This 'cronut burger' was the best thing we ate in North Jersey this week
I just spent the past weekend running 8,800 feet up (and down, and up again) Mount Killington.
A brutal two days of physical activity and sleepless nights, the 17.5 mile trek is one of the biggest foot races to hit Vermont each year, and I can never resist participating. This season, though, I've returned sad.
While gone, I got blisters, bruises and an inflamed bursa sac, but that's par for the course. What really did me in, however, was when I reached the finish line and paid $33 for chicken fingers.
Did I win my division? I don't know; but I paid $33 for chicken fingers.
Did I enjoy the changing colors of the fall leaves from 4,500 feet in the air? I don't know; but I paid $33 for chicken fingers.
Did I finally convince an Airbnb full of 20-something guys that it's ok to watch Four Weddings? I don't know — but I paid $33 for chicken fingers.
So, yeah. Killington hurt.
But, will I go again next year? Absolutely (I'll just pack some takeout from Kai Yang first).
Here are four dishes I ate this week that we're actually worth the money I spent on them.
Duck Paella, Tasca Bistro
Seven years ago, my brother moved to Valencia, and — in the time since — I've visited enough to really know what a good paella tastes like. A stunning coastal destination, the city is literally the birthplace of the dish, and I've spent at least four weeks crushing all of its tastiest foie gras-laden, truffle-infused renditions.
I say with the utmost certainty, then, that the Duck Paella at Tasca Bistro (Montclair's new intimate Iberian spot), is the best version of the dish in the area.
Presented in a cast iron skillet, the high-end entrée features a bed of crispy-edged Valencian rice loaded with fatty duck confit. Sliced duck breast lie above that base, and dollops of herb aioli melt between each piece.
Finished with sofrito, the dish is crunchy on the bottom, greasy in the center and completely saturated with flavor.
(Plus, at only one dollar more than my FoodServiceDirect chicken fingers, it made Killington's snack bar look like a total joke).
Go: 377 Bloomfield Ave., Montclair; 973-415-0001, tascabistro.com.
Mexican Street Corn Agnolotti, Flour
If Mexican street corn is one of the planet's tastiest foods, and pasta is one of the planet's tastiest foods, then a marriage of the two should be utterly divine, right?
The team at Flour, a trendy Italian spot in Hoboken, sure thought so when they decided to stuff the former into the latter and cover it in cheese. Called the Mexican Street Corn Agnolotti (creative naming isn't their strong suit, but it's cool), the entrée is the perfect intersection between two irresistible dishes.
Featuring at least seven hand-rolled and folded rectangular pasta purses, the meal showcases layers of homemade stuffed noodles, charred corn crema, and queso fresco. A dusting of Tajin lies above the aforementioned, giving the dish a salty and subtly spicy finish — and reminding the diner of the multicultural Mexican-Italian convergence they're eating.
(Priced at $32, this was another L for Killington).
Go: 500 Jefferson St., Hoboken; 201-345-9420, flourhoboken.com.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, Caffe Anello
Caffe Anello co-owner Alissa Napoletano-Vitale and I became fast friends over DMs when we figured out how much we both love peanut butter. Responding to a post of an outrageous Oreo s'mores cookie cake on her page, I reached out to the entrepreneur to see if she'd make me one to send viral on @northjerseyeats.
I was pleasantly surprised when she responded with a picture of an even more outrageous version that was smothered in melty peanut butter sauce and chopped Reese's cups, and offered to prepare both.
I replied with something along the lines of "PB IS MY FAVE FOOD," and the rest was history.
When I arrived at the upscale European restaurant, I was delighted to see both sugary monsters sitting side-by-side; their gooey middles rich with raw cookie dough and sticky marshmallows. Napoletano-Vitale didn't let me taste either, though, without first trying her Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie.
With smooth, chocolate chip-infused peanut butter mousse over a crushed cookie crust, the pie ate like a jumbo version of a Reese's cup — and, as the baker suggested, it was even better than the skyscrape-ing cookie cakes that initially got me in the door.
"I'm always going to have at least two peanut butter desserts on my menu," she said, "But the pie is everybody's favorite."
Go: 11 Madison Ave., Westwood; 201-786-8137, caffeanello.com.
The Cronut Burger, Dan & Day's
Cheeseburger + donut = Instagram gimmick.
But, smash burger + cronut = perfection.
(Especially at only $13 a piece).
Go: 598 Valley Rd., Montclair; 973-893-5805, dananddays.com.
Hungry for more?
Want more on this week's latest food news? Check out some of my best articles at NorthJersey.com/food.
And, as for next week? I have one of the most bizarre cheese videos to date dropping on @northjerseyeats — so make sure to tune in (Monday, 6/6:30-ish) for that.
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: This 'cronut burger' was the best thing we ate in New Jersey this week