Where do you go in Rahway when “you want to go where everybody knows your name – and they’re always glad you came”? We’re bringing back polls more often and our newest: What’s your favorite bar in Rahway?
Tag Archives: Cubanu
City unveils ‘parklet’ downtown
A pedestrian-only East Cherry Street? Check. A parklet/pop-up cafe? Check. Signage to offer up some inclination of development projects? Check. Rahway Rising seems to be ahead of the curve a bit when it comes to downtown initiatives. 😛
Patria, D’Orsi’s win big at The Taste of Rahway
Patria and D’Orsi’s Bakery were the big winners at The Taste of Rahway on Friday night, winning three categories each. The winners in each category were as follows (in Rahway, unless otherwise noted):
Continue reading Patria, D’Orsi’s win big at The Taste of Rahway
Poll results: Favorite restaurant in Rahway
The top three choices in our Favorite Restaurant poll grabbed more than half of the nearly 160 votes, and in the end, it was something of a nail-biter, with just three votes separating the top two choices:
Continue reading Poll results: Favorite restaurant in Rahway
Poll: What’s your favorite restaurant in Rahway?
It’s hard to believe that our last “Favorite Restaurant” poll took place more than three years ago, so why not try it again. The poll includes BYO restaurants as well as restaurants with bars, so it’s a mix of both — really anywhere there is sit-down service for more than a few tables. Base your vote on what you think is best, period, whatever that might mean to you, whether it’s food, service, etc. Feel free to share your thoughts as to why in the comments section.
You’ll have about two weeks to cast your vote so get to it. We’ll post results when they’re completed and this time we’re trying a new format for voting. Have fun!
Click here to take the survey or scoll down.
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world’s leading questionnaire tool.
Rahway Rising enters the Terrible Twos
Rahway Rising is a lovable toddler today. Two years ago I launched this blog to get some of the information in my head out to the public, hopefully informing our community about what’s going on in their neighborhoods.
For a look at our first year, here’s a blog post from Nov. 1, 2008. We now have about 230 subscribers by email,which fluctuates from 225 to 250 regularly. About 150 visitors come to the site daily, some days breaking 200. We cracked 300 visitors in one day for the first time last month, just after a post about foreclosures beginning at Riverwalk.
Here are some stats from our first two years in existence, according to Google Analytics:
20,408 visitors
73,709 visits (42% direct visits to the site)
127,542 page views
1.73 pages/visit
71.9% bounce rate
1:56 average time on site
27.75% new visits
Some other tidbits from Google Analytics: As far as keyword searches, the top five are all related to Rahway Rising (16%), rahway blog, or rahwayrising.com, although coming in fourth was “rahway new jersey skyview condos for sale”. Also in the top 10 of keywords searches were Brooklyn Pizza, rahway nj skyview, nancy’s townhouse rahway, and cubanu restaurant rahway.
Food/restaurant-related blog posts, regardless of how old, continue to be among the most widely viewed. Here are the top five posts since we began tracking:
1. On Tap for 2008: Park Square, Sky View, 1,747 page views
2. Cubanu: A review, 1,284
3. Luciano’s set to open, 893
4. Pizza pizza, 866
5. Brooklyn Pizza coming to Rahway, 642
Surprisingly, all those posts are from 2008 yet still garnered the most page views. Among the most viewed posts of 2009 are Carriage City violating redevelopment agreement (428 page views), Carriage City declared in default of agreement (353), Return of White Castle in the works (347).
In our second year, we’ve ventured onto Twitter and Facebook, with about 40 followers and 75 fans and friends, respectively. We’ve also started Google AdWords, and as you can imagine, I’m already planning my retirement.
I said it before and I’ll say it again, hard to believe another year of blogging has gone by, and we still haven’t organized an official Rahway Rising happy hour, despite the urging from some readers. Well, let’s change that. Pick a night that’s best for you and vote in the poll. Let’s try to set a date before the holidays get into full swing (We’ll also take suggestions on where to have it). Unfortunately, I probably won’t be able to make it to The Taste this year — which is always fun for meeting up with readers — so now we must have a happy hour.
I often write “We” when referring to the blog. Although I’m the only writer, there’s a cadre of people I turn to for their opinions on potential blog posts, coverage and general advice. To them, I say thank you for putting up with me and always being willing to listen to my rambling and brainstorming. When I use the term “We,” I’m also referring in a sense to our readers, who often email their tips and observations or comment on blog posts. Thanks to all who have taken the time to read the posts and comment, whether anonymously or not. I’m not sure how long I’ll keep this up, but hearing from you at least makes it seem a worthwhile endeavor. Thanks everybody.
Times: Cubanu ‘uneven but generally satisfying’
The New York Times on Friday had a review of Cubanu, calling it “uneven but generally satisfying.” They loved the starters, particularly the crab and avocado salad, and the desserts. They also described the restaurant as three years old but it’s more like two, having opened in late 2007.
Last year, The Star-Ledger gave Cubanu 2 1/2 stars, and of course, here’s our take from way back in January 2008 soon after it first opened. I’ve been back since and I’d say the appetizers still are my favorite part of the menu.
Burger wars go to Flynn’s
Wow, it wasn’t even very close. Flynn’s and The Waiting Room had been neck and neck for awhile in the latest poll, but the last few weeks, it’s been aaallll Flynn’s. No need for a run-off even.
“Who makes the best cheeseburger in Rahway?”
Flynn’s, 37 percent (59/156)
Big Belly Deli, 26 percent (42/156)***The Waiting Room, 14 percent (22/156)
Firehouse Pub, 6 percent (10/156)
Just A Little Healthier, 5 percent (9/156)
Stewart’s, 3 percent (3/156)
Bachmann’s Tavern, 3 percent (5/156)
Rahway Grill, 1 percent (2/156)
Other, >0 percent (1/156)
Cubanu, 0 percent, (0/156)
Technically, the burger at Just A Little Healthier is a bison burger. Cubanu had been nominated but never got a vote. Anyone want to share who their “other” vote was? Rocky’s Bar and Grill? Some other place we missed?
***There actually was a bit of, dare I say, “controversy” in the final night of the poll. Late Wednesday night, Big Belly Deli had but five votes with only hours before the poll closed. I wake up Thursday morning to find BBD got about seven times as many votes in the final hours of the poll than it did in the entire two weeks! I’m guessing someone had a lot of time on their hands Wednesday night…
(P.S. The image above was one I just found in a quick Internet search. Don’t go to Flynn’s, or anywhere else local, looking for it…)