Hello again! The month of April was a little nuts for dining out. We nearly doubled, even tripled, our food budget. Safe to say that we will NOT be doing that again. The benefit however, are more blogs about what I love best: FOOD.
A nostalgic trip to Hoboken to see some bands play brought us to Benny Tudino's. The last time I was at Benny T's, I think I was in college, maybe graduate school. A long time ago. I remembered the size of the slice more than the flavor. All I knew was that I was in for a long awaited treat.
Benny T's is like a Hoboken institution. It's a family joint; no frills, no updates, no fancy decor, and waitresses who look like they could go either way. The sign outside reminds me of one of those old Hollywood dressing rooms with the crazy light bulbs. Except the ones at Benny T's flash around in circles...ya can't miss it! On a street lined with restaurants and other shops meant to attract yuppies, Benny T's stands out for sure. In any case, for a Wednesday night, it wasn't busy, but it wasn't slow either. Local patrons were in and out with carry out pizzas, and the delivery guys were clearly making a killing too.
We had our minds set on one thing: the ginormous slices of pizza. Upon ordering, the question of the day was "warm or hot?". Hmmmm...warm please. There's nothing better than pizza that's been sitting by the oven for a few minutes and won't burn the top of your mouth! After ordering, we sat outside to enjoy the weather and our slices.
To my pleasure, I was so pleasantly surprised! The pizza was not only huge, but totally delicious. The sauce, cheese, and crust were each perfect in their own right, and together formed a balanced flavor combination. I topped mine with a little garlic and parm cheese, and I went straight to heaven. Screw the bands, I could stay here all night!
One slice was satisfying, but another put me over the edge. Thankfully I had someone to help me finish the other one. Order one at a time unless you like feeling unpleasantly full. If you ever find yourself in Hoboken and don't want to spend a fortune on food or feel like hanging out with the local yuppie crowd, go straight to Benny T's and don't turn back. You'll be glad you did!
Ambiance: ***
Service: ***
Food: *****
Overall: ****
Showing posts with label pizza. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pizza. Show all posts
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Star Tavern, Orange, NJ
Since no one really reads these posts, this may not be as elaborate as the last few. I haven't done this for quite awhile...not sure why though because I've spent plenty of money on going out to eat. Maybe nothing has really jazzed me to write? Maybe it's the economy? Either way, after a long hiatus, I'm back to gab about the Star Tavern in Orange.
The outside of the building boasts that they have the best pizza in New Jersey. That's quite the claim considering that between NY and NJ, we have the best pizza on the planet, period. And I don't really consider Chicago pizzas pizza. It ain't pizza if you have to use a fork and knife, and some pan to bake it in. Anyway, I digress. The smell from the parking lot was very enticing, which made up for the fact that there was a security guard to watch the parking lot. It doesn't look like a bad neighborhood, but apparently it warrants a security guard. At a pizza joint.
The inside ain't nothin' special and neither is the wait staff. Every single person we encountered at this place didn't smile, and our waitress was borderline rude. I argued that the tip should be 10% and not the usual 20% that I always slap down. No sense of humor and not a bit of politeness. That being said, I figured the food should more than make up for what the restaurant lacks in aesthetics and service. For the most part, thankfully, it did.
Between the five of us, we ordered two entree salads as appetizers, and a total of four pizzas. Our friends liked the Chinese Mandarin Salad and the Antipasta salad looked like it had been pre-refrigerated with slices of salami and pepperoni slapped on it. It wasn't appealing whatsoever, but I do love the combination of salami, provolone, pepperoni, lettuce and oil and vinegar. So flavor-wise it was okay, definitely not the best antipasta salad I've had.
The pizzas were a whole 'nother story. I have to admit, now that I think about it, for the price, you don't get much pizza. It's pretty much full price but the crust is super thin (which is awesome) and the size is a little smaller than a regular pie. The slices are smaller...kinda like ordering a medium size pie rather than a large. We ordered regular cheese, white spinach, and mushroom and onion on a regular. You know what? The best of the bunch was the regular. I realized that this is the perfect representation of the entire place. Regular.
Nothing spectacular, no fancy decor, and certainly no friendly service. But, the pizza was super tasty and no one could complain. By the end, and $100 later, we were full and satisfied. The bill included two pitchers of Sierra Nevada, four pies, two salads, and a soda. Would I go back? Sure, but next time it'll be a plain ol' pizza and lower expectations for a place made for regulars.
Ambiance: **
Service: **
Food: ****
Overall: ***
The outside of the building boasts that they have the best pizza in New Jersey. That's quite the claim considering that between NY and NJ, we have the best pizza on the planet, period. And I don't really consider Chicago pizzas pizza. It ain't pizza if you have to use a fork and knife, and some pan to bake it in. Anyway, I digress. The smell from the parking lot was very enticing, which made up for the fact that there was a security guard to watch the parking lot. It doesn't look like a bad neighborhood, but apparently it warrants a security guard. At a pizza joint.
The inside ain't nothin' special and neither is the wait staff. Every single person we encountered at this place didn't smile, and our waitress was borderline rude. I argued that the tip should be 10% and not the usual 20% that I always slap down. No sense of humor and not a bit of politeness. That being said, I figured the food should more than make up for what the restaurant lacks in aesthetics and service. For the most part, thankfully, it did.
Between the five of us, we ordered two entree salads as appetizers, and a total of four pizzas. Our friends liked the Chinese Mandarin Salad and the Antipasta salad looked like it had been pre-refrigerated with slices of salami and pepperoni slapped on it. It wasn't appealing whatsoever, but I do love the combination of salami, provolone, pepperoni, lettuce and oil and vinegar. So flavor-wise it was okay, definitely not the best antipasta salad I've had.
The pizzas were a whole 'nother story. I have to admit, now that I think about it, for the price, you don't get much pizza. It's pretty much full price but the crust is super thin (which is awesome) and the size is a little smaller than a regular pie. The slices are smaller...kinda like ordering a medium size pie rather than a large. We ordered regular cheese, white spinach, and mushroom and onion on a regular. You know what? The best of the bunch was the regular. I realized that this is the perfect representation of the entire place. Regular.
Nothing spectacular, no fancy decor, and certainly no friendly service. But, the pizza was super tasty and no one could complain. By the end, and $100 later, we were full and satisfied. The bill included two pitchers of Sierra Nevada, four pies, two salads, and a soda. Would I go back? Sure, but next time it'll be a plain ol' pizza and lower expectations for a place made for regulars.
Ambiance: **
Service: **
Food: ****
Overall: ***
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