Trattoria Fresco, Caldwell 7/16

[adegiulio]

imported Newark bread

Comments like this one earn you the position of "next eGullet get together organizer person"...Great review Frank/Lindsay. You captured pretty much every aspect of the evening. From Joanne's impression of Cirque du Soleil to Rosie's eGullet thong, the whole night was jam packed with fun..EAT YOUR HEART OUT TOMMY!!

It was great meeting the new folks. Mark, Stacey and James, hope the long ride home was quick and uneventful. Amy, I have one word for you...BINGO!!! Fun evening all around...

I only wish I knew why my bones are so brittle...

[adegiulio]

See pics of our lovely evening here...

[phenomprincess]

Unfortunately James and I missed our exit off of 80 onto 287, so our trip was a bit longer than it should have been, and somewhat eventful, but not worth repeating!

Anyway, we had a WONDERFUL time meeting everyone and of course eating and drinking the night away.

Rosie and I talked about organizing a get-together in October at Brother's Moon in Hopewell (I also happen to work there in case anyone didn't catch that), so I will keep all of you posted in the weeks to come as to when, etc.

Thanks again!

[Rosie]

A tremendous evening. I was still so full this AM I couldn't take my vitamins.

THANK YOU to Anthony and Amy for planning this event and a delcious THANK-YOU to the very talented Chefs Paul and Richard and manager Evan for the outstanding meal and service. If you have never dined at Trattoria Fresca put this restaurant on your "must try" ASAP list. Be sure to make a reservation.

The heirloom tomatoes, salad and calamari/shrimp were served family style. Also, we all took our silverware, napkins and wine glasses and moved two seats to the left a few times during the evening allowing everyone to talk to each other.

Frank--what a great job. Appreciate your thoroughness and giving up a few drinks so you could take notes. I think the salad also had some dabs of goat cheese.

I'm working on the pictures and will try to get them on here soon. We just got a digital camera and I need to crop them to upload.

[Curlz]

Good morning! This is your wine scribe speaking... I'll add my comments about the evening on a separate post. Here is the full list from last night's dinner (in no particular order):

’02 Turley ‘The White Coat’ Viognier/Roussanne blend

’03 Viognier de Campuget, Cuvee Prestige

’02 Mitolo Shiraz G.A.M. (with…gasp…a screw top!)

’03 Alto Adige Pinot Grigio

’03 Babich Sauvignon Blanc

’99 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon

’03 Rutini Sauvignon Blanc (Argentina)

’99 Ravenswood Zinfandel

’00 Turley Atlas Peak Zinfandel

’00 Simi Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley)

’00 Turley Dogtown

’00 Villa di Vetrice Chianti Rufina Riserva

’00 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa)

’01 Trimbach Riesling

Dessert wines:

’01 Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto d'Acqui

AKA “sparkling deliciousness" —Evan

’02 Borgo Regalle Moscato d’Asti

My personal favorites were 'The White Coat’, the Mitolo Shiraz, the Atlas Peak Zin and the Phelps Cab, but there was plenty of good juice on the table, that's for sure!Thanks again to all for their generosity.

[Curlz]

Great time had by all, as you can see. Anthony and Amy, thanks again for orchestrating the evening, including the (mostly) great weather!!!

Frank, GREAT post! I have a couple of minor additions/corrections, but feel free to correct me if I'm remembering these wrong! And note that Frank posted at 1:59am...an impressive feat, indeed!

First, I must elaborate on the bread basket. The presentation, in a tall wrought iron basket, is really lovely. The bread is sliced thin and stands on end with a few of the (daily) housemade breadsticks. THEY were awesome. If I'd been smart, I would have put a mess of them in my purse to take home! Seriously--great flavor, very crunchy. The the skewered cloves of roasted garlic were also delicious, and I just loved the whole look of the bread basket on the tables.

Ant and I were pretty sure that there were some clams mixed in to that fritto misto. If it's possible, there were just far too many calamari! So sad to see them return to the kitchen, but come on, folks...we were just getting started!

Pizzas: I believe they were officially a mushroom/white truffle oil pie, and I'm certain that what Frank identified as Bruschetta and arugula was the prosciutto and arugula one. I can honestly say that we never got the Margharita one down on our end, as I kept saying that I had tried all 3 of the pizzas. My only pizza disappointment was with the mushrooms they used; button mushrooms??? Come on, guys--far too many other options available. The pasta did disappoint many of us, but Anthony was honest with Evan and told him why. The sauce was also pretty rich, esp in comparison with the way we had been eating so far. I'd be game to try it again if the pasta was a little less gummy, as the ingredients were obviously very fresh.

The only thing Frank left out about the salad was the goat cheese! One of my favorite things on the planet, for sure. And the 'carmel' was, in fact, butterscotch. But at that point in the night, we were such a happy bunch that it doesn't matter. It's GOOD. I'm not a sugar freak, but I did double-dip (the unbitten end) my zeppole. And the chocolate was also fabulous, as were the strawberries.

