Grand Banks Restaurant, Cocktail Lounge and Sushi Bar offers Chinese, Japanese and Fusion Dishes to Downtown Jersey City’s 9-to-5ers and Neighborhood Regulars

 By Sally Deering

 Ten years ago, David Ng, converted an old bank building on Montgomery Street in Downtown Jersey City into a restaurant, cocktail lounge and sushi bar known to neighborhood residents and business professionals as Grand Banks. Located two blocks from the Exchange Place station on the PATH and the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, Grand Banks serves some of the tastiest Sushi, Chinese, Japanese and Fusion Cuisine in Hudson.

 Ng, who has been in the restaurant business for 40 years, has created a diverse menu featuring popular dishes like Pad Thai ($8.95), General Tso’s Chicken ($8.95) and Cajun Blackened Salmon ($10.95), Sushi and Sashimi ($2-$7) and exotic fusion dishes like Asparagus, Mushroom & Crab Meat soup ($5) Grilled Vietnamese Style Pork Loin ($8.95) Malaysian Style Noodles with Mixed Seafood ($9.95) and Singapore Rice Noodles stir-fried with Chicken, Shrimp and Curry ($8.95.) Ng also mixes things up by offering pasta dishes like Blackened Chicken Linguini in Alfredo Sauce ($8.95) and Seafood Linguini with Shrimp, Scallops and Squid in a light tomato sauce ($10.95.)

 And although the fusion dishes are as popular as the traditional dishes on the menu, Ng says some things never change.

 “Our Wonton Soup is our biggest seller when it comes to our soups,” Ng says. “That’s because we use genuine chicken stock. And we don’t use MSG in any of our dishes.”

 Ng also purchases chemical-free shrimp imported from Mexico and the Far East.

 “It has to be chemical free or I won’t use it,” Ng says.

 He gets his produce locally and buys only what’s in season. He says, “Everything must be fresh.”

 A sampling of Grand Banks appetizers include Chicken Satay ($4.25) Honey Glazed Roast Pork ($5.50) and Roticanai, a Malaysian style pancake with curry dipping sauce ($3.50.) Seafood dishes feature Moo Shu Shrimp ($8.95) Grilled Salmon with Korean BBQ Sauce ($10.95) and Eggplant and Seafood in Garlic Sauce ($12.95.) Meat dishes like Kung Pao Chicken ($8.95) Orange Beef ($11.95) and Peking Duck ($14.50 half; $26 whole) are hearty offerings and for vegetarians, the Vegetarian Delight Rolls, shredded mixed vegetables wrapped in bean curd and sautéed in soy sauce ($8.95) and Stir-Fried Eggplant and Tofu ($8.95) are popular highlights.

 The restaurant, which is available for private parties, seats 150 and during lunches, the place fills up fast with nearby office workers who don’t have a lot of time for lunch.

 “We sometimes have to serve 100 people in 15 minutes,” Ng says.

 Grand Banks is casual and friendly, just like Ng, whose calm demeanor doesn’t reveal the anxiety that can come from running a restaurant. There’s no dress code, and customers can order takeout online at www.seamlessweb.com.

 During these tough economic times, Ng lowered his prices, but he keeps his outlook upbeat.

 “I enjoy creating new dishes,” Ng says, “and the challenge of beating inflation.”

Grand Banks – Sushi, Chinese, Japanese and Fusion Cuisine

75 Montgomery Street

Jersey City

201-521-1800

Hours:  Mon-Thurs 11 am-10 pm

Fri & Sat 11 am-10:30 pm

Sun: 11 am-10 pm

Orders taken online: www.seamlessweb.com

 

 

 

 

 

The post Fine Asian Cuisine close to the Jersey City Waterfront first appeared on River View Observer.

by Sally Deering

 Tucked away in the back of South Cove Commons, a waterfront mall in Bayonne where fast-food places gratify customers on the run, Ten East – Hibachi, Fusion and Sushi Bar Lounge is an intoxicating oasis at the end of an asphalt parking lot. An exotic restaurant where the cocktails, cuisine and atmosphere are so divinely cool, you can practically picture Secret Agent 007 ordering a Jade martini (vodka and melon-pear juice) shaken, not stirred.

