Eat Something New — food is just food until you try something new, then it's an experience

The Shrimp Box – Pt. Pleasant NJ – Standing After Sandy

June 4, 2013 by brittany Leave a Comment

A day with family on the Jersey Shore. We rode through Point Pleasant taking in the stark contrast of what is standing post-Sandy. Some homes stand with fresh construction. The houses look pristine, but the lack of personal effects and stickers and tape make it still look sad, because you know that although it has been “rebuilt” there has still been a loss that can not be fully repaired. Other homes still stand, barely, with entire walls missing, with personal effects sticking up out of the rubble. I had heard so much and seen so much on the news, but you really don’t know until you see it with your own eyes. And this was months and months lately. My heart hurts and goes out to those who have lost to much.

It was a beautiful day at the shore, I hadn’t seen my family in weeks and it was nice to be together. We went to The Shrimp Box in Point Pleasant. I had never been before, and was thoroughly impressed. With so many weddings on the brain lately, I couldn’t help but think about how beautiful it would be to have a bridal shower there. Nautical decor, located right on the water with a spectacular view, mostly of ships.

Check that out! No filter!

I had the sea scallops over spinach with mashed potatoes, and the salad bar. The salad bar had crab meat (I think imitation, but still made of fish, so I’ll take it!) and lots of fresh veggies. I didn’t even need dressing!

The scallops and spinach – out of this world! No joke! Scallops can be overcooked very easily, and if they’re not fresh it is very, very obvious. Not the case on either account! Perfectly seared, not overdone, the spinach was heaping and chock full o’ garlic and super light on the olive oil. Mmm, my mouth is watering thinking about it now, weeks later!

Shrimp Box Pt Pleasant NJ They also have a more casual outdoor spot that looked really fun. I’m looking forward to returning!

I also have to note that there was a water line along the wall. The restaurant looked to be in amazing condition, but it appeared they chose not to paint over the water line left from Sandy. it went around the entire restaurant as far as I could tell. A plaque adorned the wall by the line, near the entrance, marking that Sandy had been there. It’s subtle, in fact I did not notice it until we were leaving. I think it’s nice that they left it, as a way to remember and never forget what happened. But it was subtle, also showing that it didn’t stop them!

A delicious meal in a beautiful restaurant with a beautiful day with my beautiful family

To anyone who was affected by Sandy – my heart sincerely goes out to you <3

Filed Under: healthy eats, Restaurants, Uncategorized Tagged With: Jersey Shore, Pt Pleasant, Sandy, Scallops, The Shrimp Box

Hale and Hearty in NYC

May 31, 2013 by brittany 1 Comment

Lately my blog posts have not featured the most healthy menu options! I have been taking cheat day pretty seriously, and they’re so much more fun to blog about! But I promise to get back to the healthy side of things (but I won’t stop blogging about the cheats! ).

Working in NYC for just over 4 months now, I actually haven’t tried that many different places. I’ve tried something new at Heartland Brewery, and discovered what I believe is my all time favorite bagel at Zucker’s. But for the most part, I like to keep it healthy (and economical) and bring my breakfast and lunch from home. Mason jar salads have been on the menu a lot lately, which you can read about here.

However, sometimes, especially on those rainy, dreary days (which we have been having a lot of lately!) you just want something warm. Having exhausted my canned soup supply at work, I looked my fellow foodie coworkers for some guidance, and the clear answer was Hale and Hearty.

I’m a big soup fan so I pumped to try this place out. I opted for their Panera-esque You-Pick-Two style soup and salad combo. hale-and-hearty-soup-salad-combo

The salad that is part of the combo is pretty generic: mixed greens or romaine, any dressing you’d like, carrots, cucumber, red onion and croutons. I skilled the croutons and went with balsamic. Simple, but super fresh and very tasty! Plus, I wanted the soup to shine in this meal, so I was A-okay with this.

hale-and-hearty-salad

Look at that salad bar! So many options and SO fresh!

