new restaurant? Yusan Sushi&Ramen
happiest girl
3wbdwnj 
Luca2 
ianimal Do we really need yet ANOTHER sushi restaurant?
Too bad it isn’t something else.
LibertyThinker Sure... as long as it is at least as good as Little Tokyo
Fujiyama is not good.
Competition is beneficial. More choice is good.
It's frustrating that there are no good places to eat in the area. There isn't even a good bar.
Closest decent food- best Pizza is Cryan's, best Thai is in Chester, best beer / decent food is Buck Hill, best seafood is in Raritan.
To get to the next level I need to travel to Easton / Morristown.
Level above that- Philly.
Nearby? Bleh.
Even the Glen Gardner Inn has gone downhill in quality / variety IMO- I think the owner/husband may have handed off cooking duties to someone else...which is understandable since they have a baby..but the food has suffered.
Haven't been to James on Main in years because of the stupid prix-fix menu choice they started at covid.
I understand it simplifies their menu while cutting their cost and boosting their per person revenue- but neither myself or my wife like being locked into choices we may not want.
Josh "but neither myself or my wife like being locked into choices we may not want."
Obviously it's none of my business what restaurants you choose to patronize, but I think you're selling JoM short from this particular aspect. My wife and I went often before COVID, and have been often since, and I'd be willing to place a small wager that there are at least as many choices on the prix-fixe menu as there were on the regular seasonal menus before. Possibly more. We have remarked to each other more than once that it's not clear to us how their prix-fixe menu helps them, because most often it seems like there's more to choose from now.
(I am not affiliated with JoM or any other restaurant, other than as a customer.)
Monty I haven't been back to JOM either because of the price fix menu. Don't care for being forced into an app & entree. I like dessert - if I eat an app & dinner, I am not getting dessert.
That's perfectly understandable. And I'll say again, other people's choices are none of my business. I'm just saying I think the prix fixe menu is probably less restrictive than their standard menu used to be.
There's nothing 'less restrictive' about forced into multiple items at a high price point package.
My wife might be fine one night to have the package with the halibut... but I'd be happy with the burger.
Can't do it... burger is take out only- so, we don't go.
They don't want to have a seat only buy the $19 burger... you have to buy a $55 /$75 / $120 per person package. So- in our case, they loose the whole sale.
They can do what they want... it's their business...I get it- limited seating, high quality food.. they want a certain revenue to make it worth it to them.
I can tell you that while it used to be often 'sorry, we're booked' when we called to get a spot... I have recently received numerous promotional emails from JOM stating 'We have availability tonight'... even on something like a Friday when you would think they would be full.
And note- it's not just them- I don't like anywhere that has the price fixed system.
“We have remarked to each other more than once that it’s not clear to us how their prix-fixe menu helps them..”
Isn’t that obvious? It helps them make more money by forcing you to buy 2 plates of food.
Back to the original topic - the new sushi place, which we don’t need as there are so many already. I agree with LibertyThinker ….. so much better to have Indian, Veggie Heaven, Greek, Lebanese, etc.
CBGB "Fujiyama is not good" ???
A regularly packed parking lot has determined this to be a lie.
LOL
JeffersonRepub I would love if CAVA came to town, but that is wishful thinking,I have to drive all the way down to Bridgewater but it is well worth it.
Had a super super dinner at JoM, very impressed. The only issue is that everyone at the table has to order the same number of dishes. That worked for us, 3 people, but I can see that being a problem for some.
Rarely eat out locally, if it's not going to be amazing rather cook at home.
OnTheEdge I haven't been to Fujiyama's for a bit, but I was never disappointed with their sushi, albeit being a tad pricey. But I do generally agree that Hackettstown is not a culinary haven.
When we want a specific cuisine, we generally head out of town, but local places will do in a pinch if we aren't looking for a special meal. For those, we have no problem driving the extra miles.
Anyway, good luck to the new sushi/ramen place in the Shop Rite Plaza. As always, I'll give any new place at least one crack at satisfying my appetite.
only one truth Josh - While Cryan's is ok pizza, we prefer the pizza at Water's Edge. The pizza girl that has been there for the last year or so makes an awesome pie.
Calico696 
Honestyseasy Went to Water's Edge last night and the pizza and other food was very good. The only issue was a tree laying across Route 46 on the way home.
MTSO @happiest we had an amazing Lebanese restaurant, Zaytun, but when that flash-in-the-pan middle eastern place came in with its sub-part food & terrible service everyone started going there bc of the "ambiance" and Zaytun ended up closing. That other restaurant was only open about a year maybe? Can't even remember the name.
I miss Zaytun!
Weebiekins That's not the whole story.
Zaytun was commuting a long ways every day. And they needed to help with family so decided to retire. Mezza House has issues with the facility.
Remember we had Indian too.
GC @Weebiekins - Zaytun was awesome, I was there all the time. How I miss that falafil. And the owner was the sweetest man. I must say though, I am still often at that location for Bruno’s which also has lovely owners, and a white broccoli pie to die for!
I had forgotten about that place on Main St - Mezza House - I went once and never again.
Does anyone know when they open?
I found a website- but no info-
https://www.yusansushiramen.com/
"A regularly packed parking lot has determined this to be a lie."
