Van Hook Outpost Coming Soon

Photo from Van Hook

Van Hook Cheese is opening a second shop, aptly named Van Hook Outpost, near Hamilton Park later this summer.

Lafayette Corner Store

Lafayette Corner Store, 320 Communipaw Ave,  is a great example of a local small business using social media to their advantage. This bodega turned deli first piqued my interest on Instagram, posting pictures of their daily menus and specials. Expanding on the typical offerings found at a bodega, the shop has a fairly extensive sandwich menu, a variety of burgers, soups of the day, and offers specials like empanadas and pierogis.

Save LSP Picnic (and where to stock up!)

This Friday, join the family behind E. Tittlemouse and Co. for a picnic in Liberty State Park! The goal of the picnic - which is a casual get-together, not an organized event- is to help raise awareness about the importance of saving LSP from development and privatization. The idea is to have anybody who's interested show up between 1pm and sundown to enjoy their own picnic, have some food, have some fun, and just enjoy the park, showing their support.

To help get you in the mood, I've compiled a list of picnic best bets from around Jersey City, nothing that needs to be kept cold, warmed up, or requires major preparation:

Good Eats at 6th Borough Market

This past Sunday, 6th Borough Market moved to their new home at the lot across from City Hall and the market at the new space proved to be bigger and better than ever.  

Beyond the usual wonderful crafters and vendors, there were several new (or at least new to me) food and drink suppliers with both exciting new products to take home and to enjoy there. While I was tthere, I picked up two bottles of all natural hot sauce produced by a company in Bayonne called Outer Limits. One is a Jalapeno Lime and the other is their Habanero hot sauce. I was able to taste them there and both packed quite a bit of heat, the Habanero especially, but beyond the spice, they also had a strong peppery tang that I immediately imagined adding a nice flavor pick-up to dishes.

Event Recap: Jersey City Project: Market

Yesterday was the much anticipated Holiday Market presented by the Jersey City Project and Yelp and Jersey City turned out in full force for the occasion! There were tons of people, lots of great stands and creative gift items around and of course, some delicious food.

The variety and creativity on display was astounding with everything from imprinted goods from Nightingale Project to soaps and cars from Smith and Chang while Kanibal Home brought out some beautiful antique jewelry.

Second Street Bakery

On Monday, Second Street Bakery reopened after their annual two week vacation so I figured what better time to talk about them.

Second Street Bakery is not a bakery. At least, not in the sense of pastries, cakes and other desserts. Instead, Second Street is an old school italian deli with delicious sandwiches, stuffed breads, and other classic italian fare, all made onsite will all the bread baked in a coal-fired oven. It's family-run with a strong sense of tradition and familiarity. On weekends, lines will often go out the door (it's a small place and there's no seating) with firemen, policemen, and EMTs frequently stopping by. Neighbors shake hands, people ask about parents, houses, kids. Long time customers from other parts of NJ pick up party platters and huge brown bags filled with bread and rolls for family events. It's not new or trendy; it's just good, comforting food done the way it's always been done.

Monmouth Street Deli - An Italian Deli Worth Visiting

Welcome!  I’ve lived in Jersey City for about six years in which time, I have eaten a number of sandwiches throughout the city. However, I recently came upon a new recommendation: Monmouth Street Deli.

The sandwiches focus heavily on Italian cold cuts with fresh mozzarella and there’s a wide selection of Italian mains – pastas, parms, etc. as well as a selection of hot daily specials, cold salads and sides out for you to ogle and drool over. Monmouth Street also had refrigerators containing some frozen pastas and raviolis, whole milk ricotta, and some other cheeses.  Not a huge selection, but enough to put together some pretty good meals.

On my visit, I was sucked in by a list of special subs they have up on the wall and selected the Monmouth Street Sub: peppered ham, turkey, salami with fresh mozzarella, imported sharp provolone, roasted peppers, and olive oil on a roll.  Figured I couldn’t go wrong with the namesake, right?