Weekend Round-Up: Halloween in Jersey City

Happy Weekend Jersey City! Halloween festivities are starting early with lots of events going on all weekend. There's pumpkin carving, pumpkin patches, movies, costume contests, and much much more.

Friday, 10/26

• Harborside is hosting the "Ultimate Halloween Party" from 8pm-1am. There will be a DJ, costume contests, food vendors, bars, a photo booth and much more. Entry is $20/person online and $30/door.

Community News: Public School Water Fountains, Talde hosting a Kamayan Dinner, and more

Jersey City

• With the ongoing and worsening budget shortfalls in our school system, Jersey City Public Schools are continually without water for students. Because of lead contamination, drinking fountains and sinks are unusable for drinking water and instead, the school system relies on outside bottled water because of the lack of budget to replace. However, it's expensive and the bottled dispensers often run out, leaving students without water for the day. To provide a more successful and environmentally sustainable solution, student Harshal Agrawal has started a petition proposing line filtration and lead testing. 
• Talde is holding a special Kamayan dinner this Thursday, 9/13. The theme is Magellan's Takeover and the dinner will have a Spanish influence. Tickets are $75/person for all you can eat and drink. 

The OAK on Pine Introduces Supper Club; Gets Closer to Opening

Photo from Sam a.m.

Sam a.m.'s new dinner concept, The OAK on Pine, is getting closer to opening their doors and in the meantime, they've launched a supper club.

Three Fundraisers from Sam a.m., Rita and Joe's, and Monty Hall

There are three great fundraisers happening in Jersey City over the next few days, all involving great food so seize the opportunity to eat well and help raise money for some very worth causes.

Events in Jersey City

One of the things I love about Jersey City is that there's something for everyone, especially in the culinary world.

Of course, there's Hudson Restaurant Week which started earlier this week and will continue through next week. Restaurants all throughout Hudson County are offering special prix-fixe meals for you to enjoy.

Winter 2015 Hudson Restaurant Week is Here!

Next Monday, January 26th, marks the start of the biggest Hudson Restaurant Week yet!

Approximately 50 restaurants throughout Hudson County are participating in the 10 day event of discounted prix-fixe menus and close to half of those are in Jersey City.

Upcoming Events

It may be freezing outside, but there's still plenty to do, eat, and drink! Here are some of the best bets coming up:

Satis Bistro is holding a "Winter Wine Dinner" on Wednesday, January 21st. It begins at 7:30 pm and there will be six delicious-sounding tastings paired with wines presented by Cool Vines, Kermit Lynch, & IPO Wines.

Reservations are required and can be made through their website.

Hudson Restaurant Week Is Here!

Over the next two weeks, from July 29th through August 9th, Hudson County is holding Restaurant Week. A number of restaurants throughout Hudson County, including many Jersey City restaurants, will be offering prix-fixe menus for lunch and dinner.

Delivery from White Star

I've been to White Star Bar a few times and always enjoyed both the atmosphere and the food, so I was curious to see how delivery service would stack up to the bar itself.

White Star is small, but has a good selection of beers on tap and a menu that focuses on slightly upscale bar food - there's burgers and sandwiches, but also grilled and roasted entrees, tacos, soups, salads, etc. all with a slight twist that stands above the standard versions you might otherwise find.

The first time I ordered, I got a BLAT (bacon, lettuce, avocado, and tomato) with mayonnaise on toasted whole grain pullman bread ($8) and the house salad ($6). The BLAT sandwich came with a very generous side of fries which were still nice and hot by the time they got to me. They weren't super crispy but definitely not soggy which is not an easy thing to pull off with delivery fries. The BLAT itself was...well, somewhat disappointing.
Having had the sandwich at the bar, I know how good it can be and this one just did not meet those standards. The heat from the fries must have slightly steamed the toasted bread so it became dry but kind of chewy and the tomato was far from ripe while the avocado was overripe. Relatively minor complaints, and only one delivery-related, but all together, it was enough that I left most of the sandwich alone, eating one side of the bread topped only with lettuce and bacon. The bacon itself was excellent - good quality, thickly sliced and both crispy and chewy. It was fine...but I don't think I'd order it again, at least not for delivery.

Razza

Recently, some friends and I made plans to go out to dinner and decided on Razza, a not-quite new restaurant in Jersey City that focuses on a simple menu with fresh, local ingredients. We walked in shortly before 8pm on a Friday and were greeted by a very friendly hostess who estimated a 25 minute wait. Not short, but not bad for a Friday evening. They had some space inside to wait, as well as plenty of room on the sidewalk where they had placed a trolley with chopped wood, lanterns, and a few menus for passerby to peruse which is a nice introduction to the atmosphere of the restaurant. 

 

The restaurant itself is dark with lots of wood, simply decorated with the wood-burning oven dominating the back of the space. It’s spacious without being large and is wonderfully atmospheric, both intimate and relaxed. I didn’t feel out of place when I laughed loudly and was just as comfortable having a quiet conversation. Our server was very friendly, knowledgeable, and checked in regularly without being overbearing. She gave recommendations easily and answered questions when we had them. When giving the list of specials for the evening (all of which sounded amazing), she gave the price for each which was much appreciated. I don’t know why more restaurants don’t do this – no one wants to deal with sticker shock at the end of the night.

Farmers Market Find: BBQ at Legal Beans

I’ve seen the somewhat clumsily named BBQ at Legal Beans at various events downtown and they’re a pretty constant staple at the Grove Street farmers’ market but I’d never actually stopped to get anything. A couple years ago, I went to the storefront and truthfully, wasn’t that impressed but always thought I should give it another shot. Naturally, I never got around to it and in the meantime, it seems as though Legal Beans has reworked and expanded their menu.

Figuring I might as well take advantage of their presence at the farmers’ market, I stopped by to get dinner and see if the food had improved.  As I approached the stand, I was hit with the mouthwatering smell of grilled meat and warm BBQ sauce. It smelled like summer. They had a series of large covered foil pans on one table that held different cuts of chicken, at least two kinds of ribs, pulled pork, and probably a couple more I didn’t see. There was also a second side table with smaller pans containing all their side options; I saw rice, beans, mac and cheese and mashed sweet potatoes. I ordered a grilled quarter chicken with a side of mashed sweet potatoes.  The server asked me if I wanted extra barbecue sauce on top and I went with it, noticing he was being pretty generous when pouring it on without flooding the container. My total came to $8 which I found incredibly reasonable, especially when taking into account the huge serving of mashed sweet potatoes they gave me.