Wow. Looking back at February, I’m not sure who had a better month of eating. Lots of great, lots of good, plenty of mehhh, and a few regrettable bites. When I’m feeling good, I try to get after it. My body held up nicely considering the insane 28 days of eating I put it through. Here’s the recap in chronological order:

Minetta Tavern
First meal of February—that’s what we call setting the bar. One of my favorite restaurants in NYC, still my favorite burger in NYC. For the first time I tried the Black Label Burger, the Minetta Burger, and the Black Label with cheese, side by side by side. I can confirm that the Black Label with cheese beats out the Minetta Burger, but I don’t think it’s necessary—the Black Label is that good. I love the funkiness of the dry aged beef, but I don’t knock anyone for going with one of the cheeseburgers.

I also tried the Cote de Boeuf for the first time. Holy moly. What a piece of meat. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cut of beef as big as this. It’s as good of a steak as I’ve had in New York, and the bone marrow buried beneath it all takes it to another level. If you haven’t to Minetta Tavern, make it a priority, order a cocktail, go light on the apps, get the Black Label Burger, enjoy the Cote de Boeuf, and close things out with one of their Soufflés.

Vegemite
I tried Vegemite for the first and last time. It’s horrific. And to my Aussie mates who said I put too much on, I promise you it would not have mattered. Any trace amount of this atrocity is far too much. I also tried Tim Tams, though, and those are freaking delicious.

UBS Arena
I assume you’ve already watched my video recap in full because you’re a legend. Thank you for being you. But to jog your memory, I went back to UBS Arena (my first repeat) and was, again, wildly impressed. The Jerk Chicken Nachos are my new favorite item in the arena, the CinnaBEC is absurd in every way but also delicious, and I seriously enjoyed the Chicken Bacon Ranch Cheesesteak. Islanders fans are blessed.

Taqueria Downtown
IYKYK. No reservations. Paper plates. Strong margaritas. Cheap. Always a long wait that you’re more than happy to endure. One of Jersey City’s best. It’s one of those places where I’ve been a dozen times and have never made content. I simply want to be present while I’m there because it’s one of a kind. Their pork tacos are ridiculous. We put down 6 tacos plus a plate of enchiladas for $40 before tip. Gimme that every day.

TD Garden
I’d heard not-so-great things about the food at what Bostonians call but I would never refer to as “The Garden.” That’s objectively but disgustingly fraudulent. But I digress. It may not have been championship level, which should be the standard in Boston in my opinion, but I was very pleased with what I tried. The Fried Dough is one of the best sweet treats I’ve tried at any stadium/arena. Loved the Loaded Cheeseburger Fries. And above all else, they have a rotating $5 beer every game. Sign me up for a few of those.

Super Bowl Sunday
Normally I watch from home and maybe host a few friends, but this year I watched at my parent’s house. We still scratched the Super Bowl Sunday itch though: baked wings, guac, some avocado-corn-bean-tomato-pepper salsa situation that my mom whipped up, and cheesesteaks. Quality over quantity, which I was more than fine with considering I’d stuffed my face at TD Garden two days prior and was headed to Barclays Center the next night for another gluttonous feast…

Barclays Center
Very impressive. They operate a little differently than other arenas, leaning heavily on local businesses and vendors. And I mean that in the most complimentary way. Some of my (and likely many of yours): Chef Kwame’s Patty Palace (from Chef Kwame Onwuachi of Tatiana), 7th Street Burger, Junior’s Cheesecake. Levain Bakery and Nene’s Taqueria are also in the building. Plus…pizza bagels! Love that.

Dutch’s Sandwich Shop
One of my favorite sandwich shops in Jersey (in Montclair) just opened a second location in Hoboken. In a city loaded with delis and sandwich options, this is a massive win for the people, trust me. I’d recommend getting a breakfast sandwich or anything with their Dutch Daddy sauce. I tried the Stad for the first time—BEC w/ hot honey and truffle hotsauce—it was outstanding. If you’re in a lunch mood and like kimchi, the Korean Zombie Cheesesteak is also terrific.