Ah yes, the soup! This ain’t no boring 10 vegetable let me tell you! Although even after searching online I couldn’t figure out the full list of 10. And a couple aren’t really vegetables, but I’m gonna give them this one. (It’s that good). Let’s see: tomato, celery, squash, peas, potato, green beans, carrots, onions and a couple others. Maybe I just happened to not get the other ones in my soup. Either way, delicious! And healthy to boot.

The whole meal was less than 7 points! The 7 grain bread was 3, the salad was 1 because of the dressing, and the soup was 3.

I went back again and not the lentil chili. Holy moly. Thats my new favorite, and I’ll definitely be getting it again! SO incredibly satisfying let still so incredibly healthy and low in points. Satisfies the chili craving and is truly guilt free – my favorite kind of find!

See? #eatsomethingnew isn’t always about trying rocky mountain oysters or other crazy super weird things! Just about trying something new to you to expand your horizons!

Do you go to Hale and Hearty? Your thoughts? Your favorite Soup?

What’s your favorite new-to-you you’ve tried lately?

Filed Under: healthy eats, Restaurants, Reviews, Uncategorized, WW Points

Short Rib Grilled Cheese at City Bistro in Hoboken

May 30, 2013 by brittany Leave a Comment

Phil’s parents came to visit us in Hoboken, and we wanted to take them somewhere local that would be relaxed, but offer some creative menu options – City Bistro was the obvious choice.

Now, we had been there before a number of times, once for a NYE party, a couple of times with friends for drinks, and I went a few times with my girlfriends for cocktails and dinner. It’s a great place! Fun, comfortable, even a bit of a rustic ambiance, creative spins on classic menu options, very reasonably priced, and great drink options too.

It was a beautiful day, but still a little chilly so we walked along the water, but were happy to be inside!

Now,

As you know, I tend to lean toward the healthy side (not that you’d know it based on my more recent posts! I need to get more week night recipes on here! Restaurants are just more fun to blog about! ) – But as you also know, this isn’t always the case. This day was a “isn’t always the case” kind of day.

Phil’s mom and I started with Blood Mary’s (spicy of course! and only $3 on brunch special!) while Phil and his dad started with an Angry Orchard.

City Bistro Hoboken

Then we got the calamari, which, to my (pleasant) surprise, included a decent amount of tentacles! Those are my favorite, for sure. They have very fresh, very tasty calamari.

For our meals I ended up going with something way, way out of my normal ordering – the Short Rib Grilled Cheese. Yes, that’s right – bread, cheese, red meat. I did opt for a side salad instead of fries, and I only ate half of the sandwhich, forcing the other half on everyone else. There was no way they were going to leave without trying it. Definitely not healthy, but I did practice restraint and maintained moderation It was totally worth it – absolutely amazing!

The bread was soft but grilled perfectly to create that crisp strong enough to hold up all that meat and cheese. The cheese was perfectly melted and didn’t overpower the meat. The short rib was tender, juicy and just oh-so-good.

The arugula side salad was also delicious and a perfect fresh compliment to the rich sandwich. I highly recommend you try this! Even if you get it as an appetizer and split with 4-6 people – it is worth trying!

Phil’s mom got the huevos rancheros which were a work of art. And she said she liked it so I’d have to say delicious, too! Look at that presentation!

Phil’s dad opted for their pizza and Phil got a black and bleu burger with bacon and bleu cheese. Look how good it looks! Their sweet potato fries are seriously good, too. Wedges with a crinkle cut, crispy on the outside but still soft on the inside. I may have snuck 1 or 2 off of Phil’s plate. Oops

Locally owned and operated, great atmosphere, very reasonable prices, and great food; you can not go wrong. They have a rooftop deck (with a bar and TV’s!) that is awesome at night when it’s warm out.

Great spot for a date night, night out with friends, or somewhere to bring visitors to get a taste of the Hoboken neighborhood. It’s a great local spot and one I’m sure I’ll be taking many visitors!

What’s your favorite local spot in Hoboken?
What’s your favorite order at City Bistro?

