eNJoy!

Knife and Fork Inn, Atlantic City

2010-08-31T15:42:00.011-04:00

Want a superbly competent waitstaff? Beautiful and historic surroundings? Delicious food? Extensive wine list? Then, my friends, it seems that you want to go to The Knife and Fork Inn in Atlantic City. Swoon. It's all of this and more! Plus, it has a rich history... it was a speak easy during prohibition, and a gentleman's club afterwards. Then they turned into into a restaurant and it's been well loved and well received ever since. We made a recent trek with DY&IK during their weekend visit to the shore house. I love when foodie friends come to visit :)

IK started off with an appetizer off of the specials menu... a crab and avocado terrine. It was good, but not spectacular, and here is why. Summer time crab is so delicious and sweet and suculent on it's own that it would be the perfect compliment to mild and creamy avocado without assistance from any 'enhancers'. The chef apparently did not think this was the case and tossed the crab with some seasoned mayonaise... completely unnecessary. It made the whole thing a bit too wet, and way too creamy. It was tasty, of course (how can crab, mayo, and avocado not be?) but too heavy. Good but not our favorite.

DY went with oysters. Nothing much to report. They were seasonal, fresh and delicious. Came with a jalapeno and citrus dipping sauce that was delicious but not needed.... nothing (to me at least!) beats the briney bite of an in season oyster... no horseradish, no cocktail sauce, no nada. Just me, oyster, and face. Done.

Matt has gotten adventurous, people. He ordered (hand to God) the softshell crab. This was done as almost a tempura, over top of a thai inspired coconut milk and pepper mixture. This was AMAZING. So much flavor. I love thai food for it's always happy combination of spicy, sweet, salty and bitter and this had each compenent in the perfect way. Sweet coconut milk, hot chilis, slightly salty softshell crab.. it was a treat. The crab was cooked to perfection, crunchy on the outside but giving way to sweet delicious meat on the inside. I love the snap of a properly cooked softshell crab. This was a serious treat. Sadly it was a special.... soooo.... yeah.

I went with the confit duck leg salad. Holy crap. This was amazing. Seriously succulent duck, cooked in it's own fat atop a bed of leafy greens in a dressing comprised of bacon, ducky drippings and vinegar? Yeah... don't mind if I do. Salty, crunchy, earthy, delicious. The duck leg was huge, too! I could have easily had this and a cup of soup and called it an evening.

Both DY and Matt went with steaks.... DY with the monster of the menu, the 18oz cowboy steak, Matt with the tamer but still giant 16oz sirloin steak. Both were cooked to absolute perfection with a delicious crust and a tender inside. Matt had been dreaming of steak at Knife and Fork Inn since our first visit, years ago, and knew what he was going to get months in advance. According to him it's one of the best steaks he has ever had, and they didn't dissapoint on this visit, either. DY seemed happy too, as his plate was completely cleaned and meat free by the end of the meal.

IK went with one of the dinner specials, a fluke fillet perched upon a bevy of sliced zuchinni and topped with roasted cherry tomatoes. It was light, summery, and completely season appropriate. The fish was really fresh and IK really enjoyed it. Personally I thought it was a bit bland, but I just never considered fluke a 'go to' fish for full flavor. Who knows, maybe its just me. Long story short, the person eating it was happy, it was cooked well and looked nice. The end.

My dinner was an absolute treat. Better than I ever remembered from any of my previous visits. I went with the crab cake, and this is the one that I have always used and will continue to use as my golden standard. Huge, giant hunks of jumpo lump crab meat packed into a towering cake, with litte, if any, filling sitting pretty surrounded by spicy Asian slaw and red pepper sauce. It's perfect. You get all crab and no BS bready smoosh nonsense. The slaw gives crunch, should you want it, but I was so focused on the delicious crustacean that it took me a while to remember to dip into the veg. So good. So very very good.

Too full for dessert (although they have an amazing confection refered to as a banana chocolate burrito... if you like your taste buds order it) we rolled out and hit the boardwalk. Knife and Fork Inn is a little piece of history in downtown Atlantic City. It's absolutely stunning, has a pretty lively bar scene, and the service is impecable (friendly and knowledgeable without being overbearing or creepy... good combo!)

Knife and Fork Inn
http://www.knifeandforkinn.com/
Atlantic and Pacific Avenue-08401
609 344 1133

Tula, New Brunswick

2010-08-09T22:54:00.015-04:00

To be honest, some time has passed since we visited Tula, and I see that the website and menu have changed quite a bit. This being said, I will let you know about the experience we had, and then what looks new and different. Tula is on Easton Ave., the 'main drag' in New Brunswick, and is located next to Evelyn's, which is owned by the same people. The look is modern, but inviting... lots of open space, with very linear furniture, and a glass- mosaic bar. Tres cool.
Tula was boasting a prix fixe menu at the time of our visit. It was a pretty good deal, but I see now that they have done away with it (didn't want to get your hopes up, folks!) I'm going to give you the quick run down... Mom and I ordered the tuna tartare, Dad went with the white gazpacho, and Matt went with the (GASP) scallop. Yes.. Matt plus scallop happened. Weird. To be honest its because the only non seafood options for first course were the gazpacho or garden salad, and he didn't want to waste an order on a salad (his words, not mine!)

Breakdown: The gazpacho was delicious; Fruity, fresh and summery. It was made with green grapes and mint and cucumber and it had a nice crisp bite to it. A little sweet, a little bitey, herbacious and overall just good. Dad was pleased. (Note to reader: this dish remains on the menu to this day, despite the revisions! Get it!) Mom and I adored our tuna tartare. First of all, it was pretty to look at. Second of all, it was tasty. The caviar on top was (infused with, soaked in, mixed with?) wasabi flavored. It really lent a surprising, spicy bite to the sweet, supple tuna. Cucumbers on the bottom were attractive but unnecessary. The portion was large, too.... surprisingly so, especially for a prix fix menu. I enjoyed this. Tuna was fresh, caviar had that pop and sparkle, a bit of citrusy dressing.... all good things. Happy mouth, happy Mom and happy me. The scallops.... womp womp womp. Considering Matt has only JUST recently come around to ANY seafood at all, the scallop choice was already a risk. He likes them (as most people do) perfectly seared on each side, and soft in the middle. These were not that. These were cooked perfectly on one side, but squishy on the bottom and raw in the middle. There's nothing wrong with that in theory, but these were listed as pan seared scallops. It seemed almost like someone took one of those little brulee torches to the top of the scallop and completely neglected the bottom. It tasted good, but texturely, didn't do anything for anyone.

For dinner Dad went with the roasted chicken, Mom and I had the lamb chops, and Matt had the steak (sadly I do not remember the cut, and I see it's no longer on the menu... it was a prix fixe portioned thaaaang). Dad loved his chicken, but to me the star was the veggie mix in the butternut squash (or maybe sweet potato?) puree. So good. So creamy. So satisfyingly sweet, while playing so nicely with the crispy skinned chicken. Yum. Mom and I both thought that the lamb was out of this world. Cooked perfectly (read: pink in the middle with a meaty crust on the outside), it was tender, and full of flavor. It was over a bed of couscous that was better than any I have ever had (to be fair, know that I don't usually like it at all I don't eat a lot of it... but this was still absurdly good). It had all sorts of fun stuff in it... raisins and pistachios and tomatoes. I really enjoyed this dish. A lot. Matt's steak was good, too. A biiiit small, but it was a prix fixe menu (as if you don't remember by now) so of course this is forgiveable. Cooked just as he ordered, it was soft in the middle and had a great meat flavor. Nothing super special or worth noting... just a nicely cooked piece-o-meat.

Desserts were all delicious. Dad got some super rich chocolate thing, Mom and I got a fantastic bread pudding with white chocolate, but Matt picked the winner (BONUS! it is still on the menu, too!) It was a banana empenada, and it was downright insane. Crispy flakey outside, warm, sweet, creamy banana inside, topped with dulce de leche ice cream.... such a treat. So incredible. Hot vs cold, smooth vs crunchy, sweet, rich, so good. Yum. Get that.

While the prix fixe menu has been done away with, it doesn't mean that Tula is not worth a visit. It is SO reasonable (actually it is much cheaper now than it was when we went... Now no entree over 20 bucks! Hooray!) It also seems that the 'lighter fare' (sammiches, namely) are served during dinner hours too, where I do not think it was the case before. It has a much more 'bistro' feel to it now, ya dig? Comfy sounding food as opposed to hoity toity. The space is beautiful, the food is good, the service pleasant... what more could you want?

Tula

http://www.tulalounge.com/

47 Easton Ave

New Brunswick- 08901

732 246 0014

Luca's Ristorante, Somerset

2010-07-14T20:08:00.007-04:00

The more I pay attention to my own reviews, the more I realize that New Jersey really seems to be home of the strip mall gem. Once again, Matt and I have found an amazing place (with some help from my boss, who told us about it) that we normally would have passed by without a second glance. While it's easy to pass by, it's hard to forget once you've been there. The inside is adorable, with lots of paintings, hanging plants, and adorable knick knacks throughout. The service is professional; courteous and friendly but not overbearing.

We started our meal with what Luca's calls a 'grizza'... which is just a grilled pizza. This was a very wise choice by us (and I guess moreso by them for having it on the menu). The one we chose was topped with mozzarella, prosciutto, arugula and shaved asiago cheese. this was one of the best pizzas I have ever eaten... part salad, part sandwich, part pizza, all good. The prosciutto is sliced super super thin, but it's salty presence was pronounced. It worked really well against the cold, slightly spicy arugula. The cheese was perfectly melted onto the grilled dough.... it tasted outdoorsy and charred, salty and bitter, had a great pizza chew, but also some crunch from the greens. This was killer... a really spectacular dish. I would say that it is probably best to order this as a dinner.... we split it as an appetizer (its personal sized, but has so many toppings!) and we ended up taking half home so we didn't fill up before our meals. This may be a smart thing to share as a starter for 4 people, but for 2 it's too much food (although the leftovers were AMAZING).

For dinner Matt ordered the gnocchi de spinaci Genovese, aka delicious, hand made spinach gnocchi smothered in large chunks of braised sirloin steak in a delicious beef reduction. This was a manly man's dish.... soooo much food. There was a surprising amount of meat considering this was listed underthe pasta dishes... I would have called this a beef dish that happened to have gnocchi under it. The meat was amazingly tender... literally soft and falling apart, braised to perfection. The gnocchi didn't have much flavor on their own, but the the beef and wine reduction had plenty, so the slightly under cooked (in a good way... al dente not hard!) home made pasta got a nice, thick coating. This was superb... Italian comfort food!

