When I heard that Paula’s Soul Food Cafe, a staple in The Bronx, was opening a sister restaurant in Hackensack, I had one question—one hope, really.
And that is: Would the fish-and-chips choices include catfish? You see at Paula’s Bronx location, it’s not just any-old-fish that makes up your order of seafood ‘n’ spuds; you can select from a variety of fishes, and catfish is one of them.
“Yes, of course, catfish!” the folks at our very own Paula’s assured me when I inquired. Happiness.
Other Paula’s happiness foods include the chicken and beef entrees, each of which come with two side dishes, and the desserts—all the desserts. But you ought to start with the coconut pecan cake and the sweet potato pie.
Paula’s, located at 331 Main Street, is open daily for lunch and dinner; BYO; 201-880-6888. The Web site at present only lists The Bronx address, but you can view the menu, which is the same as the original: paulasoulfood.com.
*
We’ve got a pair of new Indian restaurants to tell you about. One is open and the other is on the horizon.
Manjal Indian Cuisine is serving forth at 37 Godwin Avenue in Ridgewood. Open for lunch and dinner daily, it’s a BYO. 201-857-5747;.manjal.com.
Coming soon is Persis, to be located at 3191 Route 27 in Franklin Park. Its own is Raj Pallavi, and it will be open daily for lunch and dinner; BYO. 732-821-0012; persisfranklinpark.com.
*
Gina the Baker is the first brick-and-mortar location of the noted wholesaler. The shop is located at 213 Main Street in Ridgefield Park and sells right there, for immediate consumption, the complete line of Gina’s sweets. It’s open daily from 8:30 am to 7 pm, except for Sunday, when the hours are 10 am to 4 pm. 201-870-6131; ginathebaker.com.
Whiskey Roads is a new bar/eatery at 152 Washington Avenue in Little Ferry. Open daily for lunch and dinner. 201-870-6475.
In the works:
Gerry’s Place, 595 Broadway in Norwood (the space formerly the home of Blue Moon Mexican Cafe). Sporting an American menu, it will serve lunch, dinner and drinks daily.
Lan Sheng, 209 Paterson Avenue in Wallington. Chinese. Lunch and dinner; bar.
Tap Haus, 201 Marin Boulevard in Jersey City. American. Lunch and dinner; bar. 201-434-9100. taphausjc.com.