Thanks for the laugh Jefferson. When we returned to NJ over 30 years ago, I tried the "parking lot full" theory. Went to that place way down 57 at the intersection where you turn left to 22, turned into a liquor store, not sure, might be empty now. We ordered "lobster fra diavolo," and out comes a steamed lobster, in the shell, with spaghetti sauce on top of the shell..... My FIL, who worked the finest clubs in NYC, and I just stared at it, laughed, returned it to the chef asking to remove the shell.... Not going to try cracking a sauced shell at a table just to get lobster with tomato sauce dumped on top.
Then the train car place on 46 was packed, tried the trout, both got really sick.
We laughed and wondered about these new neighbors in NJ with little tasted for good food and never used the full parking lot theory again.
I find HL the best reference around here and if you use the parking lot technique, I think you will be at Momma's a lot...... But you would have missed Pietro's because that lot is soooo big.
Priced-fixed makes sense if it gets you some benefit. In NYC, we used it all the time before shows. The meals are designed to get you to the show on time. Smaller and cost less cuz the restaurant knows you will be a fast turn on the table. And we used to go to Palio which closed in 2001, but was the coolest deal around. Palio was a second floor spot where you entered an empty lobby with a guy and were "buzzed up" via elevator. Freaky. Felt special even before you sat. The meal was an extravagant 5 or 7 course affair with all sorts of specialized people hovering for each course. Like 4 people to serve the salad --- first the salad guy, then the dressing guy, then the crouton guy, then, of course, the pepper guy. It was a show of force and really neat. But no way could we afford that. But the theatre fixed price menu cut the courses down a bit and the price a lot. So it allowed us to go where we would never go and have a meal close to the best they offer for far, far less.
babbit 
Tony JeffersonRepub,
yes, Fujiyama's sushi is so-so.
The number of cars parked on their (or any) lot doesn't indicate the quality, it only indicates that there are so many people, who like what Fujiyama offers.
Have you ever seen the long lines at DunkinDonuts drive-thrus? Is the food there great or tasty?
Any fast food joint, placed in mobile home neighborhood, will be packed from dawn to dusk.
Pyc babbit, the place on 57 at 519 of which you speak was named Morrie's Acres. It was very well-respected for a very long time, but 30 years ago (1994) was very near the end and I think ownership had changed hands at that point. It was Centerpoint liquor store by 1996.
Tried the new sushi place Yusan II. The food was simply not good. The sushi was flavorless and oddly mushy (3 different rolls) The shrimp teriyaki was over cooked the shrimp were hard. The teriyaki sauce was decent enough. On top of that they added a service fee & a 15% gratuity to my pick up order. The tip was calculated including both the fee & the tax. Nowhere on their website or their menu do they disclose they add automatic gratuity or charge a service fee. Luckily, I was underwhelmed enough by the food that I won't have worry about that business practice in the future.
I wasn’t impressed with Yusan either. They forgot the cucumber in my avocado + cucumber roll…. And the Vegetable Dragon Roll was supposed to have sweet potato tempura in it, but the potato was soft and did not even seem like they fried it. The Harumaki was pretty good. I will stay with Little Tokyo for my sushi.
They added a service fee & a tip for a take out order??? Definitely not going there!
I agree Luca2- I'm out. Too many other quality, proven sushi places in our area to choose from.
Greg IMO this is the place for sushi. https://www.sakanaeasthanover.com/
It’s a drive as it’s in east hanover. But it’s all you can eat and you order from the menu. It’s $23 or lunch and $29 for dinner. The place is really nice inside and the food is really good.
Sakana - that reminded me of the buffet I used to go to soooo long ago - also on rt. 10 - Minado.
@ Weebiekins 15% Take out tip? I don’t think so. I had ordered 3 times online for Yusan and tip is always optional. I always gave no tips and that works totally fine with me. Sushi is always fresh and Ramen is really good. They are To-go style restaurants but you can eat in if you want. I like it cause to-go places you don’t have to tip and that saves my money. And you got the same standard sushi as fine dining restaurants. Why not? I like to give new places a try. More choices is always good.
John Wilson @John - well I just went on their website to check, and for a $14.50 take-out item, the checkout added tax - $1.03, fee - $1.00, tip - $2.33 … for a grand total of $18.86.
They won’t last long if they keep that up.
"And you got the same standard sushi as fine dining restaurants."
:\
Please tell us your favorite fine dining sushi places.
Here are mine-
#1- https://www.sushikame.com/
#2- https://norikase.com/
#3- https://morimotorestaurant.com/
Morimoto being 3rd tells you how good the other 2 are.
A lot of the popular Asian restaurants are using this site “mealkeyway” as their ordering system. By default it’ll add a gratuity, but you can zero it out before submitting the order. When I first noticed it I was annoyed, now it’s easier with the restaurants all using the same login, navigation and app.
Schmedley Wilcox Don't divert the issue... :P
I still want to hear from Mr.-
"I always gave no tips and that works totally fine with me."
"I like it cause to-go places you don’t have to tip and that saves my money"
"you got the same standard sushi as fine dining restaurants"
He clearly is a connoisseur that knows good food, gets seated right away... they have his parking spot roped off with red velvet that matches his dining jacket.
He doesn't sit right away.... he arrives fashionably late once his happy girl has waited...driving up her desire.
Leave a Reply
To comment on this topic, fill out the form below. If you would like to comment directly to one person, you may click on the envelope next to the posters name if they provided their email.