40 views by Jessie on July 31, 2010
Every Sunday from 9am to 2pm, the Galleria parking lot in Red Bank, NJ showcases a range of crafty artists, nurturing florists, and of course, a vibrant spectrum of reds, greens, oranges, and blues (fresh produce!). I’d like to say that the greatest thing about the market is the people who you get to meet, but that’d be a complete lie. In fact, if you ever go, avoid the stall that sells “Native-American inspired” jewelry, run by an oversized woman who wears long draping dresses reminiscent of a tie-dye experiment gone wrong. Don’t let her fool you- despite her long dirty blonde hair and green eyes, she’s married to a ‘full blooded’ Native American who will give you a good whipping if you take any pictures without permission. Oh, and she’ll read you like a ‘Sears catalog.’
Have I lost you? Only Suki and Jaime could possibly understand what I’m talking about. But nothing in those quotes are fabricated and if you dare find out for yourself, casually take a picture by her booth and you’ll feel her wrath.
Getting back to the market itself, grab yourself a cup of coffee at Red House Roaster. They sell a mean $2 iced coffee and coffee by the pound (Jersey Devil blend- $10, Mexican Fair Trade Organic- $11, El Salvador Santa Rita Natural- $15). The guy was even kind enough to pull out a bucket of their beans, so that we could get a waft of that wonderful aroma.
Then, make your way to Papa Ganache, a bakery known for their biscotti and all things sweet. We sample the Chocolate Macadamia and gosh, it just makes me want to bake in 90 degree weather.
And buy some muffin tins, some walnuts, and heat up some sugar for glaze.
And those cookies… they were going fast!
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Posted in
New Jersey
788 views by Jessie on July 22, 2010
At what point in a friendship is it okay to steal food out of your friends’ chopsticks in the midst of a free for all scramble?
When you find yourself lucky enough to have friends who are willing to engage in a hostile battle for food, bring them to Hagi. It’ll take you forever to find a seat, but it’ll be worth it. And that’s what we did a couple of Saturdays ago. Seven of us waited 40 minutes for a corner table. It was hot, humid, and sticky, but it was all worth it for those four pitchers of beer and intense moments where we scrambled for sustenance.
For a Japanese joint located right next to Times Square, I’d say Hagi is very fairly priced. Everything is generally around $10 or under and granted the portion sizes aren’t huge or anything, but the ambiance is great if you’re looking for a chill hangout spot. This place is like a Kenkas on St. Marks but in Midtown with a pricier tag and an older crowd. Still, I can imagine a night of drinking games or just pure good conversation with old friends at Hagi. The servers are super nice and they don’t mind if you hog the booth for hours. We realized at the very end that it’s because of people like us that we had to wait 40 minutes for a table.
WHERE ARE YOU SETH?!
That’s them, sans Seth and his cousin. We sat at Hagi for three hours where I was appointed the designated food orderer. We took care of business first by ordering not one, not two, and not even three, but FOUR pitchers of beer. I was told that within those three hours, I just kept on ordering and ordering so the food just kept coming out. But when the food hit the table, all became quiet and everyone impatiently waited for me to take a shot. As soon as I gave the okay, chopsticks went flying left and right, hands were getting stabbed, and food was getting stolen right beneath our noses. Food lasted for approximately 20 seconds.
Kirin Pitcher ($12- eh for the price, but totally refreshing on a hot day)
And when you do continuously order plate after plate without regards to the check, you start racking up the final price tag. We had intended to go somewhere cheap, so it was a bit hefty that we all ended up shelling out $20+ at the end. I realized the next morning that I had ordered from so many different and random people – servers/runners/etc… that they didn’t count at least three dishes!
Deep Fried “takoyaki” 5 pieces ($6.50)
Also known as octopus. It’s a popular Japanese “dumpling” where they dice up octopus, tempura, ginger, onion and so forth. They only gave five pieces and as the self acclaimed non-seafood eater, I forewent my piece. It’s okay, really. No apologies necessary there, friends.
Neopolitan: Pork belly, ketchup, onions, soba noodles ($9)
Don’t you dare judge that dish before you try it. I think my friends were a bit hesitant when I was like, “Hey, yo, imma order the ‘neopolitan.’” Someone gave me this stare like, really?! Ketchup?!
Well what do you know. IT WAS A SMASHING HIT! The pork belly (ahem, a privileged sounding name for bacon) was ridiculously delicious. Everyone loved this so much that we ordered another one! Let me tell you. Ketchup tastes good on everything!
Okonomiyaki: Japanese pancake with okonomiyaki sauce with bonito flakes ($9.75)
This was fairly small and it came cut in four slices so I did the honors by slicing them into eight. Of course, then we ran into the problem of who’d get the extra piece. This was in the beginning of the meal when we were all civilized and well mannered people (and had only drank like 1/4th of a pint of Kirin).
I love how the bonito flakes move back and forth, as if they were dancing. It freaks alot of people out but I get mesmerized just watching the steam cause that effect. This okonomiyaki is just downright greasy but in a good way. It’s what you crave for when you don’t care about your health. Come to think of it, it’s what you crave for when you’re drunk.
Thumbs up (bigger would be nicer though).
Seafood Yakisoba: Octopus and all, cabbage, scallions, beansprouts ($9.50)
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Cheap Eats in NYC,
Midtown,
New York City,
Top Picks in NYC
