Superb steaks at Hamilton & Ward

Hamilton & Ward Steakhouse

101 Ward Street

Paterson, NJ 07505

(973) 345-8444

www.hamilton&ward.com

We've seen ads for this steakhouse for about a couple of months in the local paper and I admit it was an intriguing concept: a high-end steakhouse in one of the more commercially challenging cities here in northern Jersey.  We took the plunge on Father's Day because really, what else would dads love most of all on their special day that a big slab of Meat???

Hamilton & Ward is one of the main tenants of the brand spanking new Center CIty Mall here in downtown Paterson. It's right across from the Passaic County Courthouse. Parking was a breeze, thanks to the mall's underground partking lot (you get validated if you go to the restaurant).

Initially, we were thinking of having their $20 Sunday buffet, which was not available that day.  Missing the Sunday buffet was actually serendipitous, because we had a chance to sample a few things from their a la carte menu.


And the space was really quite nice, very expansive, with handsome details and discreet lighting.  The downstairs dining area had the tables and banquettes near enough so you can see what everyone else is getting, but far enough that you can't eavesdrop on conversations too well.  (So this is what a fancypants steakhouse is like!)  

The wine list was pretty exhaustive and price-wise, there's something for everyone.  DJKung and his pops got some Blue Moon and I went for a glass of red vin.

Bread basket with a very chewy sourdough baguette, nutbread and sliced peasant bread. 

The menu we got was the dinner menu (the lunch menu perhaps only applies on weekdays?) and it was a bit of a sticker shock to see the prices.  But overall, it was worth it. 

Oysters on the half shell.  The oysters were not too impressive to look at (the one on the foreground was the biggest and plumpest from the twelve oysters we ordered), but was superfresh and a delight to gulp down.

Clams oreganata.  The garlic-lemon topping went perfectly with the clams.

I got the Caesar salad with these large homemade croutons.  Yum.  Not pictured was their Maryland crab cakes app that I got for my main entree.  The crab cakes were tiny, two-bite affairs and were pretty good.  They came with a creamy lobster bisque-style sauce. 

So of course the highlight of Hamilton & Ward is the steak.  The draw here is their USDA prime beef that they dry-age in their premises.  DJKung decided on the 48-ounce porterhouse for two.  Honestly, it was a massively massive slab o' meat (maybe four to five inches thick!!!) and enough to feed four hungry diners.

So what is the deal with dry-aging?  This allows the meat's flavors to concentrate and results in tastier, more tender steak.  DJKung ordered their steak medium and he remarked at how perfectly it was prepared --- still pink on the inside and nicely browned on the outside.  One end of the serving plate was angled a bit on an overturned saucer, which allowed the sauce to collect on the other end of the plate. 

DJKung reports that this was the best steak he's ever had. Period.

Sides are extra.  We ordered garlic mashers and sauteed onions. 

Afterwards, we also got a tour of their banquet area and wine cellar.  The wine cellar is behind glass and wraps around a private dining room.  We were told that with reserving this room, you get two butlers too! Definitely for those occasions calling for a lot of swank and glamour.  We're saving the cigar room tour for next time. 

We even got complimentary Father's Day cheesecakes in our doggie bags!  The leftover steak lasted a good couple of meals, and Chibby and Babams enjoyed it too!  We cannot wait to go back, to perhaps try their happy hour specials and the Sunday brunch. 

Tasty Portugese at Tero's

Tero's Restaurant
222-224 Ridge Road
Lyndhurst, NJ 07071
(201) 935-8818

Brother D gave us a heads up about this place.  I was not too keen to try it at first because of the dearth of relatively good Portugese/Spanish food in these parts... I dunno, their seafood tends to taste really bland most of the time.  And Brother D is just irrationally particular about his food (e.g., hates vinegar, or anything containing vinegar, likes his steak tough and well-done, etc).  So Tero's was a very nice surprise.

Location-wise, it sits on I guess what is downtown Lyndhurst, across from a big cemetery.  It was not exactly a happenin' spot for a Saturday night dinner with him and the new sister-in-law.  Inside, the furnishings look rather dated and bring to mind a sleepy restarurant within a small-town hotel.

But the food was a delight!  The seafood was fresh and expertly prepared, prices were very fair and the portions were huge!!!

Soup of the day.  I did not catch the name, but it looked like pasta e fagioli to me.

Clams in garlic and olive oil.  Bracingly briny and it was a delight sopping up all the tasty juices with pieces of bread.  I was quite full by this point already.

This was a bisque-type soup that Brother D got.  Maybe crab?  He really liked it. 

Brother D's steak (well-done, of course).  With chips and garden veggies.

DJKung and his poppa shared the rack of lamb entree.  Also with chips and veggies.  DJKung found it tender, juicy and tasty. Cooked just right, too.   The thin-cut potato chips were freshly made and was just awesome. 

 I wish more places had 'em.

The sis-in-law and I (the whole table, really) shared this humongous platter of seafood.  Very nice assortment of jumbo shrimp, mussels, squid, scallops, clams and lobster.  What a treat!  Was not bland at all. . . it tasted like something you'd get in a restaurant closer to the ocean and everything was grilled just right.

Accompaniments: chips, veggies  and yellow rice.

Postprandial drinks.  It was funny seeing DJKung's pop's face when he took his first sip of the Mexican coffee. "Whew!  That's strong!" said he. FIne end to a meal.

Maxwell's Hoboken

Maxwell's

Hoboken, NJ

Maxwell's is one of the few places in North Jersey that is a great place to catch a show.  The crowd is quite young and it  has a downtown, big-city vibe.  We caught a bite and a couple of beers before seeing Phantagram and this is what we had:

Nachos.  They were rather disappointing (skimpy on cheese and flavor).

Cheeseburger with fries.  DJKung did not have much to say about it.

On a positive note, we do like the beer selection here.

And so we next met up with Ozzie Wan and The Faschiester to catch Phantogram.  The performance space at Maxwell's is intimate, maybe fits less than a hundred people.  The sound system is pretty good.  Here's a short clip of Phantagram: 

We greatly enjoyed the show... it was quite well produced despite being a two-member band (guitar, keyboards).  Nice graphics too.  Their big sound and mesmerizing rhythms were well-received. 

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...).