CHEF LORYN’S CAFE & CATERING, MADISON
There’s a lot to be impressed with at Chef Loryn’s Cafe and Catering, 250 Main Street, Madison, where you can have breakfast or lunch or pick up dinner for the evening. Owner/chef Loryn Dagon, who was previously executive chef at Gary’s Wine & Marketplace (Madison and Bernardsville), delivers in the area, caters throughout the state, and has a Dinners to Go program where she will send you an e-mail twice a week with her daily specials.
We were there for lunch, and my “appetizer” was one the best coconut/chocolate chip cookies that I’ve ever inhaled. A breakfast burrito had all the fixins we love: peppers, onions, mushrooms, and spicy salsa. Other options are cheese, chorizo, and bacon. There are endless combinations of sandwiches and lunch items available: potato salad, mac and cheese, coleslaw, grilled chicken, grilled cheese, eggplant cutlets, fresh vegetables, pastas, rice, pot pies, crab cakes, meat loaf, and tuna, shrimp, and chicken salads. Box lunches are available, perfect to take to a sports event. We plan to pick up sandwiches to take on our next plane trip, which will be a thousand times better than airplane food. Also, no catering job is too small or big. Chef Loryn believes every event should be planned individually and is happy to work within clients’ budgets.
Chef Loryn prepared all of the meals on our visit. We brought home an entrée of shrimp, roasted vegetables, and corn on the cob, with cilantro/lime dressing; a scrumptious crab cake; a corn and black bean salad; and outrageously delicious homemade cookies. Meat loaf, flank steak, crab cakes, vegetables, and starches, plus daily specials, are also available for dinner.
The café is open on weekdays from 7 AM to 7 PM and on Saturdays from 8 AM to 2 PM (closed Sunday). For more info and to place an order call 973-520-8703.
Shrimp, roasted vegetable, and corn on the cob, with cilantro/lime dressing.
Photo courtesy of Rosie Saferstein.
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THE FOOD MAVEN, ARTHUR SCHWARTZ
The Food Maven, Arthur Schwartz, will be in New Jersey at the following venues:
On October 22, he will have a cooking demonstration and signing of his new book, The Southern Italian Table: Authentic Recipes From Traditional Kitchens, at Chef Central, 240 Rt 17 N, Paramus. 6:30 PM; free. For more information call 201-576-0100.
On October 28, an illustrated lecture and signing of The Southern Italian Table will be held at the Adult School of Montclair, 100 Chestnut St, Montclair. 7:30 to 9 PM; $15 plus $5 registration. To enroll call 973-746-6636.
On October 25, Arthur will host a kosher Brooklyn tour sponsored by the Bridgewater Jewish Community Center. A bus will leave for Brooklyn from the JCC at 8:30 AM. After a bagel breakfast, Arthur will lead a kosher shopping tour in the Midwood section. Stops include Pomegranate, the most deluxe and extensive kosher supermarket in the world; Avenue J, with its old-fashioned Jewish bakeries and kugel emporiums; the Pickle Guys on Coney Island Avenue; and, after some snacking along the way, an Israeli-style late, light lunch at a restaurant in the Syrian Sephardic neighborhood around Kings Highway. The $150 fee includes everything except personal shopping. The bus will return at approximately 5 PM. The trip is limited to twenty. Register by October 9 by calling Debbie Golden at 908-725-6994 ext. 201.
For more information log on to www.thefoodmaven.com.
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NEW OPTIONS AT THE BERNARDS INN, BERNARDSVILLE
There are some new options at the Bernards Inn, 27 Mine Brook Road, Bernardsville. Brunch is offered on Sundays for $29.95 ($14.95 for children under twelve). And a new Sunday lunch menu is served from 1 to 5:30 PM. Sunday dinner will be served, as always, from 5:30 to 9 PM. For reservations call 908-766-0002.
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CHEF JESSE’S COOKING CLASS
On October 15, come hungry to a Carolina Cuisine (fusion of Southern and French) cooking class with Chef Jesse Jones at South Orange Middle School, 70 North Ridgewood Road, South Orange. The following dishes will be demonstrated: cold-smoked brined chicken breast over mixed greens with apple cider dressing; Miss Millie smothered pork tenderloins with roasted onions, garlic mash, and lightly sautéed down-home green beans; and brown sugar and sweet potato pound cake with spiced glaze. 7 to 9 PM; $45. To register log on to www.somadultschool.org or call 973-378-2772 ext. 2133.
Chef Jesse has also sent the following recipe, which he will be preparing in the class:
FRESH MIXED GREENS WITH CIDER DRESSING
Makes 2 1/4 cups of dressing, which is also good for marinating chicken and pork
Toss your favorite mixed greens or a bag of mixed greens with some of the following dressing to taste.
Dressing:
1 cup grape seed oil
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider
1 teaspoon Creole mustard
1/4 cup minced shallots
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 dashes hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Chill. Keeps one week in the refrigerator.
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MADISON RESTAURANT WEEK
Madison Restaurant Week will be celebrated from October 4 through 11, with participating restaurants offering a prix-fixe lunch for $14.09 and a prix-fixe dinner for $22.09 in addition to their regular menu. The special menus will include a minimum offering of three appetizers, three entrées, and two desserts from which to choose. Reservations are recommended; mention Madison Restaurant Week when booking. Participating restaurants include 54 Main, Begum Palace, Broccolini’s, David’s Rumba Cafe, Firehouse Restaurant, From Scratch, Garlic Rose, Myersville Inn, Prospect Tavern, Resto, Rocco’s Tuscany Grill, and Soho 33. For more information call 973-377-7830.
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FAR HILLS RACE MEETING
On October 17, the 89th Annual Far Hills Race Meeting will be held at Moorland Farms, Far Hills, to benefit the Somerset Medical Center. This event is also known for extravagant fall picnics with beautiful floral centerpieces, hay-bale seating, ice carvings, and more. Bring your own picnic or order a feast from one of the registered caterers. A list is available online. Grounds open to the public at 8 AM; post time for the first race is 1 PM. General admission tickets prior to the day of the event are $50, and a parking pass is $30. Tickets and parking passes are available at local merchants or online at www.farhillsrace.org while supplies last. On the day of the event, general admission is $100. For more information contact the Far Hills Race Meeting Association at 908-685-2929 or visit the Website listed above.
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CHOWDERFEST IN BEACH HAVEN
On October 4, get your fill of chowder at the Chowderfest that will be held at the Taylor Avenue ball field, Ninth Street and Taylor Avenue, Beach Haven (across from Schooner’s Wharf and Bay Village). 11 AM to 4 PM; unlimited chowder tasting for $20; $10 for children ages four to twelve. Special early admission at 10 AM includes a commemorative Chowderfest T-shirt; $50. For more information go to www.chowderfest.com.
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OKTOBERFEST AT IRON HILL, MAPLE SHADE
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, 124 East Kings Highway, Maple Shade, is celebrating Oktoberfest till October 31 with Bavarian-style beer and a menu featuring items such as schnitzel, salmon, sausage, and black walnut-chocolate torte. The à la carte menu will also be available. For reservations call 856-273-0300.
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DINING DEAL
On October 1 from 11 AM until 8 PM, Chipotle, 500 Route 73 South, Marlton (856-797-1569), is giving out a free gourmet burrito filled with pork, chicken, beef, or vegetables. Rice mixed with cilantro leaves and freshly squeezed lime juice and a choice of piquant salsas, freshly grated cheese, sour cream, romaine lettuce, and a fountain drink are also available for free.
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