  First off, I love Greek food!  So I do tend to be a little picky about some dishes....particularly my favorite - Spanakopita.   So that is exactly what I ordered with a side of Greek salad.  The spanakopita was very nicely made.  Fresh and crispy phyllo wrapped about chopped spinach with the right amount of feta and onions.  What made this extra special was the great blend of spices they added.  Sometimes other places tend to be too bland or too much parsley.  The salad was ok.  Pretty standard.  There was a bit more oil than I would have liked though.  But they were very generous with the cheese....so that made up for it!  My scale is a 7.  Solid Greek find.

PB:
I enjoy Greek food as well, maybe not as much as Dulce, but I do like it.  Normally I would tend to stick with something fairly safe or a good gyro, but I decided to try one of their lunch specials.  I had the Lamb Kokkinisto.  It was served over orzo with a cinnamon tomato sauce.  The description of the lunch special, didn't say anything about cinnamon, so that first bite was a bit of a surprise.  However, I must say, I loved it.  The lamb was cooked perfectly and the sauce had a great blend of cinnamon and nutmeg (or at least that's what Dulce said it was).  Either way, it had great flavor, good portion and plenty of lamb to balance the orzo.  All in all, it was a great lunch and my scale was a solid 8.

NYC Lunch - Luke's Lobster; Levian Bakery

What a wonderful food day!  We went into the city to grab some good food on a beautiful Friday afternoon.  We headed up to the Upper West Side to get a taste of Maine at Luke's Lobster on Amsterdam and then something sweet at Levian Bakery on W74th.  Our taste buds were definitely pleased!

Luke's Lobster
We decided to split the Taste of Maine - which included 2 crab claws, half lobster roll, half shrimp roll, half crab roll and a bag of chips.

Dulce:
The first thing I ate was the crab claws.  While crab claws are one of my fave appetizers, these were pretty standard.  Nice and meaty, but nothing really to them.  That was about the last "standard" taste I had all lunch!


PB:
I agree and disagree with Dulce on this one.  Yes, the claws were meaty but I think they were above standard.  They were moist and full of flavor. Truly the perfect start to what wold turn out to be a extraordinary lunch experience.

Dulce:
All of the half rolls were on a buttery soft split top roll that was clearly placed on a griddle prior to serving.  Nice buttery crunch on the outside hinted at that.  Then each filling was lightly tossed in mayo, lemon juice and spices.  The shrimp roll was so delicious with whole baby shrimp.  Next up was the crab roll.  Large chucks of crab claw meat.

PB:
These rolls really were great.  Just enough butter on the roll, a perfect blend of spices and (based on Dulce's recommendation) the rolls got better with each one we had.  The shrimp was great, the crab was delicious but they both fell to a distant 2nd, compared to the final roll of the meal.

Dulce:
But nothing...NOTHING...compared to the lobster roll.  One bite and you can just hear the ocean and feel the salty New England breeze blowing!  AMAZING is the only way I can think to describe the HUGE succulent, sweet, buttery pieces of lobster paired with a unique blend of spices that would make Old Bay green with envy.  My overall scale....undoubtably a 10!  I'm ready for more!

PB:
Ditto!  Amazing and a perfect 10!


Levian Bakery

After hearing so much about these big and chewy cookies from Oprah to visitors of the Hester Street Fair and everyone in between, we had to get our hands on one while we were in the area after the fabulous lunch at Luke's.  They only offer 4 different flavors....and that's all they need.  We decided to stick with the original Chocolate Chip Walnut.

Dulce:
The look of the cookie was so massive I was almost frightened by the size!  But when we split it open I could already feel my mouth watering!  THE BEST COOKIE EVER!  The whole cookie was so soft it just melted in your mouth.  The large walnuts cut the sweetness of the dough and chocolate with such perfect balance.  Scale is a 10.  Can't wait to try the other flavors!

PB:
I hate to do this but I totally agree with Dulce 100%.  This was by far the best cookie I've ever eaten.  A perfect blend of size, flavor, texture, flavor, color, flavor, sweetness and oh, did I mention, flavor?  All we could do was to look at each other and say . . .  WOW!  Yes, a definite 10 and my only question was, when are we going back for more?

