Round and round they go.... East Kaiten Zushi

East Restaurant

1405 Teaneck Road

Teaneck, NJ

(201) 837-1260

So we've been to East in the city and tried its NJ outpost.  East is one of the few conveyor belt sushi joints around, and the first time is always the best. I would say, oh, five years ago, we weren't too impressed.  It was a good thing that we've decided to give it another go and we were pleasantly surprised. The menu has been completely revamped, with a much larger selection, and tons of pictures so you know what you're getting.

If it's your first time, by all means try to grab a spot by the conveyor belt.  It's a very quirky and charming Japanese adaptation of the large luggage carousels in the airports.  You see the pretty pieces of sushi go by, all covered in plastic domed lids.  You pretty much just help yourself.  The plates are color-coded, which indicates the price of the item you've picked. 
 

What we've come to realize is that a la carte is the way to go with most kaiten zushi places.  There are just too many variables involved with bits of sushi going around and around, e.g., you could be positioned the farthest away from the kitchen and so the plates are already picked over when they come to you; the kitchen may not be too aggressive when it comes to replacing the sad pieces that nobody wants; or, if the place is not too busy, there is a poor turnover/selection.

Surprisingly, we've never gone beyond the conveyor belt selection before, which is a big shame because the fish here is quite fresh and the portions are hefty.

Unagi hand roll.

 House salad with a tangy-sweet carrot and ginger dressing.

Salmon sashimi.  Definitely a must-have.  It was nice and melt-in-your mouth fatty.  Barely seen in the foreground are pieces of tempura veggies.

Clam soup.  I especially liked this one; the broth is briny and bracing, with a lot of umami.

Tuna sashimi. 

Grilled salmon head. Yummm.

Here's another item we picked from the conveyor belt: spicy tuna.

We've been back a couple more times since then, and tried a few more things.  What's really nice is that East has a large selection of non-sushi/sashimi items, such as noodles, tempura and soup.  They even have some bento box specials which seem to be a great deal.  And of course, they also have a few Japanese beers (get the large draft beer to see what it looks like), sake and mixed drinks, which makes East a fun place to celebrate. 

Here are two items we grabbed: egg and fried shrimp sushi. 

Awesome Filipino catering: Barangay Union

Barangay Union Grill and Food mArt

1045-A Stuyvesant Avenue

Union, NJ

(908) 964- 3500

We always look forward to certain Filipino gatherings where we get to sample specialty dishes that are too esoteric, too complicated, or too messy/smelly to cook.  Our friend, A., recently had a christening party for his little bebe and the food was way beyond what we usually encounter.  I'm talking some real scrumptious chop suey, fried squid, laing... I (and everyone in the party, I suspect) was really impressed by the sheer variety and quantity of the food.

Barangay Union is apparently well-recommended among those in the know in central Jersey.  Here's the sign from the catering truck:

One of these days, we'll make a special foray to check this place out. 

Maharajah

Maharajah Palace Restaurant
Upper East Side, NY

Coworker V., and  I were very sad to see Sachi go... this spring, the location reopened up as an indian restaurant with $ 10 lunch buffet specials.  So when an excuse/occasion came up to eat out, we were game to try this place out. 

It seemed that many in the neighborhood were also excited about this new place (I think it's the only indian joint in the immediate area).  Maharajah was bustling at lunch.  It was quite awkward maneuvering through the selections; the space itself was L-shaped and the tables were too close to the buffet. 

The portions were laid out in attactive copper dishes and labelled.  Selections included a salad, a chicken tandoor, veggie curry, goat korma, chickpeas, rice and I couple of other dishes. Dessert was included (sweet rice balls in syrup).

This is a picture of the chicken tandoor.  V. mentioned that it was dry.

Here's my initial foray.  From top, clockwise: rice with a bit of sauce, veggie curry, chickpeas, potato curry.  Everything was agreeable and the spice level was definitely toned down.

The best part was the fresh naan that they brought out a few times.  Nice and piping hot, they were great for sopping up the sauces. 

Here's a coworker's plate, with the chicken tandoor at one-two o'clock.

Overall, the food was ok, nothing outstanding.  For its price and selection, it's a good addition to the lunch scene here by us.  Still a few bugs to be worked out, being new and all, and we are looking forward to trying it again.

El Mexicano, Clifton NJ

El Mexicano

Clifton, NJ

The Clifton downtown area, as with most NJ towns, has struggled to maintain its downtown businesses ever since malls and franchise restaurants dominated the shopping/entertainment/dining industry.  New restaurants especially have had a hard time getting a foothold.  I'd say things have been turning a corner in the last two years or so.  El Mexicano has been one of few with staying power, which is saying a lot. Furthermore, there has been a goodly influx of central Americanos here in the area--- putting the two together, we anticipated that this place would be above average.

And so on one fine Sunday evening, we checked it out.  It wa pretty crowded and very festive (lots of lights, music and very happy people).  The wait staff was dressed in jeans and honest-to-goodness gaucho hats.  A promising start indeed.  

House sangria.  Was not very flavorful (from a mix?) and was on the weak side, in fact.  That's ok, because sangria is more Spanish than Mexican.  I was willing to give this slide.  

The highlight of the night was the mariachi band (on Sundays)... they were singing a very rousing birthday song for one of the tables.  This was one of the several happy birthday songs we heard that evening. 

