This brand new Bergen cheesesteak was the best thing we ate this week
My pride has been all over the map this week.
On the one hand, I was riding high when I took second out of 511 competitors in my division at the New York City Hyrox race on Saturday (shoutout to any of you who also ran!).
Just 24 hours prior, though, one of our summer interns approached during the season's annual onboarding and asked, "So, do you...work here? Or are you an intern?"
I glanced down at my outfit of sweatpants, Ultraboosts and a cut-off barbecue t-shirt.
Peering back at the kid, I thought, "Girl. Look at you, and look at me.
I must have a 4.9 GPA if you think I have the job security to show up to my first day at a major news outlet wearing my middle school gym uniform."
Anyways, I promise I work here.
And — since I do — I have the authority to tell you this:
From Bergen to Essex, here are the three best things I ate in North Jersey this week.
Two powerhouse local food purveyors joined forces this week as chef Nick Wright bought a bunch of fresh pasta from Mike's Pasta Shoppe, covered it in spicy calabrian chili cream sauce and threw it on the specials menu at his popular Italian joint Frank Anthony's.
Showcasing a prosciutto, ricotta and honey filling, the made-from-scratch pasta purses came in the shape of agnolotti, and boasted a unique — yet delicious — sweetness. Paired with Wright's spicy cream, the dish tasted like a deconstructed hot honey (the heat coming from the sauce, the honey from the aforementioned) enrobing delicate, al dente noodle shells.
Topped with extra prosciutto for salt and crunch, each bite was rich, textured and balanced. Though the particular marriage of flavors in the meal is typically reserved for fried chicken or Southern-style biscuits (not ravioli derivatives), it worked intriguingly well in the presentation.
Go: 667 Bloomfield Ave., Verona; 973-239-1303, frankanthonys.com.
He. Did. It. Again. (Clap emoji).
In yet another effort to make the best version of an iconic Northeastern dish (following his masterclass of a chicken parm, and a stellar take on a New Haven tomato pie), Casano's Pizza Parlor owner/chef Dave Ligas absolutely nailed his first attempt at a Philly cheesesteak. Choosing to smother the thing in house-made Cooper Sharp American cheez whiz, the multi-talented pizzaiolo created one of the sloppiest, most irresistible versions of the sandwich I've tried to date.
Aiding to its drip factor was perfectly-cooked meat and a pile of caramelized onions, both of which released their salty, umami juices into the fresh baguette Ligas opted to serve them on.
Order one — with a side of hand-stretched Mozzarella Wedges, of course — and be blown away by a tiny Jersey restaurant that could easily hold its own in Manhattan.
Go: 8 Highland Cross, Rutherford; instagram.com/casanospizzaparlor.
Ok, so last week I wrote (and Instagram posted) about the new M&M's Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich, and how it was a total summer showstopper.
Unfortunately, however, I forgot about how much influence I have over the eaters of the area, and ended up selling it out in every ShopRite in North Jersey.
Oops.
So, this week, I was forced to branch out and try a different variety of ice cream sandwich; of which I selected the FatBoy Caramel Cookie.
Featuring two soft-baked shortbread cookies around a scoop of salted caramel ice cream, crushed cashews and a gooey caramel core, it was leagues above the M&M's treat I tried last Wednesday.
Oh, wait — NO IT WASN'T.
It sucked, and you definitely shouldn't buy it (especially if you shop at the Parsippany ShopRite).
Go: Get them from the South Jersey, please and thanks; shoprite.com/store.
Want more on this week's latest food news? Check out some of my (and others') best articles at NorthJersey.com/food.
And, to the dude that asked me where to find a good country fried steak in New Jersey:
The Windlass is currently running a country fried steak *sandwich* special (slathered in white gravy), so grab your pals and head to the waterside hotspot ASAP.
