Hackensack, NJ: The Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory
197 Riverside Square Mall
Hackensack, NJ
Bergen County

An extensive menu showcasing a range of flavors and generous portions (an understatement), dining at the Cheesecake Factory is an adventure from the moment you're waiting for a table (at almost any hour of the day) to looking through the menu to remembering that you can take leftovers home.

Tips:  I haven't had to wait in line for a table in years because I...a) never go here with more than four ppl; b) avoid going on weekends and peak hours; c) always sit at the first come first serve bar area where they always have a handful of high tops.  Don't resist their warm fresh baked bread, especially the whole wheat one.  They offer a fabulous happy hour M-F, 4-6 PM with $5 cocktails, wine, and decent sized portions of some of their appetizers.  If you're an American Express holder and gain points, you can redeem a gift card.

Food: Now this is where foodies who are strongly quality over quantity may have a problem with this establishment.  They use quality ingredients in their dishes, but their pastas are sometimes overwhelmed with oil, tamales topped with too much sour cream, and guacomole made with pre-frozen tasteless avocados.  However, there are still really delicious dishes to have here.  The chicken samosas (which can be ordered from their cheap small plates menu) bursts with flavor;  the tamales (which is part of the $5 happy hour menu) with the sour cream on the side has a fantastic pieces of sweet corn; the chicken littles are perfectly fried pieces of boneless chicken breast with a great spice; and their thai lettuce wraps come with a delicious variety of dipping sauces.  I always enjoy a good fish taco, and while you won't necessarily find the freshest of fish here being used, it's good enough.  Their mashed potatoes are also creamy goodness, which just enough chunks of potato, and their non-acoholic strawberry lemonade rimmed with sugar is perfect on a hot summer day. 

I don't often leave room for dessert, but have no problems grabbing a slice of something to go.  Now everyone often picks the cheesecake - how can you resist, there are a variety of flavors ranging from white to chocolate to red velvet cake to peanut butter cheesecake, but I've started reaching towards their almost foot high speciality cakes, specifically their Black - Out cake.  You must love chocolate, because it also includes chocolate chips, but it's also finished on the side with crushed almonds.  Whichever dessert you go with, you must make sure they include blobs of their whipped cream.  I'm not sure if it's homemade, but it is extra creamy (and probably fatty) and delicious!

Final Thoughts: True, there's probably no need to write a blog entry about the Cheesecake Factory and it might even discount me as a foodie, however hopefully my tips above are some helpful suggestions of how to manuever this monster and enjoy the vastness of the Cheesecake Factory!

Happy Eating Bergen County, NJ!

Jersey City, NJ: Zeppelin Hall Restaurant and Biergarten

Zeppelin Hall
88 Liberty View Drive
Jersey City, NJ

Bergen County

An authentic European style Biergarten with 155 beers on tap to enjoy out of a mug or liter inside or outside the restaurant.

Tips: Never miss a visit to Zeppelin in the summer!  The space inside is huge, but outside is even larger with picnic table settings and food and beer ordered and picked up by you (save on tip!).  A great place to have a group of friends meet and not worry about a messy bill to figure out at the end of the night since its every person for themselves to order, pay, and then share at the table, including pitchers of beer.  It gets crowded as the night goes on and their free large parking lot does eventually become limited, because with festive music, and undoubtedly friends running into other friends, folks eat, drink, and be merry all night long!

Food: You cannot go to a Biergarten without ordering the giant pretzel.  It's not as buttery and doesn't come with a selection of various mustards like they offer at Radegast Hall & Biergarten in Brooklyn (133 N. 3rd Street (Williamsburg), Brooklyn), but big, doughy, and great to munch on while getting your drink on nonetheless.  One also cannot leave a German establishment without trying a bratwurst.  As a pollo/pesco semi-vegetarian, I had their chicken bratwurst, and thoroughly enjoyed it on a rye bread top with sauerkraut and french fries, my weakness.  The chicken schnitzel on the otherhand isn't anything special than a thinly pounded breaded piece of chicken breast.

Final Thoughts: It's not easy to find a place where you can sit outdoors with a large group of friends, eat, drink, and be merry, without being worried about the bill at the end of the night, being to rowdy, or being kicked out for not ordering a certain amount of food.  I do hope in the future that they'll consider amping up their mustard selection like other Biergartens though!

Happy Eating Bergen County, NJ!

Ridgewood, NJ: Country Pancake House

Country Pancake House
140 East Ridgewood Avenue
Ridgewood, NJ
Bergen County

Ranked 49th on the Travel Channel's "101 Places to Chowdown," the Country Pancake House is truly the "Home of the Hearty." 

Tips:  Located in Ridgewood Center, expect to wait.  I went at 2 PM on a Saturday, and still waited a good 20 minutes.  The restaurant is small with barely a waiting area.  Most of the tables are two-tops or four-tops, and they'll do their best to accommodate a larger party, but that will undoubtedly increase your waiting time.  Another important note - CASH only!  Most items are less than $10, and small fees associated to any type of substitutions.

Every table gets a basket of cornbread.  It's far more exciting than a dinner roll, but because of the mass quantity they make it, let's just say I've had better.  My suggestion to you - try to hold your appetite for your meal - the dry, flavorless cornbread will just fill up your stomach, and trust me, you'll need that space!

Food:  Let's start with the pancakes.  With over 90 homemade pancake options, ranging in flavors from moist buttermilk to whole wheat peaches and honey to cornmeal onions peppers and onions, there isn't a flavor (or diner) they didn't think of.  I personally am always thrilled when a restaurant offers fiberous (whole wheat/whole grain) options.  You can get two LARGE (I'm talking pizza box size and definitely larger than a plate) sized pancakes, or four (slightly smaller version). 

These pancakes are also thick so we're talking quantity all around.  To give you an even better sense - I had #21-The Maine Delicacy which were blueberrys on whole wheat.  The blueberries were the size of grapes!
Surprisingly, the pancake, even made with whole wheat, was surprisingly moist, and of course undeniably HUGE.  Nothing can prepare you for the monsterous size of these pancakes placed in front - more like in the center - of your table.  No one expects you to finish it all in one sitting and take out containers are all around the sides (though these standard boxes will not hold a pancake without bending it). 

Aside from pancakes, they have many other breakfast (and lunch) options.  They have over 30 omelet options - and we're talking a 9-egg omelett - that you can get over a waffle or with a side of homefries.  I opted for the broccoli chicken tomato omelet with whole wheat toast and hashbrowns. 

The same way you must love pancakes to order pancakes, you must love eggs to have an omelett here.  The whole grain bread was delicious and gets a fiberous thumbs up.

Final Thoughts: I think the Country Pancake House is definitely a place worth adding to your foodie bucketlist.  I'm glad I checked it out, but after the excitement of the gigantic portions wore off and I realized I had polished off the amount of food I did, I was slightly regretful.

Stop in during an off time (and remember, that even that off-time may not be off enough to immediately get a table) and have cash and your appetite handy!  Again, resist the cornbread and would recommend getting more than just water to help something flavored wash down the food.

Happy Eating Bergen County, NJ!