My dish was, hands down, one of the best pastas I have ever had, anywhere, ever. Home made cocoa (yes... like chocolate) agnolotti stuffed with lucious roasted butternut squash puree, topped with a creamy herb sauce. It sounds confusing, I know, but it was out of this world. The pasta didn't have a huge chocolate taste, but the scent was unmistakeable... combining it with the thick, autumny squash made for the perfect combination. I thought that all of this divine sweetness and hominess would be muddled with an herby, slightly salty cream sauce, but it wasn't at all... the contrast was a sheer delight. Salty, sweet, thick and hearty, chewy and creamy, it was all there. My only regret was that I didn't order more to take home. I will continue to go back to Luca's for... oh, I don't know... ever, if for no other reason than to have this. It was simply amazing.

Luca's Ristorante may be my new 'go to' when taking out friends who are new to the area, a central meeting spot, a special occasion, or just anytime. I think that the atmosphere is cozy and cute, the dining room is inviting, the menu extensive, and food is outstanding. From old standards (think lasagna or chicken parm) to the somewhat adventurous (they have a dish that is squid, raisins, and pine nuts in a garlic sauce?) you'll find what you're looking for here. Call me.. I'll come with... you can have a bite of my agnolotti.

Luca's Ristorante
http://www.lucasristorante.com/
2019 Route 27
Somerset- 08873
732 297 7676

Paradise, Lawrenceville

2010-06-29T23:40:00.010-04:00

By now you know just how much Indian food I have access to on a regular basis (and I am sure you're jealous... at least you should be). Sadly (for the other places) we have pretty much spent all of our recent time at one particular restaurant... Paradise. Boy is that an apt name... the place has an extensive menu, really efficient service, and awesome food. The decor is nice, not impressive by any means, but the place is clean and the food is a delight, so, really, who's looking around?

As I am sure you also know by now, I absolutely adore paper masala dosai... the thin, crispy lentil crepe stuffed with an oh so delicious mixture of potato and spices. Paradise serves this up in a slightly unique way... while it's still absurdly over sized, instead of having the potato schmeared throughout (think burrito) it has it all gathered up into a ball in the middle, leaving the majority of the crepe to be torn off and dunked into the happy ball of filling. This makes me thrilled, as it means more crunchy bits of crepe and less soft bits. Their potato mixture is far more spicy than others I have had, and it leaves my mouth all a-tingle. Delish. So yum.

Matt's new favorite dish is called the malai cheese kabob, even though it is completely dairy free... weird how it's called that. What it is is chicken chunks over a veggie slaw... mostly cabbage and onion, but some bell pepper, too. The chicken is so tender... our assumption is that it's marinated in yogurt, along with spices. The cabbage and onion get sweet and soft, adding an awesome contrast of flavors. This all comes out on a steaming hot plate... I don't remember what it's called, but think fajita platter (metal... has a handle... waiter always says 'don't touch it it's crazy hot'). Anyway, it keeps the chicken warm, and continues to cook down the onions. Delightful! Drizzle it with the spicy green sauce that comes on the side (I think it's corriander) and the whole thing brightens up and gets a serious kick.

The vindaloo at Paradise also happens to be spectacular. While I typically steer clear of dishes that have heavy sauces and potatoes in them (because they get so starchy and are often done ickily), I made an exception here after seeing how well they do everything else. Good move on my part (genius... I know). The sauce is thick and flavorful, lending a decent amount of heat and a ton of spice to the chicken. The potato is cooked to perfection, not at all mushy or fall aparty, but fork tender and completely saturated with saucy goodness. Suggestion... eat all of the big bits out of the dish and then use the extra sauce left at the bottom of the bowl to mix with white rice. It's like an Indian risotto. You can send all thank you notes to me via comment. While not pictured in this blog, perhaps what Paradise is BEST known for is their biryani, a rice dish that has meats and some veggies and some SERIOUS heat. Paradise has won several awards for this dish of theirs, and I can see why. We ordered a chicken biryani and out came a giant bowl, holding an almost obscene amount of rice, two chicken legs, a hard boiled egg, half of an onion and some lime wedges. The sauce that the rice and chicken are cooked in is HOT (we never order 'hot' in Indian restaurants... their 'medium' practically made me weep, so from now on, on this dish at least, its mild or bust! The flavor is outrageous.. a little citrusy, a little earthy, so much spice, it's like a food dance. This is really special.

Paradise seems to have several locations, although it is by no means 'chainy'. I do not know how the menu's vary from location to location, but I bet that they can't be too far off from one another. Check out the website for one closest to you... let me know what you think!

Paradise

www.njbiryani.com

3800 Quakerbridge Rd

Lawrenceville-08648

609 586 9119

Enzo's La Piccola Cucina, Lawrenceville

2010-06-20T20:43:00.009-04:00

Everyone knows of a cute little Italian joint where the food is too good to be believed, the space is romantic and the service is killer. From what we had heard around town (and on Yelp, of course) Enzo's La Piccola Cucina promised to be just that.... quaint and charming and just plain good. We must have gone on an off night. I have to say, the place in teeeeny. Almost awkwardly so... I totally bumped elbows with the person sitting at the table next to me when we both went to take a bite of food at the same time. It was decorated in a homey, grandma-ish way (kind of cute), but so teeny I would seriously suggest reservations if you're planning on going on a busy night. The servers were a bit harried and distracted and the food was eh, despite the promises of outstading cuisine.

Every review we read and every person we knew who had been to Enzo's mentioned the 'button bread'. Where the wacky name comes from, I do not know, but it gets a lot of buzz. Described on the menu as a little round loaf of bread topped with butter, garlic, leeks, tarragon, and parmesan cheese, it sounds too good to be true, right? It kind of is... while it was delicious at first, steamy hot and jam packed with flavor, as soon as it cooled down a bit I began to notice just how saturated the bread was. It was downright oily...seriously sitting in a pool of grease. When I took a bite and heard the 'squish' of the oil flooding in to my mouth, I knew it would be my last bite. If we were splitting the whole loaf with a table of 4-6 people it may make sense, but for two it got too cold and too slimy too fast. Ugh. Thinking back on it now it makes me feel heavy.

Matt ordered the home made papparadelle in Bolognese. It was not so good. The sauce was actually pretty well done, but there was not nearly enough of it to compensate for the watery noodles. While I love to see home made pastas on a menu, it really only works if they're done right... these were not. Completely overcooked, the pasta was mushy and clumped together. It also held wayyy too much cooking liquid, which diluted the otherwise tasty sauce. It was a bummer, but the bites he got at the very begining (before the whole plate got watery) were yummy, at least.

I ordered the veal Nicolo, which was listed as veal in a vermouth cream sauce, topped with spinach and sun dried tomatoes. The first few bites tasted pretty good, despite the fact that it was so heavily sauced... but there was something a bit off that I couldn't put my finger on. When I offered a bite to Matt he immediately declared 'that tastes like fish!' He was totally right... there was a clamminess in the sauce that was very odd. The sauce also got a bit 'congealy' as cream sauces can (if they're not done correctly) which made the whole thing even less appetizing.

Look, the thing is this place gets rave reviews. On Yelp they have 4.5 stars, which is absurd! We must have been there on a really off night, or when they were trying out a new chef, or... I dont know what. Long story short, the experience was off putting enough that it will be a while before we give the place a second chance, as deserving as they may be. Let me know if you've been there.... tell me if I'm crazy, people!

Enzo's La Piccola Cucina

http://www.enzoscucina.com/

1906 Princeton Avenue

Lawrenceville- 08648

609 396 9868

The Blue Rooster, Cranbury

2010-06-09T20:43:00.012-04:00

Oddly enough the first time I even heard about The Blue Rooster was here, on IEatDC's blog... This is especially strange because A) I live literally 15 minutes from this place, B) I have been to downtown Cranbury before and C) SHE DOESN'T EVEN LIVE HERE ANYMORE! I am in total and complete agreeance with her thoughts on the coziness of this place... it's downright adorable. It's like a doll house come to life, complete with darling decorations, mismatched flatwear, and tea cozies wrapped around a variety of ceramic pots. Too cute... really. The whole street is actually really great... lot's of old houses, tiny store fronts, charming restaurants.... it's downright quaint. Anyway, The Blue Rooster is a bakery and cafe... all of their breads and other baked goods are made on site, which means not only are they all super fresh (and delicious) but the place SMELLS good.

Anyway, the menu at Blue Rooster is pretty cool. They have things like quiche, or sandwich, or omelet on the menu, but there is only one type of each offered daily. While this can backfire, I've found that I am always able to find something that will make my face tres happy. On this particular visit I ordered the omelet of the day, Matt went with pancakes, and we split a scone.

Holy cow. Let me tell you a little thing about the scones here. They're RIDICULOUS! Large and dense and full of flavor (even if you go with the plain!) They pair these giant baked delights with clotted cream and their home made jam. Forget it. Seriously? FORGET IT. You will be ruined for jam for life. I can't eat jam anywhere else now. It's basically just smushed fruit... so fresh, so naturally sweet, so incredibly tasty... pair it with the mild, cold clotted cream and the butteriness of the scone? I don't know why I ever eat any food that ISNT this. To date I have tried the plain, the raisin, and the ginger cranberry (HIGHLY reccomended). You'd be doing yourself a disservice in not ordering one.

Matt's pancakes were really good. I'm not a big pancake eater, so I don't have much experience or much to compare them to, but Matt says that they were fluffy and flavorful and tender. To be frank, the real star of this dish was the pure New England maple syrup. I have never tasted anything like it, buttery and sweet, but not cloyingly so. I don't have much else to say on the subject, really.

I doubt that you will be lucky enough to the same fortune that I did, but if you visit The Blue Rooster and hear the words 'smoked salmon, cream cheese and chive omelet' do yourself a favor and order it. I know that it sounds like a lot of heaviness, but it's not at all the case. The cream cheese is almost sweet against the salt of the salmon and the creamy eggs. The chive gives it a nice oniony bite. Also, not for nothing, but they shoved a ton of fish in it... they didn't skimp on the good stuff! Home made whole wheat toast (which I immediately doused with gobs of the ridicu- jam) rounded out the platter. So good. So so so good.

The Blue Rooster is a real treat... small and intimate with friendly service and delicious, fresh food and an ever changing menu. Dozens of baked goods are also available at the bakery counter(check out the web site for the fresh breads of the day). They also offer formal teas daily, by reservation, lunch and dinner. Check it out!

The Blue Rooster

http://www.blueroosterbakery.com/

17 N Main St

Cranbury- 08512

609 235 7539

Ria Mar, South River

2010-05-24T13:56:00.009-04:00

The town of South River is really easy to miss... a teeny speck of a town it's nestled in between East Brunswick and New Brunswick. It's also the home of a Portuguese restaurant called Ria Mar. A local favorite, this place is deceptively large, boasting a full sized banquet hall, a formal dining room, and a seperate bar/dining room (for a more casual, laid back experience).

