Cubanisate

Chinese. Italian. Greek. Thai. Mexican. Pan-Asian. Spanish. Japanese. Caribbean. Jamaican. Indian. Vietnamese. “Irish Pub Fare.” South American. Mediterranean. French. Middle Eastern… And the list goes on and on.  Refine your search of restaurants on OpenTable for a list of cuisines to fulfill any craving.  The possibilities are virtually endless when it comes to ethnic cuisine, and while a few may fall on the side of “exotic” for some in terms of food adventures, others have become staples in American households.  Pizza on Fridays, Taco Thursdays (or so we like to call them), and Chinese on any and every night that you don’t feel like cooking. 

For this food enthusiast (that would be me), one of the greatest joys of traveling to new states and countries is the opportunity to explore new food choices, combinations and delicacies.  Lucky for me, one of the perks of living in the tri-state area is the fact that I am able to enjoy all of these food options without having to travel too far. 

In particular, being of Cuban descent myself, Narn and I are always on the lookout for restaurants that remind me of “abuelita’s” cooking, and I think we have found just the place.  In fact, our new food obsession, Casual Habana Café on Main St. in Hackensack outdoes even the well-known Cuban eateries of Son Cubano and Victor’s Café in NYC.  Don’t get me wrong, I am as happy to eat at either of these restaurants as if Narn got me a new pair of Christian Louboutin’s (hint, hint), but the fact that I am able to get my favorite dishes practically in my backyard?  Not to mention the fact that Casual Habana is BYOB.  Yes, that is what I like to call perfection.

We have eaten at Casual Habana Café about four times since it was recommended to us by our neighbors and it has been consistently spot-on each and every time.  On our initial trip the owner, Benny, recommended a unique concoction called “Bistec Casual Habana.”  It reinvents traditional Cuban flavors into what I like to call the Cuban Parmigiana.  It is a top sirloin breaded to perfection and topped with sweet plantains, tomato sauce and melted parmesan cheese, and it is amazing!  The plantains add sweetness to the dish that complement the breading and the gooey cheese nicely.  And to invalidate any skepticism I may have had, the tomato sauce was a nice touch without being too overpowering, which is always my worry when ordering anything a la Parmigiana. 

But we have now become regulars at Casual Habana and like with any restaurant we fall in love with, we have established a list of “favorite dishes” that we can’t not order if we go there.  And here they are in no particular order:

Appetizers:

-       Beef Empanadas (Cuban-style turnovers stuffed with beef)

-       Mariquitas de Platano Hawayano Con Salsita de Ajo (Hawaiian Plantain Chips with Garlic Sauce)

The beef in the empanadas is perfectly seasoned and I love the fact that the dough is so “dough-y” for lack of a better word.  Likewise, I have to put a muzzle on in order to stop eating the entire batch of plantain chips by myself, especially with the garlic aioli, which I have contemplated guzzling with a straw.  As sauces would go, this one reminds me of what The Melting Pot likes to call their “Green Goddess Sauce” because it goes well with just about anything.  While the old lady in Patch Adams wanted to swim in a big pool of noodles, I would like to swim in a big pool of garlic aioli from Casual Habana.  It is just that good.    

Entrees

-       Bistec Empanizado (Traditional Cuban-style breaded beef sirloin)

-       Lechon a la Patria (Slow-roasted pork pan-seared with onions and fresh lime juice) 

I have not taken Benny’s advice again since the first time I ordered the “Bistec Casual Habana,” not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because the steak is so well breaded that it can stand alone so well.  It is comfort food at its finest for me, and is one of the dishes that reminds me most of my “abuelita.”  Not to mention that all entrees come paired with your choice of two sides.  Sticking to the traditional, I cannot forgo the platanos maduros and arroz moro, which is essentially “dirty rice,” or a combination of black beans, pork and white rice. 

Dessert

-       Flan

One word: Delicioso! 

When I travel I like to live by the motto, “when in Rome (eat) as the Romans,” but I am quickly realizing that the same applies to my eating experiences here at home.  So my request to you, all my loyal readers (insert ::sarcasm:: here), is, as Benny’s Casual Habana t-shirts say, “Cubanisate!” which roughly translates to Cuban-ize yourself, if there is such a word.  Transport yourself into your eating experience: skip the chain restaurant, pretend you booked a relaxing and luxurious trip to the location of your heart’s content, and taste what the local restaurants have to offer when it comes to international cuisine.  You may be surprised at what you find. 