The Butcher’s Block
Needs no introduction. Never misses. They were debuting a new lobster pasta with spicy vodka sauce, and I can confirm it’s incredible. Nothing beats the Spinalis when it comes to their steaks, but the wagyu skirt is a serious option as well. Porterhouse was on point, their signature brussels sprouts with Cap’n Crunch are a non negotiable, and the Churro Bowl dessert is perfect. Lots more to come from The Block…………

L’Industrie Pizzeria
I’m somewhat ashamed to admit I’ve never been. Many say it’s the best in NYC, but ever since they’ve opened their West Village location, the whole world has been lining up down the block to experience it. I had a theory that if I went to the OG Williamsburg location I’d have better luck avoiding the crowds—massive success. The Fig Jam & Bacon slice was freaking delicious. But the Burrata slice is legitimately one of the best slices of pizza I’ve ever had. I cannot believe how perfectly executed it is—it’s thin, crispy, perfectly sauced, perfectly cheese, simple, slightly elevated, and it just delivers in every single way. Need to try more because every slice looked ridiculous.

Valentine’s Day
I always make dinner at home for Marissa on Valentine’s Day. This year I attempted to make Amatriciana—far from perfect but the flavors were on point. I also made a wintery salad similar to the one at Roscioli, including Fiore Sardo cheese which I cannot recommend more. But the real star was the banana pudding. Never made it before and I can confidently say it’s one of the best things I’ve ever made. I followed this recipe pretty closely if you’re interested.

Angeloni’s
Home of the “Thinny Thin.” I’ve had this place on my radar for a year, maybe longer. It was worth the wait. Immediately established itself as one of my favorite pizzas in Jersey. You have to get the Thinny Thin straight up, but the Joey Eats pie (pepperoni, sausage, hot peppers, I forget exactly what else) was my favorite. The Easy on the Peasy is also a banger (vodka sauce, pepperoni, hot honey), as is The Michael if you’re into that sausage + broccoli rabe combo. It’s a massive menu by the way. If you wanna stray from the pizzas, the Ginger Calamari is delicious and apparently the Vinegar Chicken is top tier.

Little Oaxaca
I drive past this food truck all the time and finally pulled the trigger. There aren’t many quality options for tacos, etc. in my area, so this will for sure be in the rotation especially for something quick. As per uuuuze, the al pastor tacos reign supreme. Apparently their tortas and birria grilled cheese are excellent—looking forward to sinking my teeth into those.

ITA
The owners of Wing Bar in Jersey City, one of my favorite places, took over and revamped the Italian restaurant next door. That was enough for me to check em out. Full video in the works, but if you’re eager to stop in, I’d recommend the calamari fra diavola, arancini, one of their pizzas, the chicken parm (vodka), and tiramisu.

Boro Brine
If you haven’t caught wind of the buzz around this new Brooklyn seafood-forward spot… you will soon. They do a tasting menu as well as a la carte. Elevated fish fillet, lobster pot pie, and so much more. The video I’m working on is gonna be a banger so stay tapped in on my socials. Also, their cocktail program is elite especially if you’re a martini drinker. And leave some room for dessert because the persimmon donut is phenomenal.

Los Angeles
I posted my full LA recap a few days ago and highly recommend checking it out because I touched on literally every spot I ate or drank or had coffee at. I already posted videos from Erewhon (my first time) and the viral Miso Chicken Caesar Wrap at Faregrounds, and I have a couple more in the works from Ruen Pair (elite Thai food) and RVR (Japanese izakaya). Great trip. And once more for the record, In-N-Out fries are an embarrassment.

87 Sussex
Woah buddy. Legit fine dining in Jersey City. It does feel a little out of place, I have to admit. But the food hits the mark and then some. This video is also in progress (your boy has several pots on the stove right now), and I intend to put the same amount of effort, proportionately, into this video as they do in that kitchen. But because you’re a loyal subscriber and true legend, I’ll give you a teaser: Foie Gras and Ox & Egg are must orders, the Frog Legs are excellent, and the Golden Potato is ridiculous in the best way.

Dave & Buster’s
16 hours post-foie gras and caviar, I was eating wings and bar food at Dave & Buster’s. That’s what we call range. Solid wings. Elite establishment. Sensory overload aside, would move in if possible.

Apollo Bagels
M’lady suggested a Saturday morning plan days in advance—talk dirty to me, will ya?! We split the Smoked Salmon on a sesame. Never misses. I think I’m officially Team Sesame over Team Everything now by the way.

What a month. And we’ll do it again in March. Follow me on IG for day-to-day updates, stay tapped into my Beli where I’m ranking everywhere I eat and drink, all of my videos are being posted across TikTok, and I’m trying to grow on YouTube as well. And if you’re an OG Twitter user, I’m there as well mixing it up. Thanks for being here, thanks for reading.