MoonJar, What’s for Lunch and Trench Coats

If emails are any indication of what’s on people’s minds, then many of you have the restaurant MoonJar on your mind. MoonJar is located in the same strip mall as Sally Ling’s and has been open for dinner for quite some time now.  However, two weeks ago they placed a large banner in their window announcing that they were now open for lunch as well as dinner. About Town was eager to try their new lunch menu and report back.

The allure of MoonJar was that it was an urban Asian Fusion restaurant run by a former “Hell’s Kitchen” contestant, Chef Ji.  Was. About Town visited MoonJar for lunch and learned that new management took the restaurant over about a month ago.

The lunch menu is very limited. The concept is that you start with a base of either a rice bowl or a taco and build your lunch from a choice of add-ons. Once you choose between a rice bowl ($4.99) or a taco (2.99) you can add to it, for an additional cost, Korean barbecue beef, chicken, tofu, an egg or octopus. From there you are free to add any of the toppings at the “toppings bar” that you’d like. Toppings include such items as lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, mushrooms, and bean sprouts along with a wide variety of sauces. Soup is included free with your meal.

About Town decided upon the rice bowl with Korean barbecue beef, bean sprouts, mushrooms and hot chili sauce. The rice had a nice subtle fragrance and was cooked to perfection. Surprisingly, the egg (which is cooked lightly over) was a nice textural addition and the yolk bound the dish together nicely. The truth is that you really can’t go wrong with Korean barbecue beef. It is always tender and filled with a flavor that’s a mixture of sweet, smoke and savory. The soup was a tofu soup with sardines. It was a little too fishy for our taste; however, that is a reflection solely based on taste and not on the quality of the soup.

The dinner menu offers many more choices, and the manager was eager to show us pictures of each dish on his iPad. If it’s variety you want, dinner is the meal to be had here. It would be nice if you could order from the dinner menu for lunch. Offering only two base choices for lunch may feel limiting to some customers and may not be an incentive to return. However, they do have a liquor license and they have an extensive bar. At night it must be a night place to sit with a friend over a lovely dinner and a drink in a casual, but well appointed, restaurant.

MoonJar is located at 1636 Palisade Avenue. 201-363-0097.

Lunch at Palisade Bagels

About Town has written about the bagels at Palisade Bagels on Palisade Avenue, adjacent to It’s Greek To Me, but now let’s talk sandwiches. About Town decided to taste one of the combo sandwiches, “The Port Authority,” a hero with roast beef, black forest ham, provolone, roasted red peppers, lettuce, tomato and a choice of a side of coleslaw, potato or macaroni salad. The bread was soft, but not doughy, the sandwich meat perfectly sliced, and the lettuce and tomato crisp and fresh. The manager is such a nice young man with a great personality who can’t do enough for you. He makes you want to come back just because he’s so nice. If you’re really hungry, or know a hungry man, have a sandwich here—they’re huge!

Palisade Bagels, 1611 Palisade Avenue. 201-363-8899.

What’s on Sale

The clothing store Noe, located in the same strip mall that Sally Ling and MoonJar is in, is having a sale on trench coats. The store, although small, has a beautiful selection of clothes and accessories. Now that spring is just around the corner, if you’re looking for a trench coat try Noe before you head out to the mall. Save gas and support our shop keepers!

Noe is located at 1637 Palisade Avenue. 201-944-7705.

Also, Morning Glory on Main Street, across from Parisienne, is having a huge clearance sale. So, if your kids have been begging you to go there, now’s the time while their sale is on.

Morning Glory, 245 Main Street. 201-461-7811.