I am thrilled to introduce you to the newest addition of the Jersey Bites family, Robin Damstra. Robin will be taking over as Jersey Bites Regional Editor for Hunterdon and Mercer Counties. Regional what? you ask. Oh, we’ve got big things a cookin’ here at Jersey Bites. Within the next 6 months, we will be launching hyper-local Jersey Bites blogs in Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth and Hudson Counties. Each Regional Editor or Editorial Team will be covering all of the local food news and reviews for their area. We will continue to offer great recipe suggestions, giveaways and all the rest that makes Jersey Bites unique but now you will have your own backyard piece of Jersey Bites . The regional blogs will aggregate here on Jersey Bites central, so if you’re in the mood to discover what’s going on in different parts of the State, tune in to jerseybites.com. If you want just your own local foodie news, check your neighborhood Jersey Bites blog. We’ll be rolling out more and more hyper-local JB blogs as the year progresses. It is going to be a very interesting year here on Jersey Bites and I hope you will send in your suggestions and best wishes as we blaze this new and exciting trail. For those of you in Hunterdon and Mercer Counties, you are in for a treat. Robin Damstra is a talented food photographer and writer. You can check out more of her gorgeous photos and recipes on her blog Caviar and Codfish.
The Rosemont Cafe
My fiance, Jim, and I owe a tiny part of our upcoming marriage to the Rosemont Cafe. Now I’ll admit that sounds a little cheesy, but we are getting married, and it was just Valentine’s day, so hear me out. A few years ago, when our relationship was a fledgling thing, with all the excitement and insecurities that come with a new relationship, we spent many nights camped out at our table in the back of the homey, dimly lit cafe, sharing a bottle (or two) of wine (it’s BYO), talking about poetry and life over caesar salads and grilled duck breasts, falling in love.
It’s the kind of place you can bring a date to without feeling fussed over, a small restaurant in an old house that was a general store in 1865, in rural Hunterdon county. Local art hangs on the walls; specials are hand-written on chalkboards; the salt and pepper shakers are all adorable little things bought at the weird used-goods shop down the road; and the waitstaff is friendly, dressed down, familiar, and attentive. It’s cozy and authentic—a small town restaurant in a really small town (Rosemont, New Jersey isn’t even big enough to warrant a Wikipedia page). The food, in good small-town fashion, is focused on comfort fare: black bread and butter, braises, grilled meats, hearty vegetarian dishes (like polenta with mushrooms and cream), maple pecan pie.
Every time I’m there—which over the years has been more times than I can count—I order the caesar salad. For a restaurant in the middle of the Western New Jersey countryside, it’s a wonderful thing. The dressing is better than on most caesars, you can taste the anchovies and garlic, the romaine lettuce is crisp and fresh (why do so many restaurants insist on mixed greens or iceberg in their caesar salads now?), and the white-bread croutons are big and crunchy. A simple, satisfying thing done very well.
For main courses at The Cafe, I’ve learned to order the grilled meats. Pasta is always on the menu, but it’s hit-or-miss; you may end up with a creamy plate of sausage and bow-tie pasta—redolent of cinnamon and nutmeg and black pepper—-or something in need of salt and butter. But the grilled meats, including a flank steak with horseradish cream, a duck breast with fruit salsa (my favorite), and a Sundays-only burger (Jim’s), always make for a good dinner. The chef chars the fat thoroughly without overcooking the meat—another simple, satisfying thing that’s unfortunately hard to find.
And the desserts are a must, even if you aren’t trying to woo a fiance. The Cafe makes splendid pies: sweet, buttery, and topped with thick, unsweetened whipped cream. (If they have the maple pecan, go for it. Trust me.) The chocolate pot de creme is another winner.
It’s also worth coming for brunch on Sunday, for both the fluffy omelets (with baked goods and homemade jam) and the drive itself. If you’re lucky enough to be traveling from the northeast on Rt. 604, you’ll drive across a covered bridge before climbing a steep hill to what Jim and I both consider the most perfect stretch of road this side of the Mississippi: crop fields, grazing cattle, restored colonial farms, and an expanse of verdure that should be shown to anyone snickering about New Jersey’s nickname. And if you’re coming from another direction (it’s all beautiful), a short walk can be just the thing after a plate of delicious bangers (a local favorite).