Filed Under: Restaurants, Uncategorized Tagged With: Bloody Mary Hoboken, City Bistro NJ, hoboken, Hoboken Brunch, NYC Eats

Heartland Brewery Bison Burger & Kelly Irish Ale

May 25, 2013 by brittany Leave a Comment

We’ve been to Heartland Brewery before, that time
we ordered their appetizer sampler and delicious apricot beer, so we knew that this was a safe choice for a quick but delicious meal before heading over to a show. Neither of us were overly hungry but we knew we had to eat since we wouldn’t be able to again for several hours. We decided to each get a beer (they brew their own, how could you not?!) and split the Bison Burger Sliders appetizer.

Great decisions all around!

Bison (buffalo), come to find out, is typically much leaner than other red meats, which I was happy to learn! They were served on super soft potato rolls with fresh tomato and lettuce. The meat was juicy, tender and delicious! I was very happy with our decision! The appetizer came with 4 sliders, so we each had two and split an order of sweet potato fries with chipotle aioli. This plus the beer was the perfect amount to satisfy us and hold us over until later on in the night.

I highly recommend this appetizer!

My beer of choice that night was the Kelly’s Irish Ale. It’s color can be compared to yuengling but it was a little heavier. Great taste but too heavy for me in general. No apricot ale, that’s for sure!

Have you ever been to Heartland Brewery? What’s your favorite beer? Food item?

Any other breweries in/around NYC that I should try?

Filed Under: Drink something new, Restaurants Tagged With: Bar Food, Bison Burger, Cheat Day, Heartland Brew, Heartland Brewery, NYC, NYC Pub

Fried Avocado Tacos at The Taco Truck, Hoboken

April 26, 2013 by brittany 2 Comments

A couple Sundays ago it finally started to feel like spring. The sun was shining and it was up to over 50 degrees (finally!). We’re still technically new in town and haven’t had the opportunity to just stroll around aimlessly as much as we’d like so we seized the opportunity. I remembered that I had gotten an e-mail from The Taco Truck saying something about free tacos. I found the e-mail and learned that all we needed to do was download the LoyalBlocks app and “walk-in” to The Taco Truck and BOOM, 2 free tacos would be ours (each!).

Scanning the menu trying to decide, I ended up going with the aguacate tostado. It was unlike any other taco I have ever seen (or at least realized) on a menu so naturally the #eatsomethingnew instinct kicked in and I knew this was what I was going to order. For once, I left the order alone, too! No substitutions or additions or anything. I wasn’t 100% sure on what some of the ingredients were going to be like and figured they’re the experts so I left it alone. I am so happy I did! These tacos were unbelievable.

The Taco Truck Aguacate Tostado Fried Avocado Taco

The chipotle salsa kicked some heat, the beans added some body and texture, and the fried avocado was delicious! It was still green, despite being fried, meaning that there was very little breading, which I was happy about. I wanted to taste the avocado! It wasn’t greasy at all, either. The pickled onions are an absolute must, even if you don’t like onions. Because they’re pickled they do not have that harsh onion taste, they were actually sweet and served as the perfect compliment to the other spicy and savory flavors, bringing it all together.

The white corn double tortilla shells were the perfect vehicle for this taco, holding it all together without masking or detracting from any of the other flavors.

If this taco sounds like it is something you would like (even if you don’t like onions) I highly suggest you try it!

The Taco Truck has locations in NY, NJ and MA and they kick ass. There’s no other way to put it. Their food tastes authentic, fresh and absolutely delicious. They are reasonably priced, committed to sustainability, and are a fun and funky place to grab a quick meal.

Side note: Their drinks are overpriced. What else is knew, I know. But I got a tiny glass bottle of diet coke and it was $2.30. I’d bring your own!

I’m looking for places to try in Hoboken and Midtown NYC that are a little off of the beaten path or menu items that are completely out-of-this-world and unique! Let me know where and what to try next!

