The holidays are a busy time and the Montclair restaurant scene is as busy as ever! Let’s begin with the latest news! The acclaimed Bloomfield Avenue restaurant, Blu, along with its sister property, Next Door, home of New Jersey’s best burger, will be closed for the next two months as chef/owner, Zod Arifai, the self-taught, “Wizard of Zod,” is focusing on re-opening daryl, the sleek restaurant located at The Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick on December 11.
If you’re looking for a beercentric pub with healthy menu options, it’s time to visit (or re-visit) The Office. This past June, Villa Enterprises, which operates George + Martha’s, the Black Horse Tavern, Black Horse Pub, and MacKenzie’s, among other eateries, acquired all of The Office locations from CB Holdings (Charlie Brown’s). The Office is reintroducing itself to the community with an updated interior and, most importantly, a revamped menu that’s fresher and lighter than most pubs. Want to know more about the new menu? Click here.
Last month saw the opening of two new Montclair eateries, True North Osteria and Acappello Ristorante. Don’t let the name fool you, True North Osteria, is not an Italian restaurant serving Northern Italian fare. True North, though it is an osteria – a small, informal restaurant – is the dream restaurant of husband and wife team Leah and Dave Moon. True North is as artisanal as its gets; with the exception of hot sauce and mustard; the Moons are making and baking everything! On my first visit to True North, Leah greeted me at the counter. In the kitchen, Dave’s hands were immersed in a bowl of steamy water making fresh mozzarella, freshly baked loaves of bread were cooling on racks, and a roughly hewn chunk of Parmigianino Reggiano lay on a cutting board next to a few sprigs of fresh rosemary. Quite the foodie scene! Visit Hot From The Kettle for more about True North Osteria.
Acappello is owned by the same family who has operated Cara Mia (Millburn), La Campagna (Morristown) and La Catena (Bridgewater). Needless to say – they have plenty of restaurant experience. General manager, Ben Husenaj, and his two brothers, Sal and Robert, along with their two cousins, Naz Husenaj and Dardan Mati, have used their vision and experience to work an aesthetic wonder in the space formerly occupied by Sesame.
Nothing makes a certified curry junkie happier than learning about a new curry house! Our friends at Brick Lane Curry House recently opened a new location in Ridgewood, NJ, located at 34 Franklin Ave.
Hot From The Kettle dined at Leone’s following its culinary makeover via celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay. Wondering how the food and atmosphere has changed? Read Elizabeth Starnes’ review here.
Melody Kettle, owner and executive editor of Hot From The Kettle LLC, currently resides in Montclair with her husband and two children. She grew up in Bergen county, and spent most of her time beside her grandmother in the kitchen, where she developed a love for cooking, food, and entertaining. After receiving a B.A. in English from Rutgers University, Melody attended Rutgers Law School where she earned a Juris Doctorate. In 2010 Melody began blogging and “vlogging” (video blogging), and in March of 2011she launched Hot From The Kettle®, One Steamy Wine & Food Destination. Hot From The Kettle has established itself as the definitive on-line source for restaurant news and reviews in Montclair and surrounding areas. Hot From The Kettle also publishes content such as culinary demonstrations, recipes, and methods that have attracted national and international interest.
Matzo Ball Soup submitted by 
To make matzo balls:
When all matzo balls are in the water, rinse hands and put lid on pot and set timer for 45 minutes. Then, walk away, forget about the stove. NO PEEKING! Do not lift the lid of the pot until five minutes after the timer beeps.
As we gaily (or sometimes frantically) shop our way through the holiday season, it is sometimes difficult to determine what to get for the wine lover in your life. Sure, there is the obvious (wine). But there are only so many wine carriers, rabbit ear openers, decanters and wine stoppers that one person can accumulate. Here’s another idea: a book about wine or wine regions. One of the best that I have read is Natalie MacLean’s new book: Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines.
