Food that tastes better than it looks

At So Gong Dong, red pepper in a stone bowl of soft-tofu stew, above, and kimchi, below, may turn off people who want to try Korean food, but the stew is available without spice, as are a seafood pancake, barbecue, bean sprouts and other dishes. 

 

It was 28 degrees outside on Saturday when we set out for So Gong Dong in Palisades Park, knowing that it was bubbling hot inside the Korean soft-tofu house.

We find ourselves returning to So Gong Dong regularly, because there are no surprises at a restaurant that can feed us well for $9.99 each, including tax.

That's the price of a soft-tofu stew, which comes with seafood, beef, pork or kimchi, and can be made with hot water in place of beef broth.

For $9.99, you also get a stone bowl of steamed white rice, a fresh egg to break into the bubbling hot stew and four side dishes -- two kimchis, bean sprouts and raw squid in red pepper.

What's not to like?

A week earlier, we tried an Indian restaurant in Edgewater called Kinara, and was surprised by a $10 charge for a basket of bread the owner offered when he took our order.  

Thankfully, there's no bread at So Gong Dong, and nobody pushes food on you.

But if you want to get the attention of a server, there is a button on each table to ring a chime. 
 

Korean masks at So Gong Dong, 118 Broad Ave., Second Floor, Palisades Park.

   


After we left So Gong Dong, we stopped at the ShopRite in Palisades Park in search of spicy instant ramyun soup and bulgogi marinade, but were disappointed the store doesn't stock any Korean food.

The young employee who I asked for help led me to the aisle with "Asian food," but he had never eaten Korean food and had no idea what I was talking about.

The Palisades Park ShopRite does have the biggest tropical fish tank I've ever seen in a supermarket. 


Hot cereal blues

  

This Silver Palate Oatmeal took on a blue tinge from the frozen wild blueberries I added, along with pine nuts, goji berries, dried cherries and organic agave syrup.

A 16-ounce box of this outmeal is on sale for $1.99 -- not 99 cents, as I said earlier -- at ShopRite supermarkets with a store card and a coupon from the Sunday newspaper.

A taste of grease?

We received coupons from a restaurant in River Edge with the ambiguous name of A Taste of Greece.

I recall eating at the small BYO a few years ago and enjoying the Greek food (935C Kinderkamack Road, open 7 days).

The name becomes a problem when it is spoken to someone who is not familiar with it.

So, you can assume this place hasn't succeeded by word of mouth.    

More changes at Costco Wholesale

Costco's Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, Italy.

Editor's note: Today, I look at some new and old items at Costco, and report on a light lunch at the newly renovated Suburban Diner in Paramus.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The world's best-tasting organic salad mix now comes in a new package -- and at a new lower price when you buy it at Costco Wholesale.

Earthbound Farm has tweaked the packaging of its Organic Half & Half -- Spring Mix and Baby Spinach -- and Costco knocked 40 cents off the usual price of $4.99 for a 1-pound container.

How long that price of $4.59 lasts is anyone's guess: 

Costco's price for Earthbound Farm's organic salads goes up and down, but it's always a dollar or two cheaper than other stores. 

The new package is an improvement over the old, though when you open it, you're still left holding tear-away plastic that is a recycling challenge.

In the old package, it was sometimes difficult to find the separation between the clear-plastic cover and tub.

Now, the cover has two tabs that make the package easier to open.

What's the big deal? When you eat a bowl of this salad every day, you appreciate the improvement.

Of course, the salad is still pre-washed, so it goes right from the container to the bowl, ready to be dressed.

Balsamic vinegar

At home, I dress my organic salad with 100% Spanish extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar from Italy, and this week I saw a new bottle of the latter at the Hackensack Costco.

I don't know if this is a new product or just a new bottle and label. I tried Costco's balsamic vinegar a few years ago and found it much too sweet.

Since then, I've been buying this aged vinegar at Jerry's Gourmet and More in Englewood, and since a trip to Italy in 2010, I always buy a brand called Ponti, which I was served in restaurants in Milan and Venice.

Neither Costco's or Ponti's Balasamic Vinegar of Modena contain artificial color, but the latter is a better buy at $1.99 for a half-liter bottle.

Costco's balsamic is sold under the label of the store brand, Kirkland Signature.

This week, I also saw Kirkland Signature Organic Diced Tomatoes, replacing the Del Monte product I bought at the warehouse store. 

Wyman's of Maine says wild blueberries are No. 1 in antioxidants.

In my freezer, I unearthed a package of fresh frozen wild blueberries from Costco that I bought I don't know how many weeks ago to replace Kirkland Signature Dried Blueberries, which contain a lot of added sugar.

I thawed some of the Wyman's of Maine Wild Blueberries, and used them in my cereal this morning.

It's no surprise they aren't as sweet as the dried blueberries. But they are sugar- and sodium-free -- just wild blueberries. 

At Costco on Tuesday, I picked up fresh wild-caught Pacific cod for dinner at $6.99 a pound, and served it with mashed sweet potatoes, skin and all, and an Earthbound Farm salad.

That night, I saw cod fillet for $21.99 a pound at a Food Emporium on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

A 2-pound package of those incomparable Sunset-brand Campari Tomatoes at Costco was $4.49, or $2.25 a pound, a lower price than at Fairway Market in Paramus.

Costco's Organic Brown Eggs with Manchego Cheese and Pesto, served with mashed sweet potatoes, skin and all. The sweet potatoes came from Trader Joe's.

Organic brown rice

This week, Della-brand Long Grain Organic Brown Rice reappeared at Costco.

In September, employees of the Hackensack Costco told me it had been discontinued, and I ordered another brand online at Amazon. com. 

The Suburban Diner in Paramus re-opened on Monday.

Route 17 diner reopens

The Suburban Diner in Paramus was crowded today with customers getting their first look at the newly renovated and expanded landmark on Route 17 north.

The diner, which re-opened Monday, has about 20 more seats and slightly higher prices. It now seats 230 people.

I ordered black coffee and split pea soup -- hold the croutons -- and got the biggest bowl of soup I've ever seen in a Greek diner. 

An unusually large bowl of soup was $3.10 at the Suburban Diner.

A cup of coffee with free refills was $1.80.

My friend had a Western Omelet Sandwich for $4.95, with coleslaw and a pickle, and a Diet Coke for $2.25.

Details

Suburban Diner, 172 Route 17 north, Paramus; 201-261-2605.