The Swamp

Ravioli is the highest upside pasta, for sure.

mister d wrote: ↑Sun Dec 23, 2018 3:11 pm Ravioli is the highest upside pasta, for sure.

Yet also so easily lackluster.

The best dishes the Star Ledger's food guy had in 2018

Personal experience at:
36 (but not the cole slaw)
31 (I suggested that place to him over the summer when he was looking for new pizza places)
29 (haven't had the mofongo but the pernil, especially in disco fry form, is so good)
19
12 (had that sandwich this past summer after it was on his best sandwich list)

Haven't been to NJ in like 10 years so nothing to add other than mofongo is the shit and I need to go to the Puerto Rican place in town more often.

Personal experience:

rass wrote: ↑Thu Jan 03, 2019 3:38 pm The best dishes the Star Ledger's food guy had in 2018

Personal experience at:
36 (but not the cole slaw)
31 (I suggested that place to him over the summer when he was looking for new pizza places)
29 (haven't had the mofongo but the pernil, especially in disco fry form, is so good)
19
12 (had that sandwich this past summer after it was on his best sandwich list)

I got a zero on this list. Sucks that almost every place is South Jersey. Too many Camden places on this list, I thought Camden was a lawless Mad Max style hellscape.

Just last week I drove past, and laughed at, Egg Mania. Next time I venture to my office, I'll have to check it out. I've thought about going to the Soul Food place on 22 in N. Plainfield as I saw it hyped somewhere else. I'll have to check that one out.

rass wrote: ↑Sun Dec 23, 2018 12:52 pm Had dinner at an Italian place in a strip mall in Wayne last night (Viaggio). “Locally driven” menu, they make their pastas (as they should), and about half of their salumi offerings were cured in house. Beginning to end, prep and taste and service was top notch. But I mention this today not just because it was a great meal, but because the ravioli was so good that it redefined ravioli for me. Just incredible.

Mmmm! Is Wayne much of a drive from Maplewood?

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Jan 03, 2019 8:22 pm

rass wrote: ↑Sun Dec 23, 2018 12:52 pm Had dinner at an Italian place in a strip mall in Wayne last night (Viaggio). “Locally driven” menu, they make their pastas (as they should), and about half of their salumi offerings were cured in house. Beginning to end, prep and taste and service was top notch. But I mention this today not just because it was a great meal, but because the ravioli was so good that it redefined ravioli for me. Just incredible.

Mmmm! Is Wayne much of a drive from Maplewood?

Depends on when you're going.

Give a heads up the next time you're in the area.

And I lucked out with that list since one of the places I tried is in the town where I live (though they have a truck and and are all over the place in the spring and summer), three of them are in the town where I vacation just about every summer, and the fifth is in the town where my sister-in-law lives.

I *think* Fox and the Falcon in South Orange will be the second local place to get the Mister D stamp of approval (but still not same tier as Common Lot in Millburn). Somewhat interesting, maybe, is the owner is one of Dale Talde’s former partners but that group just disbanded.

mister d wrote: ↑Thu Dec 18, 2014 10:18 pm Speaking of Montclair, anyone been to Montclair Bread Company? The doughnuts got great reviews somewhere recently and great doughnuts are pretty much the best thing in the world.

Made this list - N.J.'s best doughnuts

Montclair is awesome but I wish they had (1) indoor seating and (2) a shift to a few more standard options inside the regular rotation rather than 80% over-piled sugar bombs.

(And maybe (definitely) I'm being a dick, but non-local chains shouldn't be allowed on these lists.)

mister d wrote: ↑Tue Jan 08, 2019 9:22 am(And maybe (definitely) I'm being a dick, but non-local chains shouldn't be allowed on these lists.)

I just noticed the Duck in Clark this past weekend. Not sure if the sign is brand new or I've just been oblivious the last couple trips to the supermarket.

Taylor ham, egg and cheese in a pie crust. Side of berry (huckle, I think they said) and pepper jam. Whoa.

New bakery (Jammed Up) in downtown U, right next door to and related to the coffee shop (Van Gogh’s Ear, one of downtown’s longest standing storefronts and maybe the one “hip” place in town).

The breakfast sandwiches sounded great (and look great on FB) and I got some cookies and a croissant fresh out of the oven for the kids.

(would eat it)

Also would. And mad at myself for not getting there in January for the coconut one they were doing.

From a story on a mother who lost her son to complications from autism, and then lost a pendant that contained his ashes, only to have it recovered and returned and fixed:

Within the next few hours that day, Gelormini posted to every Facebook group she cold think off. Westfield, Cranford, New Providence—even the often nasty one in Berkeley Heights she jokingly calls “Bickering Heights.”