People say “I love chocolate” all the time. I say (and demonstrate through worshipful consumption) how much I “love” chocolate all the time, practically defining my personality by it. There are cat people, there are electronic gadget people, there are craft people; I am a chocolate person. And so were the many hundreds of others who gathered at the Metropolitan Pavilion last month for the gorgeous, glorious, gastronomically glamorous 14th Annual New York Chocolate Show.
The key to navigating the Chocolate Show, I’ve found, is to seek out the passion. Everything tastes good, everything looks lovely, but when you find the exhibitor (whether the chocolatier him or herself or an enthusiastic brand ambassador) whose honest excitement about and true dedication to their product—their art—are as boldly on display as their edible wares, that’s where you strike gold.
Combine the chic of Neiman Marcus, the comfort of a bistro menu, the whimsy of an old-fashioned ice cream parlor and the magic of Willy Wonka and you have Sugar and Plumm, Purveyors of Yumm. The fantasy of kids with a sweet tooth and grown-ups who want well-priced, well-prepared food comes together to create a magical experience for diners. On multiple visits, my companions and I were consistently impressed with freshly baked classic French pastry (only the burger buns are baked off premise by Balthazar Bakery in Englewood), crispy, artistically plated salads, juicy burgers and hand-cut fries served in mini fryer baskets lined with red and white check paper and an exquisite crispy-skin salmon served with a lush lemon hollandaise and sautéed haricot vert. Bergen families searching for good food, well-priced, family friendly and dare we say, fun, may find the answer at this new Bergen Town Center café and retailer. Sugar and Plumm’s owner Lamia Jacobs, a former oil trader who grew up in Paris and mother of four, said fun was a big part of the equation when it came to creating the restaurant’s concept.
“In Paris, we can get a steak, omelet, crepe or salad any time of the day or night at bistros, but I wasn’t able to find that when we moved to the States,” said the Greenwich, CT resident. “I wanted a menu that was equally savory and sweet, offering sustainable and organic whenever possible and all about comfort. Chicken and waffles are one of our most popular items and people love our crepes, sundaes and hand-made chocolates, everything top quality.” Indeed, Mrs. Jacobs seems to have found the right blend of kid-friendly, yet sophisticated ambience to keep adults happy and a menu that emphasizes well-executed sweet and savory items and nostalgic, comfort foods.
Grandparents and grandchildren tucked away in booths are as common a sighting at Sugar and Plumm as are lunching ladies, teen girls, moms and toddlers, families and couples dating. The flexibility of the menu (organized into one side savory, one side sweet) makes the restaurant an easy choice for those looking for hearty breakfast fare (starting at $6) mid-morning or late afternoon, a savory sandwich (starting at $8), topped with a fried egg for $1 more. Pancakes are lightened with ricotta and served with berry compote and Vermont maple syrup ($9) and lemon curd and nutella are $2 additional. Savory buckwheat crepes are filled with everything from ham and swiss ($9) to smoked salmon, crème fraiche, onion, capers, market greens and lemon vinaigrette ($12). Stacked waffles start with smoked bacon, aged cheddar and fried egg ($8) and the popular crispy free-range chicken tenders, served with rich, creamy butter, Vermont maple syrup and house hot sauce ($12). The pulled pork stacked waffle ($12) is equally enticing with succulent maple BBQ pork, tangy pickled onion slaw, bibb lettuce and chipotle mayo. Soups are excellent and include classic chicken noodle ($4/cup), full of large pieces of pulled tender chicken in a rich broth and plenty of noodles and aromatic veggie chunks, and butternut squash ($4) which is topped with crunchy roasted butternut squash seeds and a drizzle of EV olive oil. (I wish the restaurant would omit the sage leaves served atop the chicken noodle soup as the taste of sage, in my view, is too assertive; it would work better on the butternut squash soup if fried briefly in butter to crisp it.)
