Jersey City Pop-Up Restaurant

Most of our friends already know we're planning a Jersey City Pop-Up Restaurant Series Starting in May.  We hope to do 1 per month for at least 6 months.  Here's the blurb I wrote up for our Kickstarter Project Page (yet to be approved):

We want to partner with local businesses and organizations in Downtown Jersey City to promote local chefs and local food, stimulate the culinary community and provide a new venue for creativity and socialization among the local residents and business people.  Its our believe that sharing great food is a key part of building meaningful relationships and creating a sense of shared community, trust and friendship.  We also love to cook, serve host and eat!  The Pop-Up Restaurant concept lets us bring together our love of food and desire to bring more people in Jersey City together, while providing a great venue for local chefs to showcase their skills and vision.  There will be a fee to attend which will cover food and equipment costs, but the exact price will be determined by how much money we raise in donations.

We hope that those who share our passions and interests will see value in this project and both donate to support it and join us at the dinner table.  The dates and details will be forthcoming, but we have already secured a venue for the first Pop-Up Restaurant night and plan on a date in early May.   Everyone who donates will be contacted by email with details.  Because of limited space we cannot guarantee a seat, but you will be given priority over other attendees.  Thank you!

JC Sakura - There's Nothing Fishy About This Place

Fran and I have been going to JC Sakura Sushi for 4 years now whenever we need a sushi fix. They do both take out and have a small, simple dining room. I won't to pretend to be a sushi connoisseur, but every time we've eaten there it has been a pleasant experience with fresh, good sushi for a reasonable price. Some people can differentiate yellow tail and striped bass just from the flavor. I cannot. What I look for in sushi is freshness, both in appearance and taste, and lots of wasabi. Call me uncultured, I just call it delicious.

 

Our Sushi Sashimi Combo

   

Our most recent trip to JC Sakura was no exception to the usual fresh fish and good portions. Fran and I shared a Queens Roll, (spicy tuna & cucumber, tempura, crunch, wrapped w. salmon & tuna) roll to start. It was nice and spicy, and the tempura bits inside gave each piece a nice crunch. We also split a Sushi, Sashimi combo, which consisits of salmon, tuna, white tuna, eel, shrimp, and a few other "unidentifiable to the untrained sushi eye" slices. All of which were yummy and fresh. The last item on our menu that night was Uni or sea urchin. I had never tried it before but I'll try anything once, right?....I should have said wrong. I consider myself an adventurous eater, but I was put back in my elementary-understanding-of-sushi place when this came out. So, let me preempt this with the fact that Fran liked it, and after talking to a few friends, I find it's not as out there as I thought it would be. The sea urchin came over two rolls of rice, and has the appearance of a tiny tongue, and the color of boxed mashed potatoes. I decided not to think to much about it and just go for it. Once in my mouth, it felt like a cold, wet booger. Though I have to say, if you can get past that(I didn't get past it, had trouble swallowing as to not make a scene), the flavor was nice. Sea urchin has the flavor of a mouthfull of fresh, cold seawater that's pleasant and not too strong. I was happy to wash it down with ample amounts of Saki, lets just say at that point I was drinking to forget. 

Heather is a dummy who doesn't like Uni (don't worry, she wants to keep it funny!) - Francis                                                                            

 

Overall, JC Sakura is my favorite Sushi place I've tried in Jersey City. It's got an unpretentious vibe, and very Japanese and efficient staff. I've heard some critics of the place say that the staff is off putting and rude, but I honestly think it's just a language barrier, the staff seems truly Japanese. They even gave us a VIP card! Watch out world! Here we come!

Douggie finishes up the leftovers since we forgot to get cat food

He's also a fan of JC Sakura

Another Greek Bankruptcy...In Jersey City

Just a quick rant about Its Greek To Me on Newark and Jersey Ave.  I have no problem with the place but why is it so expensive?  I got a gyro, a salad and some calamari to go, none which was great, and it was 31 bucks.  Which is probably why the place is always empty, and I imagine, destined for default unless the ECB steps in. But I don't think Mario Draghi even likes gyros.