Burger Battles

Is it just us or is anyone else noticing the fact that burger joints in northern NJ are popping up faster than Deena dropped her pants for the Situation in this season’s Jersey Shore opener?  It all started with Five Guys and then bam!  Smashburger, Bobby’s Burger Palace, Cheeburger, Cheeburger, and Zinburger sprang up without warning.  Most recently, BuCu, joined in on the race for burger supremacy. 

However, comparing all six burger joints would be similar to comparing a filet mignon from Morton’s to Applebee’s house sirloin.  Or comparing “Bieber Fever” to “Beatlemania” in the ‘60s.  (Please note it’s not so much that I am a Beatles fan, but that I wholeheartedly do not understand what the craze is over Justin Bieber that sparked that comment.) Anyway, the comparison is something that simply cannot be done.  

Zinburger and Bobby’s Burger Palace stand in a category all on their own for obvious reasons.  Zinburger’s kobe beef burger would probably fall under the category of “Best Thing I Ever Ate… In My Entire Life!”  It is the moistest, most succulent burger I have ever tasted.  Eating that burger is an out of body experience that can only be described in one word: orgasmic!  Yes, I said it.  Gentlemen take my advice, keep it in your pants and take your ladies to Zinburger.  You’ll be thanking me later.  In fact, if I got to choose where my last meal on earth came from, I’d probably give the honors to Zinburger.  But enough about Zinburger because I’m sure we will revisit their heavenly fare again and again.   

On the other hand BBP does not win the moist category, but Bobby, you are proving once again that you are the king of flavor.  In fact, Narn dreams about the Dallas burger in his sleep and if he were a cartoon, there would be thought bubbles with floating Dallas burgers above his head.  I on the other hand have recently made the LA burgerwith avocado relish (YUM!), watercress, cheddar cheese and tomatoes my new favorite menu item.  Regardless, the flavors are what will have you coming back time and time again.  Not to mention the fries with dipping sauces (have you gotten the hint that I am a big fan of dipping sauces?!)

But now to the meat and potatoes… what I really want to talk about is our latest weekend adventure to BuCu.  This one-stop shop for sweet and savory, burgers AND cupcakes (BU(rger)CU(pcake), get it??) , opened in Paramus a few weeks back.  The opportunity to build your own burger and the fact that they also offer wings is what initially attracted us to BuCu on a night with yet another craving for the most unhealthy yet most delicious foods our hearts could fathom. 

As with most of our first experiences at a new restaurant, we ordered entirely too much food for four people.  The menu for the night:

-          Kettle chips with rosemary parmesan cheese

-          Haystack onions with smoky BBQ dipping sauce

-          Hand cut fries

-          Sweet potato fries

-          Buffalo wings

-          Asian wings (with sweet garlic-chili sauce)

-          4 burgers – each to our own specifications

And this is all before we even got to dessert!

Good or bad news first?  Well, let’s go with the not-so-good.  The biggest disappointment of the night for me was the Asian wings.  Although they were spot-on flavor-wise, I discovered that a few of them were slightly undercooked (and I am being extremely generous using that term).  Luckily, what they lacked in cooking time, they made up for in customer service.  The wings were quickly replaced with a delicious s’mores cookie at no extra charge, but more on that in a minute. 

The rest of the meal was…. good.  As far as sides go, the kettle chips were very good, as were the rest of the “sides,” the fries, sweet potato fries and onion rings.  The burgers were…. good as well, but definitely not the best I ever had.  The best part about them is the fact that they are made to your liking at that particular point in time, and therefore, the possibilities are endless.  In fact, BuCu offers you the opportunity to choose the size of your burger (single, double or even veggie), type of bread, cheese, up to three free toppings, premium toppings (at an additional charge), and choice of sauce (my favorite!).  In addition, a single burger without “premium toppings” is under five bucks!  When you consider what you spend for your favorite fast food burger, that’s a steal! 

But since we couldn’t end the night without something sweet and after all we were missing the “Cu” part of BuCu, we soon discovered that the highlight of BuCu is in their sweet endings.  It is their homemade ice cream sandwiches that caught my taste buds by surprise and had me asking myself, “grandma, are you in that kitchen making me a delectable after-school snack-a-doo?”  After the complimentary s’mores cookie that was obviously not nearly enough for four, we opted to go back for more cookies and then upon looking at the menu, soon discovered the ice cream sandwiches made with these same crunchy-on-the-outside, yet perfectly chewy on the inside cookies.  Now this is what we were missing!  I have also been told that BuCu’s unique cupcake milkshake in which they blend an entire cupcake, icing and all, into a milkshake is something not to be missed!  However, by that point, as usual, we were stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey and had to call it quits, leaving something to look forward to next time we vistit BuCu. 

