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.