CITYSIDE BISTRO - JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY

CITYSIDE BISTRO

70 Greene St

Jersey City, NJ 07302

(201) 360-3476

CITYSIDE BISTRO is an eatery in historical downtown Jersey City, NJ. It is located in the financial district near exchange place. CITYSIDE BISTRO was opened by Micheal Sims Jr. He emailed me one day and told me to try out his new fall menu for CITYSIDE BISTRO, which just opened about 3 months earlier. As soon as I got the message to join him, I called immediately to let him know that I would love to taste and experience this fall menu and to give some input. What critic wouldn't? After tasting the dishes, some had made the list of tasteful and some did not. This blog is to tell you what dishes you might find in CITYSIDE BISTRO'S upcoming fall menu.The good ones of course, I wouldn't steer you wrong.

1. LOBSTER AND CRAB PIZZA - This is a sensational upgrade to the everyday pizza. You taste the flavors of the lobster and crab with every bite. Even with these full flavors of the seafood combined together, you are still reminded that it is a pizza with its crunch and all the components of the dough, yeast, crust, and etc. are not overwhelmed with only the taste of the crab and lobster.

2. PORK CHOP WITH BRANDY SAUCE - The Brandy sauce in this dish was delightful. Not too strong and full flavor in every bite. The pork chop was so tender and perfectly cooked, cutting it was like cutting butter. Delicious. This dish is also served with some roasted potatoes that do absorb all the light brandy sauce perfectly.

3. STUFFED PORTOBELLO WITH SHRIMP, FETA CHEESE, AND TRUFFLE OIL DRIZZLE. - Now for this dish, I just want to stay that I am a sucker for mushrooms. Especially portobello. If you want to get on my good side, please serve me this dish. The portobello mushroom was full of flavor. The shrimp was cooked to perfection. Garlic flavor brings out the mushroom's natural earthiness and the fragrance enhances it. The feta cheese balances with its creamy and saltiness in this dish.

4. WARM BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SWEET POTATO SALAD - If anything says fall it would be the butternut squash salad. It contains a variety of components such as roasted peppercorns, red peppers, onions, and shallots.  The crunch of the bacon bits and sweetness from the sweet potato will welcome you into the fall season with just one forkful of this salad. 

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RECOMMENDATION - Definitely drop by the CITYSIDE BISTRO to try out the new fall menu. The area is located near the pier area of Exchange Place. Close to path trains,lite rail, and buses.


 An upcoming review of service, atmosphere, other foods, and etc. will be in the making within a few weeks. CHECK IT OUT!! Hope to see you there!!

BUCHON BAKERY - NEW YORK, NY

BOUCHON BAKERY
10 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10019-1158
(212) 823-9366
September 9, 2011

I have a sweet tooth. Right after lunch with my sister, she told me of a spot in Columbus Circle, 59th street stop. I agreed to go. Here is my review of the bakery. 

SERVICE: Waiter is very attentive. He spoke with a very soft calm voice. Clean area. Polite staff. Uniformed. Getting the attention of the waiter was an ease. You simply rose your hand and someone would come to the table.

FOOD: (Chocolate Bouchons) This is a chocolate overload dessert all you chocolate lovers!! I loved it. It is a chocolate brownie dessert shaped like a shot glass topped with powdered sugar. In the side of the brownie lays a scoop of chocolate ice cream on top of crumbled chocolate cookies. Don't forget the side of caramel. It has rich, strong flavors. You can't go wrong ordering this. It also contains that hot and cold combo for those desserts I love.

(Profiteroles) Profiteroles is a dessert in this bakery that is a flaky, crunchy bread sandwiching a rich scoop of vanilla ice cream. Sort of like an ice cream sandwich, only better. This dessert will bring a  flaky melody of flavors in your mouth. Richness of flavors. Optional to put hot fudge on the top. Of course, I had to do it.

(Grown up Soda - Ginger Ale) All I'm going to say is that if you are an adult, please try this. It is an all natural soda 100%. It still taste like ginger ale, only healthier. So please, if you are going to this bakery treat yourself and your date to this.

ATMOSPHERE: Very metropolitan financial district. Modern feel. Calm atmosphere, doesn't give you that rush feel. Other bakeries also can be found all over the 3rd floor. But this place will be found right in the middle. Immediately as you go up the escalators to the bakery you will smell the foods all over the area.

RECOMMENDATION: Yes!! This is a great spot to have dessert with your date. The area would impress whoever you are with as well. Every staff member at the Bouchon bakery is very polite and professional. They make the experience of being waited on a masterpiece.

HARU HANA - NEW YORK, NY

Haru Hana
28 West 32nd Street
New york, NY 10001

September 2, 2011

I really haven't seen my sister in quite sometime, so we both decided to grab lunch in NYC. Naturally, I told her to pick a place of her choice, I'm always open for new things. As we got off the path station on 33rd street, we walked down Korea Way. This is a strip of anything Korean and Japanese. Shops, eateries, and bakeries flooded the strip. We came across this one place called Haru Hana. It is a fusion restaurant that has a menu divided into Japanese and Korean foods.
Here is my review of what I ate.

SERVICE: Greeted at the door. Staff is uniformed. Grade A. Waiter was seldom attentive. When I say this, I do mean that when a waiter sees an empty glass on the table, it should be refilled.

FOOD; (Octopus with pork bell hot peppers) If you are looking for a real hot spicy dish, this would be it. Just make sure you have a glass of milk next to you to calm each bite. This dish was superb. Octopus, which can easily be overcooked, can be tough. But in this dish, It was cooked so perfectly that as you ate each bite it broke off easily into your mouth and exploded with the flavors of the green and red peppers. It is accompanied with a cup of white rice, so you can decide for yourself if you want to go hardcore and just each the peppers or fuse it with some of the rice. Great either way. Along with the peppers, onions, garlic and red pepper flakes this dish is the perfect for those in the mood for spice.

(Pineapple Saki) Not quite the Saki fan. Don't ask, but I'll just say that I've had some traumatizing ones..hehe. The pineapple Saki has a rustic flavor of cider that just blankets over your mouth and touches your taste buds and nostrils. The flavor does linger for about a minute. Real nice. Perfect combo to start off the octopus dish.

ATMOSPHERE: Inside this restaurant you will feel as if you are sitting underneath a cherry blossom tree. No for real!! it is a cherry blossom tree decor inside the place. For those of you who are on a first date. This is my recommendation. Very romantic. All around the restaurant hangs traditional Japanese paintings. You really do get the Asian experience as you walk into the place and look around.

RECOMMENDATION:  Yes. This place is perfect for a lunch date. Just make sure you aren't working when you do go only because the wait time for the dish is a tad bit longer than expected. This place would also be great for a romantic dinner date with a night out in NYC. It is close to the path station on 33rd street and near by shopping areas.