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njduchess

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  1. Today is our Fine Food and Wine Tasting. If you're attending, please stop and say hello. I'll probably be at the raffle table for most of the event. Marie
  2. I'm looking at a map. It's in the vicinity of where Oak Road crosses Bloomfield Avenue and it's on the right. The name Pia Costa is on a prominent sign. This is heading west towards Pine Brook. It is a great place to shop for Indian ingredients. I wanted to get Chat Masala. The woman at the register helped me find it (it wasn't with the spices) and steered me towards what she felt was the best brand. I also wanted to try frozen coconut, which they had. I am always intimidated by working with a fresh coconut, and this was a wonderful alternative. They had a great selection of papadum. I bought a bag of tiny ones - maybe 500 to the bag. For a quick snack, I place 10 or so on a paper towel in the microwave for about 45 seconds on high. I did get fenugreek seeds, and I forgot to look for fenugreek leaves (dried). If someone sees them, please let me know. It's a fun stop! By the way, one of my clients told me about a place in Parsippany where she gets all of her Indian ingredients. (She doesn't like to go to Oak Tree Road.) She doesn't drive, so she couldn't tell me where it was. Anyone heard of this? Marie
  3. I did go to Casbah a few weeks ago. It's in the Pia Costa industrial area. When heading west of Bloomfield Avenue, it's about a half mile or so before you hit Route 46 - on the right. Upon entering the complex, they are easy to find, just to the right. They must have another name, because they don't have a phone listing as Casbah. They had a fairly substantial produce selection, but I don't know if Indian mangoes were there. Good luck. Marie
  4. Just want to remind everyone about Carlo Petrini's local appearances this week in Princeton and NYC. For those of us in the Northeast, where we can try to eat good, clean and fair food year round, we are coming into the season where we can add local to that list. He is sure to be inspiring. In regard to Saturday's Fine Food and Wine Tasting event, with the orders that came in over the weekend, we are pretty sure we'll be sold out or close to it by week's end. If you'd like to come, you can get a ticket here: Click Marie
  5. Carlo Petrini, Slow Food founder, will be in New Jersey next week. On Thursday, May 17th, he will be at Princeton University. At 6:30 pm, he will be doing a book signing of his new book: Slow Food Nation: Why Our Food Should Be Good, Clean, and Fair. At 7:30, he will present a lecture. It will be held in the McGosh Auditorium 50. It is located on Washington Road between Prospect Avenue and Williams Street. Parking will be available in lots 10 or 10A on William Street. No RSVP is necessary. If you are planning to attend, try to get there early. They have reserved a second auditorium where overflow guests can view the lecture in simulcast. There is no charge for this event. If you are in Manhattan and can't make it to Princeton, he will also be a the American Museum of Natural History - Le Frak Theater on Tuesday, May 15th, at 7:00 pm. Tickets may be purchased through the Museum and there is a charge of $15 for non-members and $12 for Slow Food members. Refer to Event SLOW FOOD NATION.