First and foremost, Ria Mar has my favorite Summer time (hell, let's be honest... any time) drink.. SANGRIA!! They have both red and white Sangria and you can order it by the half pitcher or full pitcher. It's delicious. Tart and sweet, refreshing, delicious and fruity. Yum. I often find myself heading to Ria Mar with nothing but Sangria in mind, knowing I'll find dinner when I get there.

On a recent visit with LP we decided to order an item called the stuffed scallop. We were both assuming it would be something like clams casino... a large scallop with some stuffing placed in a decorative shell... it wasn't quite what we expected. What came out to us was a gigantic mound of stuffing sitting in (strangely) an oversized clam shell. Instead of several larger scallops with a dollop of stuffing this softball sized dome of stuffing held within it a handful of small bay scalops. It was basically stuffing stuffed with scallops... so odd. Luckily it was delicious... the stuffing had a great taste... fresh from the bell peppers and onions, and a little zesty from some lemon and garlic. The scallops were cooked well, and not at all chewy. The whole shebang was topped with melted cheese (it was mild... probably mozzarella if I had to guess). We enjoyed it, despite our initial confusion.

LP is a creature of habit, at least when it comes to Ria Mar. She is simply in love with the shrimp in Spanish rice and told me that she doesn't remember the last time she ordered anything else. The huge pot (seriously, its like a pasta pot!) is filled to the top with aromatic safron rice and sweet, garlicky shrimp. It's classic, delicious, and a great deal... the giant portions easily ensure lunch for the next day, if not dinner, too.

I ordered the seafood Spanish style. It's a serious amount of shellfish (a 1lb. lobster, shrimp, scallops, clams, and mussels) in (yet another) gigantic pot of broth. The broth is what makes this really special... a delightful, rich yellow color, it has a load of garlic, white wine, and Lord knows what else in it. It lends a lot of flavor (and a hint of color) to the shellfish, but what it's really good for is bread dunking. The seafood is cooked well, with the exception of the lobster (which gets a bit overdone from being in the broth so long, I suppose?) They also give you a giant plate of yellow rice on the side, but I was so focused on seafood that I barely acknowledged it. I ate this for three days... the portions at Ria Mar are seriously oversized.

Don't think that seafood is all that they do, though. Matt loves this place because of their prime rib. A giant (shock!) slab of meat, cooked to perfection nestled in between a mix of veggies and, my personal favorite side dish, the yellow mashed potatoes. I don't know what makes them yellow (my father told me once but I forgot) but I know that they are delicious. Smooth, creamy, a little salty and perfect, I love when Matt orders them because it means I get to steal a few scoops. Anyway, the meat is really tender, perfectly season, and nicely trimmed, with enough fat to keep it juicy but not enough to waste precious plate space.

Ria Mar is a real find if you are super hungry and want some delicious, classic Portuguese food. Added bonus? The bar area has the option of the dining room menu with all of the standard fare, or a bar menu, full of sandwiches or simple platters. The portions are enormous, the waitstaff is incredible and very friendly, the Sangria is not to be missed.

Ria Mar

http://www.ria-mar.com/

25 Whitehead Ave

South River 08882

732 257 2714

On The Bone, Princeton

2010-05-17T20:38:00.009-04:00

Matt sometimes gets a craving for a giant slab of red meat, and really, who could blame him. My friend Bim gets the same hankering at times, and since it seemed that the stars were alligned on this particular night we decided to all meet at On The Bone in Princeton to satiate their craving. Elegantly and somewhat modernly decorated On The Bone is located inside of the DoubleTree hotel on Route 1 South. I find that hotel restaurants are usually pretty consistant food and service wise because... well... they kind of have to be.

We were all crazy hungry so we decided to order appetizers in addition to our meals. Matt and Bim chose to share the chicken quesadilla, and this bad boy was monsterous. Seriously, half of it was seriously like a meal, let alone an app. It was stuffed to bursting with chicken, peppers, onion, and cheese then topped with roasted corn, salsa, and sour cream and THEEENNN drizzled with a chipotle sauce. Sooooo much quesadilla. And it was good! With all of those ingredients it sounds like it would be flavor overload, too much nonsense, but surprisingly it worked well.Bim was crazy hungry so he also ordered the onion soup. When you order onion soup you expect a mini crock (usually those brown ones? you know what I mean). Soooo not the case here. What was placed in front of him was nothing short of absurd. I mean, look at it. It's fair to say it was a practical volcano of soup. What was really impresive, though, was that the soup was real, honest to goodness onion soup... not that light brown watery nonsense. This had a crazy deep dark color which means that the onions must have been cooked wayyyy down, the fond scraped, the cheese bruleed. Presentation of this dish was also fun. Yay.

I started my meal with one of the items off of the 'small plates' menu. It was listed as Manchego cheese with fig puree, and I figured since it was indeed a 'small plate' there would just be a tiny taste, enough for me to enjoy, but still have plenty of room left for my meal. I was instead presented with 6 crostini with 6 large wedges of cheese and a baseball sized dome of fig puree. I'd hate to see what their big plates look like....Long story short I'd probably order differently the next time as A) this was a lot of cheese for a small plate and B) the crostini were not done particularly well. Bim ordered the full rack of Saint Louis style ribs for dinner. These were delicious! The meat literally fell off of the bone, and the sauce was awesome... dare I say it was saucesome. Bahaha. Hysterical. But seriously, it was the exact kind of sauce that I adore and associate with barbeque. Thick and sweet, with a heavy hit of smoke and dare I say a bit of spiciness. I loved these (stole two from him over the course of the night) and so did he... Matt's a fan of sauceless ribs, but what does he know? Even with Matt and I helping him out, Bim was still able to take home an entire half rack. Portions = HUGE

Matt ordered the bone- in New York strip. It was cooked exactly right (as you would hope from a steakhouse, afterall). The sear on the meat left it with a nice, seasoned crust and the inside was pink but not dripping blood, a perfect medium. The cool thing about On The Bone is that every single piece of steak that comes out of their kitchen is aged for at least 21 days. Also fun to note, every piece of steak that comes out is bone- in, including the filet mignon. Fun, right? Anyway, Matt's steak was served with a trio of sauces... a bleu cheese sauce, a bernaise, and a glace de viande. These were all eh. They didn't add a lot of flavor, they were totally unnecessary to the meat eating experience, and they weren't particularly good. Luckily they were on the side and easy to ignore. The onion rings were exceptional.... crunchy, salty, not greasy just freaking perfect.

I ordered a burger, which is odd for me, but hey, it's what I was craving. Another bonus about On The Bone? You can pile your burger high with bonus toppings (mushrrom, bacon, sauteed onions, fancy cheeses) for not extra cost. Bonus! I decided to top my angus beef bad boy with smoked gouda cheese, mushrooms and onions. The burger was good... really beefy and flavorful, but not too fatty and greasy. The gouda (which I have never before used on a burger) was a treat... the smoke brought serious flavor. It was great. It was also huge. I ate about 1/3 of it and packed the rest in to come home. Who can eat this much!? Sad note about the fries, though. They were too greasy, big bummer.

The final bonus to this place is that it's reasonable... beyond reasonable, in fact! We were really surprised to see that with the 4 appetizers, the 3 dinners, a dessert and a bottle of wine (and a partridge in a pear treeee) that we got out of there for about $125. They have a killer prixe fix menu that is available during the week, and specials that change daily. They are also on restaurant passion dot com, which means that they often offer deals at big discounts (buy a $50 gift certificate for $25 kind of thing).

On The Bone

http://www.ontheboneprinceton.com/

4355 Route 1

Princeton- 08540

609 514 2663

Hon Sushi, Lawrenceville

2010-05-05T19:03:00.005-04:00

Sushi makes me happy. It's colorful, refreshing, delicious, and pretty darn good for you. Authentic Japenese and Korean dishes also make me happy... they are full of flavor and ingredients that I seldom use at home... enter Hon Sushi in Lawrenceville. It's crowded into a strip mall with a bunch of chain joints, so it's kind of easy to miss. The decor at this place is gorgeous.... really elegant and modern with semi private tables for larger parties or smaller, dark wood tables set up for twosomes. They have only been open for about 8 months, but it is quickly becoming a favorite of ours (and we've already brought tons of people there!)

Ever since my first visit I have been starting my meal with their sunomono, a mixed seafood salad served with cucumber in a ponzu sauce. They happen to make this dish amazingly well.... their dressing is the right amount of tangy and citrusy without overpowering the fish. Octopus, giant red clam, crab, and shrimp were present on this particular visit, but the ingredients are always changing slightly, to whatever is fresh and plentiful at the time. I have had squid and salmon make appearances in this dish as well. Crunch from cucumber plus tart from the dressing plus sweet delicious seafood = one hell of an appetizer.

Matt orders the Ishi Yaki Bibimbop, which is a veggie, rice, and meat all assembled together kind of dish. While he has ordered it before at different places, this is by far the most impressive, most delicious and most beautiful version I have ever seen (or tasted). Look at that picture! It's a (burning) hot stone bowl filled up with a whole cooked egg, mushrooms, sprouts, carrots, pork, rice, cucumbers, herbs and spices topped with a delicious spicy sauce and mixed table side. PLUS it comes with about 5 small plates of assorted accoutrements.... on this occasion I recognized kimchi, sesame tofu and some sort of marinated green beans, plus two bonus dishes that I was not familiar with but were also absurdly tasty (not to mention perfectly paired with the Bibimbop). This is the kind of dish that makes me almost forget what I am there for.... ALMOST. And then I remember the rolls.

There is one roll that people fall in love with the moment they try it. To date, JS is the biggest fan (he has admitted to wasting entire days thinking about the next time he will be able to get to Hon Sushi for this roll), but no one has ever been dissapointed. This is the volcano roll. I know, the place that you go to probably has something by the same name, but I assure you they are NOT the same. Not even close. This is a california roll topped with jumbo lump crab meat and avocado then drizzled with spicy sauce and layered with octopus. It is then wrapped in foil and lit on fire for 2-4 minutes (at your table). It warms through the entire roll (which is surprisingly nice) but it gives a very unique and smokey feel too the octopus and makes the crab simply dance in your mouth. The avocado gets soft and creamy, the spicy sauce thins out a bit... it's amazing. Really special. I reccomend this to anyone... hell, even Matt tried a bite! The scent of gently cooked meat takes over the table... literally makes the mouth water.

All of the rolls at Hon Suhsi are impressive. Colorful and tastefully arranged, I have had several of the specialty house rolls. If I had to complain about anything, I would say it seems that spicy sauce makes an appearance in the majority of their offerings, which is silly. The fish is very fresh and can stand on its own (or paired with other fish or veggies that will compliment it). Sauce drowns flavor. Other than that, though, this place is all aces for me.

