Crema is Now Open - and it's Great

New cafe Crema has opened at 695 Bergen Ave in McGinley Square. Shortly after Harry's Coffee abruptly closed last year, Crema took over the space, started renovations, and as of a few weeks ago, have opened their doors to the public.

Community News: Buffalo Boss Opening Soon, Frankie and Harry's Daughter Launch Brunch, and More

Jersey City

• Corgi Spirits is enhancing your brunch drinking experience. Beginning this Sunday, they will have a food truck on site all Sunday to cover your brunch dining desires while they handle the drinks. 
• Buffalo Boss, a wing spot owned by Jay-Z's cousin and financially backed by Jay-Z, is expanding into Jersey City. There are currently three locations open in New York and this will be the first New Jersey location. Buffalo Boss is known for their variety of 12 sauces which range in flavors and heat levels. It is scheduled to open at Newport Centre later this month. 

Friday Feature: Cheese Factura from Dulce De Leche

Welcome to weekly series,"Friday Feature" showcasing a specific dish or find from around Jersey City.

This week's feature is the Cheese Factura (or if you're like me and can never remember the name, the cheese croissant thing) from Dulce De Leche at 376 Central Ave in the Heights.

Cafe Batata

Cafe Batata, 382 Second Street, opened about two months ago with a Brazilian menu focusing on Batata Suíça, a stuffed Swiss-Brazilian potato pancake. They also offer other Brazilian specialties like various croquettes (I tried the plain chicken - slightly dry but great flavor), pao de queijo (light, airy cheese breads that they do an excellent job with here), and brigadeiro (Brazilian chocolate truffles).

Pecoraro Bakery Now Antique Bakery

As recently reported, Hoboken's Antique Bakery closed up their Hoboken location and moved all of their operations to Pecoraro Bakery in Jersey City.

Although Antique Bakery bought Pecoraro Bakery a couple of years ago, they didn't make many changes, keeping the overall menu, the staff, and the name and they continued to sell under their own name at the Hoboken location. Now that they have formally moved and are operating full-time out of Pecoraro Bakery, they are starting to update and modify some aspects of the existing bakery.

Livestock to End Service

This upcoming Sunday is the last day for service from Livestock at LITM before Livestock closes down permanently in June.

Community News

• Local favorites like Milk Sugar Love, modcup, Third and Vine, and more were featured in an article from Epoch Times about food artisans in Jersey City.
• Sam a.m. is having a special supper club this Tuesday and they've teamed up with Cool Vines in Jersey City to provide discounted pairing suggestions.
• Cocoa Bakery is selling cream puffs for your New Year celebration, so get them while you can.

Dixon Deli Stands Out From the Crowd

Jersey City has countless corner stores, bodegas, etc. but most of them blend together into nameless spaces that merely fill a need. Few stand above the rest, but one of those few is Dixon Deli.

Dixon Deli, named for its location right by Dixon Mills on the corner of Varick and Columbus, is more focused on the deli side of their store than the convenience side of it (although they do have a good and well-priced selection) and it shows. The deli counter is the first thing you really see when you walk in and once you start to look around, it's hard to miss the large chalkboards up on the wall listing all the available Boars Head meats, cheeses and other sandwich toppings they offer. The bread selection is pretty standard - rolls, heros, sliced bread but every time I've been there, they've been fresh which is already a pretty important step in the right direction.

Second Street: Not Just for Sandwiches

Bread + tomato sauce + mozzarella = happiness

This is an equation that has been proven over and over again. Second Street Bakery, already well-established as a wonderful Italian deli, is one more example proving this theory true.

The pizzas available at Second Street aren't what we typically think of when conjuring up the image of a pizza; they're a bit more rustic, more free-form and only come in the most classic variety: bread + tomato sauce + mozzarella. But this is all you need to enjoy a delicious treat.

Lunch at Fiesta Grill: All About the Pork

Let me preface this review by saying I am not Filipino and while I’m familiar with Filipino food, I am far from an expert and so may very well have no idea what I’m talking about.  Am I inspiring confidence yet?

I’d walked by Fiesta Grill several times before finally deciding to stop in for lunch.  It’s very cafeteria/buffet style where you just go up to the counter, point, pay and they give your food in Styrofoam bowls (which I'd love if they switched to plastic) on a plastic tray.  When I went, I stared at the approximately 16-20 chafing dishes of food they had out on display for about 5 minutes which really didn’t make my choice any clearer. Approximately 75% of it was pork and while everything has a name, there’s not much by way of description. I ended up asking the (brusque but very polite) woman behind the counter what their most popular dishes were and going with that. She recommended I get the combo: rice, 2 main dishes, and a drink – all for $7! – and suggested I try the pork adobo and lechon paksiw.