Evan, chefs and staff, THANK YOU for dealing with us. We know we're fun, but we also know we can be a handful. You were very accommodating, and we appreciate it!!

There's something SO welcoming about a group of 14 people and many (16) bottles of wine that makes everyone comfortable. I want to reiterate that for those of you who haven't already attended an eG gathering, there's no reason to be shy! Everyone is always welcoming, so you'll feel like you've been coming to these dinners for years.

Curlz

[Rosie]

Amy and Curlz

Stacey and Scott

Frank

One of the four pizzas

Dessert

Anthony

The very talented Chefs Richard and Paul

[Rosie]

An apology for the quality of the pictures. I found that the pixels were too big and had to crop them. Is there anyway to take a picture with a digital camera so that they upload onto the computer as 640 pixels? Or should I read the instruction manual??

[tommy]

See pics of our lovely evening here...

great captions.

looks like a missed a good one. it's clear to me that *no* one rolls like the NJ crew.

[Curlz]

*no* one rolls like the NJ crew.

This should be someone's new signature!!!

[Rosie]

Wanted to add that Evan the eagle eyed manager kept things rolling along. He anticipated our needs, kept the new wine glasses coming and he and his well trained staff provided great service. Some of us didn't finish our entrees and I loved how everything was taken away and we were given a # to retrieve our food before we left. This eliminated the problem of doggie bags cluttering the table. The Tuscan Skirt Steak was so tender and the crisp potato manicotti was addictive. I think the chef stuffs mashed potatoes into manicotti, breads it and then deep fries the cylinder???

[=Mark]

Is Lowell going to post the picture of the table with 3000 wine glasses on it?

[phenomprincess]

See pics of our lovely evening here...

Thanks Ant, great pictures! Apparently you missed the moment when James and I were spreading the caramel on each other's....

[Helena Robinson]

Rosie and I talked about organizing a get-together in October at Brother's Moon in Hopewell (I also happen to work there in case anyone didn't catch that), so I will keep all of you posted in the weeks to come as to when, etc.

Brothers Moon????? Ooooh... One of our favorite "close" places! Chances are our paths have crossed at some point.

We're the ones who usually show up with two bottles of wine, one red and one white - one of which is often still (barely) drinkable; as in seeing which bottles in the cellar haven't been touched in ages!

Needless to say, with the right date and menu, we'd LOVE to attend an eGullet dinner at Brothers Moon. And, hopefully by then, we'll be able to afford to go. (Yes, I'm still unemployed <sigh>)

[Rosie]

Here's another one

[ghostrider]

Heh. I love a feast, vicarious or otherwise. Thanks all for sharing this.

[Rosie]

More pictures here:

http://www.shutterfly.com/view/pictures.js...e21b21edd3f3592

[tommy]

for the heck of it i resized and adjusted some of the food pics, with debatable payoff. i don't think i had the originals to work with.

Edited July 18, 2004 by tommy (log)

[NJ2FLA]

Well I went to Atlantic City yesterday and actually had room for the Virginia City Buffet at the Bally's Wild Wild West casino believe it or not. Oh yeah I did make a donation of about $100.00 at the Casino.

I just wanted to say that we had a wonderful time on Friday night and would love to see everyone again. Thanks to Anthony & Amy for organizing such a great evening. Thanks to Evan and Chefs Paul and Richard.

I can't stop talking about that salad. Yummmmm. The calamari I will still have to pass on next time. I don't know why people fancy that stuff so much? Well perhaps I am biased.

I am also glad that this restaurant is so close to where I live. I will definitely be back and perhaps bring my family and friends there.

Here are my Scott ratings:

Bread and breadstix: yum.

Tomatoes: yum.

Pizza: yum.

Salad: extreme yum.

Seafood fritto misto: not so yum for me but yum for everyone else (I'm not a seafood or fish lover)

Skirt Steak: the most yum I have had in a long time.

Desert: yum.

I hope I didn't forget anything, but you get the picture.

We had such a nice time meeting everyone there - what a nice group of people. I will have attend more of these gatherings.

-Scott & Amy (not to be confused with Anthony's Amy).

[WestOrangeFrank]

Hey all, Some more photos...

Including a few rare shots of what must be the most magnificent display of post-dinner contortionism ever seen at a table.

http://www.frankandlindsay.com/photos/egullet1/thumbnail.htm

[WestOrangeFrank]

imported Newark bread

Comments like this one earn you the position of "next eGullet get together organizer person"

Passing on the tourch to the newbie, ok. More to come in the not too distant future...

[Rosie]

West Orange Frank--Don't forget that we have the pig roast scheduled for Sept 12 at Bobolink. All are invited.

Fabulous pictures.