All in all, if you are craving some serious sushi or would like to try a traditional Korean or Japanese dish, you should check out Hon Sushi. It's a pleasurable experience from the decor to the service, and of course, the food is wonderful

Hon Sushi

3349 Brunswick Pike
Lawrenceville- 08648

609 269 5795

The Pop Shop, Collingswood

2010-04-27T18:59:00.006-04:00

Is there anything more comforting and smile inducing than a grilled cheese sandwich? I submit that there is not. Which is why when I first heard about The Pop Shop (which SPECIALIZES IN GRILLED CHEEEEEEESE!) from my friend SB, and THEN heard about it on tv a week later(Bobby Flay threw down with them on cheesey, bready goodness) and then heard about it from J and M shortly after THAT I knew I had to get there.... sooner rather than later! The place is pretty cute, done up 50's diner style. The best part of The Pop Shop, though (Besides the menu of course) is the location. Collingswood is adorable... a fantastic down town area with restaurants and shops and little boutiques... SO adorable. Now that I have seen the area I have vowed to go back and eat at every cute little place we saw. But I digress...

Matt and I met J and M for a delightful dinner grilled sammiches, fries, and shakes. The Pop Shop has over 20 different kinds of grilled cheeses... all with different bread, cheese, protein, and veggie combos. I opted for the Linden, which is described as chopped Angus beef, caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms and American cheese on a Philadelphia style pretzel. It was basically a cheesteak, on a soft twisty doughy salted pretzel, and it was amazing. Oh, the other awesome thing about this place? They have a whole menu of different kinds of fries! I KNOW. What CAN'T this place do? I went with classic fries, but only because it was my first time there. Next visit, all bets are off. I topped the whole thing off with a black and white milkshake (so thick, so creamy, perfect amount of sweetness to battle my salty dinner). How they didn't have to roll me out of the place is beyond me.

Matt ordered the Stokes, which is basically known as 'A Happy Waitress' anywhere else (aka bacon, tomato, and cheese). Served on perfectly golden, crunchy, thick country bread this was the perfect, classic sandwich. Yum. He ordered his with a side of the Louisiana fries, which are basically the regular ones just coated in a spicy cajun seasoning. Not too strong on the spices, but still gave 'em a nice kick. He also ordered a tomato soup for us to share. SO adorable, its served with goldfish crackers. The soup itself was amazing... thick and creamy, smooth and tomato-y and perfect for (you guessed it) sandwich dunking.

J and M had been there before (luckies) and knew almost immediately what they wanted. It seems that J always goes for the grilled cheese called East Zane. It's creamy, delicious melty brie cheese topped with perfectly grilled asparagus and pesto on a fresh baguette. Can you blame her for always getting it? HELLO it sounds delicious. M was torn between his love of grilled cheese and the desire to try something new and different.... new and different won out. He went with the Cuban, a sandwich homage to the mixes served in Cuba and Florida. Piled high with roast pork, ham, swiss cheese and pickles, this was really good. Nice and salty, a smidge smokey, a nice mustardy bite, all good. M also introduced us to the most intruiging dish of the whole evening.... the spicy french fries. Holy cow. Perfectly crispy fries tossed along with deep fried, super thin slices of jalapeno and onion. AMAZING. Paired with cold zesty ketchup? Forget it. Flavor explosion. I think back on these fries fondly.... and with my chin covered in drool.

Seriously, there is nothing else for me to tell you except GO THERE. Hell, Food Network gave it props as being the best grilled cheese and pitted the Super-Ginger himself against their team of sandwich making experts. Get there. Stroll around the adorable downtown area afterwards to burn off the billion calories you just ingested, then go back for a shake. I'm not joking. Go.... now. I'll wait here for you to report back.

The Pop Shop

http://www.thepopshopusa.com/

729 Haddon Ave

Collingswood- 08108

La Cipollina, Freehold

2010-04-14T18:58:00.011-04:00

Well, it was bound to happen.... the combining of families. Matt and I met up with my folks and his parents for dinner in downtown Freehold (which is pretty central for all of us). It's so flippin cute in that area... so many adorable restaurants and stores and just a nice, small town, down home feeling. We chose La Cipollina because A) it's been around forever, and B) they seemed to have a menu where we knew everyone would like something. Weird fact about La Cipollina... while you can order a la carte their menu is set up to only really offer a prixe fix option... you can do 3 courses for $35, 4 courses for $45, all the way up to 7 courses. (BTW for the prices of the prixe fix it's almost silly to order a la carte.... so none of us did)

La Cipollina seems strangely formal when you walk in... the staff wear tuxedos (so odd), and the lighting is dim, but it really isn't a fancy shmancy place (for example the table next to us? Both sweatshirts and an infant were present, so how formal could it be?) Anyway, all six of us opted for the 3 course choice, and while you are free to choose any combo of starter, salad, entree, and dessert we all decided to do starter, salad, entree. I'll relay the memorable things here for you.

For my starter I went with the smoked salmon with wasabi and creme fraiche. While I was expecting a slice or two of fish what came out was way different. It was a smoked salmon SALAD (probably should have been noted on the menu, but whatevs) held together with creme fraiche in lieu of mayo. It was delicious, and I was glad to have it, but still, quite the surprise. I enjoyed this both on it's own and schmeared on the crusty table bread.

Matt started with the gnocchi in parmesan, sage and brown butter. I thought this was fantastic... nutty, toasty, and warm it was the perfect food for a chilly night. He thought it was a bit bland, but I disagree. I found the gnocchi perfectly cooked, soft and not at all gummy, and I found the downright earthiness of the ingredients to be perfectly balanced.

Matt's dad and my mom ordered the mozzarella, prosciutto, red pepper and mushroom combo, served on grilled Italian bread and drizzled with organic honey. Almost everything on the plate was delicious, but the homemade mozzarella was SO salty... it took over the whole dish. I love a good home made cheese, and while the texture was perfectly creamy and the color was a gorgeous glistening white, the salt was just too much. The prosciutto added enough to the dish and the cheese was just overkill. Sad... it would have been the perfect combo of fresh, sweet, bitter and salt if it was just cut back a smidge.

The salads were ok. Nothing special. The caeser was caesery, the beet and goat cheese one that I had could have used a lot more beet and a lot more goat cheese. Not notable.

For dinner Matt had the chicken in a basil white wine sauce. It was topped with roasted red peppers, mushrooms, artichokes, and sun dried tomatoes. Matt says it was good and while I remember enjoying the bite I had to be honest it's a little forgettable to me. I can't really recall now what I thought of it. Oh well.

Dad had possibly the best dish that came out, the pork braciole over polenta. First things first, I LOVE polenta. I fell in love with it in Italy and ever since I have been completely enamored with everything about it... the texture and consistancy, its chameleon like nature of absorbing any flaor, it's feel and color... all of it. This was no exception, the polenta was a pleasure. The pork was tender and soft and stuffed with spicy sausage, onion and eggplant, all smothered in an almost sweet tomato sauce. It was a real treat. Perfectly cooked, intricate but not pretentious, and just really good.

I ordered the veal with artichokes, mushrooms, and pine nuts in a white wine sauce. I liked my dish a lot. Don't let the picture fool you... the sauce was not at all as thick and gloppy as it looks (although why it photographed that way is beyond me). It was pretty light and certainly tasty, with an almost citrusy hint of flavor. The pine nuts added some great crunch, the mushrooms and veal were earthy and warm and the artichokes were bright and delicious. It was a really good meal!

All in all La Cipollina has it's quirks, but was a really good time. It's byob (which I love, of course) has a pretty extensive menu, and offers a lot of food for a reasonable price... 3 courses for $35 bucks is ok by me, any time. The neighborhood is so much fun too.. in the Summer keep an eye out for live music and block parties. Give it a try, I think you'll find the value really impressive and the food a pleasure.

La Cipollina

http://www.lacipollina.com/

16 A West Main St

Freehold- 07728

732 308- 3830

El Sham, Hamilton

2010-03-25T11:47:00.007-04:00

Nothing says spring is here like Mediterranean food, at least in my eyes. I don't know why it conjures up images of the outdoors and sunshine, but it just does. We've recently begun seeing the first glimpses of warmth and the changing of the seasons, so my craving for authentic, delicious Middle Eastern food has been amped up. Luckily I live about 15 minutes from El Sham, a relatively new place that Matt and I have been hearing about.

If you order a combo platter you get 2 (omg!) appetizers, a salad, rice and your actual meal. This is NO JOKE, but what it IS is entirely too much delicious food at once. The salad was great, served with a delicious, nutty tahini dressing (that I couldn't stop raving about). Crunchy, earthy, cold and crisp. For my two appetizers I chose the hummus and the baba ghanouj. I was a bit surprised when full size appetizer platters came out to me (I figured since it was part of the combo it'd be an itty bitty scoop of each, but El Sham is not messing around!) The hummus was smooth and creamy, just the right amount of nuttiness contrasting with a bit of tart. The baba ghanouj was a real treat.... you could tell it was home made. A bit chunkier than most places care to serve it I was really able to enjoy the eggplant. Big pieces of herbs gave it a super fresh taste. I added this to my salad, my pita bread, saved some to mix in with my meal... hell, I ate some with my finger. It was really good. Matt's app choices were the yogurt, mint, and cucumber salad (also known in some circles as tzatziki) which was a bit thin, but tasty nontheless and a (full sized!) fattoush salad. It was crazy flavorful.... citrusy and bright with lemony dressing and topped with fried pita chunks for serious crunch and texture.

Somehow (a miracle, I assure you) we had room left for our meals. I ordered the El Sham protein platter, which is a large plate covered in all of my faves; lamb kabob, chicken kabob, and kafta kabob. Each of the meats were cooked perfectly... I don't think I even picked my knife up once. The seasonings on each (but especially the kafta) were so warm and welcoming... they offered a sense of the familiar with a twist of the exotic. I was happy that the meal was served with Syrian rice and the spicy long pepper... I was able to spice up the meat with a big bite of pepper and then cool down with the herby rice.

Matt went with the lamb shawarma platter.... the thin slices were absolutely delightful. The usual problem with this dish is that the meat is cooked for so long and cut so thin, and if it's not cut properly it gets dry and chewy.... so very much not the case here. The spices used give the dish an almost sweet flavor... I think it's the cardamom (or maybe there's nutmeg in it?) It had the same deal... rice and the pepper... this combo was even better with the shawarma, since the sweetness of the meat really brought out the bite of the pepper. It was topped off with a drizzle of tahini. Delicious.

We thought we were full.... hell, we KNEW we were full... that is until the owner (really nice guy) brought us over one of his homemade desserts. It was called basbusa, I'd never heard of it, never seen it, but what I now know is that it is amazing. It has the consistency of corn bread, but tasted like honey and almonds. When I declared this to him (thinking I figured out the ingredients) he pretty much laughed at me. The trick is all in the prep... basbusa has basically just a few easy ingredients.... semolina, butter, milk and sugar. It was simply to die for.

