Englewood, NJ: The Kitchen

The Kitchen
21 East Palisade Avenue
Englewood, NJ

Tips: I was initially confused after reading reviews about this catering company who display their food through the side vehicle of this restaurant.  Reservations are an absolute must.  Expect NYC range prices, but as a BYO restaurant, you save on the price of liquor. Expect at least three rounds of small appetizers (similar to an amuse bouche) - chef's choice, and an accompaniment to your entree.  The appetizers are an absolute reflection of small catered bite sized eats. 

The ambience makes you forget that you're just in New Jersey, but the young/unexperienced wait staff reminds you that you're somewhere local.  Not a quiet affair - the room can get pretty din with various conversations to be heard from the tables.

Food: We began with our BYO bottle of Coppola Pinot Noir.  For appetizers, we ordered the Mushroom, Goat Cheese & Leek Tart and their Soup of the Day, Vegetable.  Before they came out, the server came around with the chef selected amuse bouche.  All bite size, but a great way to build up your appetite (hence an amuse bouche) and showcase their catering option. We were offered a chicken meatball, fried shrimp roll, and salmon tartare on cucumber. 

We then had our appetizers. The Mushroom, Goat Cheese & Leek Tart was delicious, though nothing special, but the Vegetable soup was delicious, comforting, and full of flavor.  It was full of finely and  perfectly diced vegetables, and the broth was perfection.

For the main entree, we had the The Kitchen Truffle Chicken PotPie and Pomegranate Glazed Salmon.  The Kitchen Truffle Chicken Potpie arrived in a pretty large cast iron skillet.  While there was as aroma of truffle, I couldn't quite taste the delicious goodness.  The pie crust on top was flaky and delicious, while the pot pie was surprisingly light; it didn't have a heavy cream consistency, but in fact was on the lighter side.  The pieces of chicken were BIG, with a mix of light and dark chicken - clearly fresh and hand pulled.  The Pomegranate Glazed Salmon was perfectly cooked.  While the glaze wasn't overly sweet or heavy, which I appreciated, it added a light touch to once again (I must emphasize) a perfectly cooked piece of salmon.  The side of spaghetti squash was full of flavor and a healthy portion.

Lastly for dessert, we ordered the Baked Alaskan Julius. A perfect size for two full people, the meringue was light and cloud like.  The pistachio ice cream inside sitting on a chocolate sandwich was delicious, but unfortunately it was overly frozen and seemingly I couldn't get it to melt just enough for me to bite into it without sawing at it.

Final Thoughts: Able to accommodate large parties with the value option of BYO, I'm absolutely planning to throw a dinner party here. You won't find innovative dishes or an ever changing menu here. What you will found however is solid food with the guarantee that it's done right.

Happy Eating Bergen County!

Englewood, NJ: Pinxto y Tapas

Pinxto y Tapas
47 North Dean Street (be/ Palisades Ave & Park Pl)
Englewood, NJ

Tips:  A surprising hot spot on a Friday night when I tried to get a table for two in the dining room (without a reservation), but was told that they were all reserved.  Fortunately they had some available table tops in the bar area, a darker, but still great ambience. 

Self described as serving authentic Spanish cuisine from the Basque & Galician Regions of Spain, where they pronounce the "tx" to have a "ch" sound, hence "pincho."  Pinxto y Tapas offers a range of tapas, entrees, including paella and arroz con pollo, and full bar, with several beers on tap, three different kinds of sangria (red, white, and blush), and wines by the bottle. 

Every meal, lunch and dinner, always includes crusty bread to dip in a soup that has kale, sausage, and potato.  Tables, particularly in the bar area, are relatively small, which is why they bring out the tapas on a three tier carrier.  Paella, as at all restaurants that make paella right, require at least 30 minutes in preparation.  Be sure to check to see if they offer their special paella, which I ordered and apparently is more authentic than the paella on the menu.  Will explain more about the differences below.

Sardinas del Cantabrico a la Plancha 

Calamar a la Plancha 

Food: I of course started with a glass of red sangria; it's a sin not to have a glass or pitcher of sangria at a Spanish restaurant.  It had a good balance of flavors and was not overwhelmingly sweet with sugar.  You could clearly taste a good red wine in this mix.

After the soup, we started with three different kinds of tapas.  The "Sardinas del Cantabrico a la Plancha," "Calamar a la Plancha," and "Mejillones Vinagreta."  The sardines were not what we expected - they were actual fresh sardines, grilled to soft perfection on top of a crusty piece of baguette.  For those who cringe at looking at an entire fish with the head attached, I would recommend passing on this tapa, however if you like me, enjoy a good fish, it's one I would recommend trying at least once.  The fish is grilled so well, that it literally is soft and can come right off the bone if pulled correctly.  The calamari was also grilled very well - charred, yet soft and fresh.  Basically the healthy and more flavorful version of fried calamari - they didn't need anything else but a spritz of lemon.  The mussels were probably my most favorite.  They were extremely fresh topped with tomatoes, onions, and a vinagrette that I thought would be more acidic than it really was. 

Mejillones Vinagreta 

Paella

For the main entree, we ordered the special paella of the night, which apparently was described as more traditional than the usual paella that most Spanish-American restaurants offer on their menus.  The largest difference I found was that the more authentic paella didn't have lobster, but had fish, which caused the flavor to be saltier, and their shrimp were actually prawns.  It also was cooked in a container that didn't create burnt bits of rice like the usual paella.  Definitely a good amount of food, and like the tapas, the seafood was cooked perfectly.

Final Thoughts: I'm eager to continue my journey in trying other Spanish tapas in America, as I don't believe this is one of the best, nor do I believe it to be any where close to being the worst.  The ambience is nice, separating the main dining area from the darker bar area, and I could absolutely see myself dropping in again for a glass of sangria with a tapa or two.

Happy Eating Bergen County!