  6. The Slow Food NNJ team is working on the final touches for our Fine Food and Wine Tasting for May 19th to benefit the Greater Newark Conservancy School Garden Program. These are some of our own New Jersey artisan food providers who will be there: D’Artagnan, Bobolink, Donna & Company (chocolates), and Gina’s Paneficio. Just a few of the many restaurants serving a signature dish are Fascino, the Grain House, Restaurant MC, Culiariane, Campania, Blu, Piquant Bread Bar and Grill, and Mezzogiorno. Gary’s Wine will be providing the wines, and about half of them will be sustainable and organic. There is also going to be a raffle where lots of restaurant gift certificates will be offered, including Grammercy Tavern, Stone Barns at Blue Hill and the restaurants featured at the event. More information is here. Fine Food and Wine Tasting The next event coming up is a Trip to Viking Village at Barnaget Light on June 9th. They are one of the largest suppliers of fish and seafood on the Eastern Seaboard. We are going to tour the fishery and learn the history of fishing in New Jersey. In addition to being able to purchase the fresh catch, we are going to enjoy a lunch of scallops, prepared several ways. We tried to make this trip last year, and it was planned for a full moon that mixed with a Nor-Easter. It had to be cancelled, but this year it’s planned for a weekend without a full moon. More information is on our website here. Viking Village Info
  7. Curlz: We are so thrilled that you enjoyed session with Chef Cardoz. I have only dined at Tabla once and that was two years ago. Now that I know the man behind the restaurant and his philosophies, I will be back there for another visit in the next week or two. He was inspiring, for sure. I have to admit I've never been at any other Montclair Adult School classes as a point of comparison. Slow Food has some other chef-guided educational events planned, and I will be sure to post about them in advance. Marie
  8. This past Wednesday night, Chef Floyd Cardoz of Tabla spoke at the Montclair Adult School in a joint event with Slow Food. Who knew he was an Essex County resident! He talked about finding a lot of his ingredients at Kings in Verona. Of course, he has access to so much more in New York City, but he does do some of his shopping locally. His presentation included his own background and history along with an interesting discussion on spices and how they are readied for incorporation into dishes. He explained his philosphy about formulating his creations -- and he's quite opinionated (in a good way). A cooking demonstration included marinated hanger steak, tumeric mashed potatoes, and braised green. We were all treated to a tasting of these items that had been prepared ahead. Chef Cardoz is currently promoting his first cook book, One Spice Two Spice, and copies were available for sale and he was available to sign them. So sorry I don't have pictures, but I will definitely post some at our next event.
  9. Thanks for the kind words. We have been talking about planning a trip to Bobolink Dairy. It was done several years back, but it's definitely time to do it again. By the way, Bobolink will be represented at our May 19th event. Marie
  10. From time to time, I have posted about events being sponsored by the Northern New Jersey convivium of Slow Food. It occurred to me that perhaps there are many people who do not know about Slow Food, so I thought I would take this opportunity to talk about Slow Food in general and specifically what we are doing in Northern New Jersey. The movement started in Italy in the late eighties, as a response to the infiltration of fast food outlets into that country. Carlo Petrini decided that people needed to slow down and appreciate the pleasures of the table. At the same time, local farmers and artisan food producers needed to be recognized and supported. Today, Slow Food is an International Organization, and we are part of Slow Food USA. We are dedicated to spreading awareness and nurturing appreciation of slowing down to enjoy healthy, locally grown food by connecting New Jersey residents with earth-friendly farmers, chefs, and food makers. The goal of Slow Food NNJ is to develop school gardens in every town in northern NJ. These are some of the events that we have coming up: Tomorrow night, Wednesday, April 25th, from 7:30 to 9:00 pm, we are co-sponsoring an evening with Floyd Cardoz of Tabla at the Montclair Adult School. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $20. May 19th is our major fund-raising event of the year and it will benefit the Greater Newark Conservancy. On Saturday afternoon from 1:00 – 4:00, we are hosting a Fine Food and Wine Tasting at the Van Vleck House in Montclair. We are bringing together chefs from top restaurants and artisan food producers specializing in cheese, bread, charcuterie, and chocolates. There is also a bounty of gift certificates and gift baskets mostly food-related that will be raffled off. Most of the participating restaurants and producers are listed on our website. In months when we don’t have a special event featured, we host a drop-in dinner at a restaurant where we will work with the chef on a special Slow Food menu. These are educational, fun, and delicious. We hope you will have an opportunity to visit our website and join us at an event. Slow Food NNJ
  11. The Bagel Box on Eagle Rock Avenue in West Orange sometimes has jalapeno bagels. The bagels are not as good as they used to be from this place, but if you're looking for something that unique, they might fill the bill. They seem to have a smaller assortment of bagels during the week than on the weekend, so you should probably call first. Their number is 973-731-4985. They are in a small strip mall just a block East of Pleasant Valley Way - #642.
