Country cookin' at the Country Pancake House

Under food:

Country Pancake House

140 E Ridgewood Ave

Ridgewood, NJ 07450 (201) 444-8395

www.countrypancakehouse.net

This place offers 112 varieties of pancakes. This figure does not include the french toast, Belgian waffles, eggs, omelettes and fritattas that are on the menu. The servings are ginormous.

Bread basket. This is complimentary, and includes cornbread, wheat bread and corn bread with chocolate chips (DJKung's fave). My advice is not to fill up on the bread, no matter how tempting it is.






















Since we were having dinner, DJKung ordered chicken noodle soup, which tasted homemade.

















Cup of chicken soup.

I ordered the farmer's fritatta, which was ginormous. It was stuffed with asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes and cheese. Home fries and two pancakes on the side. Ginormous! As I had unwisely scarfed down too much of the complimentary bread, the leftovers served as my lunch the entire week.

Farmer's fritatta.

DJKung got the country platter. This came with fries, fried shrimp, chicken tenders and coleslaw. The coleslaw was crunchy and sweet, rated "above average" by DJKung.

Overall, the breakfast items are the highlight of Country Pancake House. It is not unusual to see lines here on Sunday morning. Unfortunately,their non-breakfast items tend to be on the bland side (typical diner fare). Go for the pancackes!!!

Times Square Tokyo Treasure

Under food:

Sake Bar Hagi
152 W 49th St.
New York, NY 10019
(212) 764-8549

Sake Bar Hagi is a relatively recent addition. Besides their excellent sake selection, this place is a bona fide yakitori, but all grown up. Since we were seeing Hot Chip the night we went, we had to rush with dinner. This is what we ordered:

Looking at this picure, I think it was tuna with a vinegrette dressing and onions. DJKung insists that it was not tuna, maybe smelt. It was one of the blackboard specials that night.

Beef yakitori. DJKung snatched one of the skewers up before I could take a picture.

Soft shell crab.

Broiled yellowtail collar. We always seem to order this everytime we see it on the menu. I think the best part is the cartilage that sticks to the bone.

Rice plum soup. It has a sweet, smoky and home-y flavor.

Squid ink fried rice. DJKung liked it, although was disappointed with the fake crab sticks.

DJKung's word of advice: Don't get irate, 'cause it's worth the wait!!! We went 6p on a Friday and the place was packed with lot of after-work people winding down. Sake Bar Hagi does not take reservations, although you can leave your phone number for them to call you.

The local doggie scene: Ridgewood, NJ

Under furs:

Ridgewood Dog Park

East Ridgewood Ave.

Ridgewood,NJ

Saddle River Park

Encompasses Ridgewood, Paramus, Rochelle Park, Elmwood Park

Last Sunday, the Ultimate Fun Club had a great excursion in one of our local parks. Saddle River Park is a long strip of a park that crisscrosses through several towns in Bergen County, New Jersey. As the name suggests, there it runs along Saddle River. The trail is roughly five or six miles of paved double trail. At any day, there are cyclists, runners, bladers, walkers and furs aplenty. The river is also stocked for recreational fishing.

Trail marker in Ridgewood. Saddle River Park also has some unpaved single trails and evensome spots for freestyle cycling!

Furs cooling their paws in Saddle River. The river is rather shallow and narrow in spots, with houses and backyards close by. Some spots are deeper, and we've actually seen some big fishes. Although we see some anglers, we've never really seen anyone land a catch. Also, too small for the Mightly Miss.

The trail terminates at a park in Ridgewood, NJ. I am not sure of the name, but we have dubbed it the Duckie Park, because of the ducks (ok, geese) that we once saw there. Of special mention is the doggie park.

There is an area for small dogs too. It seems that it is a closely-knit community of canine fans. There are usually plastic baggies available onsite. There are no water fountains, but at times, I have seen water jugs placed around. The mulch is nice and thick, although on this particular visit, there was doggie poo at one isolated corner.

Doggies in the big boy park. It was still early in the day and the park was not so crowded yet. The park offers little in the way of obstacle courses, apart from a single congrete pipe.

The doggies liked their walk, but it seemed that they got bored quickly once in the doggie park. It seems they like hiking much better than socializing with other furs.

Movies we saw this week:

Under fun:


"The Lives of Others" (2006)

"The Lives of Others" was an awesome story. I guess you could say that this was a Cold War era drama. It's about a Stasi agent who spies on certain "people of interest" in East Germany, who gets entangled in the lives of those whom he spies on. The acting is simply superb. There is a a great deal of nuance with the way the story unfolds, which is amazing for a directorial debut.

