The Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival has arrived and what better way to kick it off than with a sexy, summer pre-party hosted for the second year at The Chelsea’s Cabana Club. (Shhhh, Use the code “Martini” and get $7 off the ticket price.)
SAVOR tasty treats from Iron Chef Jose Garces, while you mix and mingle with other Food Network stars including Darryl Harmon, Ron Duprat and J. Geoffrey Johnson. SIP on complimentary cocktails, including the “Montini”, Gary Monterosso’s signature beer martini.
SOAK in the pool-side scene while you groove to the beats of the Cabana Club’s DJs. SNEAK a peak of the summer’s hottest new swim wear from Nicole Miller. Plus, the first one hundred guests will receive an exclusive Chelsea Hotel SWAG bag full of treats.
Thursday, July 28
5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
$55
The Cabana Club, Chelsea Hotel
Remember use Coupon Code: Martini for a $7 discount. For tickets: http://www.gourmetshows.com/caesars/bikinis_and_martinis.html
Our Passaic County Regional Editor, Terry Krongold, visited with Munch Catering at the Nutley Farmer’s Market. Although it was a rainy day, Matt & Jessica persevered, and offered samples of two delicious recipes – Fresh Berry Smoothie and Summer Sugar Snap Pea Salad – both made with Jersey fresh summer produce! Check out the video below and then follow the links for the recipes.
A new fromagerie-a slice of cheesy heaven-has opened in Palmer Square in Princeton.
The shop also has tasty non-cheese items too. My favorites are the strawberry chutney in the case and the softest dried figs with a lovely, deep brown sugar flavor that are kept in glass apothecary jars behind the counter with several other kinds of dried fruits.
And the pièce de résistance–homemade watermelon rind pickles! These delicious, sweet, spicy old-fashioned treats are a taste of my childhood. My mom used to get them occasionally in a jar-probably from Delicious Orchards in Colts Neck-and I would eat the whole jar on her, usually in one sitting. Boy, would she be hopping mad to discover only one or two pieces left in the bottom.
We started our meal by ordering a cheese and fruit plate and a pork belly and mango appetizer from the menu of tasty tapas. The cheese and fruit platter had two great cheese selections, including a rich and slightly salty blue cheese and a goat cheese that was free of any graininess. We loved the plump Jersey blueberries that accompanied the cheese and other fruit selections. The pork belly was a new try for me- those plump little morsels aided and abetted my appetite and made me look forward to the main course.
Since I had heard that the scallops were locally sourced, I had to give them a try. They were incredible-if they had been any fresher, I would have been eating them down at the dock. Chef Brett keeps it simple by searing them in a Cointreau/butter/lemon thyme combination. This worked wonders at really letting the flavors of these babies shine through.
We both thought we would have no room for dessert, but I weakened when our server described the Chocolate Peanut Butter Bombe. My friends, it is indeed the bomb-an inside layer of creamy chocolate mousse and peanut butter coated with chocolate ganache and nuts.
The person who sets the mood and drives the engine of this little eatery is owner Ann Gauthier, who serves as Mom and/or Grandma to all who come in to eat. Although all the servers at Shut Up and Eat! are friendly by and large, when Ann is patrolling the tables there is a change in the vibe. She is talkative, funny, loves kids, already knows the answer to a question on the menu that you’ve only begun to ask, and does not take any shenanigans. In other words, she’s all Jersey.
Haifa Cafe & Grill owners Sami, a native of Haifa, and George, of Greek ancestry and a Palisades Park native, attend Mass regularly and light candles, offering prayers for the success of their small storefront eatery off River Road in Edgewater. Somebody up there seems to be listening, as sales are slowly picking up for the two twenty-somethings who met six years ago while working at assorted bagel stores and restaurants in New Jersey. They scraped together their savings and opened their Mediterranean inspired tiny restaurant about a year ago and have amassed a group of regulars who come for the freshly prepared food which is full of bright flavors and bold seasoning. This makes up for the lack of ambience and fact that everything is served on plastic plates or paper lined baskets. To be sure, this is a step up from street food and worth a visit, just don’t expect upscale dining.
We visited on a Friday evening and started with excellent falafel ($5.99), each flavorful orb’s crustry exterior yielding a fragrant, tender interior, redolent with cumin. Kibbe ($6.99), another deep friend Arabic appetizer containing a blend of beef, minced onion and pine nuts, was also nicely done. But what really turned these apps from good to great was the trio of sauces they were served with: Garlic, Parsley and Hot Sauces, the 2nd being my favorite, an explosion of flavor, like a parsley pesto or Arabic take on chimichurri. The menu’s wide array of appetizers, from traditional items like Baba Ghanouj ($5.99) to Foul, ($5.99), fava beans with garlic, lemon an dolive oil, Zatar Pita ($2.49) topped with oregano, sesame seeds and olive oil to Nakanik ($5.99), fried or grilled mini sausages marinated and served with tomato and garlic, make it enticing to order several and enjoy amongst a larger party.
The Lamb sandwich (6.99) was delicious, served in a warm pita packed with sliced of lamb (flavorful, not particularly tender though), tangy tahini and cabbage, lettuce and tomato. Another sauce accompanied this, the only non-premise-made sauce, which was a smooth mango chutney, fabulous and a great accompaniment to the toothsome sandwich. Hand-cut fries ($3.75) cooked in soy oil were enjoyed by my companions, but I found them undercooked and in need of seasoning. Varieties include Haifa spiced fries ($3.99), using a special houseblend of seasonings, and Greek Fries covered in oregano, garlic and lemon sauce ($3.99).
Haifa makes its own Shawerma fresh each day using layers of beef and lamb on the weekends and chicken Monday through Friday. We enjoyed the chicken ($10.99) very much, each slice generously seasoned with sumac and fragrant spices. The Haifa Mixed Platter includes Shawerma, kufta (patties made of ground lamb and beef), chicken and two lamb chops ($16.99). Grilled shrimp ($12.99), Calamari ($12.99), sauteed in a Greek inspired preparation are also offered along with multiple kabobs and grilled quail, three for $11.99.