The menu itself was not too impressive, and by no means was authentic.  Which jarred with our initial assumptions about the place.  And so here's my vegetarian burrito.  I could have used more guacamole and sour cream.  It was quite meh (the filling was also from a mix?), the paltry salsa was devoid of flavor, and I think was too pricey for what it was. 

Philadelphia Flower Show

Philadelphia Flower Show
http://www.theflowershow.com/home/index.html

The Philadelphia Flower Show is an annual extravaganza of the showiest flora in these parts.  Part showcase, part keen competition and part smorgasboard of plants, seeds, flowers, etc., it's a huge draw for this time of the year (early March, about the time everybody's heartily sick of winter). 

This show is venued at the Philadelphia Convention Center, and this is a pretty big place.  If you want to check it our, definitely have comfy shoes and be ready to brave the crowds.  Weekdays are the better times to go, when there are less people.

And bring cash too... it seems to make the transactions (especially at the marketplace) smoother!

Hall A of the Convention Center has the big exhibits.  This year's theme was "Passport to the World"

Bamboo forest.  This was designed by a landscaping company, I think.

Live music and sexxy dancers!

This giraffe is made of knotted pieces of willow and has orchids in vases suspended all over.  Very pretty!

Hall B is the main draw, and has the prizewinning exhibitions.

Urn design.   What's nice about these collections is that the plants are labeled.  The competitions are the best place to scope out the upcoming trends and new plant varieties.  Last time we went (I think two years ago), the big-leaf begonias were all the rage and were selling at a premium.  Nowadays, you can pick some of them up in your local Home Depot!

Window box entry.  This one has a lot of tropical flair.

Front porch entry.  It even has a little front lawn!

These next few pictures are of pressed flowers and plant material.  There is also a separate category for jewelry design, with the main elements comprising only of plant material (seeds, flowers, etc).   

This grabbed the blue ribbon for its class... the judges critiqued that the sky was "too busy" and detracted from the overall picture.  I think it's perfect, though.

These next few pics are entries in the miniature setting category.  The one above is an interpretation of "Eloise at the Plaza."

I liked this one a lot; it really looks like it's an overgrown ramshackle spot in the woods. 

This one was really funny.  I like how the stated intent begins,"For sale 1967 Chevy..."

Here are pictures of some of the entries that we really liked:

This one looked as dead as it did in real life.  Or like a stealthy underwater creature. Very spooky.

This looks like something that would belong in Dr. Seuss' world.

Doesn't this one look eerie too... it looks like a naked person curled up and crying.  

This one is just so symmetrical and so beautiful!

Male (left) and female (right) forms...

The two pictures are teeny-weeny plants that were just simply perfect.

Of course orchids are well-represented. 

DJKung liked this one; it reminded him of little flies hovering about.

And if nothing else, Hall C is their awesome marketplace, where you can get lots of fresh flowers, bulbs, seeds, indoor and outdoor plants, and loads of garden and home accessories.  I must say that this is really the highlight for me, because there is just so much on sale and the prices are fantastic. 

That said, depending on your fortitude, the last day of the show is either the best day for bargains, or the worst.  Best, because everybody's trying to unload their merch (less to bring home, because the vendors here are really from all over the country).  Worst, because everyone is out to get deals and it can get a bit hairy.  I was witness to a meltdown this one lady had when told that the three-dozen-roses-for-ten-dollars sale did not appear exactly at 3:00 pm, as promised.  This lady was almost threatening bodily harm to the staff (for grocery store-type roses, mind you...). 

Xe Lua (Philadelphia)

Xe Lua
907 Race Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 627-8883


We were in Philadelphia one fine Sunday morning for the Philadelphia Flower Show.  Philly is a manageable hour-and-a-half ride from our New Jersey burb, but it is a world away. . . it's got its own hometown vibe and flavor, with lots of soul. 

Of course, Philadelphia is one of the major historical cities of the country (Liberty Bell, Constitutional Law Center, Ben Franklin's stompin' grounds) and there is plenty of that to see.  There are plenty of different neighborhoods, each with their own personality. 

Philadelphia is known as the city of murals.  Here's one I took a shot of while we were sitting in traffic.

The Phila Flower Show is held at the Philadelphia Convention Center, right smack downtown.   Chinatown is super close by, and there are many places for noshin.'  We like going to Xe Lua for their cheap and tasty pho.

Goi cuon (shrimp rolls) with peanut sauce.  Always a great refreshing starter.

Hu Tieu Do Bien (serafood noodle soup).   This was a large bowl with a very hefty serving of assorted seafood, much more than you'd expect from most pho places.  The broth was light yet flavorful.

Pho Xe Lua Dac Biet (special Xe Lua beef rice noodle soup).  DJKung loves the pho broth here because of their well-balanced seasoning.  Also, it's not as greasy as in other places.

Muc Rang Muoi (salt baked squid). I could have sworn that this was fried, not baked.  Anyway, the squid was superfresh and perfectly fried and crispy. 

Of course, DJKung had to have his Cafe Sua (French coffee with condensed milk).  It's strong espresso-like coffee which the french press drips down into a cup with sweet and creamy condensed milk.  So it's like the concentrated coffee and concentrated milk, together. 

There are a lot more items in the menu, but we never seem to stray from the basics: pho, fried squid and some spring rolls.  They're just dang good!