  12. It's the time for St. Joseph Zeppoli, which are the ones baked with choux pastry. Here in NJ, they are filled with either cannoli cream or custard. St. Joseph Day is March 19th. If you're in the mood to make them, Lidia has a recipe in Lidia's Italian American Kitchen. She features a fried version or a baked version. I've been meaning to try them every March but never manage to do it. Marie
  13. Back in the mid-90's, at the height of a very stressful (but successful) career in the apparel industry, I decided to chuck it all and start my own restaurant food delivery service in Northern New Jersey. It was much smaller business to manage than what I had been used to, so I figured it would be a no-brainer. Hah! Despite the fact that people wanted the service and I had a group of 50 restaurants contracted to provide food, it was an incredibly difficult business to run. The biggest problem was finding and keeping drivers. This type of business is much more successful in a verticle area (think high rises in close proximity to each other and the restaurants). My drivers were putting a lot of miles on their cars. Most of them burned out (or their cars did) after a few months. I hung in there for less than two years, cut my losses, paid all my bills (eventually), and gave up. It was probably the worst two years of my life. Last year, my 7 years of having to keep records was up and we had a big celebration as the shredding truck turned the last traces of the business to dust. I haven't had food delivered since. Marie
  14. So I have been very intrigued about this topic. I have been covetting a Le Crueset for some time. I actually had a Chef's Central Gift Certificate about a year ago thinking I would spend it on a new pot. The person working that department actually sneered at me when I asked what were the the advantages of Crueset over other similar products so I sneered back and walked out. Yesterday, I had an appointment in Morris Plains - just 5 minutes from Tuesday Morning in Whippany. Turns out they had just one that was 2.75 quarts - too small - although well priced at $70 (I think). I drove down Route 10 to Costco, hoping to score a Le Crueset, but they didn't seem to carry them. The final blow was coming home to find a Bloomingdales brochure in my mail box with a big sale on Le Crueset. The price seemed comparable to Costco, but the sale was last Saturday. Good timing, that one. I just can't win. Does anyone have advice? Which Costco? Which Tuesday Morning? Anyplace else? Marie
  15. We got there last night after dinner - about 8:00 p.m. The lot was still crowded, but a parking space was easy to come by. In general, the store was fabulous, and I can see my weekly food budget bumping up with this paradise just up the street. The salt selection was enticing. There were even more choices (plus the same ones from the cheese area) in the spice aisle. The freshly roasted spiced and sugared nuts were a nice addition. I like to cook from scratch, but some of the meats and poultry prepared for cooking were luring me in and, I will definitely plan a meal with the dry aged steaks - wow! The thing that irked me the most at WF Montclair was that no matter when I shopped they were always stocking shelves. I think the space is so small that they didn't have any storage in the back of the store, so when the food came in it needed to go right to the shelves. With those narrow aisles, I was constantly detouring. Welcome to town, Whole Foods!!! Marie
  16. I think he could well be right about a November opening. I was actually in the parking lot yesterday. The fascade on the second floor has been done for a while. The front of the store was getting "bricked" and all of the windows seem to be in. Today they are working the signage area over the door. I also noticed a lot of refrigeration trucks in the parking lot yesterday. I'm in the Montclair store 2-3 times a week, cursing under my breath at every turn. I can't wait.