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: Bergen NJ cheesesteak was best thing we ate this week
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Travis Kelce's Immediate Reaction to Shaquille O'Neal's Taylor Swift Admission
Travis Kelce's Immediate Reaction to Shaquille O'Neal's Taylor Swift Admission originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce's podcast, "New Heights," announced on Tuesday that their next guest on the show is none other than NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal. They initially teased the announcement by dropping a hint that their next guest would be their "biggest guest ever." They weren't joking as they revealed shortly after that O'Neal would be their surprise guest for Wednesday's episode of the show. "New Heights" also provided a short preview of their interview with the four-time NBA champion, and one moment that stood out was O'Neal admitting that his "favorite song in the world" is Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble." Travis Kelce, who has been dating Swift for nearly two years, was extremely excited after hearing O'Neal's big revelation. Tayvis Nation, a social media fan account dedicated to the Chiefs tight end, captured Kelce's immediate reaction to O'Neal's Swiftie admission, and it showed just how happy he was in the moment. Kelce was dancing, clapping and laughing in the video clip. He thanked O'Neal for the shoutout before sending a message to his girlfriend about her recent major announcement. "Shout out to TayTay — just got that song back too,' Kelce said, 'She bought all her music back, so it's finally hers.' Kelce's statement was in reference to Swift recently announcing that she had been able to buy all of her music back amid her dispute with her previous record label. It was a major milestone for the "Fortnight" singer, and it is also clear that Kelce is very happy for her. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
Digital Trends
an hour ago
- Digital Trends
Etoile canceled after one season at Amazon, despite two-season order
Etoile has danced its last dance. The Amazon Prime Video series from Marvelous Mrs. Maisel creator Amy Sherman-Palladino has been canceled after one season, in spite of the fact that it was initially given a two-season order by Amazon back in 2023, per Variety. The news of the show's cancellation comes roughly six weeks after the series first premiered on Amazon in mid-April and garnered generally positive reviews. The show follows two struggling dance companies in New York and Paris who decide to switch their principal dancers in the hopes of saving their companies. Recommended Videos In spite of generally positive reviews, the show never cracked the Nielsen Top 10, and it filmed on location in both New York and Paris, which undoubtedly made the prospect of giving it a second season somewhat daunting. The series was given its initial greenlight by a previous administration at Amazon MGM Studios, headed by Jennifer Salke. Salke left that role after seven years in March, just a month before the series was set to premiere. The show's binge model release, once the default for streaming service, has become increasingly rare on Amazon Prime Video. Dropping all eight episodes at once, especially for a new series, leaves very little time for word of mouth to spread. Given the expense of filming the show on location, though, it's possible that the show was always going to be a tough sell for renewal. Coming off the success of Maisel, though, it seems like Amazon wanted to give Sherman-Palladino a blank check. Unfortunately, Etoile didn't cash in.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Conservative fashion magazine editors explain why style is 'coded' left politically
The editors of a conservative fashion magazine called The Conservateur explained in a new interview why fashion, "hotness," and other industries or concepts have been coded left or right-wing politics. "I think that there's been an uglification, whether you see modern art or you see progressives kind of pushing onto women to reject men, dye your hair blue and wear a septum piercing," Jayme Franklin, founder and CEO of The Conservateur, told Fox News Digital. Franklin founded The Conservateur magazine in 2020 after graduating from the University of California-Berkeley as a response to the fashion industry and stylists often signaling left-wing political sentiments. Ny Mag Cover Accused Of Cropping Out Black Attendees Of Trump Inauguration Event "We started our Make America Hot Again hat. Obviously, it's a fun hat that was so popular for us that people loved. But it does touch on a bigger thing. We say at The Conservateur, we are all about being our best self. That's what we're promoting to women," Franklin said. The Conservateur editor-in-chief, Caroline Downey, argued that male-led podcasts have been coded "right-wing" for merely being "fundamentally irreverent." Read On The Fox News App "They weren't policing words, and they were also fundamentally trying to pursue truth. Joe Rogan gets a lot of criticism for platforming controversial figures, but his podcast style has always been the same, which is to ask questions of people who know more than him on a specific subject and to just have stimulating conversations," Downey said. "That alone was considered provocative during a cancel culture, very word policing time when you were supposed to just take the propaganda from the Democratic Party and accept it. So just free discourse on these podcasts, just speaking in an unfiltered way, is unfortunately right-wing coded," she added. Their comments came after they spoke with Emma Goldberg of The New York Times about certain activities and institutions being "coded" in a politically polarized country. 'Make America Hot Again' Socials Bring Young Conservative Singles Together In New York City For instance, Goldberg wrote that Broadway plays like "Hamilton" and "Rent" are "left-coded" and that comedy and wrestling have been "right-coded." "People have often signaled their values in the shows they watch ("The West Wing"), clothes they wear (white pantsuits) and restaurants they frequent," Goldberg explained. "But it has become wildly popular in recent years, and especially in recent months, to read cultural tea leaves with the word 'coded.' In group chats, on Reddit and on X, we're calling anything and everything right or left 'coded.' It's like playing a game of charades, gesturing at the qualities a certain celebrity or bar or podcast has without saying exactly what you mean." Downey argued that such left-wing and right-wing coding of activities has led to a "dual economy." "I'm not sure if that is sustainable for the future. I'm not sure we can have red and blue coffee," she added. She further said that the use of the term "coded" has been pervasive in our culture due to the polarized nature of political alignment in the U.S. Society Has A New 'Perverse Attraction' To Toxic Male Characters, Ny Times Column Argues "I think the coding is a natural byproduct of the fact that leftism has infiltrated and hijacked most institutions in our culture, including fashion editorial and fashion production," Downey said. "If we have a coded brand, that is meeting the moment for many young women who don't feel comfortable or necessarily welcomed by what is already available on the market." she added. Building upon that sentiment, Franklin argued that such conditions motivated her to launch The Conservateur fashion magazine to appeal to women with traditional values. "I think a lot of fashion brands tend to lean left, unfortunately. So I think what we want to do at The Conservateur – one: we want to get more women on our side, because I do believe our lifestyle, whether it be getting married, having a family, working hard in your job, and loving this country, and going to church … I think makes for a more successful and happier life for women," Franklin article source: Conservative fashion magazine editors explain why style is 'coded' left politically
