THE PEACOCK INN, PRINCETON
Another reason to dine in Princeton has been added to our list with the opening of the Peacock Inn, 20 Bayard Lane. (The list also includes Elements.) Under the direction of executive chef Manuel Perez, who was previously at Nicholas in Middletown and Le Bernardin in NYC, this elegant, chic restaurant, which we can recommend highly, serves seasonal, modern American cuisine. Another plus is that you can stay in one of the sixteen beautifully decorated rooms, as the inn is also a boutique hotel.
The spring menu had an à la carte section with eye-catching items such as crispy soft-shell crab with compressed watermelon and watermelon gazpacho; Hudson Valley foie gras with a strawberry-rhubarb blintz and balsamic verjus; wild king salmon en croute with white asparagus purée, pickled red onion, and red wine reduction; and mojo-braised suckling pig with crispy yucca, papaya-cilantro salad, and guava gastrique. Familiar and simpler but just as delicious dishes are also on the menu, including roasted organic chicken with apple-turnip purée and bits of crisp chicken skin, and filet mignon. A five-course tasting for $65 (with wine pairings an additional $40) gives you more bang for your buck, as entrées run from the mid $20s to $39. And kudos to the chef for not neglecting vegetarians; a three-course Vegetarian Harvest menu is available for $39.
The pastry chef is Anne Renk, who also worked at Nicholas. If it’s available, try her whimsical crêpe fettuccine with caramelized pineapple and vanilla or her decadent coconut and chocolate macaroon cake with coconut sorbet.
Chef Perez, general manager Phil Mercado, and owners Elaine and Barry Sussman can be—well, I have to say it—proud as peacocks of their new establishment. For reservations call 609-924-1707.
Soft-shell crab with compressed watermelon and watermelon gazpacho.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein.
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HUNGRY IN HOBOKEN
We found ourselves hungry in Hoboken on a Monday night, when many restaurants are closed, so we made our way over to Bin 14 Trattoria & Wine Bar, 1314 Washington Street (201-963-WINE), which is owned by Anthony Pino and open for dinner daily. Chef Pino also owns the Dining Room at Anthony David’s and the soon-to-be-open (in August) West End Station, both in Hoboken. Bin 14 is also open for lunch Monday through Friday and for brunch on Saturday and Sunday, and the bar is open Monday through Thursday till midnight and Friday through Sunday till 2 AM.
It’s all about wine, small plates, and sharing here, although there are a few entrée-size dishes. The wine is offered in bottles, two-ounce tastes, and six-ounce pours. Flight choices are also available. The menu is fun to read, with many interesting bruschettas, salads, pizzas, and noshes to graze on. Try a cheese plate accompanied by grilled bread, honey, and fig spread. Or go for the meat platter with prosciutto, pancetta, capicola, and sopressata. Along with the cheese plate, we had braised Tuscan kale with chickpeas and ricotta salata, which we thought was superb; a lip-smackin’ tuna tartare with jalapeño and scallions; spicy artichoke/ricotta pizza; and an entrée item of pan-roasted Chilean sea bass with broccoli rabe. Although everything we ate was a “we’d order this again” dish, many items—spicy lamb sausage, crispy sweetbreads, roasted beets, lobster club, and truffled eggs, to name a few—passed our table and had us saying, “We should have ordered that too!” Next time.
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FOOD NETWORK ATLANTIC CITY FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL
From July 29 through August 1, partake in food tastings, seminars, cooking demonstrations, and much more at the Food Network Atlantic City Food & Wine Festival, which will be held at Bally’s, Showboat, Caesars, and Harrah’s Resort. The event will benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Guy Fieri, Sandra Lee, Ted Allen, Sunny Anderson, Anne Burrell, Claire Robinson, Alex Guarnaschelli, Melissa d’Arabian, and Pat and Gina Neely are a few of the Food Network stars that will be featured at the festival. The event’s highlights include:
A Grand Market showcasing more than 200 stations that feature foods, wines, ales, liquors, and culinary demonstrations
A Sommelier Showdown where three top sommeliers will go head to head in a blind tasting moderated by celebrity sommelier Michael Green
A Jersey Tomato Brunch with Claire Robinson, featuring a five-course brunch paired with Jersey-tomato-inspired specialty cocktails
A Sweet & Stylish event hosted by Sandra Lee, which will blend designer fashions, sensual desserts, and Food Network stars Ted Allen, Alex Guarnaschelli, Claire Robinson, Melissa d’Arabian, and Anne Burrell
Guy Fieri’s Cheesesteak Battle, where regional chefs will be judged by Fieri and event participants
For more information and tickets log on to www.acfoodandwine.com.
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IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BEEF
On July 14, the Park Steakhouse, 151 Kinderkamack Road, Park Ridge, will be serving a family-style Beefsteak Dinner with buffalo mozzarella, Caesar salad, crabmeat and shrimp cocktail, a main course of certified dry-aged sirloin of beef with all the fixings, and New York–style cheesecake for dessert. 7 PM; $75 plus tax and gratuity. For reservations call 201-930-1300.
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SUMMER EVENTS AT SICKLES MARKET
On July 17, the Annual Blues Festival will be held at Sickles Market, 1 Harrison Avenue, Little Silver, with locally grown blueberries and blue Jersey products. There will also be fun family activities including a traditional blueberry-pie-eating contest. 10 AM to 4 PM; all activities are free, but sign-up is required for the pie-eating contest.
On August 14, Sickles Market will have its Annual Peaches and Butterfly Celebration with peach tastings and preparations. The day will end with the spectacular release of approximately 100 butterflies. 10 AM to 4 PM.
For more information on either event call 732-741-9563.
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DINING DEALS
Farm to Fork Week will be celebrated by South Jersey’s Hot Chefs from July 18 through 25, with a four-course meal priced at $35. For more information log on to www.sjhotchefs.com.
The Hamilton Inn, 708 Jersey Avenue, Jersey City (201-839-5818), offers half-price cocktails and fusions every Wednesday from 4 PM to closing. During brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM to 4 PM, $3 cocktails are available.
Il Michelangelo, 91 Elcock Ave, Boonton (973-316-1111), offers a bar menu Monday through Thursday with cold and hot appetizers and desserts for $5.
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