  17. Just passed the construction site on the way home...There is a new sign up at the corner of Eagle Rock Avenue and Prospect - Whole Foods - now hiring. Maybe they are farther along than we all thought. Marie
  18. I have been shopping occassionally at the Verona location in the past several months - after no visits for a long time prior to that. The store has opened up with more selections in more spacious aisles. The produce selection seems to be better than it has been and the cheese selection rivals Whole Foods. The prepared food selection has been expanded, too. The best thing is that they have dropped the prices on many items. Their new "flame" logo marks the price reductions. Marie
  19. The West Orange Whole Foods has lots of activity of late. They seem to be building a second floor on the left side of the building. There is a "front" to the building on the right side. They are actually working on Saturdays, too. October is just two months away. I think the date may be way too optimistic. Marie
  20. Thanks, Paul for your suggestion. We have a reservation at Fromagerie. We were actually going to go on Tuesday, 8/22, but found that they had a special event that night. It is David Burke's take on a clam bake. The menu sounded great and it seemed like a very good deal at $125 pp. It included 6 courses all paired wth wines. We decided to go on the 23rd instead in order to sample a regular night's menu. I'll report back. Thanks for all of your suggestions. Marie
  21. We still have no plans or reservations for my birthday coming up in less than two weeks. Last year we went to Restaurant Nicolas and truly enjoyed it. As a matter of fact, I just received a card from them inviting us back - and a box of chocolates is waiting for me! We could do that. My first choice for this year was the Stone Barn at Blue Hill. When my husband called to book it last week, we found that we were way too late. They take reservations 2 months in advance. They also serve at their bar - first come, first served - and we are considering that. We could get there very early because we would be going on a Wednesday - our day off. Has anyone done this? For my husband's birthday, we went to Venue. I would go back there if only they were still there. We went to David Drake for our anniversay so that is out. Bottom line: we think we would like to stay in New Jersey (or NY State - not Manhattan). Anyone have any great ideas for a special meal? Marie
  22. I've seen the sign on Eisenhower Parkway too - it's by Dorsa Avenue. Since it's there everyday, I don't think it is the Livingston Shopping Center one. I think I actually spied a stand at this intersection. I think it's on the northwest corner. Everytime I pass by, I'm running somewhere. I'll try to stop next week and report back. Marie
  23. There is a Greek store in downtown West Orange. I have never gone in, but it looks to be a good-sized store. They are on Main Street - on the East side of the street - between Washington Street and the old Edison factory buildings. Good luck in your search! Marie
  24. We had an incredible meal at Fortunato's last night. We had a table of ten, and we sampled 3 antipasti and 3 salads. They were all excellent, but I particularly enjoyed the eggplant tower and the calamari salad. My salmon with crab salad was outstanding as was my husband's gnocchi with braised rabbit. The osso bucco looked incredible as did most every entree out of the kitchen. Everything was so very good that I can't believe that it took us so long to get here. Marie
  25. We just returned from a very enjoyable trip to North Carolina. We opted for Allen & Sons for our barbeque upon arrival. It was closer to the airport and we arrived at 1:00 p.m. We didn't feel like waiting for 3:00 p.m. which is when we might have arrived at Wilber's. Everything was outstanding. That night, we went to Deluxe Cafe for dinner. All of the food was well-prepared and very tall on the plate. We all enjoyed it. Saturday was the wedding celebration and most of our eating and drinking took place there. On Sunday, we had a nice dinner at Boca Bay (on the road to Wrightsville Beach). There were eight of us, and service was excellent as well as very good food. They served tapas style with a great emphasis on seafood. Most of us shared large salads, and then had another dish that was appetizer size. Wanting a taste of something regional, I had shrimp and grits with some bacon thrown in. It was incredible. Then we got a few desserts for the table. The creme brulee was gigantic served in a platter-sized gratin dish big enough for a good portion for each of six of us. I would recommend this place. On Monday, we went to the Causeway Cafe for breakfast. I had French toast, but the winner was shrimp and grits, ordered by my husband. It was very different than the version I had with dinner the previous night, but enjoyable nonetheless. For dinner, we went to South Beach. This is actually in Wrightsville Beach (make a right as soon as you go over the second bridge). The bride works there and, of course, we got top-notch service. We started with fried pickles - hadn't had these since Memphis. Between the three of us we had salmon, flounder, and grouper Linda. They were all good, but the Grouper Linda was outstanding. The French Martinis put us in a great mood, too. The prices were very good. For the trip back to the airport, we found that Wilber's started making lunch at 10:00 a.m. All of you felt it was superior to Allen & Sons. The people we were visiting with in Wilmington also said Wilber's was a better bet. We decided to have a very light and early breakfast and go there for lunch. We were cutting it close, but felt it was worth it. Then we hit road construction on 70, and we had to turn back to the airport or risk missing our flight. We were hungry and needed to use a bathroom, so we stopped at Smithfield's chicken and barbecue (chain) - it was really bland and soft - no texture. Even the hushpuppies were tough. So sad to end such a great trip on a low note. Thanks for all of your help and input.
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