"The Aristocrats" (2005)

I'd say it took me at least twelve and a half minutes until I figured this out. I did experience the intial revulsion of the very frank retellings of this reputedly famous joke. I think you will, too. I will not spoil it for you. DJKung remarked that my poor sense of humor prevented me from "getting it." Would you believe that this movie was courtesy of our town's public library, which impressed me. Yay for public libraries!

Raves for Raymond's

Under food:



Raymond's

28 Church St.

Montclair, NJ 07042

(973) 744-9263

www.raymondsnj.com





It was a lovely fall day yesterday, with a bit of summer warmth lingering in the air. DJKung, our friend Ozzie-Wan-Kennozie and I had a nice al fresco lunch at Raymond's in Montclair. Typically, this place is jam-packed on Sundays, but there was a minimal wait last Thursday for an outside table.



The menu emphasizes breakfast fare, but nothing too hearty. For lunch, it seemed that sandwiches and burgers were the way to go. We ordered some items from their seasonal menu.

Egg salad sandwich with sun-dried tomatoes.

Ozzie-wan got an egg salad sandwich. It came with some sliced cukes and olives, which she pronounced as "very European." Ozzie-wan'll give a more detailed assessment in the comments below.

DJKung ordered an omelet with basil pesto (below, left), which he said was very good. I was particularly taken by their fries, which are nicely browned, skinny and crispy. I got the spinach and goat cheese sandwich (below,right), which was excellent. There's a layer of sauteed spinach, another of sauteed onions, and tangy goat cheese. Mine also came with the cukes and olives.








































Butternut squash soup with chives, I think. Doesn't it look so pretty?

I thought the butternut squash soup could have been more squash-y and more nutty in flavor. It was a bit bland and pasty.

Raymond's is a nice place to linger. It is BYOB and their items are generally solid. DJKung highly recommends their burgers.

NYONYA

Under food:

Nyonya

194 Grand Street

New York, NY 10013

(212) 334-3669

Nyonya has been a mainstay of the rotation for the longest time. We are seriously convincced that this Malaysian restaurant is the best of its kind around.

I typically get the satay tofu (fried tofu with bean sprouts, cukes and peanut sauce) and the pad thai. Sometimes, the kitchen makes the sauce extra spicy, so be forewarned.

Satay tofu. A crunchy pocket of deep fried tofu encloses cukes and bean sprouts. It is topped with a rich peanut sauce. Yum!

Pad thai. Rice noodles with shrimp, tofu, egg and pad thai sauce, topped with peanuts and fried shallots. Also served with bean sprouts. I like it when the kitchen gives the noodles a nice sear.

DJKung has his own roster. For the past few months, he's been getting kangkung belachan, fried fish fried rice and yuen tai pork.

Kangkung belachan. Stir fried water spinach with shrimp paste. Water spinach is a hollow stemmed vegetable with a very mild taste. I don't think it has any relation to spinach. Meanwhile, shrimp paste is made of dried and fermented shrimp. It is a popular ingredient in Southeast Asian dishes.

Yuen tai pork. Simmered pork hocks in a star anise/five spice sauce. Served with steamed bread. It tastes a lot like the filling for siopao.

Fried fish fried rice. I think it does come with bits of chicken. The fried fish flakes are crunchy and salty. This chinese-style fried rice is hearty and hits all the right notes: salty fish, sweet peas, creamy scrambled egg and that nice wok sear on the rice.

Other dishes that we get: roti chanai (Indian pancakes with curry sauce), satay beef, beef rendang. Once in a while, we get the house special crabs---very messy, very good.

We cannot say enough about this place. I don't think the food is adjusted for the American palate, so the flavors are intense. (Southeast asian food commonly has sweet, salty and spicy elements).

Nyonya is cash-only, and there is an ATM across the street.

***

On a later visit, DJKung ordered their fried chicken wings. It rates as a 7 to 8 on his fried chicken scale. Their chicken is tied with a pandanus leaf and deep fried, and comes with a sweet citrus-y sauce. The pandanus leaf infuses into the chicken to add a floral flavor.

Treasure hunting at Then & Now

Then & Now

457 Goffle Road

Wyckoff, NJ 07481

(201) 445-2447

Under fun:

Then & Now, Wyckoff NJ, is hard to peg down. It has something to offer for most shoppers, from bargain hunters to keen collectors. I think this is a pretty serious place---I always overhear details of some estate sale, flea market, etc. whenever I am browsing.

(On left) Entrance to the shop. Note the two-car garage, which is full of mostly country-style and handmade furniture. When the weather is nice, they have an assortment of furniture and garden decor displayed in the driveway. Do not be deceived by the simple exterior... this place is awesome!