Filed Under: Restaurants, Uncategorized Tagged With: avocadoa, cheap eats in hoboken, hoboken, tacos, the taco truck

Bill’s Bar and Burger

April 23, 2013 by brittany Leave a Comment

It was date night and we were going to see Gabriel Iglesias aka Fluffy (not to be confused with Enrique). These tickets were a birthday present for Phil (his birthday is in July) and so I wanted to treat for dinner, but being a Friday and coming right from work we had to find something semi-quick yet still sit-down and somewhere that serves drinks. Phil suggested Bill’s Bar & Burger near Radio City where the show was, so that’s where we went!

Feeling inspired by all of the blogging lately, I knew I had to try something a little more outside-the-box. I considered several different menu items before I spotted the Grilled Shrimp Burger. We have a winner! I knew I had to try this. Immediately I started wondering what I thought it would be like. Is it a patty made up of chopped up shrimp (and possibly imitation crab meat or some other filler)? Then i moved on to the toppings. Coleslaw = way too much mayo to be worth the points, especially given the lack of nutrients, so I swapped for guacamole and asked for all of the condiments on the side.

I apologize, Bill, because your shrimp burger has way more integrity than I had assumed! (See, it’s true what they say about assuming…) The “burger” was made up of about 8-10 medium sized whole shrimp! It looked like the chef mixed the shrimp in a bowl with some seasonings and then arranged them in to a burger shape on the grill. Shrimp tends to stick to itself so the burger looked to be formed “naturally” just through the cooking process. There may have a been a bit of egg or something else used to hold it all together, but if so, there wasn’t very much of it. The taste was purely shrimp and [delicious] seasoning. Some bites, I’d even manage to pull apart a whole piece of shrimp. Not too dry, either! Simply delicious.

Like I said I skipped the coleslaw and asked for guacamole and the tartar sauce on the side. I think I got chipotle aioli instead of tartar sauce, but that was okay by me! I spread a thin layer of the guacamole right on the shrimp and just a bit of the chipotle aioli on the inside of the bun. Great combination if I may say so myself! The guacamole tasted fresh and had a great texture, complimenting the shrimp and the bun. The chipolte aioli added a level of complexity and a tiny bit of heat to round it all out.

Thoroughly enjoyed it!

I followed it up with a Caliente margarita! (We know how much I love me a spicy cocktail). It was made with tanteo jalapeno, tropical tequila and fresh mango. Spicy, a little sweet and refreshing all at the same time!

Sean, our waiter, was awesome! He’s our first official Waiter Of The Month! He was attentive without over-doing it, he was honest and didn’t make me feel the slightest bit guilty about my swapping and subbing of condiments. He made us feel like his only table in a very busy dining room. Thanks, Sean!

We started Waiter of the Month because I worked in restaurants for 8 years (I even still miss it sometimes!) and Phil worked in a fast casual place too, so we both appreciate the service and think it’s a well underrated profession with too much finger pointing and not enough thank you’s.

Have you ever been here?

Do you have a homemade recipe for shrimp burgers?

What your favorite spot near Radio City?

Filed Under: Restaurants

I Overdosed on Wheat Grass!

April 11, 2013 by brittany 2 Comments

Today was day 3 of Healthy Chicks’ Happy Healthy Wellness Challenge and the challenge was to have a “new-to-me” leafy green as the star of one of my meals. I was excited because I have a bunch of kale (which I have eaten but have never cooked) – and a can of white beans I planned to cook together. But then I remembered that my meals for the day were all already prepped, cooked, and packed for the day; I wouldn’t get home until closer to 10pm and there’s no time for making a brand new meal that late! I could skip the gym, but this is a happy and healthy wellness challenge after all and the gym makes me happy, healthy and well, so I figured that wouldn’t be a good idea.

I was going to have to bend the rules a bit and get a lot a bit creative. Then I remembered that on my walk home the night before I passed a very a-typical food truck: one that makes organic juices! That’s what I’ll do – I’ll get a green juice chock full o’ some green they have that I don’t normally juice. I got most of the way to work and no truck (must have been too early) so I scoped out Jamba Juice.

I immediately smelt citrus as I walked in, very welcoming especially early in the morning. I looked over the menu and settled on the green smoothie… or so I thought. It contained whole pieces of fruit but the really green part was ambiguously termed “green veggie juice” – no thanks. God only knows what that’s made of!

