Taylor's Ham

where food and music and Taylor Swift collide

Restaurants

  • Mozzarella

    “Here’s your seat, Princess,” says the nicest man on planet Earth to my daughter as he hands us the booster seat at “our table” in the corner of Mozzarella’s cozy confines on Valley Street in South Orange. MDP and I had been going to Mozzarella long before our little lady came along, but it wasn’t Read more

  • Boccone South

    Everyone who goes to Boccone South talks about Silvio. Who’s Silvio? you may wonder. Well, he’s the gravel-voiced restauranteur who greets everyone that walks in through Boccone’s doors like they’re at once old friends and royalty. I recall the first time MDP and I went to Boccone, back when they were on South Orange Avenue. Read more

  • Chat & Griddle

    Finding a good lunch spot can be surprisingly hard. Long ago, I swore off Yelp (and even created a blog, Yelp: Reviewed, that served as commentary for how unhelpful — and often bizarre — their reviews are). These days, I use a combination of frequently sordid (unappetizing?) Jersey eats Instagram accounts and local Facebook groups Read more

  • Coda Kitchen and Bar

    When we entered Coda Kitchen and Bar, my glasses immediately steamed up, and I couldn’t see. MDP and I had just escaped from the pouring rain, having walked a few blocks from the parking lot. High-tops near the front and the rectangular bar were all but full. The music may have been a little too Read more

  • The Fox & Falcon by David Burke

    David Burke is no stranger to making something old new again. For 85 years, the Dixie Lee Bakery was a local institution in Keansburg, NJ. It was the kind of bakery that had a little bit of everything, ranging from black and white cookies and lobster tails to cupcakes, wedding cakes, and beyond. Although it Read more

  • Butter & Jam

    I always love a good restaurant recommendation. That’s why I joined the SOMA Eats Local Facebook group, where people from my community gather to discuss the latest and greatest food nearby. Get the lunch menu meatball sandwich, they might say of Arturo’s, the legendary wood-fired pizzeria in Maplewood village. The Maple Leaf Diner has great Read more

  • Valley Street Eatery

    Any New Jersey denizen will tell you that the taylor ham, egg, and cheese sandwich is a delicacy not to mess with. Most bagel shops, delis, and diners keep it simple: a few slices of taylor ham crisped on the flat top, over-hard egg, and American cheese on a kaiser roll. Salt, pepper, and ketchup Read more

  • The Dip

    They say that, in New York City, the only constant is change. While that may be true, my view is that the only constant is the better the restaurant, the smaller the space. This maxim bears out in the new kid to the East Village, The Dip. Nestled between residential properties, The Dip asks its Read more

  • La Isla Restaurant (Downtown)

    Downtown Hoboken is home to several foodie luminaries: the renowned Carlo’s Bakery, Empanada Cafe, Rita’s (!!!), Charritos, and other local gourmand favorites. La Isla Restaurant is at the top of my list, after sampling their breakfast this morning. The funny thing is, most people would walk right by La Isla, given its low-brow neighbors (Cluck-U Read more

  • Matt & Meera

    Hoboken is kind of like New York City, except smaller. At just about one square mile, the birthplace of baseball and Frank Sinatra has an “uptown,” a “midtown,” and a “downtown,” just like the Big Apple across the Hudson. It has a main artery — Washington Street — like Broadway, and finding a parking spot Read more