I strongly reccomend El Sham to anyone in the area. The owner and all of the staff were a pleasure to interact with, the space is small, but clean and tidy, and the food is great. I can't wait to go back and try a few more things... I think I may hear their falafel and grape leaves calling me.

El Sham

http://www.elshamrestaurant.com/

1641 South Olden Dr

Hamilton-

609 931 0513

Bombay Gardens, East Brunswick

2010-03-13T14:30:00.006-05:00

Despite popular belief, I didn't just wake up one morning loving Indian food. I was exposed to an Indian restaurant in my home town at a young age, and it is still the best I've ever been to, hands down. While not much to look at appearance wise, I can assure you that you will feel welcomed and cared for the moment you walk in. Bombay Gardens offers a large variety of both North and South Indian fare, with over 160 dishes. This where I got my 'sea legs', and, years later, where I first introduced Matt to the cuisine.

While it's not meant to be an appetizer, I have somehow fallen into the habit of ordering the paper masala dosai as one. Obviously not to eat by myself... that would be downright insane. They dosai is easily the length of the table, and stuffed with potato, onion, peas, herbs and spices. While it typically comes with just two condiments (a brown veggie gravy and an almost sweet coconut chutney) I also always ask for the 'green and red'... the corriander (I think) chutney and the onions. The dosais outside crepe is super thin and extra crispy... think massive potato chip. Now stuff that giant potato chip with some delicious mashed up potato (not creamy, not too chunky... perfect compromise of each), soft onions and sweet peas and you have a dosai. In my eyes it's the perfect food. I honestly cannot think of a time when I have been to Bombay Gardens for dinner and NOT ordered it..... it has to be years now. It's a little spicy (especially with the addition of the sauces), downright crunchy, warm, and tasty.

On this particular visit we ordered the chicken makhni and the lamb rogan josh. The chicken was perfect... the sauce was a thick, gorgeous red and the meat itself fell apart on our forks. There was a very distinct, creamy tomato flavor that held some serious heat (not enough to keep me from eating it, but enough to announce it's presence). I sopped up a ton of this sauce with delicious bread, while Matt chose to stir it into his rice.... it's that good.... even when the chicken is gone you need to find a way to continue eating the amazing gravy thats left in the bowl. Too good. The same went for the lamb rogan josh.... the sauce was the shining star that accompanied the expertly cooked meat. There is nothing worse than over cooked lamb... it gets chewy and stringy and just bad. Luckily, this is not even remotely an issue at Bombay. Their lamb is so soft that you don't need a knife to cut it... just apply the slightest pressure from your fork. The lamb has been marinated in a yogurt sauce, and its juuuicy. The different spices in the sauce (cardamom, cloves, cumin plus several more) give it a distinctly authentic taste. The sauce is so thick it's almost like a stew, but it's in no way heavy, and it still somehow allows the flavor of the meat to shine through. I am addicted to these dishes. More please!

While I have been coming here for years (in fact, in high school, ieatdc's husband J and I had a standing monthly date here) please do not mistake my praise for nostalgia.... it has nothing to do with it. The food is just THAT good. Dad likes to say that it still surprises him how this restaurant can actually get better and better as time goes on, and he's right. The service is amazing and friendly and every dish is superb (from the samosas to the lassi, you need to try it all). We've recently discovered the mutton pepper fry (a mutton dish where the super thick onion based sauce is topped with thinly sliced, super hot peppers).. it's not to be missed. If you love Indian food I assure you that you will thank me when you try Bombay Gardens.

Bombay Gardens

http://www.bombaygardens.com/

1020 Route 18 N

East Brunswick- 08816

732 613 9001

Blue Water Seafood Co., East Brunswick

2010-02-25T11:58:00.006-05:00

I downright ADORE seafood, but, unfortunately for me, Matt does not. I mean, after all this time he is just now coming around to trying a bite of lobster or crab if I insist that it's delicious, and that's probably as good as it's going to get. That being said I try to go out for seafood whenever I am not with him. This post will be a compilation of my last two visits to Blue Water Seafood Co. in East Brunswick. The place is really easy to miss.... a small, lone building on Route 18 across from the Brunswick Square Mall, but if you do stop in, I'm sure you'll be pleased. The place doesn't hold too many tables, so it has an intimate, cozy feel. Be warned, though.. it gets LOUD in there!

On my first ever visit with ND we started with two appetizers, and now whenever we go we always order them... the Asian inspired fried calamari and the goat cheese salad. The calamari is INSANE. Perfectly fried and then coated in a sticky, delightful Asian sauce... its sweet, spicy, and tangy all at once. I'd like to say there is some sort of fruit in it... perhaps orange or apricot... something sweet and thick, and then red pepper flakes and sesame seeds round it out. There is also a fruit based sauce for dipping, but there is hardly ever any need for extra flavor. I LOVE this dish, and while it's not technically on the menu it has been featured on the specials list every night for the last two years, so it seems as though it's here to stay! The goat cheese salad has changed several times over the past years, but the core ingredients are the same: pan griddled goat cheese, roasted tomato, beets, and apples over a bed of greens. On my most recent visit with ND there was an addition of grilled fennel. YUM. The goat cheese is crispy crunchy on the outside, and warm and melty on the inside. It's so tangy that it makes the beets seem sweeter, the apples taste more tart, and the lettuce fresher. It's a rare occasion that I don't get one of these to begin my meal (hell, it's rare when I don't get both!)

I usually don't order salmon in restaurants... I don't always care for it, and so many people tend to overcook it and make it way too dry. This changed on my last trip to BWSC with Mom. She adores salmon, and when I saw her dish come out I couldn't help but try it.... and once THAT happened I couldn't keep my fork off of her plate! Their house preparation of salmon is something I've never seen before; a gorgeous slab of Scottish salmon crusted in a horseradish and potato mixture, served over asparagus, with a creamy mustard sauce. OMG. So delicious. The fish tastes downright sweet under the crunchy, salty potato crust which is mixed delightfuly with spicy horseradish. The contrasting flavors and textures really capture the attention and focus the brain. This house specialty (and Mom ordering it!) has made a salmon lover out of me. Truly. ND is Italian, and while I don't want to stereotype, the girl loves her pasta, loves her red sauce, and loves a little kick of heat. Enter seafood Fra Diablo. This pasta dish packs a ton of seafood into a slowly simmered, spicy marinara sauce. The portion is huge, and the dish is insanely filling. There are shrimp, clams, scallops, calamari, and mussels all stuffed into this one entree, and they're each cooked to perfection. The marinara can be served sweet, mild, or spicy, but ND usually goes for mild. She'd rather taste the seafood than the heat, and I don't blame her. The sauce is delicious on it's own, well seasoned and authentic tasting, but pairing it with the various seafoods gives it a little extra oomph. The flavors all compliment each other very well, and since there is just so damned much of it, she always has leftovers to take home for the next day! Over the last ten years I have tried basically everything on the menu. Some other notable dishes include the pan seared Yellow Fin tuna, which is crusted in sesame seed and served with an Asian stir fry, the Chilean sea bass in a delicious mango sauce, and the spicy Buffalo style scallops. I adore everything I've ever had here, and I have yet to go home unsatisfied. The open style of the kitchen allows you to watch some of the action upon entering, the space feels inviting but not intimidating, and the staff is always friendly and attentive. It's a little on the pricey side, but there are ways to keep it cheap... order the lobster bisque and a dozen oysters and you'll be able to get out for about 20 bucks. In a town where the only other notable seafood joint is a chain restaurant, Blue Water Seafood Co. is an exceptional find.

Blue Water Seafood Co.

http://www.bluewaterseafoodco.com/

1126 Route 18

East Brunswick- 08816

732 967 9220

Laguna Grill & Martini Bar, Brigantine

2010-02-14T19:54:00.005-05:00

The island of Brigantine, NJ is small... very small. There have never been very many options to stay on the island AND have a 'nice' dinner out, and with the closing of Steak 38 the options became fewer still. That being said, you can always count on Laguna Grill & Martini Bar. While the deck area is basically a late night party bar (DJs, drink specials, the whole 9), the indoor restaurant itself is very nice, and has a delightful menu. They're open all year long and serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

While I have been to Laguna for lazy breakfasts, fancy dinners, and late night drinks, on this particular visit we were there for lunch. Matt and I were joined by J and M and we were just interested in finding somehwere to eat where we could all grab something fast but good. There was snow on the beach and J wanted to get a better look at it, so we couldn't beat Laguna's location... it's right on the water and has huge windows, so you can see the whole shoreline. Matt and I both ordered sandwiches... a grilled veggie panini for Matt and an Italian style one for me. Matt's was great... loaded with lots of the standard grilled sandwich vegetables (ya know, zuchinni, eggplant, roasted pepper) and topped with melty mozzarella cheese and a pesto mayo. Mine was stuffed with sliced mozzarella, fresh tomato, prosciutto, pesto, and roasted pepper. Both were pressed perfectly and were nice-n-toasty. The pesto sauce on each of them really brightened up the flavors of the respective veggies, and the salty ham on mine was the perfect balance against the creamy, mild cheese. Throw some crunchy waffle fries onto each plate, and call it a day. Very satisfactory lunch fare.
M went with a burger, and it looked insane. It was a giant burger, literally smothered in bacon and cheese. While I did not try this bad boy, I could tell that M was really enjoying it. He said it was cooked perfectly and from the looks of it, I believe him! J ordered a personal sized buffalo chicken pizza. I don't know what person this was sized for, but the pizza was bigger than we expected it to be... two people could absolutely share one. The well done crust was adorned with a generous helping of spicy, breaded chicken. Both bleu cheese and cheddar made an appearance on the pie in their natural states, and of course there was bleu cheese dressing for dipping. There was just the right amount of heat, the crust was chewy and delicious, and the chicken was tender. A totally successful pizza, indeed.

While the lunch fare at Laguna is as casual as can be, the dinner options are a lot more advanced. Items on the menu include sushi, steak au poivre, shrimp wellington, and tuna spring rolls. The 'deck' is a favorite for locals, and is open late night all year long. The rum runners at Laguna re not to be missed... by far my favorite Summer time drink, EVER. If you ever find yourself on the little rock that is Brigantine be sure to check it out!

Laguna Grill & Martini Bar

http://www.lagunagrill.com/

1400 Ocean Ave

Brigantine- 08201

609- 266- 7731

Los Amigos, Atlantic City

2010-02-05T20:58:00.009-05:00

Have I ever declared my undying love for Mexican food to you all? I have? Well allow me to do so again. I adore Mexican food. Spicy, cheesy, meaty, colorful... it's my ultimate comfort combo. Down in Atlantic City I am always impressed when places can make it without the help of being housed in a casino, and Los Amigos is one of them. The building itself looks deceptively small, and is painted up in crazy colors. It's located right across from The Walk, which is where all of the outlet stores are, and it's a great place to pop in after a day of shopping.