Pamir, Morristown, NJ

Located on South Street right off of the Green and amid various eateries, Pamir offers a variety of Middle Eastern/Afghani dishes.  Today, we stopped in for their lunch buffet and some dessert.  The buffet is a bit on the small side, but surprisingly offers many very tasty bites.

Dulce:
I filled my plate with Saffron rice, seasoned brown rice, chicken quorma (diced chicken stew with tomatoes, onion, garlic & Afghan spices), doolma, potato and scallion bulanee, beef kofta and chicken kabob....lots of great items!

PB:
I agree with Dulce.  The buffet is fairly small but a plethora of flavors and more than enough options for a great lunch.

Dulce:
The saffron rice was deliciously sweet, however the seasoned brown rice was not up my ally.  It had a stronger taste of nutmeg than I would have liked.

PB:
Again, I have to agree with Dulce here.  The brown rice was almost sweet.  I thought it was a cinnamon flavor but Dulce quickly corrected me, as she does sometimes, that it was indeed nutmeg.  While I like nutmeg, I found it a bit strange with the rice and not at all something that I'd want to have again.

Dulce:
The quorma was good...chicken nice and tender, but I was expecting more flavor.  It was very mild.  The doolma was not my cup of tea....not surprised though.  I only gave it a try cause PB said I would like it.  WRONG!

PB:
Hey, Hey, Hey.  I thought the doolma was pretty good.  Not at all what I was expecting but good flavor and texture.  In fact, I even had a second one.

Dulce:
The bulanee was great.  I could've eaten the whole platter.  Both kabob options were good, but the kofta was my absolute favorite.  Each ball of ground beef was LOADED with flavor!  The kofta and bulanee definitely elevated my meal!  Very delish!

PB:
She's right again.  (Although not surprising)  The kofta is incredible.  I equally enjoyed the chicken as well.  I thought it had great flavor, was prepared great and I added some hot sauce which gave it that little extra kick, which was great.

Dulce:
Unfortunately, the dessert we ordered didn't end the tasty meal on a great note.  We order the firnee (milk custard with rosewater, pistachio and almond).  What's not to like?  However, the rosewater, pistachio and almond were nonexistent.  The custard was set very hard as well.

PB:
So, I have to disagree here.  While I do think the flavor was fairly bland, I ate a majority of the firnee and the more I ate the more Almonds I found which really helped the overall flavor.  I know that Dulce didn't really like the desert but I almost finished it and while I was expecting and hoping for more, it wasn't that bad.

Dulce:
Overall my rating is a 6 (with meal being an 8 and dessert being a 4).  However, the kofta, saffron rice and bulanee will keep me coming back!

PB:
I rate the overall experience as a solid 7.  I will definitely be coming back.

Summer Godiva Truffles!

You'll soon come to learn that we LOVE going to chain restaurants and stores when they offer limited edition products and flavors.  Today, we stopped in at Godiva Chocolatier for some of their recent additions.

Dulce:
My pick was the Pistachio.  I was anticipating a strong pistachio flavor as all of their nut flavors tend to be very bold.  However, to my surprise it was very mild and smooth.  I personally could've used a bit more punch in the flavor or even perhaps some crunch....after all it is a nut....PB and I then split a Banana Split.  Wonderful dual flavor with a creamy banana filling and a berry ganache!  My personal winner of the day!  Scale on the pistachio is a 6.5.  Not close to the other nut truffles in their selection.  Scale on Banana Split is a 8.5.  Definitely one of their seasonal winners!

PB:

I totally agree.  The Banana Split was by far the hit of the day. So, creamy and a perfect blend of flavors.  I'd scale it a solid 9.  But I can't forget my personal selection, the Black Raspberry.  It was very good and a perfect raspberry flavor inside a delicious chocolate shell.  I'm a big raspberry guy and this truffle didn't let me down.  While it wasn't close to the Banana Split, I'd scale it a 7.5 and one that I'd enjoy again.

Jungle Juice, Morristown, NJ

Located away from the main bustle of the Green and South Street, Jungle Juice on Morris Street is a tiny little fruit smoothie bar offering a quite impressive variety of smoothies and milkshakes.  They also offer a variety of add-ins....not unlike the "boosts" at Jamba Juice.

