The best things we ate in Jersey this week — featuring crispy lasagna
Hello, North Jersey!
This is usually the part of the week where I open your Saturday with humor, sarcasm or bizarrely-specific food jokes (throwback to that wedding-chicken Francese rant).
Today, however, I need to go over some housekeeping stuff, so the jokes will have to go on hold for now.
Here's what you need to know:
I am taking some vacation, so there will be no Best Things I Ate column for the next three weeks. Unless, of course, you'd like to see what I'm eating in Europe? DM me, @northjerseyeats.
My phone got stolen over the weekend (according to Find My iPhone, it's in Newark somewhere), so I lost any pictures I had from the later end of last week. For one of the dishes on this week's best eats highlights, then, I don't have any photos.
That's it. Time to move on to the good stuff.
But, before I jump too quickly; if you're sad I wasn't funny today? Or that this column is taking a break? Don't fret.
Just remember — it's somebody's job to devein the shrimp at ShopRite.
Here are the three best things I ate in Jersey this week.
Béchamel Lasagna, Spring House
Revolution-era architecture, rustic wooden floors and trendy renovated dining rooms — Spring House is known by most for its 230 year-old digs. Located in the oldest house in Tenafly, the new restaurant boasts an interior that'll make you feel like you're sitting at the intersection of 1790 and 2024 (because, technically, you are).
I know Spring House, however, for its béchamel lasagna.
An authentic Northern Italian staple, the variety of the dish features a blend of creamy white roux and bolognese ragu (no marinara) between each pasta sheet. The juice of the beef colors the béchamel, making it subtly orange like a vodka sauce, and there is no ricotta either, which keeps it from getting dry and starchy — even at room temperature.
At Spring House, chef Paco Frola continues to build on those assets with some additional personal touches. First, he hand-chops half of the beef, while grinding the rest, so the meat in the dish comes in different shapes and textures. He also bakes each square in an individual ramekin before serving, so the cheese on top gets nice and crispy.
When you crack through the top layer of the toasty creation, the smell alone will have you convinced you've found the best lasagna in Jersey.
Go: 91 West Clinton Ave., Tenafly; 201-353-0080, springhousetenafly.com.
The Sylvio Sandwich, The Mozzarella God
This was one of the dishes lost from my camera roll when my phone got stolen last week, so I've embedded an Instagram video from Mike (the chef's) Instagram page, hoping it's of the right menu item.
From memory, though, The Sylvio at The Mozzarella God — Jersey's first "all-mozzarella food truck" — is stacked with mortadella, fried mozzarella, fresh mozzarella, fig jam and honey-tossed arugula, which is exactly what's on the massive sandwich in that video.
So, yeah, that's the Sylvio.
And, now that you know all of its mouthwatering ingredients? I only have to elaborate on its taste — to which I'd say; it was sweet, salty, cheesy, sticky, textured and delicious.
Served on house-made garlic bread, it's pretty much the fanciest bologna sandwich you'll ever eat.
Go: Food truck (location varies); track upcoming appearances at @themozzarellagod on Instagram.
Quesabirria Tacos, Just Tacos
They lure us in on Instagram, but leave us with a mouth of cotton balls.
If you're a Mexican restaurant regular, you already know I'm talking about birria tacos.
Accompanied by a steaming bowl of consomé (chili broth), the messy handhelds are usually shown on social media dripping with beef juice. When you try them in person, however, they exemplify the fact that literally dunking a food in liquid doesn't keep it from being dry.
Such is not the case, though, at Just Tacos.
Loaded with slow-cooked beef (that tastes like it came from your mom's crockpot), the team's quesabirria tacos are incredibly moist and flavorful. The chefs circumvent the dryness problem by leaving a generous amount of fat on the meat, and covering their homemade tortillas in a layer of melty cheese.
Top that decadence with a rich "avocado sauce," and they're about as sloppy — in a good way — as comfort food gets.
Go: 65 River Dr. (#97B), Garfield; 973-272-3266, instagram.com/justtacosnj.
Hungry for more?
Want more on this week's latest food news? Check out some of my best articles at NorthJersey.com/food, and follow me on Instagram: @northjerseyeats.
Until the end of June, eaters, be sure to keep up with that aforementioned social.
The cheese in France is supposed to be the best in the world — so you can bet I'll be posting my European gastronomic adventures.
Kara VanDooijeweert is a food writer for NorthJersey.com and The Record. If you can't find her in Jersey's best restaurants, she's probably off running a race course in the mountains. Catch her on Instagram: @karanicolev & @northjerseyeats, and sign up for her North Jersey Eats newsletter.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: The best things we ate in Jersey this week — featuring crispy lasagna
