Somerset Diner (New Jersey)

Despite all my time on the East Coast, I don't think I've ever eaten in a Jersey diner-- until this summer! It was for the non-bachelorette weekend of That Sara, and after a night of celebrating, we all needed some REAL FOOD.

We waited about 30 minutes for a table here at the Somerset Diner-- this place was never less than packed.

I started with the a cup of strong, hot coffee. Thank you!

That Sara ordered a macchiato, I believe, and it sure was pretty!

Complete with rock candy stirrer! 

Amid a sea of options, I finally settled on the Irish Scrambler skillet (9.99!) with corned beef, onion, potatoes, and Hollandaise sauce. However, I found out they had CHIPOTLE Hollandaise sauce, and asked if they could sub that in my dish. Yeah, I was kind of THAT person. It was good, but I wish there had been more of a chipotle flavor to it.

We all had some spin on eggs that morning.. eggs with a lot of other stuff to bring us back to life again. V had the Farmer's omelette, with fresh, oozy mozzarella and lots of veggies.

That Sara got another skillet, hers with basted eggs and bacon. I was so close to getting hers, but the corned beef and Hollandaise won me over. If I could have had my eggs basted instead of scrambled, that would have been ideal --but I didn't want to get TOO demanding.

The staff was super friendly, and our server didn't even blink at my special request. There was a bit of wait for coffee, but our server was working a ton of tables and made sure the coffee we did get was fresh. I think I had at least 3 cups that morning!

The food was hot, fresh, and came quickly, the price was right, the service was great, and overall, my first Jersey diner experience was a delicious success!

Somerset Diner
1045 Easton Ave
Somerset, NJ 08873
(732) 828-5424

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Dos Caminos

It's embarrassing how long ago this meal happened, but life (aka work) has gotten in the way of blogging far too much this year. Allow me to catch up by bringing you one of my more delicious food experiences! I hit up Dos Caminos on Park Avenue South, just steps from Union Square, for a networking lunch months ago. My small group opted to get a pitcher of the red wine sangria for the table...a very tasty move, indeed. It's sweet without being too sweet, the wine flavor still comes through, and there was a delightful assortment of fruit to finish off once the delicious drink was gone.

The guacamole at Dos Caminos is a must-eat for sure. We ordered a medium bowl for the table, and while we requested medium (or spicy, but definitely NOT mild), this was actually quite mild. Still yummy, but didn't have the kick I was hoping to taste. Their cilantro is cut in chiffonades, thin ribbon-like strips, which greatly increases the odds of having a big green piece stuck in your teeth--be warned!

I make pretty damn good quesadillas myself, but the mention of chipotle in Dos Caminos' version hooked me in immediately. Oh my goodness were these delicious. Dripping in butter, too, but tasty as all get-out. I barely ate half, and shared some with my tablemates. No way was I finishing this baby, but I gave it a good effort. Soooo tasty. Not as good as mine, mind you, but pretty freaking close. ;)

My dining companions got the shrimp pizza, which was also tasty. I had a small bite, and it was good, but I was super happy with my dish and went back to taking on the 'dilla!

This was a tastebud-pleasing, belly-filling meal that left me longing for a siesta, but it definitely wasn't cheap. Worth the occasional splurge, but a little too pricey for me to make it a regular stop. Back when my old roommate Anapalooza worked at DC (Houston St. branch) it was a little more affordable, and way more fun, but it's still a good place for a delicious, well-put together meal--just bring your dinero and prepare to spend it!

Dos Caminos
373 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10016-8805
(212) 294-1000

Iguana Grill

My trip to Oklahoma was chaotic at best! It was for Jenezuela's wedding, and the days leading up to the wedding kept me busy. The day after the wedding, ABF and I packed all our stuff in the car and we drove allll the way out to Tulsa so ABF could finally meet my mom and sister (post coming soon!), then we drove back to stay with my friend LaShauna.

LS set up plans on Monday for a quick lunch in OKC with a former coworker of ours, Gene the Edit Machine. ABF gamely came along for the ride. We hit up Iguana Grill and settled in for a late lunch.

First things first: LOOK at the size of the water glasses there!!! What!??! It is literally, actually, truly as big as my head. You're welcome. :)

Since I wasn't driving, I ordered their spicy margarita, which had a swirl of salsa in it (Update--Gene just reminded me it was called the Coral Snake!) Holy sombrero, Batman, this was SUPER spicy. Just one sip and the heat cascaded through me. It was great for the sinuses, because I was having an allergy attack/cold of some sort trying to set up camp in my head, and this just kicked it right out for a little while. It was so spicy, just right, and it also took a long time to drink, so yay on all points! You know I do like spicy things!

We started off with the chips, salsa, and some guacamole. The guacamole was good, but it could have used another few squeezes of fresh lime juice. Still, I enjoyed the presentation (in the hollowed out avocado peels) and everybody got a good sampling of it. This was totally mild, but still interesting. The salsa was super-chilled, but very tasty and fresh, with lots of black pepper. The white corn tortilla chips were super crunchy.

I ordered the adobo chicken chimichanga...I used to love chimichangas, but it's tough to find a really good one outside of OK/TX. Or rather, tough to find a good one here on the East Coast. I was all over this one! It said it came with a chipotle sour cream sauce--YES PLEASE! I also got the cilantro-infused white beans, which the server recommended.