Dulce:

I had the Jungle Original.  A wonderfully tasty and smooth blend of pineapple, banana, strawberries, coconut juice and nonfat yogurt.  It was so refreshing and cooled me down the extremely hot day we went.  While we often crave a large quantity of yummy things, the small was WAY TOO BIG!  It was a meal in itself.  I actually felt cheated cause I threw out half of the delicious icy concoction due to the massive size!  My scale is an 8.  I will def be back to try all the different flavors!

PB:
So, I opted for The Amazon and yes, it was a daunting task when I saw the size of the small that I ordered.  I'm a big guy and this was a very large drink.  However, it was a perfect blend of raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, banana, raspberry sorbet and non-fat yogurt.  It was sweet icy refreshment at it's best.  I did finish the whole thing and was very full, but it was worth it and I'll definitely go back and try more flavors of cool sweetness.  My scale is a solid 9 for sure.

Tito's Burrito's, Morristown, NJ

 Tito's Burrito's = DELICIOUSNESS!!!!  From the fresh chips and salsa bar to the daily specials to the whole wall of menu items....you can not go wrong!  The place is small, kitschy and definitely packed the day we went.  Clearly a local favorite, the word is out....Tito's is all good!

Dulce:

I had the Hang Five Burrito (sauteed garlic shrimp, yellow rice, pico de gallo and cilantro lime sauce) naked (meaning no torilla).  Surprisingly PACKED with shrimp, which was nicely seasoned and not overcooked.  The shrimp sat on top of a wonderfully tender bed of yellow rice and topped with pico de gallo (could've used a bit more heat) and a smooth cilantro lime sauce.  The sauce was creamy and played nicely with the seafood.  Overall, a wonderful meal!!  My scale is 9!  We'll be regulars :)

PB:
I had the special.  As Dulce pointed out above, Tito's has a Daily Burrito Special.  The day we went, the special certainly didn't disappoint.  It was the Chipotle Steak Burrito.  Yes, my mouth is watering just writing this review.  It was full of steak, cheese, rice, onions and sour cream and chipotle sauce.  There were a plethora of flavors that seemed to work together perfectly.  I opted for the low carb tortilla and it was so full that it barely stayed closed.  Together with the chips and salsa, this was the perfect lunch and I too scale it a 9.

Cinnamon, Morris Plains, NJ

Located on Rt 10 in Morris Plains, Cinnamon is a GREAT find!  We had heard from many that they offer a wonderful Indian buffet for lunch....so of course we had to try it!  And they did not disappoint


Dulce:
With the many selections to choose from it was hard to put everything I wanted to try on one plate. But at the end of my trip down the buffet line, my plate was adorned with the basmati rice, chicken makani, vegetable korma, saag paneer and vegetable pakora with raita and naan to round out the meal.


PB:
I too had no room left on my plate but that's because, my plate was much more full than Dulce's.  That's why her plate ended up in the pic above and not mine. However, full plate or not, Cinnamon is a great buffet with a large selection of quality, flavorful and delicious foods.  In fact, Cinnamon was the first Indian restaurant I ever ate in and it didn't disappoint.


Dulce:
The pakora was nice and crispy and full of spice!  Chicken makani was great too, a little too tomatoey, but good none the less.  Saag paneer was awesome....how can you go wrong with cheese...as I said before....I'm a cheese person :) I LOVED the vegetable korma!  It would have been better if they had a chicken korma....but it was so good.  Korma is a curry dish made with yogurt, coconut milk, cumin, coriander and seed pastes.  The meats or vegetables are braised in the mixture at a low temp and for a longer period of time.  I have to admit I went back for seconds of this one!


PB:
As much as I loved the meal, the best part was the rice pudding.  Sweet, great texture and perfectly flavored.  It really was the perfect sweet to round out a wonderful meal.


Dulce:
I ended the meal with a wonderfully smooth rice pudding w/ cardamom (kheer) and some sweet and nutty gaja halva (sweet carrot pudding).  Yummy!  My scale is an 8!  Highly recommend!