Wheat Grass Overdose

So instead I opted for the unadulterated wheat grass shot with an orange wedge! I waited for an eternity so the gentleman behind the counter gave me a double shot free of charge. I didn’t even have to complain. Very good customer service despite the ambiguous ingredient list. So I got my beautiful wheat grass and orange wedge plate, took it to the ledge by the window to enjoy a little sun and the view of Bryant Park (and all the daffodils!) while I slugged this back.

The taste came in waves, and I had to take 2 sips (anyone who knows me know that it doesn’t matter what the contents are, I’m no good at taking shots!) Grass. Semi-sweet Goodness. Grass again. Repeat. Interesting. Leafy, kinda sweet, starchy and all around strange. But not bad, but I definitely needed the orange wedge. After that I wasn’t even reaching for water or anything else – little to no aftertaste!

Next stop: Starbucks to get another Passion tea – trying to hold on to yesterday’s challege and drink only water and herbal tea (I’m thinking the wheat grass doesn’t count as “drinking” something else. Hope I’m right! Rachel?). Anyway, I get my tea and notice their new all natural juices, snag the green one, the ingredients seem to check out, so I buy it. I figured I’d save it for my afternoon pick me up and add to my “new-t0-me leafy green” goal for the day.

About 20 minutes later I’m hit with an unbelievable wave of nausea. Concentrate, Brittany. You can do it. Do not throw up on your desk. I repeat, do not throw up on your desk. You just started working here a couple months ago. Don’t. Do. It.

I reached out to a few fellow #HappyHealthyWC-er’s and shared the horrifying news. They talked (and laughed) me through it and after about a half hour I felt better. And another hour went by and I felt just fine. I feel great now! That was scary, though.

Could you imagine if I threw up on my desk?! Or anywhere at work for that matter?! Ugh!

Naturally I googled it and found a few sources that all led me to the same conclusion: this is normal due to the fact that I don’t regularly (ever) drink wheat grass, and that second free shot may have done more harm than good. As a newbie I should have had less than 1 ounce, and I had 2. On an empty stomach. Followed by hot tea. No. Wonder.

Needless to say I didn’t drink my juice. It had wheat grass in it and I had already OD’d on that for the day and didn’t need another puke scare. I will though! And I’ll be sure to report back!

So will I have wheat grass again? Yes. From Jamba Juice? Sure! Will I have less and make sure I’m not running on empty? You betcha.

Again, at least I have a good story to tell!

Filed Under: Drink something new, healthy eats, Reviews, Uncategorized Tagged With: drink something new, healthy, wellness challenge, wheat grass

My First Mason Jar Salad!

April 8, 2013 by brittany 3 Comments

This is not something I have been known to say often, believe it or not, but this idea came to me from Pinterest!

Mason Jar Salads – or “Mason jar Meals” because it is not limited to salad! are packed and ready to take with you by layering the ingredients in a mason jar. Now, I know that Mason Jars are a bit of “trend” right now – in fact that’s what my drink was served to me in at Bill’s Burger and Bar – but there’s actual logic behind this. Stay with me.

First of all, they are glass and therefore reusable and sustainable. Secondly they are tall and skinny, at least compared to typical short-and-fat Tupperware containers. I don’t know about you, but when packing a salad to bring with me to work, I hate the idea of having separate containers, having to pack the bottle of dressing so things don’t get soggy, etc. This totally solves that problem!

Here’s how I layered my salad:

Starting from the bottom of the jar:

Dressing (fat free ranch w/ hot sauce) * Cucumbers * Carrots * Chicken (Cajun style!) *Spring Mix

The dressing and spring mix are the two I didn’t want to touch so I put them furthest from one another, and it totally worked! The jar was in my bag for my bus ride and my 20+ minute walk, and then in the fridge until lunch time and despite the schlepping, the dressing stayed completely separate from the spring mix.

I took the jar out of the fridge, shook it vigorously to start the mixing process, dumped it in to a bowl and voila!