The beans were deliciously smoky, onion-y and flavorful, and the cilantro infusion was awesome. The server did not steer me wrong here!

The chimichanga was pretty good, but I wish it had been a little more crispy. The chipotle sour cream was very mild...I couldn't even taste the smoky heat I so love in my chipotles, but it was still delicious.

ABF got the enchiladas and the green rice, which I believe had cilantro and spinach. He was quite happy with his dish. I think he might have been the most satisfied customer at our table. That man knows how to order!

Gene also got the enchiladas. We were so busy laughing about old times at our former station, KOTV, that I didn't get his full review, but I think he liked his dish, too. Update--Gene liked his food but wished it were more spicy--I couldn't agree more! MORE HEAT!

I know LaShauna liked her dish, the crab BLT taco (which also came with those delicious cilantro beans), but we were all surprised to see that the dish comes with one, SINGLE taco. Really? Two would have been better. It was a surprisingly skimpy portion for the dish. Delicious, but not a lot. She also enjoyed a sangria swirl margarita.

Overall, we had great food at super-affordable prices (lunch special goes til 4, people, FOUR P.M.!) and walked away super-stuffed and super-hydrated (I mean really--those water glasses? INSANELY HUGE!) I would definitely recommend it to others, and might just have to come back one of these days when I have a much less hectic trip planned!

Baby Bo's Cantina

My friend Patty and I wrapped up a long week of work one Friday and decided to have a late lunch not far from our radio station. Knowing my love for margaritas, Patty led me to Baby Bo's Cantina on 2nd Avenue. Their lunch special is 7.95 for chips and salsa and an entrée. They had a good range of options, from vegetarian to seafood to beef and chicken. They also had a whole range of sauces, including chipotle!

First things first, though: we ordered a half-pitcher of margaritas, which came out to almost 2 glasses each at a really good price (I didn't write it down, but it was cheaper than ordering individual glasses). Of course, the pitcher is mostly ice, but the margarita was so delicious and super-chilled, it was totally worth it.

I was hemming and hawing, not sure what to get, but quite sure I was ridiculously hungry. Our server didn't hesitate for a second when I asked her recommendation on which enchilada sauce to get: suiza (my go-to) or chipotle. She said their chipotle was excellent, and I jumped on it (again, it is one of my favorite flavors, so this wasn't much of a risk for me). Our food came out exceedingly quickly. We'd already had a margarita, and banished our bowl of chips (amazing how many of those you'll eat if you leave it there!) so we'd have room. This was SO delicious. The chipotle was its usual smoky awesome self, and the chicken was soft and tender. I ate every single bite of food on my plate, and have to photographic evidence to prove it. See? I even ate the RICE!

Patty got her usual--some sort of chicken salad. She was quite happy with it, and it did smell scrumptious. She offered me a bite, but I was pretty sure I'd need all available space for my enchiladas--and how!

By the time we finished our entrées, our server was just about to finish her shift. She told us they had an excellent Happy Hour special at the bar (4.50 for margaritas), and set us up with our drinks there before we left. She was super helpful! Patty and I felt completely relaxed and welcome, we never felt rushed, and we just took our sweet time at the bar, catching up and unwinding after a long, busy week.

I will so be back. Yo voy a regresar a Baby Bo!

At-home Panini

My boyfriend stopped in a new place for lunch last week and was quite taken with a panini he'd ordered. It had chicken, red onion, chipotle sauce, and mozzarella cheese. This weekend, we decided to try to make it on our own.

We got whole wheat flatbread, mozzerella, and chipotle peppers. The BF had everything else at home. He sliced the mozz and onion, I shredded the chicken he'd cooked from a previous evening. The best part of it was our homemade chipotle mayo. The BF took two whole chipotle peppers, about a half-tablespoon of sauce, and half a cup of light mayo (there was a lot left over from this particular batch). It all went in his trusty Magic Bullet, and in a minute, we had chipotle mayo! I couldn't stop sneaking nibbles with bits of chicken that I'd dip into the mayo (don't worry--NO double-dipping). I've never been a huge mayo fan, but I could see myself making this at home quite often. I'd made chipotle sour cream before, but this was new for me. Chipotle, as many of my friends know, is one of my favorite flavors. I love it in Tabasco, mashed potatoes, sauces, sour creams, you name it. If I see chipotle on a menu, I'm quite likely to order it. I like the smoky heat it provides, which is not the searing, often tear-inducing pain a raw jalapeno or serrano or other hot pepper will provide.

We spread a thin layer of the chipotle mayo (little goes a long way, compadres), then layered the red onion, mozzerella, chicken, and a hefty dose of fresh cilantro before sealing it all up.

We decided to make just one panini and split it, you know, test the proverbial waters. We coated the panini with a light brushing of olive oil and got to cookin'.I'd never made a panini before, so it was a lot of fun for me to get to flip the (very heavy) panini press, which went right over the gas burner. In a matter of minutes, the cheese was bubbling, oozing over the edges, and the top of the flatbread was a nice dark brown. We took it off the heat, the BF sliced it, and we sat down to taste the fruits of our labor.

Que sabroso! It was quite tasty. I wasn't sure what I'd think of both red onions and chipotle, but they paired perfectly. The sharpness of the red onion got a nice smoothing out by the smoky heat of the chipotle mayo. I'm now going to make this a new staple for my pantry--chipotle mayo year-round!