Grandma Downtown is Bringing Specialty Homemade Bread to the Farmers' Market

One of the new vendors this year at the HDSID Farmers' Market at Grove Street is Grandma Downtown, owned and operated by Krista Zevoteck. Inspired by her Sicilian grandmother who lived in downtown Jersey City, Grandma Downtown is a fledgling Italian-American bakery that focuses on stuffed breads and rolls. There are usually large loaves, mini-loaves, a variety of stuffed rolls, breadcups, and grissini (herbed breadsticks) available.

When I visited, I got an onion roll and what I imagine is now probably one of their biggest sellers, the double-smoked bacon with smoked mozzarella roll. Made with thick-cut Schaller Weber bacon and fresh smoked mozzarella, the roll bakes up to be slightly chewy with a nice crust on the top. The bread is fairly dense but light and baked completely through without any soggy or overly doughy parts still left. The bacon and mozzarella impart a meaty, smoky flavor into the bread so each bite is is a bit salty, a bit smoky, and even a little sweet and creamy. The cheese melts to gooey indulgence but doesn't become overwhelming. While a couple of bites were on the salty side and I did wish the bacon had been cooked down a bit more, for the most part, this was a delicious and hearty roll.

After the bacon and mozzarella roll, I was worried the onion roll might pale a bit in comparison, but quite the opposite. It had a very different flavor although the roll itself seemed to be the same dough. The onions were cooked to a melt-in-your mouth tender sweetness with savory herbs liberally used throughout the roll that almost made me nostalgic for Thanksgiving stuffing. It was homey, familiar tasting and incredibly flavorful even it its simplicity. This is one of several vegetarian rolls that Grandma Downtown typically has available.

Every week seems to bring new and tempting flavor combinations including some sweet options like banana walnut nutella and I can't wait to keep trying more and more. If you can't make it to the market, Grandma Downtown also has an Etsy shop where you can purchase these delicious home-baked goods.

Sam a.m. is Having a Special Supper Club this Thursday

If you've been wanting to try Sam a.m.'s supper club, but have found the cost and/or amount of courses a little much for you, then this Thursday is your chance to enjoy!

Community News

• Congratulations to Thirty Acres for being included on Eater's 38 Essential New York restaurants!
• The Liberty Science Center is having a Rubik's Cube Cake-Off! The deadline to enter is tomorrow 7/7.
• The Dark Side of the Moo got written up in The Jersey Journal for their wide variety of exotic meats and was reported on by CNBC.
• The NY Times went on an ice cream tasting expedition which included Kwality Ice Cream near Journal Square.

4th of July hits Jersey City!

The countdown towards the holiday weekend has begun! (It actually began on Monday....)

First off, the main event this weekend is the 4th of July "Freedom & Fireworks Festival" on Friday in Liberty State Park. With live music, lots of food, and fireworks, this is shaping up to be the event of the year!

There will be a whole section of food trucks and stands, both local and visiting, including Milk Sugar Love, Nuchas Empanadas, Jack's Sliders and Sushi, Toum NYC, The Hamilton Inn and many more. Take a look at the map and schedule, courtesy of Jersey City Project.

There will also be a party being hosted by Councilwoman Candice Osbourne at Peninsula Park that will have a great view of the fireworks, music, local food vendors like Mordi's and Carmella and kid-friendly activities!

But if you want to get started early, Barcade is having a 3rd of July Party on Thursday beginning at 12 pm with a special menu, free hot dogs, and a great tap list.

Want more beer? Thirsty Quaker, besides being able to stock you for all your holiday drinking needs, is having a Smuttynose tasting from 6pm-8pm tonight.

Mordi's Schnitzel Truck!

Mordi's Schnitzel Truck joined the growing ranks of Jersey City food trucks a couple of months ago, and ever since, the rave reviews have been pouring in. With a menu based more in the Israeli/Mediterranean style rather than Eastern European, Mordi's offers chicken and eggplant schnitzel on sandwiches and salads.

On my first visit, I ordered the schnitzel I'd been hearing the most about, the Vegetarian. Made with eggplant schnitzel (thin pieces of eggplant breaded and fried), the Vegetarian is served on an Italian baguette spread with house-made parsley tahini and topped with lettuce, tomato, pickles, cucumber and sumac pickled red onions. Even as I placed the order, another customer waiting turned to me and nodding sagely, said "Good choice".... so the bar was set pretty high. And I'm very happy to report all my expectations were met and then some.

The eggplant was thin but substantial with a perfectly-fried crunchy exterior that led to a rich, almost buttery interior that was delicious on it's own but even better paired with all the other ingredients. What was really interesting is that the eggplant acted almost like more of a complement to the other ingredients rather than the other way around. Instead of each of those ingredients adding flavor to the eggplant, its creamy flavor smoothed out the intensity of the picked vegetables and the sumac from the onion. There was a bit of spice, a great fresh herb flavor from the tahini, and all of the vegetables added some nice crunch and freshness, creating a really delicious sandwich.

The next time I went to Mordi's, I ordered the Italiano sandwich with chicken schnitzel, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, sumac picked red onions, lettuce, roasted peppers and aioli. The tomatoes and peppers were extremely juicy, really creating the flavor base of the sandwich. The chicken schnitzel was very well-cooked, just like the eggplant. Crispy on the outside with still-tender chicken that hadn't crossed the line into rubbery. With all of these ingredients, I was expecting the sandwich to be on the heavier side but again, the vegetables and vinegary tang helped create a really fresh, flavorful sandwich that was relatively light. That's not to say it isn't filling - it definitely is (I'd say you could split a sandwich and a side with someone and be more than satisfied), but these aren't gutbombs. The schnitzel portion is substantial, but it's not what is making up the bulk of the sandwich.

All in All
Mordi's is a great and exciting new addition to the food truck scene in Jersey City and even just to the food scene in general. Beyond the schnitzel they're currently offering, Mordi's also has sides including house-made marinated olives and they've been offering fresh, homemade falafel as a recurring special and yesterday, they introduced a schnitzel platter so I'm sure there's plenty more to come. My one complaint is that the baguettes for the sandwiches can be a bit tough and chewy but on the other hand, they hold everything together really well and absorb all the delicious flavors from the sandwich. Other than that, I found the prices pretty reasonable and portions generous and again, everything just seemed really fresh. Both of my sandwiches were excellent and if you haven't been already.....stop waiting. Just go.

Mordi's can be found traveling around Jersey City - they offer lunch and dinner service most weekdays and are at a lot of events around town on the weekends as well. Check their twitter to stay updated.