Today was also Day 1 of Healthy Chick’s Happy Healthy Wellness Challenge! The challenge was to eat mindfully throughout the day. I totally forgot doing breakfast… fail. And during lunch… double fail! I used to study (and practice!) Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, so I was excited for this inspiration and motivation to revisit and refocus. To my surprise, it went the complete opposite of the way I had anticipated! I am kind of shocked that I completely forgot! I was so excited to get started on this challenge, and even more so when the first challenge was about mindfulness (something that changed my life). Then I wasn’t so surprised because what was I doing while I was eating both breakfast and lunch? Working. Shocker. Now that it’s nice out I should really leave for work a little early and sit outside to eat breakfast, and leave, even for just 20 minutes, to enjoy my lunch. I might “lose” a little time doing that, but I think I’ll gain so much more coming back to work ready to go with more clarity. Not to mention happier!

I did manage to eat my carrots and hummus mindfully. Boy, do I miss this! I’m really going to try to do this during dinner. TV is going to tempt me, but I’m going to try!

Check out Healthy Chicks’ website – she’s awesome.

Filed Under: gluten-free, healthy eats, Lunch Box, Uncategorized, WW Points Tagged With: healthy, lunch at work, mason jar salad, salad

I Got Schmeared at Zuckers!

April 5, 2013 by brittany 2 Comments

It was a Friday morning and feeling a little under the weather, I was beyond thrilled to walk in to work and have my coworkers greet me with an offer to walk down the street to get bagels. I don’t know why, but bagels are a morning comfort food for me and feeling not-so-great, this was perfect timing.

We went down the street to Zucker’s Bagels & Smoked Fish. I had never been here before (perfect!) but many of my coworkers have and I’ve been wanting to try it.

Let’s get right to my order – more on Zucker’s history later.

Whole wheat everything flatz with low fat scallion cream cheese, tomato, and cucumber.

Not too shabby on the health meter.. it’s still a bagel and it’s still cream cheese, but the less evil versions at least! (Only 6 WW points!!! Regular bagel with cream cheese has 12+!)

No exaggeration this is the best bagel I have ever had. I much prefer the flatz (thinner bagel with half the calories and carbs) because I get the bagel texture and taste, but the other ingredients have their time to shine, too.

The cucumbers were insanely fresh, crunchy and cool. Not too thinly sliced, they were a major addition to the sandwich and one I am so incredibly glad I opted in for. The tomato was also fresh and perfectly sliced and layered. The scallion cream cheese seems to be one of their big sellers so I knew I had to try it, even if it was the low fat variety. Delicious! Not too “onion-y” but definitely a noticeable scallion flavor. Went really well with the “everything” and complemented by the fresh cucumber and tomato.

The bagel flat its self was crisp on the outside and doughy on the inside – exactly how a bagel should be (later I found out that this is exactly how Zagat described their bagels, too! “Exactly as a bagel should be”).

Now I know why so many people in my office are loyal to Zucker’s! I will definitely be back for breakfast another time, but next I must try their lunch! Anyone have any suggestions?!

The store is beautiful, modern and rustic, and also very clean. Their website is also beautiful, and they have some really great offerings!

Like the Getaway Bag! $100 for a re-useable tote filled with their best products. More info here: Zuckers Getaway Bag

Schmeared-At-Zuckers

Their slogan they display on their merchandise is “I Got Schmeared at Zucker’s”. Coincidentally I received the Schmear Badge, Level 2 from Foursquare when I checked in that morning!

I will 100% be back again. The question is whether I’ll be able to resist ordering the exact same thing again when I go to try their lunch!

Anyone have a favorite, unique bagel combination they love to order?

Are you a “healthy eater”? What are your thoughts on bagels? Do you ever give in?

Think I’m crazy for thinking this is the best bagel out there? What’s your favorite? Where should I go next time I give in?

Filed Under: Restaurants, Reviews, Uncategorized, WW Points Tagged With: best bagel in NYC, Everything bagel, NYC bagel, Zuckers

Hotties at Teak on The Hudson

April 1, 2013 by brittany 2 Comments

Last week I attended my first blogger meet up with some awesome fellow Hoboken bloggers! We met at Teak On the Hudson in Hoboken where I - how appropriate – ate a few new things and introduced something new to the bartender!