PB:
As much as I hate to agree with Dulce, most of the time, I have to agree that Cinnamon is definitely an 8!  We will certainly be back.

MW's Hawaiian Grill

Dulce:
Its hard to come by anything different in a mall food court.  Its often just your usual suspects:  Wendy's, Nathan's, Sbarro's or Villa Pizza, Cinnabon and either or both a Chinese and a Japanese option.  So when we spotted MW's Hawaiian Grill at Garden State Plaza's food court, we were intrigued.  Very friendly service, not much on display, which could only mean "made to order".

PB:
I was intrigued by the flavor of the sample. You know those mall samples?  They interrupt you as you walk by and almost beg you to try a sample of their food on a toothpick.  The unique part was that this place offered the sample from behind the counter.  I tasted it and thought it was full of flavor and so I felt it was a good option for our lunch. 

Dulce:

I picked the Hawaiian BBQ Chicken and crunchy prawns with jasmine rice.  The chicken, while extremely thin cut and a bit overcooked, had decent flavor.  The crunchy prawns (aka shrimp tempura) were yummy with a tasty dipping sauce which tasted like a mixture of tentsuyu (most common tempura sauce made of mirin, dashi and of course soy sauce) and mango chutney.  The tempura could have been crunchier, but it was clear that unlike the chicken, this was not made to order.  Overall, a noteworthy meal, but with a caveat that this was a food court meal, so standards and expectations tend to be lower.  I scale it a 6.

PB:

I ordered the Teriyaki Burger.  While it took a day and a half for them to cook it.  Ok, I'm exaggerating a bit, but it seemed to take forever.  The net result was a burger full of flavor and textures.  The pineapple was delicious and provided just enough sweet to make the burger incredible. The cheddar cheese was a perfect proportion and the fries were incredibly crispy.  You know the french fry quality test, right?   The crispier the fries, the better the overall meal. This held true for our lunch at MW's Hawaiian Grill as well. 

At the end of the day, I scaled the lunch at a 7 and will definitely be back.

Raul's Empanada Town

Dulce:
We've driven by the unassuming orange sign with blue trim on Morris Street hundreds of times, but never took the time to go in.  Today would be different.  Today we were going to enter under the orange and blue sign, through the George Washington cut out door and into the empanada haven that is Raul's Empanada Town.


PB:
Normally I'm the one who exaggerates a bit. I'm not sure we've driven by there "hundreds" of times but Dulce is right, I've never noticed the place. In fact, I never even noticed the life sized George Washington cut out door, until we were actually walking through it.


Dulce:
Upon entering the orange and blue theme was prominent within.  This was definitely a no frills joint.  With the menu largely displayed on the wall, with nearly 40 empanadas and an array of pizzas, salads and other munchies, we picked out 5 empanadas to share.  I picked out 1, PB picked out 2 and we jointly picked 2.  Our choices included Second Heaven (chicken & shrimp), Buffalo Wing, 5 Cheese (Mozzarella, American, Cheddar, White and Pepper Jack), Surf & Turf (Roast Beef & Shrimp) and Rock (Ground Beef & Cheddar).  Before we sat, we examined the 3 dipping sauces and decided to try all 3 of them when our order came out.


PB:
By "we" Dulce really means, I got samples of each of the three sauces and described to her what each of them were.


Dulce:
Then the wait began.  I must say that I was very surprised that the wait was so long for our food to come out.  On one hand I was happy to see that our food would be made to order, on the other, I figured this dive would be quick.


PB:
I agree. The wait was fairly long. The trouble with long waits is that you tend to look around more and find little aesthetic things wrong with the place. Wobbly table, which we eventually moved from, stretched carpet and interesting Empanada shaped designs on the tile floor.


Dulce:
As we sat at the table, I couldn't help but wonder if it would be worth the wait.  Then from over PB's shoulder, I saw our tray approach the counter.


PB:
That's when I got the look that means, go get the food now. Which I promptly did.


Dulce:
Moments later PB was back at the table with our hot empanadas.  With the little checkered paper dishes in front of us like a clock, I took the one at my 6 o'clock.  As I split into the crunchy corn crust with my plastic knife, the steam from the hot filling rose out.  Wow, these were piping hot!!  Now on to tasting!


