Underdressed and Overfed... Le Jardin, Edgewater, NJ

Le Jardin is set right on the Hudson, on a surprise driveway right off twisty River Road.  Nestled among huge developements, some old, some ridiculously new, the surrounding trees and grass areas give it a country feel once you're inside.  The GWB is visible from almost all indoor/outdoor patio seating, and on a sunny day the sailboat traffic must be something to see.  Oh, and you can eat here.  A lot.  Bring an empty stomach, because this place skimps on neither the flavor or the servings.

Pandora went all "I can't order anything but the entree" on this feathered dinosaur and then proceeded to consume any bread and olive spread she could get her hands on.  But this feathered dinosaur enjoyed only a little bread, and went crazy with the Waldorf Salad- greens, pears, walnuts, and yummy goat cheese topped off with a creamy but light and buttery dressing.   Pandora's juicy filet mignon sat atop sauteed spinach with mini garlic potatoes.  My braised short ribs had more sauce than necessary, but it's a French restaurant, so all sauces are welcome.  My sides were julienned, steamed veggies and garlic potatoes, and everything was not just spiced right, but a good texture- meats cut easily but were solid.  Veggies were hot from steaming, but never soggy.  Potato skins were crunchy, and the insides chewy and starchy.

Anything called bread pudding is a go for dessert, and Pandora decided to copy me because the chocolate dessert was ruled a little typical.  This bread pudding combines the yumminess of soaked bread with caramel sauce, bananas cooked in, and vanilla ice cream.  Penance will be required for it, and consist of ten Hail Mary's.

Pandora spent most of the meal complaining about certain, let's say... deficiencies... with her new driver's license.   Also discussed:  the various ways we would punish ourselves for the orgy of spending and food enjoyed this weekend.  We really shouldn't have a car.

Tres Leches. OMG.

Most of what Brazeiro Chrrascaria makes is good old-fashioned Central/South American food, served by friendly staff in a low key place.  You can have a good talk with your dining partner(s) there, and the place is perfect for a quick dinner with a good friend.  Unfortunately, I went with Pandora, who ranted a story about her lack of communication skills.  Nachos are served sprinkled with finely grated cheese instead of bread.  We started with the calamari, shaped in rings, breaded, and served with a sauce slightly more spicy than usual.  We feasted on skirt steak and pork ribs (with a nice understated flavor, not a heavy BBQ sauce), fried plantains and salad.  Well, I ate my salad.  Pandora then ordered a Tres Leches Cake.  After consulting with the waiter, I got one too.  This is what heaven tastes like.  This is what heaven looks like:

Doesn't look like much does it?  Three milks (sweetened condensed, evaporated, and heavy cream) are poured over cake iced with whipped heavy cream.  Brazeiro's Tres Leches Cake is solid, maybe too solid, but lacks nothing in sweet, creamy, cake-y goodness.  Definitely worth blowing the diet for once in a while.

Death March Followed by Orgy of Beef/Pork

Arthur's Tavern in Hoboken lives in the heart of Hoboken's Washington Street.  You sit at old-fashioned dive tables:

And you order this :

With lots of beer

It's a place for people who like meat and grains and potatoes and calories and cholesterol.  Which Pandora and this feathered dinosaur definitely like, so this is the place for us.  We started by walking approximately 5 miles between West New York and Hoboken, along the Hudson River.  Because the route twists and turns a great deal, it took forever and we felt like we were actually walking backwards most of the time.  Along the way we speculated on how much people overpaid to live in condos that flooded first from Sandy, and where these people manage to find groceries.

The Blue Moon Pale Ale and Bacon Cheese Burgers with thick, crunchy on the outside-soft inside fries was worth every tortured step. Will they be worth heart attacks in the next few years?  This feathered dinosaur doesn't pretend to know.  How tired we were was actually the main topic of our lunch, which we finished with dessert.  Pandora wolfed down Tiramisu that must have been good, as she's all picky about it since going to Italy.  My Chocolate Mousse Cake was nostalgic - remember that light, puffy, chocolate feeling of mousses from the 80s?  Washed all down with light but tasty Blue Moon.

Hoboken required, for reasons I will not go into, a trip to the hardware store for keys and steel wool, and a visit to the Old German Bakery on Washington, which Pandora has a crush on for their Almond Pastries.  She actually ate one as we walked out of the place, and saved one for when we got home.

We were fortified for our trip back, which for some reason included a Hoboken Hipster furniture store.  From there, we climbed the bridge from Hoboken to Weehawken, and climbed the hill up Boulevard East, from which we burned up most of what we'd eaten.  We immediately collapsed in our separate dens, with Pandora threatening to make us return for brunch here.

Back for More - Waterside in North Bergen

Some of you may remember that Pandora and I stumbled on a little gem of a place named Waterside Restaurant and Catering on the Hudson River in North Bergen.  Well, the time to return came.  Like our initial visit, we walked there and back, building up a healthy appetite over 35 minutes (one way) on a cold December evening.  We needed every calorie shredded we could get - the menu is a collection of rich and tasty gems.  The wine started flowing almost immediately after sitting at the table. Dry, rich stuff that you can drink all evening.

Pandora started off the the Shrimp Cocktail - it arrived on a bed of ice of sharp shrimp tasty goodness.  I began with the Arugula and Cherry Tomato Salad. With fried goat cheese and vinaigrette, this also has a lot of flavor in a light plate.  But there was more:  Pandora's Seared Red Snapper (calm down, it's not the whole fish, there's no head starin' back at ya'), was spicy, on a risotto bed with spicy red curry and chilies.  Not for the faint-hearted.  And neither was this feathered dinosaur's Filet Mignon with potato and Gorgonzola based Gratin- just the way steak was made, at a luxurious but doable 10oz.

With that, came dessert time:  my Creme Brulee was light, creamy sweetness; while Pandora's Big Chocolate Cake got the better of both of us:  the chocolate with so rich and thick and filled with cocoa goodness, it takes better women than us to finish this off.

Waterside doesn't lose anything at night - the view shifts from a sun-soaked panorama to the lights of the city, spread out in a long, random, lovely row along the shifting grays of the Hudson. The perfect environment for discussing Pandora's violent criminal history.