Doggy Ice Cream Social, All 4 the Dogs Rescue. Friday July 22, 2011 6:00 PM Doggy Ice Cream Social, All 4 the Dogs Rescue, Bruster’s Ice Cream, Shoppes at Hamilton, Route 130 North, Hamilton, 609-443-4386. Bring your pets and enjoy ice cream to benefit the new 502(c)3 rescue organization dedicated to saving canines in need. www.petfinder.com/shelters/NJ568.html
Restaurant Supported Agriculture Dinner Series, Tre Piani Friday July 22, 2011 6:30 PM Restaurant Supported Agriculture Dinner Series, Tre Piani, 120 Rockingham Row, Forrestal Village, Plainsboro, 609-452-1515 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Complete dinner based on local ingredients may be served as a buffet, plated, or family style. Leftover food will be donated to an area food bank. Register. $35., www.trepiani.com
Spanish Tapas for Couples, Whole Foods Market Saturday July 23, 2011 Windsor Green Shopping Center, West Windsor, 609-799-2919 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sample Spanish inspired small plate delicacies. Presented by Chefs Felipe Katchucka and Joyce Fousek. Register. $35 per couple.
Fiesta, Crossing Vineyards and Winery Saturday July 23, 2011 5:00 PM Fiesta, Crossing Vineyards and Winery, 1853 Wrightstown Road, Washington Crossing, PA, 215-493-6500. 5 p.m., Latin-style celebration of summer. Buffet dinner with ‘Build Your Own Taco Bar,’ glass of sangria, live music. Wear your favorite sombrero and win a prize. Register. $35., www.crossingvineyards.com
Riverwinds Community Center has a concert series every Friday where people can enjoy the music and it is catered by Botto’s, a really great Italian place so you can buy their food while at the concert. 1000 RiverWinds Drive, West Deptford, NJ
Farm to Fork week is going on throughout the weekend in South Jersey. For a list of participating restaurants in South Jersey, click here.
Al fresco Farm to Fork dinner at Alba Vineyard. July 24th The Foodshed Alliance, along with Alba Vineyard will host a five-course , 269 Rt 627, Milford. The event, to benefit the Foodshed Alliance, will begin with an assortment of passed hors d’oeuvres followed by a dinner of locally sourced food paired with wine, prepared by the following chefs: Andre de Waal of Andre’s Restaurant and Wine Boutique in Newton, Dan Rothman of Whole Foods in Northern New Jersey, Mike Carrino of Restaurant Passionné in Montclair, Dan Richer of Arturo’s in Maplewood, and James Laird of Restaurant Serenade in Chatham. 4 PM; $125. To register, visit www.foodshedalliance.org. Rain date 7/31.
Red Bank Food and Wine Walk, July 24th 4-7pm sample wine and food from restaurants throughout the entire Red Bank Business District. 732-842-4244
9th Annual Red Wine & Blues Festival Tuckerton. July 23rd 2:30pm-8pm ~ $15 Members, $20 Non-Members. Four Blues bands and four award-winning New Jersey wineries, all members of the New Jersey Wine Growers Association, will be available for sampling. Returning to the festival this year are Tomasello Winery, Valenzano Winery, Bellview Winery, and DiMatteo Vineyards. Evening boat rides will also be available for a nominal fee. Event Admission includes unlimited wine sampling, souvenir wine glass, self-guided tour of the Seaport’s buildings and grounds, access to the vendor marketplace, and live entertainment. Raise a glass and come celebrate the summer along the Tuckerton Crik. Guests are invited to bring their beach chairs, sit back, sip, and savor.
Cool Jazz and Blues Fest at Laurita Winery in New Egypt on Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy a weekend of live Jazz and Blues music all day, award winning wine, artisan displays, good food and more!
NJ Crab Festival at Ice House Restaurant in Wildwood on July 23. Fun Starts at 1:00 PM. Along Park Blvd. Wildwood, NJ 609-522-0033
Meadowlands Racetrack’s Summer Beer Festival. July 23, 5:30pm – 11:00pm. $32 in advance; $35 at door Meadowlands Racetrack – Paddock Park. 50 State Route 120 East Rutherford, NJ 201-TheBigM www.meadowlandsracetrack.com
Summer Weekday Escape: Book an overnight stay at either the Molly Pitcher Inn or Oyster Point Hotel, both in Red Bank, Sunday – Thursday. Receive 3-course dinner for 2, breakfast, and $100 voucher to the Spa at the Galleria. 732-530-8200.
