April 5th: Trenton: New Jersey Agricultural Society Annual Gala. The New Jersey Agricultural Society will be hosting its Annual Gala on Friday April 5th at 6:00 pm at the Forsgate Country Club in Monroe, NJ. The Gala supports the Agricultural Society’s three programs: New Jersey Farmers Against Hunger, Learning Through Gardening, and the New Jersey Agricultural Leadership Development Program. The New Jersey Agricultural Society is a 501(c) 3 non-profit dedicated to preserving and enhancing agriculture, farming and related activities and businesses in New Jersey through educational, informational, and promotional programs. NJAS is the oldest agricultural organization in the nation.
The Gala, consisting of a cocktail hour, open bar, buffet stations, silent auction, palm readers, casino, raffle, and award ceremony. The event is open to the public, and the Ag Society encourages anyone interested in supporting their mission to attend. Businesses can support the Gala through donations of Silent Auction prizes and advertisements in the NJAS Gala Ad Journal. Ad journal rate range between $50 and $125 and are due by March 15th, 2013.
Tickets are $85. More information is available at www.njagsociety.org, and registrations and donations can be sent to [email protected].
April 5th: Jersey Shore Restaurant Week April 5-14 Spring Breaks at The Jersey Shore. Ten days, great deals, and fabulous meals!
It’s a wonderful opportunity to shake off the winter blues and re-visit your favorite restaurants or try some new ones. Enjoy 3 course dinner menus for $20.13 or $30.13 and special lunch menus at participating restaurants. See their Special Events Page for all the fun details.
April 6th: Belmar: The Great Jersey Shore Burger Contest will be held on April 6th from 1:00-4:00 PM at Bar Anticipation. The event is sponsored by Driscoll Foods and MagnaCare and DL Foodservice, and promised to be a great time for all! (Our Executive Editor, Deborah Smith, will be serving on the Judging panel.)
Come vote for the “Best Burger at the Shore,” enjoy samples of select craft beers, and taste ALL of the competitors’ burgers. Your vote will help determine the “People’s Choice Award” winner. Live classic rock will be provided by The Billy Lawlor Band, and a cash bar is also available
Where: Bar Anticipation, 703 16th Avenue, Lake Como NJ
When: April 6th, 1:00-4:00 Pm
Price: $25
Order your tickets here and don’t miss out on an awesome event!
April 8th: 2nd Annual Taste of Montclair, at The Conference Center, University Hall at Montclair State University. Enjoy the culinary delights of more than 30 chefs who will serve up tastes in an eclectic array of food to the approximately 500 people who will once again enjoy The Taste of Montclair. Freshly shucked oysters, Italian, Spanish, American, Fusion, barbecued chicken and ribs, French, Southern, and even good old fashioned American ice cream are some of the expected treats.
Tickets are $50, and can be purchased online or from any of the ticket locations listed on the Taste of Montclair website.
April 11th: Oyster Point Hotel’s “All Hands On Deck” Re-Opening in Red Bank, New Jersey from 6:00-9:00 PM. The opening will support The Boondock’s Fishery in Red Bank. The Navesink Business Group and Red Bank Flavour Restaurants have joined forces with The Oyster Point to help Boondocks’ owner Kelly Ryan rebuild her business.
The popular lobster shack was washed away on October 29, 2012, when Sandy slammed the area. The Boondock’s Fishery, Molly Pitcher Inn, and The Oyster Point Hotel are all located on the banks on the Navesink River, which was heavily affected. The Oyster Point has been closed since Sandy hit and only recently reopened operations on February 15, 2013.
Many of the Red Bank Flavour Restaurants will be offering a palatable array of menu samplings, complemented by entertainment from Gary Philips and his Steele Drum Band.
April 14th-20th: Atlantic City:
Tropicana Seafood Week will debut for the first time April! Celebrate everything under the sea with property-wide seafood specials, drink specials and discounted retail shopping. Enjoy fresh seafood at FIN, shop nautical fashions and accessories in The Quarter, or even unwind with a sea salt scrub at bluemercury spa. Tropicana is serving up seafood every which way, and there are plenty of ways to get your fix with various specials throughout the week.
The official Seafood Week Kickoff will take place Monday, April 15th at 12:30pm in Palm Walk where guests can sample Fin’s famous lobster bisque, share the wonder of the Atlantic City Aquarium’s touch tank, and catch a special “Under the Sea” themed Zumba demo by Tilton Fitness.
For more info, see Seafood Week at the Tropicana online!
April 15th: Taste of Madison 2013
The annual Taste of Madison will be hosted at the Park Avenue Club in Florham Park on Monday April 15, 2013. This year there will be over 30 wines, beer, and spirits for tables hosted by distinguished vendors of Gary’s Wine & Marketplace. There will also be a large amount of Madison restaurants participating in this years event. Come out and try some good food & good wine!
