Restaurant News

This week Rosie tells us about Semolina in Millburn; the Park Avenue Club in Florham Park; Liberty House in Jersey City; and much more news about NJ dining.

SEMOLINA, MILLBURN

It’s very easy to pass by Semolina, 343 Millburn Avenue, Millburn, as it looks like a pizza parlor from the outside. And although it does sell pizza for take-out, there’s a lovely 30-seat restaurant in the rear where you can dine on Italian favorites. Portions are big, prices reasonable, and service attentive, making this BYO a good choice for lunch or dinner. Start with fried calamari and zucchini; colorful baby spinach salad topped with a few strawberries; or an eggplant parmigiana appetizer that’s big enough for an entrée (and can also be ordered as an entrée with pasta).

Pay attention to interesting specials that are written out with their prices. We had polenta, which served as a base for scallops with tomato, capers, and white wine. There are plenty of pasta options, but the “rigatoni Semolina” made with a fresh turkey ragù, peas, and a touch of cream was a favorite at our table. One dining companion who often orders veal parmigiana, as he likes to compare different restaurant preparations, had a clean plate before I got a chance to taste the dish; a good sign. I applaud chef/owner Joseph Catalano for serving chicken on the bone. The giambotto here was delicious, even reheated the next day. I also applaud Catalano, who works in an open kitchen in the front of the restaurant, for saying hello and goodbye to customers and walking through the dining room for a quality check. For dessert we bypassed the house-made tiramisu and opted for a dish of ice cream and chocolate-studded bread pudding.



“Rigatoni Semolina,” with fresh turkey ragù, peas, and a touch of cream.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein.

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THE PARK AVENUE CLUB, FLORHAM PARK

Executive chef Arnold Kruck oversees the dining rooms at the Park Avenue Club, 184 Park Avenue, Florham Park, and offers contemporary American cuisine with attention to seasonal ingredients. At a recent press dinner the following menu was presented.

Vegetable amuse

Wild mushroom strudel with shaved asparagus salad and Madeira reduction
(2007 Barrel 27 High on the Hog Viognier, California)

Seared halibut with English pea purée, roasted sunchokes, yellow squash noodles, and lobster beurre blanc
(2006 Windsor Sonoma Russian River Valley Chardonnay, California)

Pan-seared scallops with truffle potato purée, hearty greens, and bacon chive vinaigrette
(2006 Louis Jadot Saint Aubin Côte Du Beaune, France)

Pan-roasted veal loin with herbed gnocchi, haricots verts, and wild mushroom ragù
(2003 Villa Mangiacane Chianti Classico, Italy)

Baby New Zealand lamb rack with caramelized spring onions, baby heirloom carrots, and warm Yukon gold potato salad
(2004 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon, California)

Ricotta cheesecake and macerated blueberries; coconut crème brûlée and caramelized pineapple; chocolate hazelnut crunch
(2007 Saracco Moscato D’Asti, Italy)

There are ten private dining rooms on three floors at the Park Avenue Club, each with a distinct décor; they can accommodate from 2 to 400 people and be used for social functions, weddings, or business meetings. Club members also enjoy special events such as business seminars, themed dinners, and wine tastings.

What also makes this private dining club special is that it donates one hundred percent of its profits to the following eleven local charities: Boys and Girls Clubs of Newark, Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Burgdorff Foundation, Jersey Battered Women’s Service, Morris Habitat for Humanity, the Morris Museum, New Jersey Youth Symphony, Patriots’ Path Council (Boy Scouts of America), P.G. Chambers School, Share Our Strength, and Special Olympics New Jersey.

For membership information log on to www.parkavenueclub.com or call 973-301-8233.

 


Wild mushroom strudel with shaved asparagus salad and Madeira reduction.

Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein.

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LIBERTY HOUSE LUNCH AT THE BEARD HOUSE, NYC

On June 5, a regionally inspired lunch created by executive chef Philip Campanella of Liberty House Restaurant, Jersey City, will be served at the James Beard House, 167 West 12th Street, New York City. The following menu will be served.