On a recent visit we played it safe and ordered old standards.... quesadillas and burritos, but Los Amigos does indeed offer a wide variety of delicious Mexican cuisine. This is going to be a pretty short description, because, as it turns out, the burrito and quesadilla that we happened to order were extraordinarily similar (can you tell which is which?). They were both stuffed to the brim with their beefy, cheesy goodness, ad topped with the signature garlic sour cream (so good). Beans and rice finished off the plate and we were in heaven! To me there are few things more satisfying and soul warming than Mexican food.

Our friend B was a bit more adventurous and went with the fish tacos. The fish in these changes daily depending on what is fresh, and he ended up with salmon. The blackening spice on the fish was delicious, and provided a really nice crust on the fish. The hunks of salmon were covered in an avacado cream, tomato, cabbage, and onion. The crunch combined with the soft and almost buttery fish was a really pleasant combination. B's only complaint was that he wishes there was a bit more food for the price (this plate runs about $17). While the tacos were fully loaded, he would have appreciated one more on the platter.

The other friends we were with ordered similarly to Matt and I. MR ordered a burrito and MS ordered ground beef tacos. They were all enjoyed, as were the homemade chips and salsa, as well as the pitchers of margaritas. Good food with good friends always equals good times in my book.

If you're looking for a Mexican meal in South Jersey you would be hard pressed to find a better place than Los Amigos. In addition to the standard classics that we all enjoyed, they offer options like Southwest crab cakes, chipotle pork tenderloin, and shrimp and crab enchilladas. They have a full bar (which is a HUGE plus when eating Mexican food, at least in my eyes! What goes better with spice than cerveza?) It's colorful, it's friendly, and it's super close to the action that Atlantic City has to offer.... walk to the casinos or shopping with your belly full of burrito!

Los Amigos

http://www.losamigosrest.com/

1926 Atlantic Ave

Atlantic City- 08401

609- 344- 2293

KC Prime, Lawrenceville

2010-01-27T22:17:00.008-05:00

I love steak (I mean... who doesn't?) but I was finding it really difficult to find a decent steak house in New Jersey. Then I found KC Prime in Lawrenceville. Hell-oooooo lovely. The place is really nice inside. Lots of dark woods, over sized booths, spacious but elegant. We were eager to get seated and order.

Matt started off his meal with a standard house salad... nothing too fancy, just cold and crunchy and good. I ordered the wedge salad, my favorite of the steakhouse staples. A half of a head of icebeg lettuce, tomato, bacon, and bleu cheese? YUM. It's my favorite flavor and texture combinations. Crunchy, icy, cold, salty, tart, tangy, zesty, creamy.... yeah. Don't mind if I do. I would have liked a little more bacon but, hey... who wouldn't?

For dinner Matt ordered the filet mignon and it came with a side of sweet potato bourbon mash. KC Prime is kind enough to offer both an 8oz and 12oz cut, and he opted for the smaller of the two. He ordered it medium rare and thats just how it came out. It was seasoned perfectly and was everything a nice cut of meat should be... soft and tender and melt in your mouth delicious. The bourbon mash was a bit heavy on the bourbon (at least in my opionion) but Matt really liked it. The plate wasn't particularly attractive... it actually looked really sad and empty, but who cares because everything was so tasty.

I had come in planning on a big ol' piece of meat, but when I saw the description for the filet mignon sandwich my mouth immediately started watering and I knew it just had to be mine. 6 ounces of filet mignon piled on top of a ciabatta roll, covered in caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms, with melted brie cheese and drizzled with a shallot and tomato sauce. Go back and read that again. Drooling? I was too. It came with their version of fries (which are really more like giant potato chips) and these were lovely. Thin and crunchy and salty. I really liked them. The real treat was the sandwich, though. So many flavor combinations (my favorite part of any dish, of course). The meat was supple and moist, the cheese creamy and soft, the mushrooms earthy and thick, the bread crusty, with a bit of bite. There were sweet onions and the tangy sauce, and it was just... well, it was damned good.. I miss it now. I'm sad it's not here with me, while I write to all of you.
To end our meal we ordered what has since become known only as 'THE dessert'. It's described as a warm dark chocolate brownie served with dulce de leche ice cream and home made whipped cream. That description doesn't come close to describing this brownie. This was SO good in fact, that I wrote down what we said while eating it, which can do a better job of explaining it's tastiness than I ever could again. "This must be what the angels eat in heaven." "Shh. No talking while we're in it's presence." "We don't deserve to eat anything this delicious.... no one does." "If God had dessert he'd be jealous of this." I don't care what you eat if you ever visit KC Prime.... if you leave without ordering 'THE dessert' you have done yourself....nay, your country, a great disservice.

Go there. Seriously. There is no reason not to. They have sandwiches and salads if you'd like a lighter (and let's face it, cheaper) meal, and steaks and seafood if you're in the mood for classic steakhouse fare. The place is decorated well, and really inviting, the service was a downright treat, and they offer a prix fixe menu that is very impressive. Also, they have THE dessert. Isn't that reason enough? Go forth and order!

KC Prime

4160 Quakerbridge Rd

Lawrenceville- 08648

(609) 799- 6023

The Brothers Moon, Hopewell

2010-01-18T17:38:00.007-05:00

Thanks to Mike I was able to obtain ALLLLL of my old pictures (and documents, and music, and videos) off of the old crashed computer, so the next few posts will be from a while ago. My appologies if my memory is at all hazy (but since Mike rules so hard I also have my notes.. so I should be ok!)

Matt and I had been hearing about The Brothers Moon for a while, but since it was a little pricier than normal 'week day' restaurants we had to wait for an excuse to go (any old excuse would do.... we didn't have to wait TOO long!) It's located in an adorable town called Hopewell, which has a seriously cute downtown area with little shops and stores and restaurants. The Brothers Moon tries to use all local, sustainable ingredients, which is awesome, and always appreciated by Matt and me. We couldn't wait to go.

When we were first seated our waiter kindly brought out some bread and it was..... terrible. It was awful. It tasted like it had been sitting on a cold counter for hours, it was stale and bland and for the first time, possibly in my life, I said something to the waiter. It was THAT bad. He appologized profusely, brought out the amuse bouche (which was a delightful crab salad over a veggie slaw) and got us new bread. Now THIS is what I was talking about. The new batch was buttery and flakey and warm and delightful, but I was still confused as to how the 'yuck-o' bread could have made it out to a customer at all.

Anyyyyyyway. To start Matt ordered the tomato soup, made with (what else?) fresh Jersey tomatoes. The consistency was beautiful, almost creamy, but not at all heavy. It was super super tomato-y, and tasted really fresh (like plucked right out of a garden fresh), but it wasn't seasoned well. It was fresh, but bland. Once he hit it with some salt and pepper it was a lot better, but it should have had a hint of seasoning in the first place.
My appetizer was a crab quesadilla. This thing was HUGE... when I ordered it I expected an appetizer size quesadilla, but no no, my friends... I got a dinner plate sized masterpiece. This was very good. The filling was pretty simple, really, just fresh crab meat and cheese. Not spiced, not saucy, just fresh and tasty. They threw some lettuce and tomato on the plate, in case I wanted to spruce it up my very own self, but the crab meat really carried the flavor. This was very filling and very good. Yum. Crab meat... never dissapoints. For dinner Matt ordered the roasted chicken (not surprising, huh?) It was served over a bed of delicious autumnal salad.... it had roasted fennel and onion and corn and all sorts of warm and happy things. For me the salad was better than the chicken, but I am sure that doesn't surprise anyone, either. The texture was soft but not mushy, the corn was sweet, the fennel was nice and anise-y. Matt really liked the chicken... he said he skin had a nice crunch and the meat was tender and juicy. Again, a bit light on the seasoning, but nothing that he couldn't solve with salt and pepper. It was good but didn't crack our top ten for roasted chicken.

My dinner was deeeeeelicious. I ordered the beef tenderloin and it was outrageous. It was topped with stilton cheese and grilled onions. The meat itself was cooked perfectly medium rare, just like I wanted it. It was pink and juicy and buttery and every delightful thing that a good cut of meat should be. The cheese was tart and creamy and rich and the onions were sweet and soft and the combination of them and the tenderloin made for a very happy mouth. The mashed potatoes were really good, super creamy and whipped (I usually like a little chunk in my spuds, but these were certainly acceptable, too!). The veggies were fresh with a nice bite. It was overall the best thing that we had the whole night.

I am not sure if The Brothers Moon would be my first choice the next time we are looking to go out for a nice dinner. While the rest of the meal made up for the bread incident, it doesn't mean it was forgotten. Plus the lack of seasoning in 2 out of 4 dishes (poor Matt can't catch a break) seemed odd for a restaurant we had heard such great things about. The service was very good, and I can understand that the prices are on the higher end because all of the ingredients are very fresh, and the majority are local. The food just wasn't great... it was good... especially the steak (YUMMMMM steak) but it wasn't mind blowing or spectacular.

The Brothers Moon

http://www.brothersmoon.com/

7 W Broad Street

Hopewell- 08525

609- 333-1330

Frog and the Peach, New Brunswick

2010-01-07T18:13:00.017-05:00

Well folks. This is it. My review of Frog and the Peach, one of the best restaurants in New Jersey as voted by.... oh I don't know,... anyone with a mouth? No, in real life this place has recieved accolades from The Artful Diner, The New York Times, Gourmet, Zagat and probably dozens more. Tucked away on a side street, surrounded by upscale apartments, Frog and the Peach may just be the most dazling gem in New Brunswick.

We decided to each go the appetizer and entree route, so that we could sample a little bit of everything. The Sister and Mom both ordered the beet carpaccio salad. It was adorned with apples, walnuts, and a delightful sheep's cheese. The dressing was a mixture of mustard and Creme Fraiche and was the just the right balance of tangy and creamy. A bite of everything together provided a fantastic combination of textures and flavors...crunchy, salty walnuts with tart apples and cool, fresh beets and tangy cheese and creamy spicy mustard. This was a delightful starter and I am very happy that they chose to share with me.

Matt got the pumpkin gnocchi to start. They were served over a bed of parsnips and leeks and it was a downright delight. It actually TASTED LIKE AUTUMN! How cool is that? A few simple ingredients doused with a helping of sage butter sauce, and it actually tasted like a season feels. I LOVE that food has the ability to do that! It's so amazing to me. Anyway, the gnocchi were pure perfection... soft but not smooshy, and pumpkiny without being overbearing. This dish was great. I think I liked it more than Matt did (he admitted later that he was less enthused because he was experiencing buyer's remorse.... he regretted not ordering the short rib appetizer!) His loss was my gain though. I thought this was a hit.