You can also win (through the silent auction) a dinner for 8 with wines paired from Gary’s Wine and Marketplace. Taste of Madison is organized and presented by a committee of volunteers from the Madison Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, and the Madison Downtown Development Commission. All proceeds from this event benefit local charities and business development.
Tickets are available for purchase at Gary’s Wine & Marketplace, dtorr boutique, Salvatore Minardi Salon or
www.tasteofmadison.org.
Tickets are $65 for general admission or $100 for VIP.
April 18th: Atlantic City: Chef Jose Garces Hosts “THE LATIN ROAD HOME” Multi-Course Meal
At 7:00 p.m., join Chef Jose Garces at his gorgeous tapas bar and restaurant, Amada (609-225-9900) at Revel (500 Boardwalk, 855-348-0500) for a decadent, multi-course meal celebrating the publication of his second cookbook, The Latin Road Home.
The show-stopping menu will include: Tiradito de Lubina, black bass ceviche with yuzu (Peru); Pan de Yuca, yuca bread with queso fresco, served with guava-chile butter (Ecuador); Crema de Quinoa de Zuleta, quinoa chowder with sweet corn (Ecuador); Enchilado de Langosta, lobster in spicy tomato sauce (Cuba); Carne Asada a la Tampiqueña con Arroz Rojo y Refritos, grilled marinated skirt steak with red rice and refried beans (Mexico); and Crema Catalana, chocolate custard with vanilla berries (Spain).
For $85 per person, excluding beverages, tax and gratuity, guests will enjoy dishes from each of the book’s five chapters: Ecuador; Spain; Cuba; Mexico; and Peru. An optional wine pairing will also be available for $40. Reservations required, please call 609.225.9900 for more information.
April 22nd: West Long Branch: The Red Bank Rotary’s Thirteenth Annual Two Rivers Food and Wine Tasting
Come join the Red Bank Rotary on April 22nd from 6-9 Pm to benefit Lunch Break! For many local families who are struggling with poverty, Lunch Break is their only option for a healthy, well-balanced meal and for many other much needed services.
For the past 12 years The Rotary Club has organized The Two Rivers Food and Wine Tasting event with proceeds going to local charities. This event is a huge culinary and social success and gives people the opportunity to meet friends and make new ones while sampling delicious food and a great selection of wines and other beverages from leading restaurants in the area.
Tickets for $65.00 each may be purchased by sending a check payable to Red Bank Rotary Foundation, P.O. Box 8444, Red Bank, NJ 07701 or through paypal on the Red Bank Rotary website: www.redbankrotary.org
For additional information, please call 732-979-4459.
April 22nd: Red Bank: A Conversation with Bobby Flay. Are you obsessed with barbecue? Bobby Flay? Well we have a treat for you! Bobby Flay will be at Count Basie Theatre to share his approach to food. Don’t miss hearing tips, stories, and recipes from his new book, Bobby Flay’s Barbeque Addiction. All tickets include a signed copy of the book (a $35 value), available exlusively at this event before it’s official public release the following day.
Bobby Flay, a New York Times bestselling author, is the chef-owner of six fine-dining restaurants, including Mesa Grill, Bar Americain, and Bobby Flay Steak, and numerous Bobby’s Burger Palaces. He is the host of many popular cooking shows on Food Network, from the Emmy-winning Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction, Grill It! with Bobby Flay, and Boy Meets Grill, to the Iron Chef America series, Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, and Food Network Star.
Long known and beloved for his skills at the grill, Bobby now expands his cooking horizons to include slow and low with his Food Network cooking show Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction and in this book. Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction presents Bobby’s secrets for cooking anything and everything on the grill—from quickly grilled steaks and seafood to smoky barbecued ribs and fork-tender pulled pork. This is his only area appearance; don’t miss out!
Tickets are $49.75, and a limited number of Gold Circle tickets are available at $79.75. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Count Basie Theatre’s website.
April 23rd: The 13th Annual Taste of Weehawken will be held on Tuesday, April 23 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Food Court at Lincoln Harbor. Proceeds from the event, which has historically been used to support Library programming, will instead be donated by the Library to the Weehawken & You Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund.
Hundreds of food enthusiasts gather at the Taste for a splendid evening of food, fun and fundraising. The Taste has something for everyone; samplings of signature dishes and unique fare from high profile and emerging local restaurants, caterers, bakers, along with fine wines, and mouthwatering desserts. Giannone Wine will once again be hosting wine tasting stations at the Taste; new this year will be the tastings of specialty beers.
If you are a chef, restaurant owner or other food business proprietor and would like to participate in Taste please call the Library at 201-863-7823, visit
our website, like Taste of Weehawken ’13 on Facebook or follow on Twitter @weehawkennj.
