Dolma

Walking into Dolma, I could immediately tell that this restaurant would be special. It's not very large, seating approximately 20-25, but sunlight streams through the windows and the space is bright but calming. It's a clean aesthetic, but cozy with a few touches of old world Mediterranean charm.

From the same owner as Two Aprons, Dolma, 270 Grand Street, opened up a couple months ago, initially serving weekday lunch and more recently adding a weekend brunch. They'll also soon be adding in dinner, but in a move I personally can appreciate, are moving slowly, making sure the service and menu is under control and that they're fully prepared. The attention to detail and emphasis on good service is immediately apparent and for a fairly new restaurant, it appears to be running almost seamlessly. I was blown away by the easy, relaxed attitude of the servers and staff and the quality of my whole experience.

Pasta Dal Cuore

Shortly after Pasta Dal Cuore opened their pasta counter, they began working on their next project: putting a restaurant in the back of the store. The restaurant, which naturally focuses heavily on the house-made pasta, opened in June, offering classic but modern Italian dishes with specials that draw from local markets and what's in season.

The restaurant is on the smaller side, but comfortable and noise is kept to a minimum. It's equally fitting for date night, a family night, or just dinner with friends. It does get a little crowded on the weekends, so if you want to come with a group, I recommend a reservation. Keep in mind, it's also BYO, and the staff will happily set you up for whatever you bring.

The meal begins with a complimentary bread basket, accompanied by a dish or two of something to dip it in. In our case, we had a delicious eggplant caponata and seasoned olive oil. The bread basket is one of the best I've had in Jersey City, containing three kinds of bread including a special Sardinian flatbread reminiscent of an herbed cracker and a Tuscan foccacia-like bread, rich with slightly salted olive oil you could taste in each bite. Definitely take advantage of the variety and try a little of everything.

Community News

• Congratulations to The Kitchen at Grove Station for their review and Very Good rating from the NYTimes
• Next Sunday, 5/3, is the first day of the Riverview Farmer's Market.
• The Community Food Program from Grace Community Services is seeking volunteers and supplies. Their breakfast plus program is relied upon by and feeds between 50-100 hungry members of the Jersey City Community every Saturday and Sunday.
• Congratulations to Prato Bakery for their official grand opening and ribbon cutting last week. 

Community News

• White Mana, local diner, was recently visited and written up by Robert Sietsema of Eater.
• The Hamilton Inn is hiring. Apply in person Monday - Friday between 4pm-7pm and also check in with The Kitchen, hiring for FOH positions.
• Jersey City Ties is planning their annual Spring Pub Crawl for May 2nd, beginning at 2pm.

Community News

• On Friday, Dullboy Bar started opening their doors to customers and will continue their soft open on Tuesday. They'll also start serving food this week.
• Congratulations to Thirty Acres and Talde JC for making Grub Street's Restaurant Power Rankings naming them as two of the hottest restaurants this week. 
• The Village Voice and  Eighty Mag discussed their recent food issue and the print fund-raising dinners they throw.

Community News

• There are only a few tickets left to the Jersey Girls Food Tours Fall Chef Showcase so if you want to go, buy your tickets now!
• Tomorrow night, join Roman Nose as they celebrate their second birthday and help raise funds for Eighty Mag's second issue with a special cocktail. There will be free apertivo snacks from 7-9pm and a DJ.
• Congratulations to Battello on their write-up in the NY Times.

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.