Guest Post: Hoboken Take Out

This is my attempt at getting a close friend to start a blog.  I met Laura 4 years ago and we quickly bonded over baking.  She is a great writer and is learning to shoot with her new Canon Rebel.  I cannot see a better way for her to share her baking adventures than to start a blog of her own.  Today she shares with us how lucky she is to live in Hoboken, NJ.  Show her some love in the comment section and maybe together we can get her to begin the blogging adventure.

I must admit I was a little surprised when Emily asked me to be a guest blogger while she was on vacation.  My idea of “cooking” these days is limited to reheating leftovers from any one of the gazillion take-out places we order from on a regular basis.  I kid you not… take a look at our menu stash:

And the saddest thing?  I couldn’t even get all the menus in the picture.  I counted 36 unique restaurant menus.  Clearly, we have a problem here.  But let me step back and explain something.  We live in Hoboken, NJ.  Before you get all crazy on me:

·         YES, I have been to Carlo’s Bakery (of Cake Boss fame); 

·         YES, the lines are down the block on any given day to get in;

·         NO, it doesn’t taste any better or worse than any other bakery I’ve been to

Lest we all forget, Hoboken was also the home of the legendary Frank Sinatra.  Although I’m assuming that the majority of Americans would put soulful crooning above throwing butter and sugar into a mixer on the list of extraordinary talents, clearly the readers of this blog would not (and I’m not saying I would either) and so I’ll move on from my “there’s more to Hoboken than Carlo’s” rant, which really just stems from the crazy lines of people that wrap around the block and make it impossible for me to get to my gym. 

Speaking of the “more” there is to Hoboken, I get back to my 36 menus.  Although my fiancé, Alex, and I always want to try something new, we usually revert to our old favorites.  So here are our current top 3 to get those salivary glands going:

1.    Grimaldi’s Pizza  – This is, without a doubt, our go-to dinner option.   Our first-time visitors are always treated to this not-so-little slice of heaven.  The perfect proportion of crust to fresh mozzarella and toppings is a winner every time.  Alex and I have been known to polish off a whole pie ourselves.  Our standard order is a pepperoni and mushroom pie, “well done” so the crust is a bit crispy.  Delish.  And apparently we aren’t the only ones who think so since they just opened up a second location, all of 10 blocks from the original.  What can I say, we Hobokeners love our pizza!

2.      

Pizza Republic  – What?!?  Another Pizza place on the top 3?  Hold your horses!  We’re actually not the hugest fans of their pizza, but they have a mac and cheese list TO.DIE.FOR.  Check it out, here’s a sample of their 10+ options:

·         The Republic: Mac and cheese with gorgonzola and cheddar (Alex’s #1)

·         Mexican: Mac and cheese with monterey jack, jalapenos, chili powder, crushed tortilla, and sour cream

·         The Mac Daddy: Mac and cheese with meatballs, sausage, cheddar, and homemade sliced crispy onion rings

Now I need to go to the gym just from thinking about them.  But it’s worth every bite!  Usually I go healthy and order one of their salads (also amazing) and then proceed to steal ½ of Alex’s mac and cheese.  You know, no calories if you share, right?

3.       Precious – What would a list of take-out places be with a Chinese food joint?  Nothing, I tell you, NOTHING.  I like Precious because they have a wealth of “healthy”, steamed options.  And bubble tea.  Actually, maybe just the bubble tea because there are so many Japanese & Chinese food places in Hoboken that I can’t tell them apart, other than my wayward in-menu notes of “Me no likey!”, “Don’t order this again!”, or “Ask for no mushrooms!”.  Anyway, bubble tea.  If you don’t know what it is, you’re missing out.  It’s like a solid food and a beverage at the same time.  Heaven.  Here’s a picture:

The best part of this is that in a 1 square mile town, take-out arrives in all of 25 minutes most of the time.  Now, can you really blame me for not cooking more?  Yeah, neither can I. J