The best part is that the shot at BH isn’t even relevant to the resolution of the story.

rass wrote: ↑Sat Jan 12, 2019 11:01 am

Taylor ham, egg and cheese in a pie crust. Side of berry (huckle, I think they said) and pepper jam. Whoa.

You misspelled “pork roll”.

Hey man, I don’t get caught up that bullshit. I’ll just order it however it’s labeled on the menu.

rass wrote: ↑Sun Mar 31, 2019 9:34 am From a story on a mother who lost her son to complications from autism, and then lost a pendant that contained his ashes, only to have it recovered and returned and fixed:

Within the next few hours that day, Gelormini posted to every Facebook group she cold think off. Westfield, Cranford, New Providence—even the often nasty one in Berkeley Heights she jokingly calls “Bickering Heights.”

The best part is that the shot at BH isn’t even relevant to the resolution of the story.

Ha. Usually there's a turn where they're the ones who save the day, but nope.

rass wrote: ↑Mon Oct 23, 2017 10:05 am I love Sneakbox, BTW.

Cans rolling out to local Wegmans this week. Looks like someone doesn’t have to start tipping on tax anytime soon!

Principal at a local HS. Awful story.

rass wrote: ↑Wed Apr 10, 2019 4:38 pm

rass wrote: ↑Mon Oct 23, 2017 10:05 am I love Sneakbox, BTW.

Cans rolling out to local Wegmans this week. Looks like someone doesn’t have to start tipping on tax anytime soon!

While we are talking local beer, Icarus is fucking crushing it. I went out on a beer run and they had 5 different fresh cans of Icarus, so I got one of each. Drank the Power Juicer NEIPA, and it's as good as anything not Trillium. Had several others recently, and I'm super impressed. Recently learned a neighbor is really into craft beer, and he is obsessed with Icarus. He's had a lot more than I have, and loved all of them. Not sure why it took me so long to try them.

I went to Twin Elephant last week, and they topped themselves again. Some really interesting IPAs and APAs, and all were good to great.

My effective federal tax rate went up 20% so the targeted blue-state changes certainly worked here!

Sorry man. Our property taxes are still *relatively* low so we more or less stayed put compared to last year.

If it makes you feel better, our super-fiscally Republican in-laws in Scotch Plains got pretty screwed, too.

PS - had an excellent post-5K breakfast at this place yesterday.

It's in the old, Eastern European section of Clifton, which has a bad rep because it borders Passaic.

The place is adorable, was pleasingly busy (but with availability) on a late Sunday morning, and the food was very good.

It does make me feel better, actually. And I have no issue paying more taxes, I just take issue that I'm paying them up to already rich people.

mister d wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2019 1:49 pm My effective federal tax rate went up 20% so the targeted blue-state changes certainly worked here!

We got shafted royally on Federal, State actually came out better this year than last.

Its the one thing this admin has designed properly.

hmm...
we came out in the positive this year... paid NJ.. fed and NY more than made up for it... not sure how that happened..

elflaco wrote: ↑Tue Apr 23, 2019 2:44 pm hmm...
we came out in the positive this year... paid NJ.. fed and NY more than made up for it... not sure how that happened..

Was your effective tax rate lower, or did you just get a refund, but still paid a higher effective rate? I haven't heard of many people in NJ doing better this year.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Tue Apr 23, 2019 2:53 pm

elflaco wrote: ↑Tue Apr 23, 2019 2:44 pm hmm...
we came out in the positive this year... paid NJ.. fed and NY more than made up for it... not sure how that happened..

Was your effective tax rate lower, or did you just get a refund, but still paid a higher effective rate? I haven't heard of many people in NJ doing better this year.

i'll have to take a look in depth - the check we wrote NJ is same as last year -- NY was a refund last year, in same ball park as this year.. federal was definitely higher return.. last year we sent them a check.

Different withholdings or any of 100 things. The only number that really matters (here) is fed total divided by taxable earnings.

mister d wrote: ↑Tue Apr 23, 2019 2:58 pm Different withholdings or any of 100 things. The only number that really matters (here) is fed total divided by taxable earnings.

Doesn't that fail to account for changes in exemptions? For example if my income was the same, but Trump took away an exemption, my taxable earnings are higher, because I lost an exemption, therefore I paid more taxes and the same actual income, but the rate looks the same because my taxable income went up.


[I really doubt my understanding of this issues, so I'm asking if my understanding is correct]

Yeah, bad terminology. "Gross taxable" or whatever you call box 1 on the W-2.

i'll check and report back over the weekend.
currently traveling...

We'll be visiting Berkley Heights today -- 445p game @ Snyder Turf field

Bring a bathing suit for the water park.

Had a late lunch at Ava's in Kenilworth.
Will be going back for sure - my kinda place.
any of you know it?

Have not been yet, but a friend gave it a very good recommendation a couple of weeks ago. Especially the poutine.