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Sunday, January 30, 2011

Bagel Buffet: Secaucus, NJ

Hanging around with a girl from Bergen County, bagels become a staple of your diet on weekends whether you like it or not.  At times early on in our relationship, I felt as if I was dating the heir to the "bagel throne" when it came to picking and choosing which bagels would be eaten on any given Saturday or Sunday morning.  That brings us to Bagel Buffet in nearby Secaucus.  There isn't a whole lot you can say about a bagel shop, but when you live in or around the Hoboken area, you know that there really is not a whole lot to choose from in the world of bagels.  We had searched far and wide trying every bagel establishment this side of the Hudson, and we were always left feeling somewhat satisfied, but never actually feeling like we found the bagel hotspot of Hudson County.  Finally, we turned to our trusty pal yelp.com to discover the best bagels in Hudson County were just a mile or so away in Secaucus.  Bagel Buffet sits behind 3 East Bar and Grill and Bareli's and if you didn't know where it was you would never find it.  Bagel Buffet tends to be a little pricey, but their bagels are excellent and they serve up a wide array of breakfast sandwiches, spreads, lox etc.  I brought my family there from all the way out in the woods in Morris County where finding a good bagel is no short order, and they were extremely pleased with the quality of bagel which Bagel Buffet was treating its customers to.  Overall, we have put Bagel Buffet on our food map and we have abandoned all of the impostors of Hoboken etc.

Eatin' Alive Rating:
Service Staff: 7/10
Bagel Quality: 8/10
Breakfast Options: 9/10
Pricing: 6-7/10

Topaz Thai: Belleville, NJ

A close friend suggested Topaz Thai in Belleville and at first thought I was slightly skeptical due to its location in the less than charming neighborhood of Belleville, NJ (just a few short steps from bustle of Newark).  However, I jumped online and checked out yelp.com and some of the reviews of Topaz and people were raving about this place and its chef/owner "Mama" (as pictured above).  Upon arrival, we entered a small little store front in a strip mall, however, once inside you felt extremely cozy, welcomed and just comfortable in the surroundings.  The wait staff was extremely friendly and willing to suggest various dishes based on what you were looking to taste/try that evening.  We started with the Mussels and a chicken pot pie special and both were phenomenal.  The mussels were in some sort of thai spiced, white wine sauce which was definitely sweet tasting and left you wanting bread to soak it all up.  The mussels themselves tasted and appeared to be very fresh and not frozen.  The chicken pot pie was also very good and full of taste.  For our main dishes we had the Thai Basil Crispy Duck (spicy style) and Pad Basil Shrimp (also very spicy) and each of our dishes were EXTREMELY tasty.  The duck was extremely tender and covered in a great sauce, however, it was VERY SPICY.  Any other time I would have even said too spicy, but the taste was so excellent it just kept me coming back for more and I did not want to wave the white flag until it was all finished.  The Pad Basil Shrimp was also excellent, however, my girlfriend was disappointed that there were only 4 shrimp on the plate; however, it sounds like the taste made up for whatever it lacked in shrimp quantity.  For dessert, we got the fried ice cream (first time for me) and it was a HUGE ball of ice cream deep fried accompanied by a fried oreo and fried brownie.  Overall, the portions were extremely generous and the taste was truly out of this world in everything from appetizers to dessert.  I have been to hundreds of different restaurants but this was one of the best meals I have ever had, easily and we will be returning VERY soon.  Also, the prices were very reasonable and it came out to about 60-65 dollars for two people (its a BYOB).  Topaz Thai was an awesome experience all around and we can not wait to return.

Eatin' Alive Rating:
Service/Staff: 10/10
Ambience: 8/10
Appetizers: 9/10
Main Course: 9/10
Dessert: 8/10
Pricing: 8/10