New Jersey

I found cheap airfare on United to Newark International Airport. With the current United promotion to achieve 1K status, I opted to make a trip and visit friends living in New Jersey. My second trip to the New York area for the year, it was remarkable how quiet Newark International Airport has become. The last time I was here was in 2019! I did get upgraded to the United Polaris Business seat but I don't think it would have qualified to get into the Polaris Lounge at the airport. Bummer deal but what can you do?

I haven't realized how many "Orange" city names there are until now. It's a cute locale in the suburbs of New Jersey. About half an hour west of Newark, I'm reminded how green and foresty the area is outside of Manhattan.

I was able to spend and afternoon in Manhattan. The vibe seems quieter in these pandemic times. There were still people out and about but not to the levels I'm used to. It was nice to get into places that would have obnoxious lines though....

Breweries 

Four City Brewing - I really enjoyed the peanut butter stout called Only Built 4 Brewin' Drinx. It is super heavy so be prepared to only drink one glass.

Brix City Brewing - tasted the following brews: Brix City Cocktail Fruit, Brix City Fruitastic Voyage, Brix City Mango Jams, and Brix City Lost Roads. I ended up liking the saison (Lost Roads) the most and stuck with that for a drink. The Mango Jams tasted almost like mango juice to me. The Cocktail Fruit and Fruitastic Voyage was interesting, I leaned more towards the Voyage if I had to choose between the two since it reminded me of a shandy.

The Alementary - Spotted Dog is the cream ale I tried and enjoyed. 

Dining 

White Manna - local joint playing off on the White Castle reputation. Small sliders that only taste good super hot. The rolls are soft so it does need to be eaten quickly because of the juices coming off the patty. I recommend the double patty over the single patty. Luckily, the brewery was done the street so I was able to eat the sliders with some beer.

Boqueria - Wandered into this restaurant for happy hour while waiting to make my pick up at Dominique Ansel. The happy hour menu items ordered were the patatas bravas, tortilla espanola, pan con tomate con jamon y manchego and shishito margaritas. My friend also ordered the albondigas off the main menu because she missed eating them. Overall, tasty selection. The tortilla espanola was the most surprising dish to me because the description doesn't really describe the dish. 

Dominique Ansel Bakery - I've not been able to ever get a cronut in NYC. With the pandemic, I was able to order ahead and pick up an order. I still opted to wait in line to oder some DKAs and cookie shots but that was minor given the legendary wait lines for the cronuts pre-pandemic time. 

Jack's Wife Freda - Being full from Boqueria, I opted to share the Prego Roll sandwich and regretted my full stomach. The skirt steak sandwich was delicious! I also shared the chocolate chipotle flourless cake and was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the cake despite the heat. It wasn't spicy but there was a small afterburn. 

Milburn Standard - Nice spot in the town of Milburn with tasty hot cider and draft cider. Mental note, if you order cider make sure you the waiter knows which version - the cocktail versus the draft pint. The confusion I caused the waiter led me to trying both versions and liking both! I ordered the rotisserie chicken sandwich and shared the truffle mac n cheese. Both were on the spot. May seem boring entrees but it was done very well. 

Verona Diner - Local diner in Verona on 676 Bloomfield Ave, Verona, NJ 07044. I ordered the California Breakfast BLT and it was a nice sandwich. I shared a short stack on the pancakes were tasty. 

Torino's Pizzeria - Stopped off after being at Brix City Brewing to get pizza. It's good enough for a late night stop and having some munchies desire. Otherwise, it is an average option that I wouldn't seek to return. 

Patsy's Seafood & Pizza House - On 410 St Cloud Ave, West Orange, NJ 07052, it's a local restaurant to my friends house. Ordered the pizza and the penne vodka. The pizza is different, more crispy focaccia like but I like the liberal garlic and broccoli rabe toppings. The salmon side for the penne was a healthy portion and I would do that again.

Rainbao Food Truck - on a morning run to Supreme Bakery, I stopped off with my friend to the local famer's market to get some empanadas. I opted to also swing by the Bao food truck to try the pork belly, buffalo chicken, and BBQ brisket bao. All tasty, good chew on the baos. 

Supreme Bakery - a favorite of my friends, picked up a collection of pastries - strawberry shortcake, chocolate chip cookies, cheesecake, key lime tart, and a 'dossaignt.' Overall, it was a solid cross section of pastries and they were all good. I'm not sure if I would want to return as a tourist but I'm sure the locals enjoy it. 

Empanada Truck - I tried the beef and chicken empanadas. I would have liked a little bit more filling but I did enjoy that it was fried. I'm not familiar with fried empanadas but I was willing to roll with it.

Northfield Bagel - I had a hankering for a bagel and my friend took me to the local place on 29 Northfield Ave # 1, West Orange, NJ 07052. I ordered an everything bagel. It was fine but I enjoyed Einstein's sandwiches more if given the choice. They do seem to have a healthy selection of baked goods though....

Golden Krust - Leaving Four City Brewing, I saw that Golden Krust was nearby and went by to get some takeout. I really enjoyed the goat curry with rice and beans. Great prices as well. The patties were also tasty and great for after drinking munchies. After watching Undercover Boss, I had wanted to try the chain and glad to have done so. 

David's Bagels - I wanted to get my NYC bagel fix and opted to go back to my favorite bagels. I flirted with the idea of trying a new place but I remained loyal and grabbed a dozen bagels. 

In the company of yum - Wandering around the farmer's market waiting for my baos and empanadas, I was intrigued by the 'man pie' and bought a whole pie despite being the only person in my party that can eat a pecan pie. This particular version has chocolate and jack daniels so I was curious. It wasn't overly sweet (as pecan pies can be) and the ratio of nut to custard was good.

Ample Hills Creamery -  originally from Brooklyn, there is a location in the city and around the corner from Jack's Wife Frida restaurant. Since the last time I had the cream was a shipment packed in dry ice, I felt that I should get a scoop of the ooey gooey butter cake and coffee toffee coffee. It is better in person and I'll have to try their new location in my hometown.