Entrees, which number six and range from $10 for a squat cast iron pot filled with tangy, gooey Mac & Cheese to flat iron steak ($19), free range chicken breast ($17) served with lemon spinach and onion pan sauce to my favorite, the crispy skin salmon ($21). I want fully developed flavors in food and I love butter. I don’t like it when chefs are stingy with butter or tasty morsels that pack a lot of flavor, like sautéed shallots. So, let me say that I love the sautéed haricot vert, those elegant slender string beans, that accompany the crispy-skin salmon as much as I love the salmon itself. The ratio of butter and silky, caramelized shallots to string beans is perfect, making every bite rich and satisfying.
At the risk of sounding like I don’t get the point of Sugar and Plumm, I confess that I am more excited about the savory side of the menu than the sweet side. That is a personal “issue,” and while I do enjoy sweets, I care more about the before-dessert-fare. However, I would find no fault with anyone who said they visited Sugar and Plumm simply for its decadent molten chocolate cake plated dessert ($8) with oozing rich chocolate cake served with homemade vanilla ice cream. With desserts, Mrs. Jacobs’ influence can also be seen, as she loves sweets but thinks too much sweetness masks the true flavors of other ingredients. She’s spot on and this can be tasted in the restaurant’s ice creams, gelati, sorbets, tarts, compotes and even dessert drinks. Things are well-flavored, but never cloyingly sweet. This is a refreshing departure. The restaurant lovingly embellishes sundaes with all manner of candy, fruits, confections, house made sauces and crunchy nuts along with sophisticated meringue, sometimes served whole, as in the Bee hive ($8) which is piled high and filled with ice cream or crushed as a sweet path to drag your spoon along through a trio of sorbets. Flavors are fresh, fruits discernible in each bite.
This is food that is well thought out and flavorful. Sundaes start at $9 for the Yumm Drop which combines homemade brownie topped with vanilla ice cream and two more scoops of chocolate, covered with homemade fudge sauce, vanilla scented whipped cream and finished with a meringue baton. Peach melba ($9) is served with fresh raspberry coulis and finished with slivered almonds. Our neighbors feasted on Banana Split ($10) and an Over The Yumm ($40) which is a sundae on steroids and enough to feed one good sized family. Suffice it to say that sweet crepes and waffles, starting at $8, and delectable tarts of fruit, chocolate and peanut butter varieties, all $5 and available in mini flights ($7.50) are simply sublime. Hot chocolate ($3.50) is served in an over-sized cup and saucer with bobbing homemade marshmallows, whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. Water is filtered onsite, an important and appreciated offering. The restaurant plans a winter and seasonal menu changes.
I recently received an e-mail that really touched me. It said this HOLIDAY SEASON we should support our country’s economy. I instantly thought, how is that possible with everything being mass produced for our consumption in other countries. Our family tried to build and furnish our new home a few years ago with “American Made” and found it to be almost impossible and cost prohibitive. How could I possibly do my holiday shopping and support our country as much as possible in the process? As I continued reading the e-mail the sender had made some great suggestions. They recommended buying restaurant, dinner theatre, concert, museum, salon and spa gift certificates, but the idea that grabbed my attention was go to local arts and craft fairs and help a “starving artist” this year. Aha! There were a few fairs in my area and I decided to check one of them out.
I love Arts and Crafts Fairs and got into the rhythm going up and down the aisles, scoping out the best route to cover all the booths, not wanting to miss a single thing. Jewelry, pottery, glass, textiles it was all there. But then I spotted it, Jersey Girl Wine Jelly. I haven’t had delicious wine jelly for years. An old family treat I had all but forgotten. I had to taste it! Michele Birtch and Stephanie Clineman, a mother and daughter team from Mays Landing and Galloway respectively are the creators of the company. What started out as a family favorite recipe for friends and family has become a full time business. The names of the all the varieties of Jelly I was told, are made up by the women as well. “How Merlot Can You Go?”, “It Should Be A Zin!”, “Chardonnay Moi?”, and “Que Shiraz Shiraz!”.
