Get to Know JC Eaters: The Recap (Part 1)

This week and next week, instead of posting new JC Eaters, I wanted to look back at the twenty Jersey City residents who have been featured so far and talk about some of my favorite recommendations and the things I've learned.

I started doing this in order to hear more about the places and food in Jersey City other people love and it's been great. So many people have told me they've found a new dish to try or a new favorite restaurant based off someone's profile and I've definitely pick up some great recommendations myself. I love reading through every submission I get and I'm so exited to have people share more about the food, neighborhoods, and scenic spots they love in Jersey City as well as often their own personal passions and hobbies. 

Starting from the most recent and counting down to 11, here are the past ten JC Eaters sharing their favorite eats around Jersey City.

Get to Know JC Eater: Bill

Welcome to "Get to Know JC Eater" where every week I post a profile of a local resident sharing where and what they love to eat in Jersey City.  This site is meant to be useful to the community so what better way to do that than involve the community itself? If you'd like to be featured, please leave a comment below or email me directly.

This week's JC Eater is a Korean food enthusiast who enjoys biking around Jersey City.

Get to Know JC Eater: Gabriela

Welcome to "Get to Know JC Eater" where every week I post a profile of a local resident sharing where and what they love to eat in Jersey City.  This site is meant to be useful to the community so what better way to do that than involve the community itself? If you'd like to be featured, please leave a comment below or email me directly.

This week's JC Eater is an adventurous eater living in Jersey City Heights who knows where to get  a good martini.

Get to Know JC Eater: Lorna

Welcome to "Get to Know JC Eater" where every week I post a profile of a local resident who wants to share where and what they love to eat in Jersey City.  This site is meant to be useful to the community so what better way to do that then involve the community itself? If you'd like to be featured, please leave a comment below or email me directly.

This week's JC Eater is a local home renovation specialist and nacho expert. 

Project Market

The Jersey City Project is back again with their third annual Project: Market this Saturday and Sunday from 11am-6pm behind City Hall.

While this particular market focuses on vintage and hand-crafted goods for the holidays, there's still plenty of good eats to enjoy and it's the perfect spot to pick up a few food-related gifts for the obsessed eater in your life - or just some good host/hostess gifts.

I'm Here For The SUPER BOWL. Now Where Do I Eat?

Taken from http://www.wplgroup.com/ism/events/2014-super-bowl-xlviii.asp



Well, friends (and strangers), it's here. Super Bowl Week! And more than that, Super Bowl Week in Jersey City! As has been noted, there is some contention over the fact that the 2014 Super Bowl is not being held in New York as advertised, but rather, in New Jersey. Whoever gets the credit, there is no denying that Jersey City is playing host to both teams and a whole bunch of fans. So, if you are visiting our wonderful city to better enjoy the event, welcome! If you live here and are just hoping to make it through the week, best of luck! And here's some hopefully useful food & restaurant information for visitors and residents alike.

What is Jersey City?
Jersey City, nicknamed Chilltown, also nicknamed the 6th Borough (although that one is less popular) is a bustling metropolis located in the Northeastern part of New Jersey, very close to Manhattan. It's made up of dozens of neighborhoods, each with their own character. For the purposes of this post, I'll primarily be focusing on Downtown Jersey City because that's the area being most prominently featured for the Super Bowl but the rest of the city should by no means be discounted.

Luckily, Jersey City has a lot of great public transportation options including the PATH, bus, cabs, and Uber so no matter where you're trying to go, it shouldn't be too hard to get there.

ME Casa

ME Casa is the type of place I'm always looking for, but rarely find. It's an underground alcove with dim lighting and less than 15 tables, atmospheric without being suffocating. Perfect for an intimate date, a few friends catching up, or even a small group just having fun. The servers seem intent on providing a good experience, sincerely exchanging pleasantries and keeping a watchful eye. All this plus delicious food.

                                                                    (Pernil Asado)
Boasting authentic, but with a twist, Puerto Rican food, ME Casa is not someplace I'd recommend for vegetarians or vegans, but would recommend for just about anyone else. There are a lot of classic dishes here with delicious and familiar flavors being shown off in a new way.One of the best-known and most widely acclaimed dishes is the Mofongo - a bed of mashed and fried plantains topped with beef, chicken, or shrimp stew. On one visit, I tried the chicken entree and on another, we ordered the mofongo appetizer which is three mini mofongos topped with whatever variety of stews you'd like - in this case, one chicken, one shrimp, and one beef (seems like the obvious choice really). The chicken seems to be the favorite, but all of them are excellent. The plantains are garlicky with a creamy texture and while each of the stews is slightly different, they are all very flavorful with a bit of peppery taste to them.

Another favorite is the pernil (shown at the top) which is basically just served as a large plate of shredded pork. This is nothing to complain about as the pork is incredibly tender and juicy, highlighted by the simplicity of how it's served. The roast chicken was similar - fairly simple in preparation, it seemed like it had just been given a spice rub and then roasted, but came out tender and juicy. It was definitely well-seasoned, with lots of garlic and I think oregano. With the addition of the money sauce (ME Casa's green sauce), it doesn't get much better than this.

I've also tried the Pollo Boracho (drunken chicken) which was served with lots of perfectly cooked onions and the Bistec Encebollado (steak). Again, both excellent, perhaps slightly more complex in flavor. Everything has been well cooked and I strongly suspect this is one of those places where there's no bad order, just favorite ones.

         (Pollo)

 
                                             (Bistec)

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.