VIDEO: This NJ mom makes giant stuffed cookies
In Essex County, Wendy Kou makes “colossal cookies” stuffed with Nutella, marshmallow and more. Locals can order via her @madebywendynyc Instagram.
Lobster ravioli, unconventional pizza and more most impressed food writer Kara VanDooijeweert this week.This column publishes on Saturdays, and typically features standout eats from Morris, Essex, Bergen, Passaic and/or Sussex Counties.
Party City going out of business really cuts like a knife.
When I was a kid, my dad used to take me to the East Hanover store instead of hitting the Chuck E. Cheese down the road. While other toddlers were floating in ball pits, I was perusing the costume-laden aisles of North Jersey’s discount disguise epicenter in search of my next Teletubby facade.
Was it because he really wanted to see me parade around in a Lala suit? I doubt it. I just think my dear father was afraid of boogers, overpriced tokens and a bad salad bar dressing selection.
Either way, I have a lot of great memories inside of the place, and the fact that I’ll never see it again kind of stings.
That pain would dissipate real quick, however, if the abandoned shopping destination becomes the next great hibachi steakhouse.
Because — as much as I love a good Tinky Winky jumpsuit — nothing compares to grill-fried noodles and garlic-coated, melt-in-your-mouth scallops.
Here are three things I ate in North Jersey this week that could similarly ease the hurt of losing something (bizarrely) special.
Taylor Ham & Cheese Stuffed Bread, T & L Rinaldi’s
Nothing says New Jersey like Taylor ham, and the salty delicacy took centerstage in this T & L Rinaldi’s stuffed bread showstopper. Featuring stacks of the meat layered between melty slices of American cheese, the dough-wrapped dish was similar to a stromboli, but with the bread only around the outside, rather than rolled throughout the center like a spiral.
(It also, of course, didn’t showcase mozzarella, pepperoni or any Italian-esque filling, though varieties of the dish including ingredients such as those were also available).
When I cut a slice from the crisp-crusted loaf — opting for a center piece for maximum cheese drip — I was blown away, figuratively, by its oozy goodness, and, literally, by the steam that exuded from each hand-placed layer.
And, when I sunk my teeth into the portion I’d selected, I understood why the Essex County hole-in-the-wall had become famous for (its 20+ varieties of) the dish.
Go: 313 Union Ave., Belleville; 973-759-3509, tlrinaldis.com.
Salmon Teriyaki Pizza, Joe’s Rotisseria
I’m ready to start playing baseball with your negative feedback on this concept, so pitch me your best objections.
“Cheese doesn’t belong with fish!”
Think about lox and cream cheese bagels, ossetra caviar with burrata and a good, old-fashioned tuna melt, and consider that concern smashed down the third base line.
“Fish doesn’t belong on pizza!”
Read my top 10 dishes of 2024 article, and know your charge has been ground and fielded.
“Kara doesn’t belong in Union County because it’s not North Jersey!”
Central Jersey doesn’t exist, so that line is drawn at Monmouth.
AKA; regardless of what you say, I have a comeback — so get your butts to Roselle Park and give this Joe’s Rotisseria special (which boasts top-grade salmon, teriyaki sauce and more over a sesame seed crust) a try.
Go: 547 Westfield Ave. W, Roselle Park (with a second location in Asbury Park); 908-245-9003, joes-rotisseria.com.
Lobster Ravioli, The Windlass
Lobster ravioli isn’t a super complex dish.
It isn’t a pistachio soufflé, it doesn’t involve molecular gastronomy, nothing about it screams out-of-the-ordinary.
There’s a reason, however, that it’s become nothing short of a coastal summer staple:
When prepared correctly, its ceiling is just so high.
Comforting and cheesy, refined-yet-simple, the accessible entrée lies at the perfect intersection between junk food and fine dining fare; as is demonstrated at The Windlass, whose version highlights flawlessly-cooked lobster, decadent cream sauce and the most delicate, flavorful shells of dough.
Go: 45 Nolans Point Park Road, Lake Hopatcong; 973-663-3190, thewindlass.com.
Hungry for more?
Want more on this week’s latest food news? Check out some of my (and others’) best articles at NorthJersey.com/food.
And, as for next week? I’ll be checking out Ridgewood’s hottest new Greek spot, so be sure to follow me on @northjerseyeats to see if the calamari, grilled haloumi or Aegean Shrimp Pasta live up to the hype.
Kara VanDooijeweert is a food writer for NorthJersey.com and The Record. If you can’t find her in Jersey’s best restaurants, she’s probably off running a race course in the mountains. Catch her on Instagram: @karanicolev & @northjerseyeats, and sign up for her North Jersey Eats newsletter.