April 27th: Kitchen Tour Through Interlaken
Our Lady of Mount Carmel School will host a kitchen tour through Interlaken on April 27, 2013 from 11 AM – 3 PM. Six houses with seven caterers will be showcased. Caterers include et al fine foods, Cravings, the Caramel Shop, Chef Michael Thompson, Falco Brothers Catering, Joe Leone’s, and Mike’s Deli.
Tickets, $35 prepaid and $40 on the day of the tour, are available at the Allenhurst Cleaners, 530 Main St., Allenhurst or by calling Vicki at 732-531-9609.
Participants must pick up brochures at the Interlaken Boro hall, 100 Main St, Interlaken at 11 am on the day of the tour.
April 29th: New York City:
Taste of the Nation NYCWhere can you sample over 65 of New York’s most notable restaurants, over a dozen impossible-to-get-into cocktail bars, rub elbows with your favorite culinary personalities, and bid on priceless experiential auction packages in one evening? Share Our Strength’s 26th annual Taste of the Nation® NYC will bring the city’s finest chefs and mixologists together to donate their time, talent, and passion to end childhood hunger in America.
This year’s event includes support from our chef chairs Marc Murphy and Alex Guarnaschelli and our host committee members, fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff, interior designer Athena Calderone and nightlife maven Simonez Wolf. The evening will also include book signings from top toques and food personalities as well as exclusive culinary and travel packages offered during the famed live auction.
Where: 82 Mercer Street, NYC
When: April 29th, 6:30-9:30 PM VIP, 7:30-9:30 PM General Admission
Tickets: VIP-$425, General-$225
Buy tickets
online here. 100% of ticket sales go toward ending childhood hunger.
May 8th: Atlantic City: The 16th Annual Atlantic City Host Awards will take place on May 8th in the Adrian Phillips Ballroom of Boardwalk Hall. Presented by the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority (ACCVA) and the ACCVA Foundation, the program salutes and encourages excellent customer service industry-wide.
In addition to honoring award winners in 26 categories ranging from various food service, bar and hotel personnel to retail, visitor information, spa and casino positions, the prestigious Spirit of Hospitality Award will be presented to the Dougherty family, which has owned and operated some of the city’s most famous restaurants for generations. The Doughertys currently own and operate Dock’s Oyster House, Knife and Fork Inn, and Harry’s Oyster Bar. Dock’s has been in the family’s control since it opened in 1897.
Scholarships for students attending hospitality programs at area colleges will also be presented during the banquet. The scholarships are awarded by the Greater Atlantic City Concierge Association and the ACCVA Foundation.
Tickets for the Host Awards banquet are $65.00 each and are available by calling Jacqui Carole at 609-449-7174. More information on sponsorship, nominations, and the ACCVA Foundation can be found by visiting
their website.
Winter seems to be giving way to spring, finally! When buds are breaking on the trees, tulips are blooming and heavy foods give way to lighter fare, I find myself craving wines that are equally as light.
Whether you’re making grilled fish, seared scallops or pasta with a light sauce and sautéed chicken, the following 10 springtime wines will pair beautifully with any of them.
Veronique Deblois, Food & Wine Chickie: Veronique is a food and wine writer based in Morris County, NJ. As the author of the popular blog, Food & Wine Chickie Insider, Veronique shares recipes, wine and restaurant reviews and insight into the travel industry of which she’s a 15-year veteran. Follow Veronique on Twitter or like her Facebook page.
When I saw on Facebook that Curtis Stone was coming to New Jersey to promote his new book “Whats for Dinner?” I quickly tracked down “his people” and scored a shiny new copy to review. As much as I love the web, and you know I do, there’s still something about a hardcover cookbook that excites the food geek in me. For me, a glass of wine and cookbook reading is a fun Saturday night. Can’t believe I just admitted that, and yeah, I know I need to get out more.
MEATBALLS:
TO MAKE THE MARINARA SAUCE:
•chocolate w/chocolate covered matzo (matzo & shank bone)-This is a rich dark chocolate ice cream made with chocolate covered matzo pieces mixed throughout. It was sublime and a true chocolate fix, probably the best chocolate ice cream I’ve ever had. The broken matzo looks like bone pieces, which represent z’roa, the shank bone.
•green apple horseradish (maror)-The first thing I noticed about this ice cream was the horseradish aroma when the sample was passed over the counter. There is a little tart green apple at the beginning but then the fresh horseradish takes over. I’m glad I tried it last because the horseradish flavor is so strong; it lingered on my palate and in my sinuses for quite a while.
Victoria Hurley-Schubert
Mark also does a classic frisee salad, which was heavenly. Frisee lettuce with generous bacon lardons and bleu cheese, croutons, mustard vinaigrette, topped with a poached egg, which envelops the salad perfectly when pierced.
