What restaurant are we missing in NJ?

I really want a local chili parlor. I saw one on DD&D on tv where they had 6 varieties of chili to choose from. You got to pick a base of spaghetti, beans, quinoa, or even a bag of frito chips and they would put your chili on it. Then you could also add cheese, onion, peppers, etc.

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I’d love to see a cool chili spot but with rent in this county, it would most likely be a food truck to stick around long term.

I think we need more mediocre italian, Chinese owned Japanese sushi spots, pizza places, and anything related to McLooney

OK to be serious…

A real cheesesteak spot
Korean BBQ or any korean
Chicago pizza
Malaysian
German
West indie/ trini
A charcoal/wood burger spot
Moroccan
A badass grease truck sandwich rig (ie they don’t serve steakums. Sigh )

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I know @joonjoon can chime in on which ones, but Fort Lee is chock full of Korean places, and from what I’ve read, some of them are the real deal. He may also have West Indian/Trinidadian recs.

There’s Moroccan in Parsippany.

@seal, are you really asking what the STATE is missing, or our part of NJ?

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Well, @CurlzNJ , close by would be best …

But I’ll take anywhere in NJ. Do you know of a chili parlor?

Nope! Gonna open one?

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Upscale authentic Mexican. Seems the only “authentic” (I hate that word) Mexican around here are groceries, NOTB type places, etc all very down market…I go to a place in Boston when we are up there called Casa Romero that has been around forever that I have not found any equivalent of in NJ (or NY for that matter).

Either that or a decent Indian restaurant in Red Bank.

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German and Swedish are what I wish for the most

Def German and cheesesteaks

Also a real authentic Italian deli/ salumeria makes its own Mozz, great pastosa level raviolis, good sausage, and legit sandwiches.

True tapas place not this fake overpriced stuff that Albariño place looks to be

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Almost everything listed below by people can be found somewhere in NJ. The problem is that most of them are not anywhere near me.

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Plenty of good Korean in NJ. I mean honestly only a few states in US have more than we do.

@CurlzNJ you talkin about Marakesh in Parsippany? I walked in to look at the menu but haven’t eaten there yet. Seems pretty legit. Not in NJ but there are some good options in Philly.

I haven’t seen any straight up Trinidadian places but I think someone reported on it a while back. I will say in general I haven’t been to any West Indian places in NJ yet that have really wowed me overall.

There are a couple Malay options in Edison, we had a nice HOdown at one a few months back!

As far what I want, outside of what’s been mentioned:

A German place that does schweinshaxe. I don’t care if they do nothing else. I want some god damn crispy pork hock drowning in gravy.

French food like they do in France that has lots of pate and foie options. Not haute new American french.

A not-red sauce Italian osteria / trattoria. Not a fancy place!

I’m realizing we have complete shit in terms of European representation here. How?? Someone else mentioned Spanish. I could use some real Spanish goodness.

A Japanese restaurant that’s actually Japanese (no monster truck rolls or hibachi). Kind of exists sparsely around Fort Lee actually.

@eleeper you said almost everything can be found somewhere… I hope you can deliver. :slight_smile:

We went to a Trinidadian restaurant in Queens a couple of months back before picking up The Sprout at JFK. Ever since we’ve been obsessed with finding a place in NJ.

I was perusing the NYT and found an article that mentioned a place in Hamilton, just down the road from The Grounds for Sculpture. I don’t think its strictly Trini but it has doubles on the menu which is enough to get me there. The food looks very good.

https://www.hotondspotrotishop.com/

Joon my mistake. I was coming up with a Monmouth county list. And there are a few trini places in the oranges.