Archive | February, 2011

Cici’s Pizza

16 Feb

Mike and I have a funny goal to eat at the fast food restaurants we hear about on TV but that don’t exist in the neighborhood.  We recently crossed Sonic of the list, and we still have to eat at Joe’s Crab Shack, however, I was excited when my cousins said they would take us to a Cici’s.  (There is just 1 near NYC, in East Rutherford, NJ near Giants Stadium, however, there is also one in Cherry Hill, NJ).

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We found out that Cici’s advertises their pizza buffet at $4.99, however, due to the lovely price of real estate around NYC, this East Rutherford location needs to charge $5.99.  All you can eat for $5.99 sounds like a steal to me though!

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They also have pasta and breadsticks and something that might have been soup?  Hmm… I tried the breadsticks (not worth it) and the pasta (good if you like Chef Boyardee… which I have to say I do in a nostalgic kinda way)

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Then they have about a million varieties of pizza, and will make any variety you can dream up from their ingredients.

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They even have dessert, which was cinnamon buns and brownies (why not dessert pizza East Rutherford?)

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They also had some “thin crust” varieties (which is odd since their regular ones are pretty thin).

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For the “health conscientious” (HA) they have salad… and breadsticks.

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And they have white pies and extra cheese.

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99% of the pizza slices were just okay.  Cardboardy, as it has a reputation for, but at least the crust was a bit crisped, which helped.  But see that top slice in the picture below? Oh yes! That is macaroni and cheese pizza.  The cheese reminded me of velveeta, and in ALL the right ways. I could not get enough of this.  What could possibly be bad about velveeta style cheese on macaroni on top of crispy bread.  Yes please!  (This alone made the entire trip TOTALLY worth it).

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The brownies didn’t really look worthwhile, so I tried the mini cinnamon bun.  Ehhh… Cici’s needs to take a lesson from Cinnabon… MORE CINNAMON!  And the frosting shouldn’t just be white and stick… it should be made with powdered sugar and be nice and sweet!  Oh well.

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Most of Cici’s I would rate a completely average 5 Nom Points.   It’s a lovely value for the price, and Icould see it being a nice alternative for family’s who want to bring their family out for a fun night at a low price.  That Mac & Cheese pizza was a true 7.  Comfort food at its finest and cheapest!

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Peking Duck House

14 Feb

Since it’s Valentine’s Day, I figured it was appropriate to blog about a place I LOVED when I ate there recently.

I don’t think of Chinatown as destination eating.  Sure, you can get some great dim sum and the markets are fun, but I usually just end up there. I don’t make it a point to go there, but when my coworker told me about this place, I knew we had to try it.  So Mike and I met my 2 coworkers and their girlfriends at Peking Duck House (at 28 Mott Street) one Saturday for lunch.  There is another location on 53rd Street (between 2nd and 3rd Aves), but we went all the way to Chinatown to do it right.

We started with some cold peanutty noodles that came with cucumbers.  It was good, but nothing overly special.

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A few people got soup, which was quite tasty.

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We also had to try some dim sum, so we went with pork.  These were just okay.

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Nothing was outstanding to this point, but when they started to set the table for the duck, I got excited.  The put some hoison-type sauce on the table.

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Along with tortillas (tortillas? I thought this was Chinese?), cucumbers, and scallions.

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Then the ducks came out!  (WARNING… if you are overly disturbed by food with a head on it… Debbie… this may be a good time to skip to the end of this blog).

The smell was heavenly!  And you could see right away how crispy that skin was.

Their website describes the process as follows: “One of The most sophisticated arts of Chinese Cooking. We prepare well in advance. First, air is first pumped into the duck to stretch and loosen the skin, and then boiled water is repeatedly spread over the bird, which is then carefully dried. The dried skin is rubbed all over with maltose and the duck is then roasted in a hot oven for a period of time until the meat is tender and the skin crispy.”

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And BOY was it crispy!

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A chef came out and expertly carved up that duck with incredible speed and perfectly even slices.

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Just look at that!  My mouth is watering just thinking about this place!

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I made a number of my own wraps, even learning how to expertly wrap them from the native Californians who knew just how to wrap a perfect duck burrito. 

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Overall, I can’t believe food can taste this good in Chinatown. I’ve had Peking Duck before, but it never tasted like this.  The presentation, carving, and tortillas make it fun, but the duck itself stands all on its own.  The two ducks were plenty to serve 6 of us, even if we didn’t get the apps.  They are a wee bit pricey at $43 a pop, but when they feed 3 people, it’s a fantastic deal.  I cannot wait to go back!

Total Nom Points: 8.5 out of 10

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Rachel’s Restaurant

11 Feb

There is NO shortage of Italian restaurants in NYC, especially in Hell’s Kitchen.  But I have become a fan of Rachel’s (on 9th Ave between 43rd and 44th Streets).   They bill themselves as comfort and “American Bistro” food, however, it is definitely based in Italian roots. 

On the order was the Trenette Scampi, which was black pasta with sauteed shrimp, asparagus, & tomatoes in a garlic & oil sauce.  It was a great garlicky sauce.

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Next up was the burger, which came with with caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato & swiss cheese.

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Someone got the Seared Tuna with asparagus, avocado salad with roasted pepper coulis.  I was told it was tasty.

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I got the special, which was ravioli in an orange cream sauce.  It tasted like a creamsicle!  I really enjoyed this dish and wanted to lap up the sauce.

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Overall, Rachel’s is hearty, classic food done well.

Total Nom Points: 6.5 out of 10

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