Dad went with the spiced flatbread, a vegetarian dish. It didn't look very pretty... in fact it looked kind of like a big sloppy mess, but it tasted delicious. There was an herb paste shmeared onto the flat bread and while the color was icky the flavor was a delight... very Mediterranean. On top of the paste were chickpeas, olives, yogurt cheese, and peppers. It was toothsome and herbacious and overall good. I would have liked to see a touch more cheese and a few less chickpeas, but taste wise this was lovely.

I ordered the F&P classic smoked salmon dish and it knocked my socks RIGHT OFF. The fish was not too salty and not too smokey and not tough or hard to cut and had no discoloration and was just awesome. It came with a little truffled egg salad and some spicy, horseradishy mustard and some house baked brown bread pieces. I, of course, combined all of these things and made the worlds tiniest (and tastiest) lox n shmear. Delightful. So perfect.

For dinner Mom ordered the hanger steak (how cool is a mom who loves herself some red meat?) It was marinated in balsamic and drenched in an onion veal jus (and I do mean drenched... a little too much sauce for my tastes!) The meat was cooked perfectly... nice crust on the outside and rich and buttery inside. To me, though, the most interesting aspect of this dish was the side that came with it.... bleu cheese stuffed tater tots. These were absurdly good... crunchy tater tots exploding with super sharp, super melty bleu cheese. Each little tot was a flavor bomb of happiness. Yum.

The Sister decided on the monkfish (ya know... poor man's lobster?) Everything about this dish was amazing. I was jealous that I didn't order it myself. I just salivated a little while remembering it. The fish was buttery and succulent... there are just no words in my vocabulary that can do it accurate justice. The plate was accented with several clams, and the clams were accompanied by super thick, uber delicious bacon pieces. The sauce that laid beneath all of this culinary magic was downright drinkable. No complaints about this dish. None. Delicious. More please.

Matt went with the duck breast and spicy duck sausage, all in a dried cherry duck jus. The duck was cooked perfectly with a crunchy outside and tender inside, and the sausage was very good (although I wouldn't exactly call it spicy). The problem was the sauce. It tasted good.... there was nothing wrong with it flavor wise. There was just SOOOO much of it... it was drowning the food. The sweetness was just too overpowering. This was the least succesful dish that we had the whole evening. It wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination... it just couldn't come close to the rest of the meals. (Poor Matt!)

While I was smitten with The Sister's dish, everyone else at the table voted Dad's the winner of the evening. He opted for the Moroccan grilled lamb loin, and it really was superb. The seasoning was spot on and really did give it a somewhat exotic feel. The pilaf it came with was also very good. While I really liked this, the rest of the table LOVED it. So majority rules... this was the winning dish!

Last but not least was my dish. I ordered the grilled shrimp ragout, and it was fantastic. Huge shrimp (and I mean really, really big!) were stacked on top of a mixture of beans, tomato, and sausage. The sauce was salty and smokey and the sweetness of the shrimp really contrasted well with the meaty sausage. The presentation on this was also beautiful. The sauce is what made the whole thing pop, though. It was one of those 'let me drag my bread through this one more time' kind of sauces.

For dessert we went with the ginger rice pudding (good rice pudding, but to be honest I tasted NO ginger whatsoever.... I would say it was very vanilla-y if anything) and and apple crisp with a brown butter ice cream. Now THAT was something special. The brown butter ice cream on its own would have had me over the moon, but pairing it with the hot and crispy pasty filled with ooey gooey apple filling? Forget it. Game over. We were officially full and happy.

Frog and the Peach is one of the best restraurants in the tri-state area, and certainly one of the finest (let's face it, probably THE finest) that I have ever been to. Plus they heart the Earth! F&P was one of the first restaurants to install solar energy panels. They try to always use fresh, local, and sustainable ingredients. This is a special occasion place as a rule, but do keep in mind that they have a bistro menu (available in both the dining room and the bar area) that is reasonable and impressive. Do yourself a favor. Once in your lifetime give Frog and the Peach a shot. I assure you that it will be a culinary experience that you will not soon forget.

Frog and the Peach

http://www.frogandpeach.com/

29 Dennis Street- New Brunswick

732 846-3216

Ciro's Restaurant Italiano, MonroeTownship

2009-12-26T19:41:00.010-05:00

My folks recently took Matt and I to a new place called Ciro's, located right on the cusp of Monroe and Jamesburg. I had been to the location before, back when it was Basile's, but it was under brand new ownership and had just reopened recently so we figured we'd try it out. They made some decent changes with the renovations... well lit, with a nice bar area and relatively open floor plan. We waited at the bar until our table was available... the service was pretty eh. Waited forever to be acknowledged by the bartender, and she took her sweet time making the drinks. Whatever. It was busy. Fine. Benefit of the doubt.

When our waitress FINALLY came over, we started off with two appetizers; artichokes Francaise and fried calamri. Both were ok. The artichokes Francaise were good, but there was way too much sauce for me. It was tasty... nice and citrusy, but a bit overwhelming due to the sheer amount. The fried calarmi was eh... noithing special. It wasn't chewey, I'll give it that at least, but there was barely any seasoning. When fried food isn't well seasoned, or too thickly battered, it just isn't that great... it just tatses bland and crunchy. The dipping sauce was decent, though.

For dinner Matt and Mom both got full entrees while Dad and I went for pastas. Matt ordered the veal Marsala and he says it was exactly how he wanted it. According to him the flavor of the sauce was dead on and the mushrooms were cooked well. He did say, however, that his veal was thin but not tender. He was happy with the dish over all, though, and that is what matters.

Mom ordered veal Francaise and she wasn't completely thrilled. The sauce, as we know from before, was good, but the batter on the veal was a bit too thick and eggy, and it got really soft. I will say that the portions were very large, though, so that is nice to see, especially at Italian places. There were three large pieces of veal on top of a big pile of pasta. Plenty of food!
Dad ordered the Bolognese, and to be honest it wasn't that memorable. I didn't even jot down any notes about it. I know it tasted pretty good, but it wasn't anything worth writing home about (or writing down at all, it seems!) All that I remember is that there was a very nice portion, and that they kindly subsituted in whole wheat pasta at his request. I ordered the penne Arrabiata and while it was actually very good (in my opinion the best thing on the table) it wasn't an Arrabiata by any means. Arrabiata means 'angry style' in Italian, referring to the fact that the sauce is supposed to carry some serious heat. This, however, was not the case. While it was a really good sauce with a ton of mushrooms and olives and flavor, it wasn't hot AT ALL. I don't mean it wasn't hot to my tounge because I have a high tolerance... I mean you could have given it to a child and they would not have found it spicy. Good sauce, incorrectly named.
Look. Ciro's is still very new, and with a ton of great Italian food in our area the bar has been set pretty high. The place is lovely and the prices are very very reasonable, but it seems that there are still some kinks to work out. I don't think I will be going back there anytime soon, but if anyone out there heads that way and wishes to set me straight, please do. I am all for second chances, if I think they are well deserved.

Ciro's Restaurant Italiano
301 Buckelew Ave

Monroe Township- 08831

732 521 1800

Princetonian Diner, Princeton

2009-12-11T10:27:00.005-05:00

Soooooo my computer is FUBAR which means this will be a photo-less post. I will try to be as descriptive as possible (it will be a true test of my writing skills.... how do ya like THAT for a positive spin!)

Ok, continuing on to what really matters... the food! The Princetonian Diner is the epitome of the true Jersey diner... breakfast all day, baked goods made on site, big booths and bright colors... the real experience. We've been there several times now (it's the only 'real' diner close to us) so this is going to be my 'best of' list thus far.

First things first, no Jersey diner would be complete without offering several authentic Greek dishes... I don't know why it's true but it just is. The Princetonian is no exception, and they have a dinner special that I just adore. It's a small Greek salad with spanakopita, and it is seriously good. First of all the 'small' Greek salad is still very large. It has all of the standard Greek salad fare (lettuce, tomato, onion, feta, Kalamata olives) but is also topped with artfully arranged stuffed grape leaves, anchovy fillets, and pita wedges. The dressing is vinegar based and full of fresh herbs, and it's just a great salad. Here is where I curse my lack of photographic evidence, but the spanakopita is the real star to this combo. Typically when you order spanakopita it comes to you in a wedge (think a half of pice of toast, if the bread is cut on the diagonal) Not here. Ohhhh no. The piece that came out to me was like a big tube, about the size and shape of a really overstuffed burrito. It was filled with hot spinach and feta, with just a touch of garlic. The phyllo dough that wrapped the whole thing up was flaky and crisp and it was really outstanding. I actually laughed out loud when I saw how big the portion was... Needless to say I didn't finish it (oh but I wanted to!)

Matt once ordered something that they call the grilled chicken portabella sandwich. It was awesome, and we crave it regularly. It's a long crusty, toasted roll topped with grilled chicken, slices of grilled portabella mushroom, mozarella cheese and a garlic mayo and its crazy flavorful. Matt opted to get it without the cheese and it still managed to carry a ton of flavor and richness. It isn't that they're heavy handed with the garlic mayo, because they aren't, it's more that the mayo is so strong that a little bit goes a long way. The mushrooms were grilled to the point where they get that rich and meaty flavor and that toothsome but delightful texture. The chicken was not at all dry and was seasoned and grilled to perfection. The bread was toasted to the point where you got that loud crunch noise with every bite, but not over toasted where you get crumbs all over yourself (because NOBODY likes to be the crumby shirt guy!)

Last on the hit list (for now at least) is the portabella eggs benedict. It's the vegetarian version of the standard classic. At first I was sad, because what I was expecting (and for any future restaurantuers what would be awesome) was a full portabella cap in lieu of the english muffin and Canadian bacon. This was not the case.... the muffin was still there, we were just sans bacon AND the portabella was sliced, not a full cap. So at first I was bummed. However, once I began eating I changed my tune, big time. First of all you NEED the muffin... what else are you going to soak up hollandaise sauce and egg yolk with? The portabella made for an even meatier experience than the ham usually does... it was so much more texturally satisfying than the meat! The Canadian bacon typically adds extra saltiness, I will give it that, but with a hollandaise sauce who NEEDS more salt? That stuff's already got a ton of flavor! The portabella added a nice chew, a rich flavor and an earthiness that really pulled the whole thing together. The egg was done perfectly... a little runny (not scary posion people runny... the good kind). Hollandaise can't really ever be bad (I mean... unless you do it wrong), but this was buttery, thick, rich, dense, and decadent. The whole dish was delicious and I am looking forward to having it again.

There are a ton of things to choose from at the Princetonian Diner... so many in fact that it seems at some point they just start making it up! ME once even got a lasagna sald (yes... a green salad with lasagna noodles, fried eggplant, some roasted tomato.... please note that it is NOT on the hit list). They have your standard diner faves (ya know, burgers, tuna sammiches, disco fries, matzo ball soup) along with real dinner items(chops, steaks, pastas) and some more experimental options (allow me to again refer you to lasagna salad). Give it a try. It's totally Jersey and totally good.