S'mores cookies, vanilla ice cream = sweet sandwich perfection

Bottom line: if what you’re looking for is a fast food burger, opt for BuCu instead.  For the same price as fast food, you get more options: you can build your own burger and the kettle chips are a nice variation to the normal fries.  Plus, their sweet endings are enough of a reason to visit BuCu! 

Establishing Our Repertoire: Proof That We Are Serious About Food

The people: Tuggies, Chard and Snef (Narn was away on business so he missed his “golden ticket” in terms of food euphoria – Jersey Shore watchers, take notice.  More references to come.)

The problem: We are starving.  We have options – in fact pretty much any restaurant in the greater North Jersey area, and trust me there are plenty of good ones to choose from, at our fingertips, but we cannot decide where to go. 

So we said we enjoyed food, we didn’t say we were good at making decisions.  The biggest obstacle we face is that we are all strongly opinionated about our food and at any given moment, we each have one… or more very different cravings.  Therefore, on this given night, we are all at a shouting match (very common might I add) about where to go eat. 

The contenders so far: Chard, along with Larry, also part of our entourage, are salivating at the thought of Cheeburger Cheeburger.  We initially tried Cheeburger Cheeburger in Sarasota, Florida but were thrilled at the recent opening of our very own location in Rutherford, NJ.  Although Cheeburger Cheeburger can hold its own in our book, with its milkshakes galore, French fries with dipping sauces and most importantly, one-pound burgers as its claim to fame, (readers take note, Cheeburger Cheeburger will likely be featured at a later date), this was not what Snef and Tuggies had in mind on this particular night. 

In fact, after watching Top Chef, and its “Italian theme” (go Fabio!), they were in the mood for one thing, and one thing only: PASTA!  On their minds was Bazzareli’s, the only place to go to for francaise, be it chicken or veal.  This is a big deal considering the number of Italian restaurants in New Jersey.  However, even with a majority vote, Bazzareli’s was not the final decision of the night. 

After much consideration, famous Hoboken, New Jersey was put on the table.  The tiny square mile, Washington Street, and not one, but three stops, was the final decision of the night.  Tuggies suggested Benny Tudinos.  Snef suggested Taco Truck.  And then as if the sky opened up and angels began to sing in triumph, they both looked at each other and said: BOTH!  And this is how the typical Thursday night turned into a night with delicious food.   

So off we went to Hoboken.  First stop: Taco Truck.

On the menu:

-          Al Pastor Tacos (adobo marinated pork with onions, cilantro and pineapple)

-          Barbacoa de Costilla Tacos (pastille braised shredded beef with onions and cilantro)

-          Carnitas Michoacan (slow braised sweet pork with onions and cilantro)

-          Guacamole with chips (obviously)

With its fresh ingredients and authentic Mexican flavors, this tiny hole in the wall is legit.  There is nothing bad that could be said about the food, and as an added bonus, their environmentally conscious philosophy.  In fact, their guacamole is our pick for the “Best Guac in NJ” award.  It rivals even the upscale Rosa Mexicano.  One of the night’s favorites was the “Al Pastor Tacos.”  The spiciness of the pork was offset nicely by the sweet pineapple and the fresh cilantro.  Hoboken drunks with the late-night munchies take notice: Taco truck is open late and it sure beats McDonalds!  But we can’t stop there.  More food to come…

Second Stop: Benny Tudinos

Benny’s trademark: enormously large slices.  In fact, as you walk in, there are a few pictures displayed on the side of the pizza oven showing newborn babies next to a Benny’s slice.  We’ll leave it up to you to guess which one is bigger.  Despite its gimmicky large slices, the pizza is surprisingly tasty, and tonight was no exception.  It fulfilled the pizza craving, and we definitely recommend a stop there if you’re in the area. 

Third Stop: Carlos Bakery

As Winnie the Pooh would say… Time for something sweet!  Despite our disappointment at Buddy’s newfound fame, this stop was inevitable.  Yes, we said it.  We are disappointed that Buddy went “Hollywood” or whatever you want to call it.  Of course we are happy about his success, but as loyal customers way before Buddy was a household name, it is frustrating to wait in ridiculously long lines only to discover that the crumb cake is long gone.  Or to have to pay for a cake in full when you order by phone when just a year ago all they required was a name.  Nonetheless, Carlos Bakery lives up to its name and their sweet concoctions are well worth the wait and price.  On this particular night we grabbed cannolis, red velvet cupcakes, vanilla with chocolate buttercream cupcakes, and a few Italian cookies, and ended the night in true fatkid fashion.  Oh yeahhh!! ( Pauly D voice)

Until next time, happy eating!