Hors d’oeuvres: salt cod and Yukon gold potato cakes with saffron aioli; slow-cooked Long Island duck crostini with strawberry–rhubarb chutney; Maytag blue cheese with green apples and Nueske’s bacon on truffle-scented Saratoga chips
(2007 Avinyó Vi D’Agulla)

Roasted heirloom beets with Hudson Valley goat cheese, American black walnut vinaigrette, and micro-herbs
(2002 Château de Chamboureau Savennières Roches aux Moines Cuvée d’Avant)

Crispy sea bass with fava bean tortelloni, sautéed pea tendrils, and carrot emulsion
(2006 Cascina Ca Rossa Langhe Nebbiolo)

Barbecued short ribs with warm new potato and lobster medallion salad
(2006 DeLille Cellars D2 Red)

Dessert trio: whipped cream cheese napoleon with crispy almond tuiles and balsamic reduction; berry shortcake with lemon-scented cream; chocolate mousse and hazelnut lollipop
(Casa de Santa Eufemia 10-Year-Old Tawny Port)

Noon; $90; James Beard Foundation members $75. For reservations call 212-627-2308.

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SPRING AWAKENING

Three top-notch NJ restaurants have made some seasonal menu changes.

Executive chef Thomas Ciszak of Copeland, Westin Governor Morris Hotel, 2 Whippany Road, Morristown, is creating new menu items with young rainbow carrots, English peas, morel mushrooms, European jumbo asparagus, wild ramps, sorrel, jumbo soft-shell crabs, sunchokes, and early-season NJ day-boat scallops. Call 973-451-2619 for lunch or dinner reservations.

The Frog and the Peach, 29 Dennis Street, New Brunswick, has introduced two new farm-to-table prix-fixe dinner menus: the three-course Frugal Farmer menu, for budget conscious times, priced at $29, and a $59 four-course menu, for when only the finest of fine dining will do. Both menus showcase sustainably grown organic produce from local growers as well as seafood from Jersey waters and poultry from Griggstown Farm. For lunch or dinner reservations call 732-846-3216.

Chef/owner Humberto Campos Jr. of Restaurant Lorena, 168 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood, is serving some of the following menu items: wild ramp soup with fresh summer truffles, ramp panna cotta, and brioche croutons; rack of lamb with roasted peppers, fennel, shallot confit, garlic essence, tender spinach, pine nut, and lamb jus; Maine skate wing with fennel, black olive, caper, fresh herbs, fingerling potatoes, and lobster-shellfish broth; and, for dessert, coffee panna cotta with biscotti, lemon zest, and sea salt. For reservations call 973-763-4460; BYO.

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MEXICAN DINNER AT ANDRE’S, NEWTON

On May 31, a special three-course Mexican dinner will be offered at Andre’s Restaurant & Wine Boutique, 188 Spring Street, Newton; $35. For more information and reservations call 973-300-4192.

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STAGE LEFT NAMED FOR BEST BURGER

Congratulations to Stage Left, 5 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, for being named by Grub Street, New York Magazine’s food and restaurant blog, as having the best burger in NJ. The burger is available only in the barroom and the sidewalk cafe (weather permitting). For more information and reservations call 732-828-4444.

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DINING DEALS

Restaurant Week will be celebrated in Ocean City from May 28 to June 7, with participating restaurants offering lunch for $10.99, dinner for $20.99, and children’s menus for $5.99. Diners are requested to bring at least one canned good per person or a $1 donation to help support the local food bank. Log on to www.eatinocnj.com for more information.

If you find yourself in Atlantic City for lunch on a Friday, the Knife & Fork Inn, Atlantic and Pacific Avenues, offers a three-course menu with choices for $17. Half-price appetizers are served at the bar from 4:30 to 6:30 PM. For more information and reservations call 609-344-1133.

The Washington Inn, 801 Washington Avenue, Cape May, is now open full time and offers an early bird special daily before 6 PM, which includes appetizer, dinner, and dessert choices for $22. For reservations call 609-884-5697.

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Please send press releases and restaurant news, including information on staff changes, wine tastings, and cooking classes, to rosie@njmonthly.com.