Princetonian Diner
www.princetoniandiner.com
3509 US Highway 1
Princeton, 08540-5923
(609) 452-2272

Update

2009-12-02T23:19:00.002-05:00

Just an FYI... I want to update, I really do, but I am having technical difficulties! All of my foodie photos and notes are saved on the laptop and it seems *dramatic pause* that we have had a bit of a crash. In true Murphy's Law fashion I was planning to buy an external harddrive with any holiday bonus money I'd be recieving this year, so OF COURSE the computer goes down a few weeks before the season. My team of nerdy friends and family are trying to help a sista out, so I will give it a few more days to see if anything can be saved. If not, then we go picture free for a few posts and I will try to eat out as much as humanly possible to start up a new batch!

In the meantime, snack happy! We will be back soon, pictures or no!

Harini, Lawrenceville

2009-11-24T18:46:00.007-05:00

While we know by now that there is no shortage of Indian food in our area, Harini is by far the closest place to our apartment. For us it is the perfect place to go when we get one of those random Tuesday night cravings for curry (you know those cravings... don't act like you don't). It's a small place, stuffed between two huge chain restaurants (they rhyme with Shmolive Harden and Wheeburger-Wheeburger... any guesses?), so it is often over looked in favor for the well known... which is fine with us, cuz that means faster service and no waiting for a table! Ha! We win!

This particular visit we started off our meal with the chicken 65. The bright red, boneless chunks came out to us and we were immediately drawn in by the smell. These were perfect... crispy on the outside, but crazy tender within. Little flecks of toasted garlic were sprinkled on top, adding a little crunch and some nutty flavor. This was not as spicy as chicken 65 that we have had elsewhere, which didn't really bother us, since it was an appetizer.

For dinner we ordered a lamb curry that was really good. Not like any curry I have ever had before. The texture was odd.... somehow thicker... the consistancy was a bit like that of butternut squash soup; a little thick, a little mealy, but certainly not unpleasant. The meat was super tender, no knife needed. The sauce tasted of tomato and onion and a ton of spices. It warmed up my tummy but didn't set my mouth ablaze, and for that I was thankful. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE spicy food, and even crave it at times, but I really enjoyed being able to taste every element of this dish without overwhelming heat, especially since it was my first time trying it.

Our other dish was an onion and chilli dosai, which is basically a super crispy, super thin crepe stuffed with potato, onion and chille along with a ton of other spices. While we knew that these are usually very large (we have had them many times before) this one was HUGE. Look at the butter knife in the picture below for a point of reference.... INSANE. The crepe itself was super crispy and soooo delicious. The filling was glorious for the most part.... mashed up potato mixed with onion always has a spot on my plate. The problem was the chilles. We knew to expect some heat, but the hot green chilles were ROUGHLY chopped, so every once in a while we would get a bite that literally stopped us in our tracks. A thumbail size chunk of spicy Indian chilli is enough to give you the head sweats right on the spot. This was delicious, but next time we may go for a chilli free dosai and just ask for the spice tray to add our own heat!

The place isn't at all fancy, colorful, or distinguished, but the food is damned good. The service is always friendly, the food fresh, and the flavors new and interesting. The menu is pretty extensive, with a nice mixture of North and South Indian dishes, and I think that there is something for everyone to enjoy. Just beware the chilli dosai!

Harini

http://www.harinirestaurant.com/

3349 Brunswick Pike #66

Lawrenceville- 08648

609 750 0488

Za, Pennington

2009-11-17T17:57:00.006-05:00

We needed a new spot for date night.... somewhere not too fancy, not too far away, not too overpriced, but not boring. What we came up with is Za, a hip little place in Pennington, and it is exactly what we were hoping for. It doesn't seat too many people in the dining room, so it has an intimate feel. The back patio area is beautiful (and dare I say romantic!)... plants hang all around you.... it's almost sukkah- esque. It also doubles the seating, but clearly that is only helpful for part of the year. There is some funky modern art on the walls of the indoor space, and the outdoor tables are adorned with candles. Based on looks alone we deemed it 'perfect for date night'.

First thing out was the bread. This was no ordinary bread, my friends, this was special. Glistening buttery triangles of flat bread, sprinkled with herbs and salt served warm... AWESOME. I am all about bread... I just love it. I crave bread the way some people crave chocolate, and this was downright indulgent for me. A bit crispy, a bit chewey, this was the perfect way to start the meal.

Matt decided to go with a standard house salad... nothing wrong with that, but nothing super notable, either. My salad, on the other hand, was a flavor experience. It was a warm spinach and lentil salad, mixed in with raisins, tomato, and pistachio nuts. The lentils were seasoned with cumin and corriander, so they had that warm, smokey, foreign taste to them. With the sweet raisins and the salty pistachios, the unusual spices in the lentil really made for a crazy contrast. I enjoyed the different textures... crunchy nuts, chewey fruits, hearty lentils... it was all different tastes and feels at once. So delicious, but also crazy filling!

For dinner Matt went with the 'Za-Kabob' (not such a clever name, but a very tasty dish!) Two huge skewers of sausage, steak, mushrooms and roasted red pepper came out atop a large bed of sauteed spinach and pico de gallo mashed potatoes (more on those in a moment!) The sausage was tasty, with a snappy skin and serious grill marks. The meat was good... a bit dry if I had to complain, but otherwise super tasty. No flaws in the peppers or mushrooms, but seriously,I have never met a grilled vegetable I didn't like. The spinach was delicious... a little garlicy, very yum. The pico de gallo mashed potatoes were freaking insane. Imagine you're just sitting there, eating a bowl of mashed 'taters (as I am sure you often do) when all of a sudden someone walks by and drops a very chunky, kind of spicy salsa into the bowl! At first you're confused and a little mad, but you're soooo hungry so you eat it anyway.... BEST. DISCOVERY. EVER! This is genius. Mild, creamy potato, spicy onion and jalapeno, tart tomato, all together! YAYYYY!!!

I ordered the black truffle and goat cheese ravioli ('cuz I'm fancy like that!). These were insanely rich... a serious decadence overload! Thumb sized, paper thin slices of black truffle adorned the plate of silky, creamy ravioli. The sauce was heavenly... cheesey, thick, salty, flavorful, gooey... everything I dreamt it would be. The goat cheese stuffing in each piece of pasta was a bit sparse, but I guess any more would be a cheese overload. These were so rich that I couldn't even finish them.... Matt had to help me out and eat several (poor guy).

We loved Za... seriously. It was perfect for a date night (even a double date, but I would say to keep away with big parties!) An intimate setting with delightful food for a reasonable price... such a pleasure! Some fun things to note, there is 5% discount off of your check if you pay in cash, all of their food is cooked to order (which may mean waiting a bit longer to eat, but certainly means fresh fresh fresh!), and they have over 25 kinds of tea and 20 kinds of coffee! I cannot wait to get back here... seriously... it's November and I already want to make reservations for Valentines Day. THAT good. Yay, Za!

http://www.zarestaurants.com/

147 West Delaware Ave

Pennington-08534

609 737 4400

Chapala, Hamilton

2009-11-05T19:08:00.012-05:00

I crave Mexican food at least once a week, and ever since we moved to this area it's been a hard craving to satiate. I know that we can go to Mexican Village but it's a bit of a schlep for a week night, and we were hoping to find something a touch closer.... and then we did. Chapala is right on Route 33 in Hamilton (I wouldn't call the section of town sketchy, but the building and parking lot look like they have potential to be). It's super weird looking on the inside.... really reminiscent of a pizza place or burger bar... looks nothing like what I picture a Mexican place to look like. I mean they hung the standard colorful art and sombreros on the wall, but it just looks... off.

We first tried the place with ME and her friend D, who is not only a local, but the one who reccomended the place to us. We ordered guacamole for the table upon D's reccomendation and it was awesome. Creamy and cold and a little spicy and a little chunky... even Matt tried it (remember... he is anti avacado! This is a big step!) He not only liked it, he has been asking if we can go back just to order it. So ha. Guacamole from Chapala :1, Matt's preconceived notions of avacado hatred :0

D ordered the chicken flautas in the Chapala sauce. She swears that the Chapala sauce is the way to go, but it wasn't for me... it was a brown sauce and tasted very meaty and rich... I think it tasted like it belonged on a pot roast, not a flauta. Hey... she likes what she likes. The flauta's themselves, though, were very good. Crispy and tightly rolled, these were very nice.

ME ordered the taco salad with chicken. This was LOADED with chicken.... I mean LOOK at it! The chicken was practically pouring out of the bowl! The salad was delicious and stuffed with a ton of delectibles... the standard lettuce, tomato, and cucumber were joined by black olives, mushrooms, green pepper and onion as well as cheese, salsa, and sour cream. The dressing on the lettuce was odd though... it had an Asian feel to it... it was very similar to the ginger sesame vinagrette I have at home. It somehow managed to work with all of the components, but it certainly was not expected! The chicken was cooked very well.. a bit citrusy, a bit spicy, all tender. This dish also came along with quesadillas.... soooooo much food. ME couldn't come close to finishing everything on her plate.

Matt ordered the fajita platter, and as his proteins (you can choose two, if I remember correctly) he chose the steak and chicken. Usually when you order fajitas you get your meats on a sizzling bed of onion and pepper.... and that's fine. Chapala didn't agree. Their theory seems to be 'more is more'. The plate was literally overstuffed (seriously... look at the shot I took!) with huge portions of each meat (a bit sinewy on the steak, chicken was delightful) and then a load of veggies. Peppers and onions were now joined by broccoli, carrot, squash, and cauliflower. Actually, thinking about it, this also seemed to have a bit of an Asian flare.... those are pretty typical stir fry veg, yes? Whatever. Long story short it was good and super generous. He got the Chapala sauce on the side and smeared it all over everything. I guess this meaty sauce made more sense on this dish, but I still didn't like it. Matt loved it though.

I ordered the beef burrito with Roja sauce. The burrito was a bit smaller than I expected after seeing the rest of the dishes, but it was seriously dense with filling. Strips of steak were mingling with peppers and onions, all of which were seasoned with a bit of garlic and a touch of heat. The sauce was thick and surprisingly sweet. It had a nice end kick, but I couldn't get over the sweetness... it was downright odd.

We will be back to Chapala.... most of the dishes were well seasoned and delicious, even if I wasn't a fan of either sauce that I tried (and despite the wierd Asian thing that they may or may not be trying to force!). The service was really great and the price was reasonable, especially considering the sheer amount of food that we each received. I will do a follow up on this baby next time we go, and let you know if there is a sauce that I enjoy after all!

Chapala

811 Highway 33

Hamilton- 08619

609-631-0062