JamieEats

Give it up, now!

I have a confession to make. For those of you that follow my blog I have been holding back one of my favorites knowing that as soon as I talked about it the place would be mobbed. My guilt has gotten the better of me however, and I am going to give it up. You ready? It's the Organic Tofu House in Ridgewood, NJ. Yechh. You say? You're right. The name needs work but fortunately the food does not. It's good. Really. I have been taking friends to this place for about two years and no one has come away disappointed.

My favorite dishes are the seafood scallion pancake.
The pancake is a chewy combination of scallions, squid, and shrimp fried and served with a dipping sauce. Mmmmmm

We usually get the Mandu also. These are fried pork dumplings that are clearly home made and delicious.
Personally, I am not a big fan of tofu as a food. I find the mushy consistency to be unpleasant and the taste is useless. It takes on the taste of whatever it's in. I usually order the beef or seafood tofu here and you get a steaming pot of tofu and beef or seafood in a generous amount of sauce or soup. What I do is, add rice, and hot sauce and go to town. It's pretty good and a bargain at $8.99.

 

I never leave without ordering the BBQ Kalbi( Marinated Sliced Short Ribs). They are good for those who won't touch the Tofu. (a mistake in my opinion)

Last, but not least, is the House Noodle. This is a rice vermicelli on the chewy side with plenty of vegetables and flavor. Definitely get it.
Next time you're in Ridgewood go to the Organic Tofu House.

88 Godwin Ave
Ridgewood, NJ 07450

(201) 251-7734

 

I ate in Cuba today!

The sun was shining. It was a beautiful day and welcome after the long string of dreary, cloudy, rainy ones I had experienced recently. I welcomed the warmth of the rays beating down on me as I peeled off the layers I became accustomed to wearing. Spring was in the air. The air smells fresher in the Spring and the birds louder. All my senses were atuned to that first warm day. I watched the thermometer rise out of the 60's, the 70's, and into the 80's as I approached my destination. There it was! A small, roadside stand right next to the train station with 2 Plastic tables for eating outside and 4 counter seats inside . I pulled the car over and walked in. The combination of the blast of aromas from the food and heat from the stove hit me like a brick wall. I recovered quickly and examined the short concise Cuban menu in Spanish and English. The woman at the counter spoke no English but when it comes to food I can converse in any tongue. Besides, nothing on the menu was over $5.99 so what did I have to lose?

The menu was conveniently broken down into daily specials and I ordered Picadillo, a roast pork Cuban pressed sandwich, yellow rice, black beans, a chicken empanada, Fried Yuca with Mojito (a garlic dipping sauce), and a cinnamon pudding (I forget the name).I started with the Empanada.

 

The empanada was delicious but it would have benefited from a bit more stuffing. Everything here is made by hand and the care shows in the flavor. Next on the roster was the Cuban sandwich with pork.

  Every good sandwich starts with the bread. The roll was fresh and crisped perfectly. My first bite created a crunch in just the right octave. The meat, cheese, pickle all combined to form a habit worse than crack. I kept coming back for more and more. The 2nd best part next eating it was the price. $5.00 Picadillo, rice and beans, and the fried yuca with the mojito was my next course.

 















I dipped the yuca in the mojito, poured the black beans on the rice, and ate away. The food was just good home cooked food worthy of any cuban restaurant I have eaten in for twice the price. Tony, the owner, came in and we chatted about all the good publicity he has deservedly been getting. I found Tony's place, El Caney, on Jason Perlow's blog Off the Broiler. The trip was worth it. To top off the meal I had a sweet pudding topped with cinnamon that was perfect. All I needed now was a beach and a palm tree to sack out under.

El Caney LLC
48 West Church Street
Bergenfield, NJ 07621