PB:
They certainly were hot. As the steam rose from my first Empanada, they looked so hot that I was concerned that I couldn't eat them right away. However, the aroma from mine was so enticing that I couldn't wait any longer I took the first bite from my first Raul's empanada and it was delicious. But more on that in a minute.


Dulce:
Second Heaven (chicken & shrimp).  This was my pick.  Quite honestly, I was a little less than thrilled with my very first bite of Raul's empanada.  The crunchy corn exterior was definitely a nice surprise and very different from the traditional empanada that I'm used to.  However, the filling of chicken and shrimp, while perfectly cooked, was little on the bland side.  Having said that, when I added the creamy chipotle sauce, I enjoyed the rest of my bites quite a bit.


PB:
Second Heaven was my least favorite, primarily because it had very little flavor.  The description had promise but the execution was just not even close to the other 4.  It also made me feel good that it was Dulce's first choice and it wasn't great.  I've got to take these moments when they happen, as they don't happen often.


Dulce:
Buffalo Wing.  I knew I was going to like this one, but as this was PB's first choice, I wanted to not like it as much as my picks.  Sadly, for me, I was wrong.  The taste was fabulous. Tender meat and perfectly spicy.  No extra sauce needed on this one. Damn it! His choice definitely beat out my choice of Second Heaven.


PB:
I always try the Buffalo Chicken options at every restaurant we visit.  Dulce knows this but every time she questions it.  You'd think she'd learn.  As I bit into a delicious Buffalo Chicken. It was a perfect combination of texture, spices and overall flavor. Not too spicy but just enough kick to arouse the sinuses. It was by far my favorite of the day.

Dulce:
5 Cheese (Mozzarella, American, Cheddar, White and Pepper Jack).  What can I say, I'm a cheese person.  This one was right up my ally.  This empanada was the only one we ordered with a traditional doughy shell.  The cheese were nice and gooey and when married with the Mango Habenero sauce was heaven!  PB of course kept adding the creamy chipotle sauce.  Hmmmm.....wonder if that was his fave.....You'll learn that he rarely likes to switch it up.


PB:

In my defense, I really liked the creamy chipotle and felt it was the best option for the 5 cheese.  Like Dulce, I loved the 5 cheese.  Not as much as the Buffalo Chicken, but it was definitely my number 2.


Dulce:

Surf & Turf (Roast Beef & Shrimp).  While this was another of PB's picks, I didn't object as it caught my eye as well.  With a definite stronger taste of cilantro, the flavors on this one were much preferable to Second Heaven.  I tried to add the 3rd sauce we picked up to this one....however, it didn't do much.  The sauce was a bit weak....so much so that I don't even recall what it was.  And yes, for my steel trap of a mind, thats a feat.


PB:

The Surf & Turf was my pick and it was excellent.  Good flavor, great texture but I must say it didn't hold a candle to the Buffalo Chicken or 5 Cheese.  Just not in the same league.


Dulce:

Rock (Ground Beef & Cheddar).  The finale to the meal.  And I thoroghly enjoyed it.  Plenty of seasoned meat with a tiny bit of minced onions and cheddar mixed it.  Nice and hearty and probably the most filling out of our selection.  It also went nicely with the creamy chipotle sauce.


PB:

Rock ended up being my Number 3 choice.  It was full of flavor and a perfect mix of meet and cheese.


Dulce:

Overall, it was a great lunch!  Do we plan to go back?  Let's see....its time to break out the scale.

1 = Worst place I've ever eaten, 5 = It was average, wouldn't go out of my way for it, 10 = The best meal of my life.


Dulce:

Scale.  7.  While I really enjoyed it, there were some items that could've used more seasoning.  Also the one sauce was disappointing.  But overall, much more great things about this little joint.  Can't wait to try other items!


PB:

Scale. 8. I really liked it from beginning to end. I agree with Dulce, there could have been more seasoning/flavor in the Surf and Turf and the Second Heaven. However, the over all experience was great and the food was very good. A perfect choice for a quick lunch.