OK, I admit it: I’m B&T.

The GW bridge. Kind of pretty at night, no?

Just to be clear, I’m not of the invade-Murray-Hill-and-Meatpacking-District-every-Saturday/hair-gel-and-orange-”tan” Bridge & Tunnel variety (but wouldn’t a blog written by someone like that be fun?).  Still, I can’t deny the fact that I have two options on my way home: cross the Hudson via a bridge (the GW) or a tunnel (either the Lincoln or the Holland).

I live in glamorous New Jersey for a number of reasons (budget, desire for space, it seemed like a good idea after too much time inhaling the fumes around exit 13A).  And, truthfully, I’ve grown fond of my adopted state.  In particular, my area: Hudson County.

Hudson County manages to combine the best of Jersey (great Italian food, the hair-gel-and-orange-tan population I referred to earlier) with the best of Manhattan (great public transportation, a fun night scene, etc.).  Even more, this area has the views:

The view from my hood

This area seems to have a split personality: a yuppy, gentrified population (many are not US-born, a fact that I find part of the area’s appeal), a vibrant arts scene and a hardworking local population whose grandparents were born and raised here.   Because of this unique mix, we lay claim to some of the coolest, most interesting places I’ve had the pleasure of stumbling across.

This is just a peek at some of my faves:

• Breakfast: The Brownstone Diner – I dare you to look at their menu and not find a pancake you like.  I’m partial to the Black Forest pancakes (chocolate chips with cherry compote), but can also vouch for the Chocolate and Peanut Butter, Coconut and German-Style varieties.
• Drinks: LITM - A vibrant art gallery-cum-bar that features daily events (my fave?  Thursday’s Raw & Bubbly … Oysters, oyster shooters and bubbly drinks) and a surprisingly good menu.
• Sushi: Wild Fusion – In my humble opinion, the best sushi this side of Japan.  The rolls are packed, the sashimi is the freshest to be found, and the delivery is super fast.  Sadly, there is no website to link you to, but it’s worth a trip.  (And it’s BYO, so it’s budget friendly)
• Pizza: Grimaldi’s – Pizza is one hell of a controversial topic in NJ, but I’ll cast my vote for this Hoboken spot.  The sausage and black olive pizza hits the spot, and the margherita is amazing.
• Thai: Sawadee – Sadly, there’s no website to include, but I’ll link you to the menu.  Our lovely Kai introduced me to this delicious little place, and I haven’t strayed since.  For novices, their chilli basil chicken is superb, and the pineapple fried rice is delicate.  For those more adventurous souls out there, let me suggest the duck curry.

This is just a quick overview, and I know I’m leaving tons of places/reasons out.  Feel free to email the address at right with any suggestions!

Tags: Bridge & Tunnel, Brownstone Diner, Grimaldi's, Hoboken, Hudson County, Jersey City, LITM, New Jersey, Newport Jersey City, Sawadee, Wild Fusion

This entry was posted on Monday, March 30th, 2009 at 10:52 pm and is filed under Jersey. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.