Weekend Dining? 12/6

[Rosie]

Going out this weekend? Be sure to give us a report. We are going to Pheasant's Landing tomorrow night.

[Kim WB]

Tonite, a Holiday business dinner at the Country Club. Tomorrow, Rat's. Sunday, a fundraiser for County Executive in Chambersburg.

Most likely, Rat's will be the only post-worthy meal, I'll let you know.

[NJ2FLA]

We are taking my mom out for her birthday to Peter Luger's. But that won't count because it's not in New Jersey!

[tommy]

we were in search of a red sauce and pasta joint last night. having been to so many mediocre italians in bergen county, we were at a loss. then it dawned on us that hawthorne has a few restaurants that seemed like likely candidates for a decent fusilli puttanesca. we ended up at giovanna's.

the place seems like a mom-and-pop. most of the people there seemed to be regulars, and referred to the staff by name (note that the servers did not speak italian and were unfamiliar with basic aspects of italian culture )

the menu consisted of your usual suspects. clams casino, fried muzz, crabcakes, salads, veal dishes, chicken dishes, pasta, and seafood.

we started with the crabcakes, which were very crabby, with little filler. just enough to bind the cake together and provide some contrasting elements. these were served with a *bit* of spicy marina (i say bit because it was just enough, not overly sauced), and a side of mashed potatoes, which i thought was odd. however, by the time we were done, we had happily finished each cake and the pile of mashed.

a dish of chicken breast with roasted potatoes, hot peppers, and sausage was quite satisfying and very sizable. the sauce was not the brown gloppy thick stuff that i was expecting. i think there were 3 good sized breasts.

my penne puttanesca lacked the elements that i would associate with a usual puttanesca dish (specifically, olives and capers). but, it was evident that they were used somehow in the preparation, but they just weren't visible. not sure if they pureed them or what. this was a huge bowl of almost perfectly done pasta (these places always overcook pasta for my taste). each entree is served with a salad of mesclun, cherry tomatoes, and red onion. dressed lightly with an italian dressing that was quite good, with nice acidity, herbs, and garlic if i'm not mistaken.

byo.

i think it was about 40 dollars before tip.

234 lafayette ave

(973) 423-4345

hawthorne, nj

[Kim WB]

Had a wonderful dinner at Rat's last nite, but he details are perhaps a bit blurred by some fine wines.

On my last visit, we had a tasting menu for 6 persons in the kitchen room, so this was my first good look at his fall menu. I should preface by saying that if I see game selections and root vegetables on a menu, I'm a happy camper. My initial impression of the selections was that Mr. Martin was a bit traditional, there were no stand out cutting edge dishes or combinations. Boring? Not at all. Because traditional from his talented kitchen is done right.

We decided to start with Champagne. My husband is a major wine geek, but tends to make the same Champagne selections. When he ordered, Anthony the sommelier suggested an Iron Horse Vintage Sparkling instead..and I really enjoyed it. Crisp, if that is a proper champagne/Sparkling wine term. The other female at the table and I stuck to champagne throughout the night, which is why there are still bubbles floating in front of my eyes this morning. The menfolk moved onto a Super Tuscan.

The amuse Bouche was a small lamb patty, and cous-cous. Rats now has a casual eating are, the Kabul Kafe, with mediterranean selections, and this small bite reflected those flavors. The little morsel was wonderful, and in the only service flaw of the evening, we rec'd two servings. Our excellent waiter shot daggers at his assistant, but recovered by acknowledging the mistake, and then joking it 's better to receive two, then none at all. How very right he was!

The tasting menu had a seared foie gras selection, but the regular menu had a napolean of foie gras. My preference for foie is always warmed, and my request for the tasting preperation was graciously filled. The liver was perfect, a generous portion with fig compote.The compote was well balanced and not too sweet. The compote illustrates my point: figs and foie gras are nothing new...but perfectly executed, and the dish becomes a stand out. My husband ordered a wonderful wild mushroom bouillon, with an intense flavor and richness.

The entrees were hits all round, in general. I ordered the duck, and it was just too mild for me. Is it possible that ducks are becoming less ducky? Farm raised and all that, I guess. I tasted the short ribs and the venison, along with a great parsnip puree. The short ribs were extraordinary, braised and flavorful, and so often the meat is tastless and the braising flavors dominate...but again, not at Rat's. Again, Short Ribs on a fall menu don't push any culinary boundries, but done this well, and the dish is elevated.

Desserts and cheese get a little blurry..seeing through the bubbles and all, remember. I ate too much cheese, and I got into an extended conversation with our server about the cheese cutter, which to me was intriguing and enlightening,to my dining companions was strange

( well... my husband is used to me) and to him was most likely a conversation with a woman who has consumed too much champagne.

The desserts were just ok: here, the traditional seemed a little...traditional. I had a well presented constructed Banana tower, but it was too cold to really taste the layers and distinctive flavors. There was an Asain Pear Tart, and a rice pudding with Cocunut that I should have tried. My husbands Boysenberry and champagne sorbet was great, tart with strong berrry flavor, a perfect ending.

We're scheduled for two more Holiday dinners there, so I'll be working my way through the menu.

For those who have been to this beautiful restaurant, I can only tell you that if possible, its even prettier dressed up in its Holiday finery.

[suzilightning]

) and to him was  most likely a conversation with a woman who has consumed too much champagne.

kim, there is no such thing as having too much champagne(or sparkling wine). i like iron horse, too. the vintage is great but i even loke the wedding cuvee.

as for cheese - i finally convinced my husband that what bothered his ibs wasn't lactose intolerence in cheese but the fat levels so, for the first time in years, he had a bit of bleu, aged cheddar and swiss - and it didn't bother him. as long as he doesn't overdo it...

[Kim WB]

kim, there is no such thing as having too much champagne(or sparkling wine).  i like iron horse, too.  the vintage is great  but i even loke the wedding cuvee.

as for cheese - i finally convinced my husband that what bothered his ibs wasn't lactose intolerence in cheese but the fat levels so, for the first time in years, he had a bit of bleu, aged cheddar and swiss - and it didn't bother him.  as long as he doesn't overdo it...

Ha! Tell that to my head!

That's good, life without cheese is a life ..well, without cheese, but its better with cheese!!

[Rachel Perlow]

We had another great meal at Saigon Republic with some friends on Friday night.

El Gran Mexicano for lunch on Saturday.

Disappointing dinner on Saturday night at Grand Sichuan (NYC).

Sunday I cooked. For lunch we had bagel & egg sandwiches, dinner was angel hair primavera with chicken, and I also made meatloaf and chili for during the week (actually, enough chili to stash some in the freezer too). I plan on making some more of the skillet cornbread (recipe on page 2 of the Cornbread thread) to go with the chili. I used a combination of ground turkey (Shady Brook ground turkey 2 for 1 at Stop & Shop this week) and ground beef. The meatloaf was unplanned when I went to the store, but I came home with so much ground meat... I also got to use my new food processor.

[Kim WB]

I also got to use my new food processor.

Yikes, that reminds me..time to check my gold box!

I think cornbread and chili is one of the best combos, fillling and very nurturing. I usually do either all turkey or all beef...silly not to think to combine them! Thanks

Edited December 9, 2002 by Kim WB (log)