Those girls aren’t the only hotties I’m referring to in my title up there. I’m also referring to my food and drink selections. I had a bit of a theme going: FIRE.

While we waited for everyone to arrive we started with a drink at their beautiful bar; huge fish tank, beautiful bar top and lots of plants. I ordered a dirty martini, with a dash of Tabasco. The bartender was immediately intrigued, made a face as if to ask if I was being serious, so I shot a look back confirming that was, indeed, what I wanted. He made the drink and then asked me where I had been served this drink before, later claiming that I’ve ruined his social life because he plans on making himself many of these in the future. You’re welcome, Mr. Bartender.

My love for this spicy, dirty libation all started at 10th and Willow when I went for a friend’s birthday and ordered the Spicy Dirty Martini. I forgot about this drink until last month when I went to 3 forty Grill during Hudson Restaurant Week and ordered their Dirty Sexy Money Martini. I fell right back in love with this drink, and this time I fell hard. The following week we went to Courtstreet for Hudson Restaurant Week and I ordered a dirty martini and asked for Tabasco to add myself. That’s how my love affair with dirty, spicy martinis began.

So back to the blogger meet up at Teak… We sit down and start looking over the menu and of course I can’t decide. Do I go with their namesake, the Teak Roll like I normally would. I mean, if they’re putting their name on it they must think it’s pretty good, right? It seemed too plain (especially for the price) so I passed. Then, Like Alyssa and Jill, I was tempted by the Chilean Sea Bass. I wound up sticking to my spicy theme and going with two sushi rolls that were different than anything I’ve ever tried before: Tuna Cashew and Hot Popper. The first one is exactly what it sounds like – a tuna roll with a cashew in it. The second was a tuna, yellowtail, avocado and, wait for it… jalapeno. I had a Jalapeno roll a week prior at The Illuzion and there wasn’t enough jalapeno and I was a little disappointed, so I was excited for this one!

Jalapenos aren’t that hot, falling somewhere near the middle but toward the more mild side of the heat continuum. I usually don’t have an issue. Well, this time was different. Very different. This time I was sweating. At the table. At a nice restaurant. With a group of people I had just met. And the waiter kept forgetting my water.

Finally I grabbed the bus boy and said, “I don’t know if you’re supposed to serve us, but please get me some water. My mouth is on FIRE”. This girl was on fire. (see what I did there? Thank you, Alicia)

He laughed and walked away, but he did send someone back over with some freezing cold ice water. Thank god. Crisis averted. No more sweating.

So I pushed my wasabi-laden soy sauce to the side and put some plain soy sauce on the remaining pieces of the rolls and was good to go. Big gulps of water in between, but I managed.

Regardless, the food was delicious. The rolls were fresh and well constructed. The cashew roll was different than I had anticipated because I thought the cashew itsself would be crushed up, but it was a whole cashew put right there in to the roll just like the other ingredients. The cashew taste was prominent but surprisingly complementary! A little plain, but I liked it overall.

The Hot Popper was very tasty, but the jalapenos were particularly strong and they are what lead to the fire situation. The taste, however, was very good. Again the fish was fresh and the roll was well constructed, plus I was a fan of the combination. A good roll, I just would not suggest pairing it with another spicy roll, adding any wasabi or drinking a spicy dirty martini with it! My bad. Lesson learned.

Hey, at least it wound up being a pretty good story.

Shout out to all the bloggers were there that night. And to Lynda of The Healthy Hoboken Girl for setting it up, finding me on Twitter and inviting me, and for bringing awesome organic and allergy free chocolate treats! Post on the chocolate coming soon!

Sprinkle Massacre, The Bloginista, Shore to Run, Hoboken Girl, Tiffany Pinero Style, Don’t Sit Home, Life a la Wife - Thanks for a great night!

Filed Under: Drink something new, Restaurants, Reviews, Uncategorized Tagged With: dirty martini, hoboken, jalapeno, martini, sushi