 The alluring atmosphere at Ten East whispers James Bond cool as you step inside the sleek and sexy restaurant bathed in red lighting with two stylish dining rooms and the sleek curves of an inviting bar. The lounge serves as the central focal point between the Asian Fusion dining room and the Hibachi dining area where nimble-fingered chefs prepare your meal right at your table juggling cutlery in a dramatic display of culinary “martial arts.”

Pictured (L) General Manager Tokio Naito, Bar Manager Carmella Addesso, Owners of Ten East Anthony and Patrick Franconeri 

 Ten East is the dream child of brothers Anthony and Patrick Franconeri, who grew up in Bayonne the sons of hard-working parents who ran their own local eatery. The boys, who attended Marist High School, decided they would someday design their own restaurant in Bayonne that would reflect their personal tastes. The result:  a sexy, sultry restaurant and club that serves sophisticated Asian cuisine in a sensual atmosphere and perfect location for appetizing adventures.

 On one side, executive chef Jose’ Ronquillo is in charge of the Fusion dining. The room boasts long tables in a dreamily-lit setting where guests dine on appetizers like Hot Rock Kobe Beef, Crispy Phyllo Lobster and Drunken Clams with Baguettes ($8-$29) and entrees like Roasted Free Range Chicken, Grilled Asian Double Cut Pork Chops, Spicy Lemon Whole Lobster and a Kobe Strip steak. ($23-$105)

 In the Hibachi dining area, diners experience the sensual thrill of watching their chef perform a spectacular display with knives that dazzle, entertain and serve up mouth-watering dishes that tantalize the taste-buds. Hibachi Chicken ($18,) Hibachi Chateaubriand ($32,) and Hibachi Twin Lobster Tails ($34) are just a handful of specialties.

 “We wanted to give people options,” Anthony Franconeri says. “Hibachi, Asian Fusion, Sushi – and all upscale. Our parents taught us that no matter what we do, we do the best of our ability.”

 Patrick agrees with his brother: “We put our passion into designing every detail of this restaurant. We figured if we can satisfy ourselves, we can satisfy anybody.”

 They even auditioned the Hibachi chefs as if they were trying out for parts in “Casino Royale.”

 “They had to cook for us,” Anthony says.

 On a recent Saturday night, twins Rob and Beth Pepe of Lincoln Park and members of their family are dining Hibachi-style to celebrate the twins’ 30^th birthday.  Everyone seems to be having a really good time.

 “The food is amazing,” Rob Pepe says. “The calamari was fabulous. The dipping sauce was fantastic. The chef was very entertaining. He set his hat on fire,”

Beth agrees: “The food was fantastic and very entertaining, a great way to spend a 30th birthday,”

 Bar manager Carmela Addesso, who looks like a sleek “Bond Girl” dressed all in black tells a visitor, “There’s nothing like this in Bayonne. You feel like you’re at a trendy New York Club.”

 She then goes behind the bar to help pour drinks as the lounge fills up. The bar serves appetizers and Sushi can be ordered in every dining area in the restaurant.  To cook all the specialties on the menu, the Franconeri brothers employ seven Hibachi chefs and three Sushi Chefs with General Manager Tokio Naito in charge.

Ten East opened a year ago and now the Franoconeri brothers are starting something new – Friday and Saturday night dancing from 10-to-3 am. After the dining rooms close (the bar menu is served ’til 12 am,) Anthony and Patrick turn the Fusion dining room into a dance area with a live DJ who spins tunes under flashing colored lights and through a high powered sound system for late-nighters who enjoy a little two-step to spice up the romance.

 Ten East is a beautiful, tantalizing restaurant where the food is upscale, the cocktails trendy and the atmosphere cool and divine. It’s the kind of place where you can go for an intimate meal or a birthday celebration. And who knows? You just might see that tuxedoed-stranger standing at the end of the bar sipping a Jade Martini – shaken, not stirred.

 Ten East

Hibachi – Fusion Dining – Sushi Sake Lounge

South Cove Commons

Route 440 North 125 Lefante Way, Bayonne, NJ

www.teneastdining.com

For reservations and information, call 201 437-1212

 

Dining Hours:

Sun 3-10 pm

Mon – Thurs 5-11 pm

Fri-Sat 5-12 midnight

Bar lounge – Fri & Sat 12 midnight to 3 am

Dancing – Fri & Sat 10 pm to 3 am

 

The post Ten East – Hibachi, Fusion and Sushi Bar Lounge first appeared on River View Observer.