125 replies to this topic

[Daniel]

Whoops

[Daniel]

whoooops.

[Daniel]

Back to Armondo's.. Had a wonderful lunch today.. Taquitos essentially. Though the sauce was very distinctively from El Salvadore. Love the shredded lettuce they used that soak up the sauce..






Meat inside:



Not super spicy, so I had to use my favorite hot sauce these days.. Amazing on Pizza too.. There are several flavors this brand comes in.. Jalapeno is a great flavor too..

[Daniel]

El Chalatego
503 Elizabeth Ave
Elizabeth NJ 07206
908-355-2800



Just one of the many Central American spots popping up along Elizabeth Avenue.. I spotted a new Mexican Place that will bring me here hopefully tomorrow.. Ok, so these are the first papusas I actually have not liked.. I felt the pork was way too salty and the dough itself was way too dense..






Pork was way too salty.. Even with the regular toppings of coleslaw and a mild sort of bland red sauce.




Besides pork I also ordered Queso and Queso Y loroco.. Loroco which I did not know at the time, is a Central American vine plant which is essential in certain cuisines.. To me I found the loroco to taste minty and green and kind of take away from the flavor.. Like eating a papusa while chewing gum..



I don't think I will be going back to eat papusas however, there were a few guys eating these huge bowls of soup that I wish I ordered.

[Daniel]

Back to El Chalatego:

Breakfast this morning.. My spanish is getting like amazing these days..

Translated to Typical Central American Breakfast with Huevos Rancheros..

This breakfast was amazing.. Some of the best maduras, if not the best, I have had outside of my house.. They were perfectly charred, really sweet, but then finished with a wonderful bannana taste.. A block of cheese that tasted like a dry feta, huevos rancheros with a wonderful stewed tomato sauce, hot and soft thick tortillas, and a shot glass filled with Crema.. Hot cup of cafe con leche.. This was the best breakfast I have had since Bouchon in Las Vegas.. And for 5 bucks, this wins.

[Daniel]

Enchilada's at this place look like this:

[Daniel]

Hit up a new spot.. Mexican/Peruvian.. They had two seperate menus.



I went Mexican:



I made the mistake of ordering off the menu instead of ordering off the specials menu.. The mole was ok. Tasted like jarred mole.. The enchiladas were homemade though and the chicken was shredded from being on the bone.. Mole needed love.. Refried beans were excellent.. Rice tasted like it had something earthy in it.. If it wasnt a Mexican place I would have guessed truffle oil but, it might be huitlacoche or maybe some mushroom in the stock. Rice was wonderful.

[Oceangroveguy]

Address?

FYI, drove past Goodman's on Elmora Avenue today and saw that it had been replaced by a Spanish American restaurant - didn't catch the name, only the absence of Goodman's......

[Daniel]

Whoops.. Its on Elizabeth Avenue right by Los Rancheros, the live animal butcher..

[Daniel]

This guy was in front of me on my way to work..

Pretty cool license plate

[Rail Paul]

Whoops.. Its on Elizabeth Avenue right by Los Rancheros, the live animal butcher..

I drove past the live animal butcher on Elizabeth Avenue a few minutes ago. They're doing a land office business. Lots of people around. I wonder if that's a "getting ready for the weekend" cooking thing?

[Daniel]

I would have met you for lunch.. Though, I was just in Linden at the White Rose which I will post later.. Bobby Flay was just at White Rose in Linden yesterday.. The diner is going to be on Charles Osgood November 22nd..

[Rail Paul]

I would have met you for lunch.. Though, I was just in Linden at the White Rose which I will post later.. Bobby Flay was just at White Rose in Linden yesterday.. The diner is going to be on Charles Osgood November 22nd..

I would have been delighted. I'll give you a heads up before the next time I'm in the area.

My notes on the "Mexican hot dog place" on Elizabeth Avenue are in the Mexico and Central America thread. I think I may copy them over onto their own NJ thread later today, when I post pictures.

[Rail Paul]

I would have met you for lunch.. Though, I was just in Linden at the White Rose which I will post later.. Bobby Flay was just at White Rose in Linden yesterday.. The diner is going to be on Charles Osgood November 22nd..

I would have been delighted. I'll give you a heads up before the next time I'm in the area.

My notes on the "Mexican hot dog place" on Elizabeth Avenue are in the Mexico and Central America thread. I think I may copy them over onto their own NJ thread later today, when I post pictures.

cross-posted from the Mexico, Central America, and South America thread...

La Perrada de Caliche (940 Elizabeth Avenue, 908-629-9692) was good to excellent. It's on the corner of Elizabeth Avenue and Reid Street, opposite the public parking lot. About two blocks east of the US 1-9 overpass. It isn't handicap accessible, there are 4-5 steps up to the front door. There are nine varieties of perros (American hot dogs) on their board, and six on the English / Spanish menu. There are Hawaiano (pineapple, cheese, peppers), Criollo (finely ground beans, cheese, chopped and served with bacon), Caribeno (bacon strip, chopped potato, onions, peppers, cheese, sauces), bacon, etc. There were a number of hamburguesa, arepa, tostone, and other offerings on the menu. Most items were $2 to $3.50 each.

We ordered the Criollo and Caribeno. Both were excellent. Good snap to the dog, and a very light, fluffy, roll, slightly oversized to accommodate the toppings. Dog looked to be maybe an 8 to a pound size. These weren't the Mexican dogs mentioned in the article about street foods in Tucson, but they were very interesting.

The toppings were great. Fragrant, flavorful, crisp bacon, salty cheese. The criollo had a noticeable amount of spice in it. We were the only Anglo folks in the place, so I don't know if they dumbed down the spicing on our behalf. I ordered the perros in Spanish, the waitress / owner came over, and confirmed my choices by asking me to point them out in the menu.

This is a very diverse neighborhood, with Portuguese, Venezuelan. Colombian, Mexican, Central American, etc stores and travel agents. In walking about, I noticed bakeries providing many different breads, cakes, pies, etc The nearby church, St. Anthony's, has a Hispanic ministry, and an Italian ministry. It's school is named for Our Lady of Guadalupe. There's a live animal butcher down the street, and a pizzeria offering potato and pepper toppings. Looks like a nice place to stroll and nosh...

[Daniel]

White Rose System
Linden NJ



Cali Cheese