Yea... it could use a little more "staging" to make it photo-perfect. But hey, riffling through the flotsam and jetsam is what makes shopping here so interesting!

We've gotten some real steals here for our apartment, including a stately brass floor lamp, a wicker bench for our shoes, and some modern-style kitchen items. The garage contains bigger pieces of furniture: chairs, cabinets, desks, bedboards, and the like. Outside, there is usually plenty of garden decorations and furniture. Inside, the ground floor has kitchenware, glassware, brassware, jewelry, and lots and lots of tchochkes. Upstairs, the attic is full of kitchy prints and paintings, and lamps galore. I'd have loved to take more pictures inside, but it seemed too intrusive.

What's really great about this place is that the merch is not so picked over. Moreover, the prices are very fair.

Today, we picked out four pint glasses ($1 each), a gold tone necklace with pretty onyx-like inlays ($12), and ten silk scarves ($9). We're still keeping an eye out for a wicker bookcase.

"I don't really think this is the look I'm going for..."

If you decide to go, check to make sure they're open. We tend to go on Saturday mornings. Oh, and they don't accept credit cards.

Finally--- the Trifecta of Summer 2008!!!

Under funs:



The Trifecta has been an elusive goal these many years. 2008 has been the lucky year when the fates have smiled and the members of the Ultimate Fun Club finally made it!!! For the rest of you who do not know what the Trifecta is, it is the achievement of all the fun activities ---slumming at the beach, canoeing and camping --- in one summer season.


Slumming at the beach is the easy part. We like going to Island Beach State Park because the beach there is usually less crowded, more pristine, and of course, furs are allowed. Unfortunately, as with most NJ beaches, horse flies can be a problem. Good thing we went late in the season, and it was pretty clear.

"I know I look good!" (Babams)

Canoeing was possible this year for two reasons. First, DJKung now has a trusty truck to conduct official club activities with. We also took the plunge this year and got a canoe, which we have christened "The Mighty Miss[issippi]." (Can you tell that we have grand ambitions for her?)

In any event, The Mighty Miss' maiden voyage began in Barnegat Bay, which is within Island Beach. All members of the Ultimate Fun Club were accounted for. Unfortunately, we have no photos to commemorate the event, which was just as well. Despite her heroic efforts, the Mighty Miss succumbed to the elements within five minutes of her lauch (dang dogs!).

To the aspiring canoer, the Ultimate Fun Club has two pieces of advice. First, make sure your furs have their sea legs before launching on saltwater. Chibby had not been in a canoe for so long, and was never able to calm down. Essentially, he entered into this feedback loop where he became anxious --> tried to stand/lean on one side of the canoe which led to tipping-->making him more anxious--> resulting in a death grip on that side of the canoe, which led to more tipping, etc. Babams was surprisingly calm, but being a puppy, could not help but be affected by Chibs.

The second piece of advice we have is to do your research. Our canoe was designed for flat waters. Barnegat Bay, with its calm-appearing waters, looked like a good first choice. This was deceiving. Parts of the area we covered had choppy waves from motorized boat traffic; the currents were swift at certain crossroads; and, there were lot of low-lying areas where you can run aground. Suffice to say that we tipped over twice and ran aground countless times. The furs had more fun off the boat than in, and it was hard lifting heavy wet dogs back on the canoe. Overall, the trip was an unqualified success.

This is The Mighty Miss sailing off at North South Lake, Catskills, NY (see below). Note Chibby leaning to the right of the boat.

Camping this year was excellent. DJKung had heard of this fantastic park in the Catskills that reputedly had the best camping in the area. North South Lake (that's not a typo) used to be two separate lakes: one private (North Lake), and one public (South Lake). The government ended up buying the former and connecting both bodies of water together. The park attendant explicitly told us that we were so lucky to end up with the best camping spot in the entire park. She was right.

Grilling chicken for dinner. Our menu that evening consisted of grilled spicy chicken (chili paste, paprika, cumin, tons of garlic, salt, olive oil), vegetarian chili and rice. We had an Entemann's cake for dessert.

Furs looking out into the water. It's silly how they kept crying for their papa (DJ Kung was out fishing), when they hated being in the canoe anyway. Notice (in background) how close the camp site is to the ledge, which overlooks the water.

Wake up, furry face!

Yup, this campsite was awesome. It is pretty large, with over 100 campsites, although only a few border the water. There are toilets, bathing and dishwashing facilities (with electricity, woo hoo!) and potable water. The camp sites are drive-in, which is convenient if you have a lot of gear. The camp grounds have fireplaces, and wood cannot be brought from the outside. They have: fishing, canoeing (on site rentals), trails galore and swimming (two bathing beaches). There is a supply store roughly a mile before the entrance, where you can stock up on food, supplies and beer (allowed in the campsites). Most importantly, furs are welcome in North South Lake. Yippee!!!!

