Fink's is coming back! (Northern NJ)

I was just at the River Edge Day celebration, and there was Dave Finkelstein, finally opening up another restaurant (this time in Dumont). He tells me he may have to get a new smoker made, so it's going to be a couple of months, but it's going to be great to have a BBQ place in northern NJ again which we can't describe as "better than Cubby's" (for those not from Northern NJ, Cubby's is an unnaturally popular boiled & grilled rib place; they do make good burgers, though).
 
Bart

Boiled ribs, MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM, lol! unnaturally popular indeed, but if you don't know any other style, I guess it must work!

Hey Bartl, I think I met Dave at the River Edge 4th of July festival.  He had a booth advertising his catering business (but had NO FOOD to offer! Bummer!).  Is that the same guy?  I'm VERY excited to have proper BBQ in the area.  It would be nice not to have to go into Manhattan just to get ribs. 
 
Is Cubby's that place in Hackensack over by the Costco near Route 80?

Whenever I think of New Jersey & BBQ together...I think of this...
 

Pigiron
Hey Bartl, I think I met Dave at the River Edge 4th of July festival.  He had a booth advertising his catering business (but had NO FOOD to offer! Bummer!).  Is that the same guy?  I'm VERY excited to have proper BBQ in the area.  It would be nice not to have to go into Manhattan just to get ribs. 

That was Dave's business partner, whose name escapes me at the moment (I have it written down). The two of them were serving up his "Texas Lollipops", and we talked a bit about the woods they would use and the smoker they were thinking of buying.
 

Is Cubby's that place in Hackensack over by the Costco near Route 80?

Yep. One thing; Cubby's at least does as decent a job as can be done with boiled & grilled ribs. The burgers are good, and the hot dogs are hot dogs. I was particularly unimpressed with their steak the one time I ordered it (it was apparently precooked and reheated, and not reheated all the way through). Some of their sides are pretty decent; otherwise not worth going to from my point of view.
 
Bart

Thanks Bart.  Cubby's has a bad rep anyway, so I see no need to out of my way for mediocre food.  
 
Since you live in New Milford, let me ask what you think of Soprano's pizza?  Have you had their enormous Sicilian slices?  I stopped by there out of convenience once and now I'm hooked.  Great stuff! 

I find Soprano's to be good, but no better than a number of other places. My favorite pizza in the area is Nick's in Bergenfield. Problem is that I have had mixed results from pretty much every place around.
 
I grew up in Brooklyn, and lived for a decade in Bensonhurst, so it takes a lot to impress me with a pizza.
 
Bart

Boiled ribs, hot dogs that ar forgettable, crummy steak, I'll give the place 4 months.
 

chewingthefat
Boiled ribs, hot dogs that ar forgettable, crummy steak, I'll give the place 4 months.

For some reason, people around here love it. http://www.yelp.com/biz/cubbys-bbq-hackensack
 
Although I have NEVER seen so many filtered/TOS violation reviews for a place.
 
Bart

In my experience, Yelp is the single least reliable place to get an accurate impression of any business.  

Pigiron


In my experience, Yelp is the single least reliable place to get an accurate impression of any business.  

I'll second that, I get lambasted by more than a few aholes, ex employees, competition, etc.on that dump of a website. 

Fink's has opened in Dumont in the space formerly Madison's Bar. We had a chance to talk with Dave and post about it also did a photo gallery with just photos of the food. Since we can't post links, check it out at boozyburbs dot com
 

BBQ Hash

Spare Ribs

Chopped Beef

Those ribs look Sweet Home New Jersey.

Thanks for the info!  This place is dangerously close to my home. Considering the dearth of BBQ in my area, I am very excited to check it out.  

Pigiron, our site covers that area of Bergen County. If you hear of any news worth reporting about, feel free to shoot us an email info at boozyburbs.com ... we are always looking for news to write about.

<<boozyburbs dot com
 Hey, thanks for that link, North Jersey can always use another well-written food blog, i.e. the exact opposite of nj.com's food forums.

ken8038, We are attempting to create a news source, not write reviews or a directory of places... a resource where you can find out what's going on in the food world of Bergen County. Feel free to send over suggestions, tips, etc :)

I spoke to Dave "Fink" Finkelstein last night. I'm definitely going to pay a visit in the next week or two. I'm also going to break my rule about visiting a place at least twice before writing a formal review on my site, having been a regular customer at his old place; I'm mainly interested to see if he has kept the quality up. He has already promised to set up photo ops when I come.
 
Bart

Bart, What's your site? Are you boozy burbs?

Does this place have a website?

