Over the weekend I got to hang out with Alessia and Janis from the Jersey Girls Food Tours and I got to explore some restaurants Downtown.

Being that I’ve lived here my entire life I’ve only now begun to challenge my palette with new and exciting foods.

Jersey City has over 100 different restaurants and it is speculated that they might gain 100 more in the next year or so.

For all of you who, like me, have yet to try out some of the most popular hotspots in Jersey City—the Jersey Girl Food Tours should be your number one for a food tour. While there are many who are unfamiliar with the term, you might be surprised with who you meet and what you eat. Say hello to Janis!

Each tour varies from the next but my trip alone included great restaurants and food from: Porta, Órale, Carrino Provisions, Talde, and Torico!

For those of you who are interested in exploring your palette and exploring your city visit the Jersey Girls for a food tour, and trust me, you won’t regret it for a second.

Our tour began on the rooftops of Porta where the group was introduced to one another. All together the tour hosted nine guests and our two wonderful tour guides. Executive Chef, Chris Calabrese, garnished our tables with sets of finger foods, Prosecco with orange slices and ice cold water to help against the blaring sun.

Green and black olives served with Calabrian chilies, lemon verbena, and extra virgin olive oil. Fresh and homemade mozzarella served with extra virgin olive oil. A simple marinara made with chunks of San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and extra virgin olive oil. The final touches to our samples from Porta were a platter of cured meats such as slice prosciutto, mortadella, salami and a bowl of warm, sliced Focaccia to sop it all up.

The smorgasbord of amazingly fresh foods from Porta!

From Porta we took a stroll on the Newark Pedestrian Plaza and made our way to Órale. The owners were definitely trying to make sure we were stuffed enough so we couldn’t make it through the rest of the tour. Our stomachs all prevailed!

 

 

 

Served first were small glasses of a deliciously strong Pomegranate Frozen Margarita.

Next we were served a tasting of three freshly made guacamoles—Serrano Marmalade made with serrano, lime and agave, it had to be the best, sweet and spicy swirled to perfection; El Naco garnished with crisply braised pork belly; the Blue Demon mixed with Cabrales blue cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds all served with warm tortilla chips.

Yucca Fritta served with a Citrus Crema! Literally the best yucca I’ve ever had, it was so crispy and fluffy.

And then came the hot stuff. Tacos galore, taquitos and three sets of tacos which I probably couldn’t pronounce if I tried: Flautas de Res, crispy taquitos, beef tinga, salsa verde, Chipotle orange; Carne which were really simple and spicy tacos made with beef tinga topped with roasted scallions and avocado tomatillo salsa; Borracho, tacos made with beer battered fish and topped with a pickled jalapeño cabbage slaw; Machin, deliciously spicy roasted bone marrow, topped with crispy pork belly and shredded cabbage. Tacos pretty much summed up the rest of our visit to Órale!

 

  

From Órale we made our way, nearly stuffed, to Carrino Provisons for some more tasty things. For most of you that don’t know the history of the building that Carrino Provisions and Talde now reside, it was an old police station that was transformed into these two bustling restaurants. We were brought into the open yard between Carrino Provision and Talde and awaited the Bar Master and one of the co-owners of Carrino Provisions and Talde, David Mossoni.

Before his arrival our group was served a platter of Whipped Sheep’s Milk Ricotta on Fettunta. My mouth was beyond watering after biting into this, the ricotta was so rich even though the layer was so thin that it tasted similar to cream cheese.

From there, we took a sip of our drinks, some took their drinks with them and we were given a guided tour throughout the buildings combined. With a swift tour of Carrino Provisions, we found that deep in the basement was another room where party overflow could be found. To make it even better—the motif is so highly designed that it feels less like a basement and more like a place for comfort dining.

As the two restaurants are connected we traveled from the basement to the upper floor of Talde—two different concepts, same great building. We learned that big Talde, has a little secret. But what’s a secret if I give it all away?

Say hello to Miss Wong because she knows how to keep the party going.

After getting the grand tour of Talde and visiting Miss Wong’s we found ourselves seating and waiting for our final samples of the day. Served first was frozen vodka and Kevin Spacey’s Ginger and Lime, it was simply to die for, not to strong and the cold did just right to the tip of the tongue.

And then our last appetizer, some super delicious Pretzel Pork and Chive Dumplings served with hot mustard. Our visit to Talde reminded me of eating in Chinatown, the plates, the chopsticks, and the ambiance.

After a bit of belching, we made our way directly down the street to the ever-busy Torico for some dessert. We were greeted by the wonderful Vicky who had some samples and a history lesson about Torico waiting for us. As it turns out, the founders of Torico got its start because of the founder’s love of the tropical tastes of Puerto Rico.

Vicky gave us samples of their homemade flavors, Coconut Sherbet, which was said to be the founder’s wife’s favorite flavor, and Avocado. They were both amazing; I think they’ve got a loyal customer.

In case you’ve got some free time, live a little and take a food tour!

http://www.jerseygirlsfoodtours.com

@JGfoodtour