Hoboken Business: The Law of Donutgineering

Full disclosure, I had never had a Law of Donutgineering donut, but I thought, "it's a donut. It can't be bad". Talking to Eddie and Flavia, the engineer and lawyer, and real life couple who own The LoDG, about what kind of donuts we would make on the show, I started to get really excited. They started saying words like "cajun" and "fried chicken" and "maple glaze" and "Reeses", so I was pretty into it.

Made completely out of a commercial kitchen facility in Hoboken, there's no storefront for The LoDG. They're primarily a delivery service at the moment, but also sold at Parker Cafe in West New York and Roost in Hoboken on select days, as well as Jefferson Coffee in Hoboken and 9bar Cafe in Jersey City on weekends. 

Having traveled around the country and loving the specialty donuts they were finding, they realized there was a lack of great donuts in the Hudson County area. And who better to change that? They started The LoDG and began developing amazing donut recipes, taking influence from the donuts they encountered on their travels, as well as their own Cuban and Argentine cultures. Current flavors include Deez Nuts & Jelly (a peanut butter filled donut with a jelly glaze), the El Basero (a guava cake donut with a cream cheese filled yeast donut hole in the middle, topped with guava glaze and a little cream cheese icing), the El Guachito (a yeast donut filled with dulce de leche and pineapple, topped with more dulce de leche and pineapple bits), the I’M BLUE-BERRY-DEE-BA-DAA (a blueberry cake donut), the Nuts for Chocolate (a chocolate cake donut topped with milk chocolate frosting, crushed peanuts and drizzled white chocolate), the Platanough (a yeast donut with a plantain filling, dipped in cinnamon sugar glaze), and The Pig N' the Fig (a cheesecake stuffed donut hole, covered in figs and caramelized bacon).

All those flavors sound amazing, but what we made together was THE BEST. First we made the Lil' Chickie, a donut hole sized version of The Sweet and Foul. It's a piece of cajun buttermilk fried chicken inside a donut, covered with maple glaze. Every step of the process made SanMartin (Director and cameraman extraordinaire) and I salivate. The chicken alone had us stealing pieces in between takes. But all the different ingredients come together to make a perfect, delicious bite. Next we made a donut specially named after our show. Hold on. Did you hear me? THEY NAMED IT AFTER OUR SHOW, which is basically the coolest thing ever. The Straight out of HudCo is a red velvet cake donut covered with cream cheese frosting and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and KitKat pieces on top (those are my favorites btw, and I have a birthday coming up... wink). The cake part of this donut alone is delicious-- it's shaped by hand and then deep fried, so like...OMG.

To learn more about The Law of Donutgineering, and to place an order (don't f**k this up guys) check out their website here. Now go get your fat kid on!

Jersey City Business: The Cliff

The Cliff in Jersey City Heights, is my favorite neighborhood restaurant. Not only is it everything I want from a restaurant aesthetically (I think the youths call it "Instagramable"), but the food is fresh, flavorful and healthy. You won't find any meat on the restaurants menu, and you can taste the clean simplicity in every bite. The shelves inside are stocked with perfectly curated local products, like Parabotanica skincare products, Oh Honey honey, and Silly Chilly Hot Sauce. The Cliff overall is exactly the kind of business that inspired me to start HudsonCounty60, so needless to say it was one of the very first businesses I reached out to.

Eva and her husband Gary, own the restaurant which they opened a little over a year ago. It's a beautiful, small space that is full almost every time I'm there. It's no wonder why it's a neighborhood staple either-- talk to anyone in Jersey City/Hoboken and they all say, "Oh! I LOVE The Cliff". In our first episode, Eva taught me how to make the best biscuits I've ever had (no joke). The biscuits are offered on their Grab and Go breakfast menu-- a small selection of items for commuters catching the bus a half block away on Palisades Avenue, or the Light Rail a block away. The flaky crust sandwiches fluffy eggs and mozzarella cheese, and is perfection in every bite. Pair it with their locally roasted, house blend coffee, and it's the breakfast of champions.

New to the restaurant is their Dinner and a Movie night every Thursday in July, and select nights in August. The menu features a lobster roll, a selection of perfectly made seasonal vegetables and their Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad. In our second video, Eva teaches me how to make the salad that is so clean but doesn't lack an ounce of flavor. It's the kind of dish that you eat and wonder why you can't make it every day, but when you try it's just not the same. 

Everything about The Cliff, the menu and Eva seems like that perfectly curated Instagram page that you follow and think to yourself, "how do I make my life so perfectly beautiful like that?". And if you're wondering, yes, they make Avocado Toast and IT. IS. AMAZING. Plus, did I mention the restaurant is B.Y.O.B.? For a limited time, HudCo60 followers can stop into The Cliff for the Grab and Go breakfast and get a free cup of coffee!

Don't forget to follow The Cliff here, and make sure to keep following HudsonCounty60 for more post throughout the week!

Hoboken Business: The Hoboken Mary

There's nothing better with brunch (or lunch, or dinner, or after dinner) than a good Bloody Mary, amiright? I have been on the constant pursuit for the perfect Bloody Mary recipe for years, and then in walked The Hoboken Mary. This mix has everything you need for the perfect Bloody except the alcohol and accoutrements of your dreams. No longer do you need to have 489,902 ingredients at hand.

The mix, created by Hoboken's Christine Dodd, is gluten free, low calorie, fat free, all natural, and has less sodium. Sign me up, right? It's also made from Jersey tomatoes, got a nice kick to it and comes in a reusable mason jar. Plus you honestly don't have to add a damn thing to it if you don't want to. 

Over the course of Christine's visit to the HudsonCounty60 Kitchen, she showed me how to make 3 amazing things with one simple mix. Firstly she taught me how to make a signature Jersey Bloody Mary, using Jerry's Vodka, another Jersey local business, and garnished with every NJ natives favorite meat, Pork Roll/Taylor Ham. Also garnished with some beautiful and ripe Jersey tomatoes stuffed with cream cheese.

Next we made a simple Mussels Marinara with a remoulade for dipping with 3 INGREDIENTS! All you need for this simple recipe is some fresh mussels, mayonnaise and Hoboken Mary mix. Simply add your cleaned mussels to your pot and cover with HM mix. Once the mussels have opened, they're done. For your remoulade mix add 1 tablespoon of HM mix to 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise and voila! You have created the quickest meal with 3 easy ingredients, and in about 20 minutes. If you're so inclined, your remoulade now also makes an incredible dipping sauce for shrimp cocktail, and even Popeyes Chicken.

Lastly, and this is really the piece de resistance, we made an oyster shooter. Once again 3 ingredients and E-A-S-Y. In a large shot glass add one fresh, raw oyster, cover with Vodka of choice (we used NJ's Jerry's Vodka) and a splash of HM mix. Shoot that sucker and LIVE YO LIFE. If you're feeling like starting trouble that day, substitute vodka with tequila and really start your party.

To order The Hoboken Mary, click here, OR here to find it at a location near you. Make sure to follow them on Instagram and Facebook. And don't forget to keep checking HudsonCounty60, because this week we're giving away a bottle of The Hoboken Mary mix and branded products, plus a bottle of Jerry's Vodka!