Never thought I’d end up with a sombrero on my head, but that’s what happened.

We’re a fan of Panang Malaysian which is next door, and every time we’ve gone, Don Jose has a line waiting for seats in their foyer.  So we ended up here for my birthday dinner.

Toasty homemade chips and salsa to start! Steak and enchiladas!  Kids meals $5 each from a selection of about 5 or 6 different options!  Most entrees were $11-12.  ”Combos” were $12-14. And other meat dishes were were mostly $15 (steak, chicken, fajitas, etc).  Serving portions were average size.  The meal took a tad longer than we expected to come out and the rice was pretty dry.  The meals at Don Jose was mostly above average, satisfying, but not knock your socks off fantastico if you were to judge the food solely by itself.

BYOB.  FYI Godfather’s which is 2 doors down has a seafood bar & grill where you can buy a 6-pack of coronas for $13.

The reason why you’d go to Don Jose’s restaurant is for the dining experience.  Don Jose’s staff was friendly. . . decor definitely let you forget you were in a strip mall. . . the live roving 2-man guitar/strings musicians made the night festive.  For your birthday they bring out a big ol’ sombrero and everyone in the house joins in to clap and sing.  It was a Kodak Moment.

But some small things to note: We were asked to move our party to another table 10 minutes into sitting down for our meal – we were told it would help them out to accommodate a larger group by combing our table with others for the larger group.  The waiter promised us “we’ll give you an extra special dessert complimentary on us” if we could help them out.  We moved, wasn’t a big deal to us at the time, but they never followed through on the promised “comp”ing of desserts.  We were even chanrged for the birthday flan + ice cream that was eagerly sent with the song and clapping during our meal.  Is it a deal breaker? No?  But it’s one of those small annoying things that just leaves a bad taste in your mouth as you leave the restaurant.

But other than that little annoying instance, we’d go back at some point soon.

Here’s a tip worth taking advantage of: Printable coupons for 10% off, $5 off or $10 off meals at Don Jose

Tags: don jose, east hanover, mexican restauarant, review

Penang East Hanover Reopened After Renovations

Penang Malasian Restuarant in East Hanover (Route 10 West in the Home Depot shopping center) has always been a favorite with the family.

The kids eat well every time we go.  But a couple of weeks back, when we ventured out in January for some Penang, we were welcomed by closed doors.

You could see through the papered windows that they were gutting out the place for renovation.

CLOSED.

But this week, it seems that they have finally opened the doors again according to their website:

So glad. So glad. . .It makes me start to think about what I’m going to order when we go back (soon!). . . Read more…

Tags: east hanover, penang, restuarant

Livingston Hale & Hearty Soup: Out of Business

Another one bites the dust!

It is so sad to see another restuarant option go out of business…this time the victim is Hale & Hearty Soup.

We never got a chance to try out the NYC-originated super-expensive priced soup joint.  I’m sure you’ve noticed too like us that every time we drove by the store was either empty or closed (at odd hours when you’d think a restaurant would be open).

If you recall, this is the cursed spot where Beyond Bagels used to be.

Wonder what other retail concept would work in this somewhat awkward location right off Livingston Circle on Route 10 Westbound.

Hope someone thinks of something gooooooood to replace Hale & Hearty…something a little heartier I guess! (sorry, couldn’t resist that one)

Tags: hale & hearty, livingston, out of business, restuarant

R.I.P. Cafe Foozy’s Livingston is Closed

Looks like the Livingston Towne Center has another casualty.  Fresh City which morphed into a new concept restaurant to stay alive in the same space, Cafe Foozy’s, has now closed its doors as well.

If you look at reviews of Cafe Foozy’s, you’ll see that some of the “rave reviews” seem to be planted without any transparency.  You’ll see reviews that mention “and I just heard they do birthday parties too, I’m going to find out if I can book my kid’s next party there…” type of comments.  Given the lack of authenticity, this closing wasn’t such a surprise:

• Chow.com review
• FingerClickingGood.com/livingston
• ChowHound
• Yahoo Local
• UrbanSpoon

Tags: business closing, cafe foozys, livingston towne center, restuarant

What’s Fresh In This City: Foozy’s at Livingston Towne Center

Looks like the Fresh City concept just didn’t stay fresh. The original restaurant in the 1st floor marquee space at Livingston Towne Center closed its doors recently, as turnover continues with the merchants at the Center.

But Foozy’s is here with a new concept – casual dining — think pizzas – 13 bucks, paninis and sandwiches around $8 -$10, pastas, a couple of “entrees” like salmon or flat iron steak for around $15.

At a first glance, nothing too distinctive, but everyone should be able to find something on the menu. They’re not aiming to be a “value” bit to eat. And not a specific niche/ethnic/specialty either. The question becomes if people will remember Foozy’s when trying to decide where to eat.

Personally, if I’m forking over a whopping $1/buffalo wing (8 wings for $7.59 + tax), it either be a really good plate of wings, or something unique that I wouldn’t get at Domino’s, Friday’s or other casual dining restaurant.

If you’ve been, let us know your thoughts! Leave a comment below — don’t forget to tell us what you ordered at Foozy’s.

Tags: foozys, livingston towne center, restuarants

One Big Fat Burrito For You And Me