Soul Flavors Scene: Jersey City Comfort Food

So much for naysayers, we love Soul Flavors, a new soul food restaurant on Grove Street in Jersey City. Izzy and I had our first introduction to Soul Flavors one evening when they were handing out samples in front of the place. The succulent morsel of beef ribs I tasted had me hankering for more.

As soon as we could, Izzy and I returned for a full portion of that luscious meat. We received one hunk o' meat, cooked to silky sweet tenderness. Paired with spicy, tart collard greens and macaroni and cheese, Izzy and I had a meal with leftovers. The cornbread was a perfect accompaniment to this hearty meal.

We have since eaten the oxtails which are another example of slow-cooked meat at its best, though beware of the spicy polenta which even my spicy-seeking husband had trouble swallowing.

We have only tried a few items from the menu but from my vantage point, each passing dish looked worth trying and everyone seemed to be happily eating their meals. I hope Soul Flavors gains a large following and that the naysayers are outnumbered, which from the looks of the contented diners it seems they already have been.

GO Gone Kaput

GO: Gourmet Organic, our neighborhood's attempt at providing bread, cheese, produce and other upscale comestibles, has finally thrown in the towel. Probably not much of a surprise to many locals who according to jclist, had not been great fans of the place.

I suspected something was amiss when I saw that they had a sign that read, "Closed For Two Weeks Starting July 23"..yet it was well past that date and there was still no sign of life inside. I saw one of the owners today who confirmed that they had indeed sold. Sad news that GO failed but let's face it, it needed work.

The good news is that the owners of La Rustique, which many consider to be the best pizzeria in Jersey City (which may not be such a high accolade considering how dire our pizza situation is) have bought it and have some plans to turn into more of a deli/pizzeria..

I can only hope that the bring an affordable and tasty new eating option to the Hamilton Park neighborhood, for we could truly use one.

p.s. Despite its many faults, I will always hold fond memories of Izzy sampling cheese at GO and craving the ficelles they used to get from Hudson Breads...alas, it wasn't meant to be.

Ice Cream Truck Blues:Not What You Might Think

The ice cream truck in our neighborhood has some nerve. Every night it arrives just as Izzy is about to fall asleep which is around 8:00 p.m. It plays its jingle quite loudly outside Izzy's window.

At first he used to ask.."Why does that ice cream truck come out so late? Who is eating ice cream now? Shouldn't they be asleep? (I swear none of these statements were prompted by me.)

The past few nights, his tune has changed. He seems angry at the truck. As soon as it arrives he yells: GO AWAY YOU STUPID ICE CREAM TRUCK! I NEED TO GO TO SLEEP!

Tonight I had a good mind to go outside a reprimand the ice cream man. Thankfully I had the good sense to stay inside.

Sweet Toothless?

It all happened so smoothly and quietly. One minute we were settling down at the table. The next minute I watched, incredulously, as the little lump sat immobile, sucking away at another lump.. A LUMP OF SUGAR.. which her darling mama held up to her toothless mouth. A 13 month old developing a sweet tooth, with hardly a tooth in sight!

This was a sight I had never expected to see, but then again A. has thrown me for a loop on other food occasions. She, as many of us, has her own unique brand of crunchy/meets junk food eating behaviours. I learned this on a supermarket excursion when her eldest was pleading for some candy that she had apparently sampled before. I wouldn't have pegged A. to be the candy-eating/feeding sort, especially since she is always attempting to substitute a bit too much whole-wheat flour to certain baked goods, in hopes of creating a healthier dessert.

But I digress. Back to the scene of the crime..There I sat, stunned at the sight and when I expressed my disbelief I was silenced with the standard line from parents with two, which is something to the effect of, "You wouldn't understand..."

Perhaps there is something to that. I do have vague memories of being overly critical of certain parenting techniques before having had a child and being told I didn't understand. I was certainly forced to eat a few of my words (not all, mind you, just a few) on that count. So why not in this case too.

The mania of having two children could very well force a mama to resort to drastic measures. Though I must say the idea of main-lining sugar would not have occurred to me as being one of them.

Did A. learn about this old-fashioned pacifying method from her grandma? I mentioned it to my grandfather (98) and he knew exactly what I was talking about. He laughed and said, "The mothers would wrap the sugar in cheesecloth and let the child hold it to their lips. Sometimes they would even soak it in bourbon!!!" I suggested that this might not be so healthy for the child. In response he said, (which I'm sure A. would much appreciate? "It may not be healthy for the child but it is healthy for the mother. She can get a break from the child's nagging."

Well what do you know? My grandfather and A. share similar child-rearing techniques and meanwhile I am left wondering...

1. Is A. going to be a repeat offender?
2. What else can be used to replace sugar lumps? Are they preferable to rubber nipples?

Might I suggest..a hard, salty pretzel. They used to keep Izzy busy for hours, and of course boobie always came in handy in restaurants. Any other suggestions might be appreciated.

Swamp Grapes

Bet they don't sell these where you live... I found them at the Korean Market on Newark Avenue, in lovely, downtown Jersey City. Both Izzy and I needed to sniff them. They even had them in two colors, purple and pale green. Does anyone have any idea where these grow and what one does with them? We will have to hurry back and buy some.

Reminiscing: Dairy Queen Ice Cream Sodas: Twice Daily Habit

Senior year in high school or sometime thereabouts, I delighted in Dairy Queen ice cream sodas, most notably a chocolate soda with vanilla ice cream or was it vice-versa? What I do recall is that they were topped with whipped cream and I craved them, often twice daily and my boyfriend was more than happy to indulge me, by accompanying me on jaunts to the nearby Dairy Queen in Fort Lee, N.J.

It is obvious that in those days, healthy eating was not a priority. Ignorance was bliss and I had no clue as to the junk I chose for nourishment (which I imagine was purely emotional). On the bright side, weight was not an issue and I eventually kicked the habit. I haven't had one of those sodas in more years than I would like to admit...nor have I craved one. Until today.

Izzy and friends stopped in at Torico's and I was in the mood for something different. I looked up at the menu board and saw the listing. The craving hit me and I had to have one, a vanilla soda with chocolate ice cream. Turns out, the chocolate ice cream machine was down so I had the opposite. It was every bit as tempting as I remembered. I even let Izzy have a sip - I could see that he too was smitten. I hope he doesn't remember it the next time we are there. I don't wish to renew old habits...

p.s Izzy's friend O., also looked tempted..behold his wistful expression as he eyes my soda from across the table..but that is a whole other story.

Passover Brisket: A Resurrection

This past April, we celebrated Passover with a meal at my house. The main course was brisket, made from some rather pricey, grass-fed beef. I had prepared two whole briskets for a small crowd and my fridge was filled with leftovers. I froze a rather large quantity of the brisket and promptly forgot about it.

Whilst poking inside my freezer this morning, I discovered the old Passover brisket and decided to bring it back to life. Of course given my current status as laziest cook ever, I chose the easiest possible route. I allowed the meat to defrost and then chopped it up into small pieces. I sauteed two large onions until nice browned, added a bit of hot green pepper, chopped cilantro and a jar of this miraculous Salsa Verde sauce from Trader Joe's. I served the beef with soft tacos, tomatoes, rice and sour cream. I think we all preferred it to the Passover meal and it was certainly less stressful.