Someone on Yelp mentioned an additional $.75 extra charge for bleu cheese....with an order of chicken wings. If true....silly.

Two people (out of 6) mentioned the nickel & dime stuff.

Pigiron
Bart, What's your site? Are you boozy burbs?

It's on my profile by the way. http://www.midbergen.com
 
Bart

CCinNJ
Does this place have a website?

Someone on Yelp mentioned an additional $.75 extra charge for bleu cheese....with an order of chicken wings. If true....silly.

Two people (out of 6) mentioned the nickel & dime stuff.

Dave says no website yet, but he does have a personal and restaurant facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/FinksBBQ
http://www.facebook.com/d....12?ref=ts&fref=ts
 
Bart

OK Bartl, CC and Boozy (and anyone else who cares to chime in), I have a challenge:  I'm hosting a football watching party on Championship Sunday (the best NFL watching day of the year).  I need wings.  Who does the best take-out in the area?  Nice big wings, well fried and good blue cheese dip.  Let's use Total Wine as ground zero- and say a 15-20 minute drive in any direction.  Thanks in advance!

My son is a big fan of chicken wings and he gushes about this place...

http://buffaloschicken.com/

I think it's in the distance zone. It's a Roadfood joint.

Truthfully, I don't know who does the best in party quantities. But...
 
Chicken & Rib Crib in Bergenfield is the one I called "The Chicken Nazi" (I later met the owner's girlfriend, who told me that I was dead on). Great chicken, but they don't give you a receipt, and if what you get is not what you ordered, well, that's your fault. There's also Mad For Chicken, also in Bergenfield; haven't eaten there, but have heard good things about it. Charlie Browns' in Oradell caters, but their quality has been variable; they make good if they screw up, but you don't want a screw-up in the first place.
 
Bart
 

Mad for Chicken is Korean Fried Chicken. I'd do a practice run with any KFC consideration. It has qualities that can be testy if you don't eat it right away.

@CCinNJ - Buffalo's Chicken looks FANTASTIC.  It might just be a tad too far for takeout (might get cold by the time I get home), but I will definitely go and try it out.  It looks a little expensive, but I love their philosophy as stated on their site: "Buffalo's Chicken Shack LLC is Family owned and operated restaurant.  We are the non-franchise option to getting good everyday food." 
 
@Bartl: Chicken and Rib Crib is much closer, and looks like they specialize in wings.  I may have to do a test order to check out the goods.  Thanks for the suggestion.  I really don't care for Charlie Brown's. It's a regional chain, with all the corporate blandness of a national chain. I've been to the one in Oradell once and was just blah.  Maybe their takeout is better than sitting there?
 
Mad For Chicken is indeed Korean Fried Chicken, which I have have become ADDICTED to recently.  There's a BonChon near my office.  I have to put myself on a strict limit of ordering no more than once every two months. It's nudged into my top 10 favorite foods in the world.  But it's too expensive and upscale for a football party, especially with the herd of wildebeests which I call my friends.   

I think Mad for Chicken was a BonChon at one point. Either that or maybe it was Unidentified Frying Chicken that was previously a BonChon location.

Flying Chicken not Frying Chicken.

You might want to try the Clifton (original) location of Sharkey's. The newer, larger, location in Boonton is a little far out of range. The wings are great, but if size matters, it might be a problem, I don't recall them being especially big:
http://www.sharkyswest.com/Sharkys_clifton_NJ__menu.rhtml
 
Believe it or not, a couple of years ago I had some memorable wings at the venerable Orange Lantern in Paramus. Maybe I just got lucky, since reviews of the food in general are always mixed:
http://www.orangelantern.com/
 
Both places could easily do a large order I'm sure.
 
CC, that Buffalo place looks good, thank your son, I plan to try it out. Sons are great for that sort of discovery.

ken8038
 

Believe it or not, a couple of years ago I had some memorable wings at the venerable Orange Lantern in Paramus. Maybe I just got lucky, since reviews of the food in general are always mixed: 
http://www.orangelantern.com/ 

 
 
The Orange Lantern has food?  That is one strange place (in a fun way), but I would never think to eat there (especially with The Fireplace right across the parking lot).  Last time I was there, a fight broke out between a biker (a male biker) and a suburban housewife.  No one batted an eye.

I will thank James...and be thankful that he drives himself on the endless quests for the chicken wings these days.

As far as inexpensive meaty & good...some Chicken Holiday locations do a very nice job with the chicken wings. I know our local CH as well as Matawan & Freehold are especially good. All are private owner/operators these days...so mileage can vary. Some locations are excellent.