Hope 2009 will also be a great year!

Hacienda

Under food:

Feeling celebratory one evening, DJKung and I checked out this Mexican joint in Hawthorne. Hacienda is located on Route 20 North, in a rather woeful industrial area. Its parking lot tended to be most crowded most nights, which for us, was enough reason to check it out. DJKung has graciously agreed to share his insights of the experience:

The vegetarian platter (from top): cauliflower and carrots in flour tortilla, beans, rice, cheese quesadilla, picante and guacamole.




Fajita combination (from left): beef and chicken with onions and peppers (sizzling hot!), rice and beans. Also came with flour tortillas.

Fiesta platter*: kinda like nachos, but with cheese quesadillas and buffalo wings added. (*We were feeling festive!)

Yucckky maggots!

Under furs

There are two reports of maggot infestations in doggie food recently. http://consumerist.com/5053650/another-bag-of-purina-beneful-fortified-with-maggots
Boo!

From personal experience, Chibby's had one episode of a critter infestation with the same brand of kibble. Not maggots, but some type of tiny insect that we never were able to identify. Those critters were tiny, whitish in color and easily mistaken for pulverized kibble. Only upon close inspection were we able to deduce that the powdered kibble was crawling on his bowl! The inside of the kibble bag was filled with this moving white powder too. Both bag and kibble were disposed of posthaste, and I made sure to decontaminate the kitchen (apparently these critters will eat rice, flour, and any other starchy edibles).

So far, no recurrence. Despite all this, we'll stick to the kibble for now. Not out of loyalty to the brand, but rather, because Chibby will most likely refuse switch to a new brand. Besides, it takes him about three weeks to go through the large bag, anyway, as he likes home cookin' much better!

Two movies we watched this week.

Girl Cut In Two

This movie is about a young weathergirl ( *** Snow) who is pursued by a young, louche and wealthy boy and an older, more sophisticated man. The stereotypes are hilarious!

A Hora De Estrela

I heard about this movie from a radio show, "What's the Word," I think. It's about a young girl who moves to the big city (Rio de Jainerio, circa 1985). DJKung loved the soundtrack. Can't say too much about the plot, lest I give away the ending. It's a pretty serious movie, and you really feel for the girl, Maccabea. I LOVED the lead actress.

Baby Baby Baby ! Back Ribs

Tiffany's Restaurant
73 Route 46 West
Pinebrook, NJ 07058

(other locations available)
tel: 973-227-2112
fax: 973-227-3803
http://www.tiffanysrestaurant.com/

We've been going to Tiffany's for quite a while now. Generally, we're not big fans of franchise and Big Food-type restaurants. With tasty and appealing dishes, this restaurant is a cut above the casual restaurant chains. I think it's because Tiffany's does not have so many branches that each branch (or at least this one) still maintains a lot of control over how the food is prepared.

Gourmet food this ain't. If you are after a good, filling dinner, this place is spot on. Their "award-winning ribs" are the main draw. DJKung is not sure what style ribs they serve, but the ribs are slow-cooked and slathered with bbq sauce, not with a dry rub. The night we went, we ordered two portions of ribs and fried Thai calamari (over-sauced with a sweet and spicy sauce, but nevertheless addictive).

Portions are large here, and it's best to come with an appetite. Family atmosphere, very casual. I've also heard that the pastas are good here. Also great for stopping for a pint or two.

The meanest "Monkey Bread" this side of the Hudson River

Bathazar Bakery

214 South Dean St

Englewood, NJ 07631

Tel: 201-503-9717

Fax: 201-503-9721

http://www.balthazarbakery.com/

Fig tart --- almost didn't make it home!

This bakery is a jewel in an unassuming building in the Englewood industrial area. Upon entering, we were surprised at how big this bakery was; the workers (separated from the bakery by a big glass window) were working with large masses of dough!



Balthazar had a nice offering of artisanal bread and tarts. We picked an assortment to try out. The pan au chocolat was crusty and had nice chunks of dark chocolate; it would've been great with a nice warm cup of milk. DJKung picked the monkey bread, a balanced and hearty cinnamon roll (like an urban version of a cinnabon). The tarts were really inviting and we got two. The fig tart (above) was excellent---flaky crust, ripe succulent fruit and a lightly sweet cream filling to bring it together. The fig tart was equally tasty.

Yes, it is the same Balthazar as that hot spot in the Village. And yes, the goodies aren't at your suburban supermarket bakery prices. Then again, Monkey bread is rare in these parts...