Old York Cellars presents Wine & Wine Writer – Sunday, July 24, Noon – 4 p.m. Our search for “Where in the Wine World is Bart” continues. Look for Bart Jackson, author of the “Garden State Wineries Guide” this Sunday at Old York, 80 Old York Road, Ringoes, NJ. He will be on hand to sign copies of his book which profiles all the state’s wineries and helps you enjoyably hit the wine trail. Come chat wines with Bart, and Old York owner David Wolin, and winemaker Scott Gares. Remember – if you are the first to spot Bart Jackson in his special Garden State Wineries Shirt – Do tap him on the shoulder and win a free gift basket & a signed copy of the Wineries Guide, published by the Wine Appreciation Guild, San Francisco, CA. Limited copies available on site at Old York Cellars, Ringoes, at $14.95 each. To learn more about July 24th, visit www.oldyorkcellars.com.
Hudson Restaurant Week: Kicks off July 25 through August 5th with over 40 restaurants participating in affordable pre-fixe lunches and dinners, including newcomers Antonia’s on the Park, Box and Cityside Bistro. Check out the full list and sample menus here.
St. Anne’s Italian Festival, Hoboken July 21-26 Enjoy live music, games, and Italian food and vendors at this annual street fair in Hoboken. Located at the historic St. Anne’s Church, on 7th and Jefferson in Hoboken.
2011 St. Ann’s Festival and Feast Music Schedule: Friday, July 22: Latin Night – Ray Rodriguez y Swing Sabroso, Saturday, July 23: Ryan Pelton – Elvis impersonator, Sunday July 24: Disco night featuring Carol Douglas and The Tramps, Monday, July 25: The Nerds, Tuesday, July 26: The Bronx Wanderers
The Shannon Rose, New Jersey’s authentic Irish Pub is celebrating its two year anniversary in the Woodbridge community on Thursday, July 28 with an all-day birthday bash and is inviting old friends and those who are yet to try the restaurant to join in its celebrations. Guests can enjoy drink specials and half price Irish Fare like The Shannon Rose’s signature Guinness Beef Stew or Corned Beef & Cabbage. http://www.theshannonrose.com/
Robert Mondavi Discover Wine Tour. When: July 29-31, 2011. Robert Mondavi Discover Wine will invite event attendees to explore the senses with an Essence Station, designed to help guests recognize the subtle aromas and flavors of wine. Cooking demonstrations with local chefs and wine experts will complement displays on Robert Mondavi’s legacy in American winemaking, tastings of wines from Robert Mondavi Winery, Robert Mondavi Private Selection and Woodbridge, and an iPad station where visitors can send themselves information on what they’ve experienced. Where: Atlantic City Food & Wine Festival, Bally’s Casino, Atlantic City. (609) 398-4450 Cost: FREE!
Atlantic City Food & Wine Festival: July 28 – 31. Too much great info to list. Check out the events, personalities and details here. http://www.caesars.com/acfoodandwine/#page=events
And of course, don’t forget your local Farmers’ Market. For a full list in New Jersey, click here.
Send us your tips on upcoming Foodie Events to include in our weekly round up. [email protected]: subject: Events
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.
I have to confess it took me 45 years to tackle the tomatillo only to find out that they are really very easy to work with. I don’t know why I was so intimitated by those little green tomato looking things with the wrinkled, papery skin, but I am 
no longer afraid. Actually, now I’m addicted. The original recipe for this salsa comes from 
The only change I made to the recipe was to roast the tomatillos under the broiler until they were slightly browned. (approximately 10 minutes. Flip them half way through.) For some reason, I didn’t like the idea of the raw tomatillos going into the salsa. The result was absolutely delicious, so I highly recommend the added step of roasting. I also added 2 cloves of garlic which I saw in another recipe. They recommeded throwing the garlic cloves in the pan with the tomatillos while roasting, which worked out great and gave me a slightly mellow garlic addition.
‘Tis the season for all things fresh in New Jersey. There’s no better place to find the best local goodies than at the Red Bank Farmers Market. A trip to a farmer’s market on a sunny morning is an activity that is perfect for any age. The liveliness of the atmosphere and abundance of fresh products create an experience that is more than simply shopping: it is an experience of celebration and joy within the community and nature to which we belong.
On the morning I visited the farmers market, there was an abundance of bright red radishes, deep green asparagus, and several types of colorful lettuces. All of which were perfect for that evening’s salad. I didn’t have to look far to find the perfect pairing to my salad. An Italian specialties vendor just a few stands away had a display of offerings that was difficult to resist. With fresh pasta including fettucini, linguini, and ravioli, fresh mozzarella, freshly baked loaves of semolina bread (hot and moist), and homemade tomato sauces, it was difficult to make a decision.
If breakfast is your favorite meal of the day, there are vendors who offer fresh eggs. Can you imagine a delicious omelette made with eggs and vegetables that were picked a few hours ago? Serve the omelette with freshly baked sweet breads such as banana and zucchini which are readily available at the farmers market, and you have the makings of a wonderful breakfast.