Chicken Holiday wings are pictured here...and it almost makes me want to have one...

http://www.foodspotting.c...-birdy-griselda-blanco

Pigiron
  I really don't care for Charlie Brown's. It's a regional chain, with all the corporate blandness of a national chain. I've been to the one in Oradell once and was just blah.  Maybe their takeout is better than sitting there?

I mentioned them only because they make big platters for parties.

Mad For Chicken is indeed Korean Fried Chicken, which I have have become ADDICTED to recently.  There's a BonChon near my office.  I have to put myself on a strict limit of ordering no more than once every two months. It's nudged into my top 10 favorite foods in the world. 

OK, now I'm going to have to try it myself. Oddly enough, there's been a "For Rent" sign in front of it for months, although it is still doing plenty of business.
 
Bart

I ate at the new Fink's tonight. I'm going to have to go back for a second visit before I write my formal review (for reasons which I'll outline here) but here's what I have so far:
 
1) Tried the special appetizer, a chili made from chicken, turkey and duck (and pinto beans). Nicely spicy, a good amount of cumin and garlic. Good start.
 
2) We ordered a "friedaque" half chicken (smoked, then deeped fried enough to make the skin crispy), and the platter with chopped beef (cubed brisket and rib), pulled pork and spareribs. All were pleasantly smoky, but, from someone who considers Barnstormer to be "just right" (a LOT of people find it to be far too smoky), not as much as I was hoping. Also, there was the same sweet barbecue sauce on everything, although it was by no means drowning in it. Next time, I'll ask for dry (which I should have asked about in the first place); I suspect that I will enjoy it much more. Also, it seems that there are lunchtime specials which I will want to try, some of them very sounding really good (smoked duck, smoked corned beef), and some of them which I would like to take away. Far, far away (smoked spam). And there were some great looking non-smoked items on the menu.
 
3) Sides: We had corn souffle (NOBODY makes it like Dave Finkelstein, even when using his recipe), cole slaw (nicely understated; you can taste that there is cabbage in there) and rice & black eyed peas (also very good; it needs mixing before you take it, please note).
 
4) Dessert: We shared a pineapple upside-down cake. Not traditional but warm, moist, with whipped cream and a swirl of caramel on top. Really good.
 
Price: about $60 with soft drinks ($3.70 for an iced tea!!!!) including tax and before tip.
 
Bart
 
 

Thanks for the review. Wow, $3.70 for an iced tea. That might be a new record for a soft drink. Nickel and diming seems to be a recurring theme on the yelp reviews of the place.
 
Still, I plan to give it a try. Not a whole lot of good BBQ in the northern half of NJ.
 
Can anyone find an online menu for Finks? No website that I can find.

Never mind, I found a menu on their Facebook page (not that I belong or anything...):
 
https://www.facebook.com/FinksBBQ/app_117784394919914
 
And, the prices do look a little high. No mention of the Iced Tea price.

Fink's menu with (food) prices...

http://www.jerseymenus.co..nus.php?businessid=1040

The iced tea is priced Long Islandish ...for NJ.

The New Jersey Lollipops sound fun!!

CCinNJ
The New Jersey Lollipops sound fun!!

Yes; I've had his Texas Lollipops, but the New Jersey sound interesting, too. With any luck, I'm going there for lunch on Monday; one more dinner after that and I'll be able to write a full review.
 
Bart

Had dinner again; went on Wednesday for the brisket. Medium smoke flavor (pretty heavy by New Jersey standards, mind you), nice smoke ring, tender, and it was served as a platter (two sides, but not the corn souffle), decent sized portion, $16. Not at all bad, especially considering the price of brisket these days. For purists, I STRONGLY recommend getting the barbecue sauce on the side; it's good sauce, but you want to get the full flavor of the dry-rubbed beef.
 
Bart

That's a good price for Brisket + 2 sides.

What 2 sides come with the meal? Do you get a choice of several (excluding corn soufflé) and/or an option of substituting the corn soufflé as the only side + a discounted up charge?

What did you have to drink?

Do we have "BBQ purists" in NJ?

CCinNJ
What 2 sides come with the meal? Do you get a choice of several (excluding corn soufflé) and/or an option of substituting the corn soufflé as the only side + a discounted up charge?

Any two sides except corn souffle. There was no substitution option; you would have to buy the corn souffle separately. I had the cole slaw and blackeyed peas w. rice, my wife had the fries (plain) and spicy greens. We both had brisket.
 
Bart

CCinNJ
Do we have "BBQ purists" in NJ?

Depends on how pure you want to talk about.
 
Bart