For years I had heard from people, “Chilangos is the best Mexican food in Highlands”. Well, they are right, but with a caveat: they are the only Mexican restaurant in Highlands. Actually, in the entire surrounding area. You would have to venture into Red Bank or Keyport for true Mexican food above the “fish tacos”…
Tag: Rice
Restaurant Review: Don Manuel (Perth Amboy, NJ)
You’re off to a good start when once again you’re the only white guy in the restaurant. Perth Amboy strikes me as one of the last bastions of the Jersey Coast where ethnic and cultural centers have not been overtaken by the bearded hipster in flannel. Such a sight would have caused me to run…
Photo of the Day: June 2, 2018
There are dishes that change your life. This would be one of them. Camarones ala Diablo is a fiery, rich dish containing about a dozen shrimp in a blistering sauce. The ingredients, as told to me by the owner of Los Corrales herself, are simple enough, but the complexity that follows sends you into a…
Photo of the Day: May 2, 2018
Jose Tejas has an incredibly cheap menu that they churn out with lightning-quick speed. For that reason, I think the actual quality of their food often goes unnoticed. These are incredibly well-executed fish tacos, consisting of grilled swordfish, a spicy mango salsa, and an interesting grilled avocado. I cannot say that I have had better…
Photo of the Day: April 24, 2018
Steamed broccoli, tofu in garlic sauce, and brown rice…does that count as eating healthy?
Restaurant Review: Off the Hook (Highlands, NJ)
Long before Guy Fieri was blathering the phrase “Off the hook!”, there was the restaurant Off the Hook which is, in self-explanatory fashion, located just feet from Sandy Hook and the Gateway National Recreation Area. Admittedly, I had driven past this restaurant hundreds of times over the years. Each time, I would glance up at…
Shots From This Year’s Thai New Year Celebration at Kunya Siam
For the fourth year, I found myself working at Kunya Siam in Atlantic Highlands for their Thai New Year celebration, also known as the Songkran Festival. I could explain how I came to work in a Thai restaurant once or twice a year, but it is a rather long story. We will make this post…
Photo of the Day: April 18, 2018
Me taking a momentary break from some insanely spicy sauce at Los Corrales in Keyport.
Photo of the Day: April 15, 2018
Even the leftovers from Portuguese Manor turn into a gourmet meal.
Takeout Joints Vol. 5: Italian and Asian
The first installments of this column have been broken down separately into pizza/Italian and Chinese/Asian. Because I’ve slowed down a little bit on the takeout lately, I am going to combine the two for Volume 3. Below we have one of each, and my, how vastly different they were in quality!
Photo of the Day: March 17, 2018
When your favorite bagel shop also makes their own stuffed grape leaves.
Restaurant Review: Los Corrales (Keyport, NJ)
“A white guy walked into a Mexican restaurant.” Oh boy. Can I get away with that? I mean it in the nicest way possible. Los Corrales is an authentic Mexican restaurant. Sure, they have quesadillas and nachos, but if you order either of these two items, there should be legal justification to hang you by…