Cafe at Rosemont (more locally known as The Rosemont Cafe)
609-397-4097
Corner of 519 & 604
Rosemont, NJ
Suggested items: Caesar Salad, Grilled Duck Breast with Sweet & Spicy Summer Fruit Pickle, Grilled Steak with Balsamic Onion & Pepper Marmalade, Hamburger (only on Sundays), Omelet (offered at brunch and lunch), Basket of homemade baked goods served with butter and jam (offered at brunch), “Global Dinner” (offered on Wednesday nights–menu features dishes from different cultures each week), Maple Pecan Pie, Chocolate Pot de Creme. They also have good coffee and tea.
Robin Damstra graduated Douglass College at Rutgers University, where she majored in English. She met her fiancé, Jim, in 2006 and began teaching herself to cook around the same time. In 2007 she started her food blog, Caviar and Codfish. She currently lives in Stockton, New Jersey.
I am so excited about this Giveaway. 
Owners (husband and wife team) Tommy and Yvette Bonfiglio, greeted us with genuine smiles and eyes gleaming, anxious to tell us everything about their new restaurant which opened on December 28, 2009. We met first with ‘bubbly’ Yvette who is as energetic and dedicated as they come and had so much to tell us. Then Tommy welcomed us with words of pride about his restaurant and his success at seeing everyone so happy eating his ‘pizza done right’. Tommy explained how he traveled for three years tasting pizza around the region before he perfected his “passion-infused” pizza! As we spoke, I saw them both keeping watch over their customers and obviously enjoying the evening dining with family.
This weekend is going to be a great one for staying inside and cooking. As weather.com is so gently putting it this morning, we’re supposed to get “walloped” by a pretty big snow storm. So, the grocery stores are going to be packed, but if you want that perfect pot of chili ready for game day, I’m sure I’ll see you there. Here are my picks and some guest picks for some super Superbowl menu choices. I don’t list wings but you can bet we’ll have them at my house. The recipe I use is nothing more than coating the wings lightly with seasoned flour, deep frying them and tossing with the hot sauce recipe right off the bottle of Frank’s Hot Sauce.
Many of you already know that Twitter and I are quite an item. I realize the little blue bird does not appeal to all, but for the 20 + million people using Twitter, it’s a down right addiction. So, when Wine Twits contacted me to tell me that they were throwing a Sip and Twit event at 
hicken Stock Recipe: Throw your chicken carcass, picked fairly clean, into a large pot. Fill the pot up with water until the chicken is 3/4 covered. Add 1 onion roughly chopped, 2 celery stalks washed and roughly chopped, use the greens if you have them and 2 carrots washed and roughly chopped. Add a 2-3 bay leaves, about 10 peppercorns and about a teaspoon of salt. That’s it. Just let it simmer until the stock is a nice deep tan/brown color. I let it go for hours. Strain through a sieve into a large bowl. It makes the house smell great and produces a fantastic stock.
Before a much planned visit to the “Big Apple” I went to the internet to find a French restaurant for dinner on one of my few precious date nights out with my husband! In my ‘internet travels’, I came upon CERCLE ROUGE on West Broadway, a quaint French restaurant that I just have to share with all of you!
My husband (and assistant in this outing) chose the Truite Amandine (almond trout with haricots verts, steamed potatoes, and lemon brown butter). Let me say that fish is not one of my favorite meals, but, after one ‘bite’ we shared the rest of the dish – and he mine!
As if the meal could not get any better, Chef Pierre Landet came out to greet us with my favorite French dessert – Crème Brulee (French for ‘burnt cream’)! This incredible French dessert (brunt cream, crema catalane, or Trinity cream) consists of a rich custard base topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel. It is served cold, or with the custard cold and the caramel warm and can have one of many flavors: lemon zest, rosemary, chocolate, a liqueur, fruit, etc. Ours was served with two fresh raspberries on top.
Beverly A. Beveridge, Monmouth County Regional Editor, jerseybites.com
Guest Bite by Melissa Yurasits
Melissa Yurasits: Grew up on the Jersey Shore and returned to the Garden State after four years of living in Boston for college. Works in publicity/promotions by day but at night loves checking out new restaurants or cooking up new recipes with her boyfriend in their Jersey City apartment. Can’t name a favorite food, except for anything and everything cooked by her Dad, who doesn’t believe in recipes (but it turns out amazing everytime!).
extraordinary distillery.
I don’t know what I was thinking or expecting, but I was completely taken off guard by their menu. For some reason, after my brunch at Langosta Lounge during Jersey Shore Restaurant Week, I had the impression it was a Mexican restaurant. I hadn’t taken the time to look at their regular menu, so the “Langostarita” pictured here with fresh lime, triple, and tequila with a splash of ruby red grapefruit (delicious) and the “Breakfast Burrito” had shaped my first impression.
