Hackensack, NJ: Houston's

Houston's
1 Riverside Square
Hackensack, NJ
Bergen County

Houston's is an upscale chain restaurant that feels more upscale than chain.  They make their own bread (a fabulous brioche bun as seen in the picture) and have true quality in their products.  Their prices however certainly reflect this. 

Tips: A noticeable after work hot spot for young yuppy professionals.  Arrive as early as possible.  There is perpetually a wait here particularly after work hours, on any given night.  The bar area is particularly hopping, as is the counter behind the bar and the community high tops next to the bar, but be aware that as the night goes on, it can get very crowded in these tight quarters. 

Food: I had the hardest time deciding between their House-Made Veggie Burger, Grilled Fish Sandwich, or Asian Noodle Salad.  I finally chose the Grilled Fish Sandwich on their wonderfully light housemade Brioche bun.  I absolutely love that they had a grill option; not often available at busy chain restaurants where flash frying is fast.  Grilling the fish really allowed me to taste the freshness and flavor, while the brioche added a light sandwich option.  From their choice of sides, I went with the cous cous that had an abundance of flavor from the inclusion of mint leaves, parsley, raisins, grape tomatoes, almonds, and perfectly cooked cous cous.  I certainly could have eaten more bowls of this side dish.  They used vegetables, nuts, and herbs unsparingly and it really added to the flavor of generally blan cous cous.  The server was fantastic and patient in explaining each of the items, and did a great job navigating through the crowd.

Houston's also has a great selection of wines.  We had an excellent J. Lohr Pinot Noir, but at almost $75 a bottle.  I then had a pomegranite martini that may have been the worst I've ever tasted.

Final Thoughts: Houston's is the place is a great place to stop by after work with your co-workers or for a casual date.  I'm a huge fan of the bar area since the long waits can dampen how long you can linger and take your time catching up at the table.  Though the martinis can use some more work, the care in the freshness and selection of their food is top quality.

Happy Eating Bergen County, NJ!

Englewood, NJ: East West

East West
35 C West Palisades Avenue
Englewood, NJ
Bergen County

Japanese and Mexican?  To go?  Yes, with one side of the menu offering your typical to inventive sushi/handrolls and other fish, chicken, and noodle entrees with miso soup, the flip side of the menu offers tacos, burritos, and enchiladas.  To top it off, East West offers a method to order online, equipped with "special instructions" for each item you select.

Tips: This is a great option if you're craving fast food that doesn't involve hamburgers and fries.  We ordered our food online Sunday night during a peak dinner hour (6:45 PM), and received our food at our front door in less than 45 minutes.  The online order process is really easy and simple, and they offer the option for each entree you select to write in "special instructions."  I was able to specify that I wanted brown rice (with my eel don) and no sour cream (with my chicken taco). 

However, be warned that their English is terrible and parts of their menu online is not absolutely clear.  We forgot to enter the 10% promotional discount when you order online, and when we called them by phone to have this corrected, they said it no longer existed.  We also ordered certain items a la carte (ie. no soup), got the confirmation online, and confirmed final amount, but when they delivered the food, the final cost was almost $10-13 more than what was originally confirmed online.  The delivery man could not speak any English, so we had no choice but to pay the amount and call them again.  After several attempts to convey my issue, the woman said that we had selected the lunch prices, however the online menu does not make a distinction between the lunch and dinner menu (just lunch specials).   I suggested they check this online and make the changes, but they still haven't.

Food: From the Japanese menu, we ordered the Eel Don with Brown Rice, Chicken Katsu Don, and Red Dragon Roll.  Besides loving the brown rice option, the seaweed salad on top of the Eel Don, and the decent sized portion of the Chicken Katsu Don, everything else was mediocre.  The quality and amount of fish was mediocre at best.  The avocado was the smallest and thinnest sliver I've seen, and I don't even remember tasting much of the Tuna in my sushi roll because it was overpowered by the eel sauce.  The radish (daquan) in my Eel Don was chopped up into the smallest cubes possible, and the Eel Don was push in a plastic container that was way too big for the smaller amount it was.

From the Mexican menu, we ordered a Chicken Taco and Grilled Chicken Enchilada.  The Chicken Taco wrapped in tinfoil with all its fixings was a decent three bite item, though a bit soggy by the time it got to us.  The Grilled Chicken Enchilada had a flavorful rice and bean accompaniment, but barely any chicken in the actual entree. 

Final Thoughts: While it's exciting that East West exists an alternative fast food option, I was really felt duped by having to paid over $50 rather than less than $40 as we had expected (as confirmed to us online).  While initially ordering online served as a wonderful and fun convenience, if we had anticipated this kind of misunderstanding, I would have been happy to pick up the phone and order directly with a person.  I'm not sure if we'll order from them again since there are better Japanese and Mexican places in Englewood that also deliver, and we know that their quality of food is far superior.

Happy Eating Bergen County, NJ!