LIBERTY HOUSE, JERSEY CITY
Jeanne and Frank Cretella, owners of Liberty House, Liberty State Park, 78 Audrey Zapp Drive, Jersey City, who recently celebrated the tenth anniversary of the restaurant, brought in the very gifted Ken Trickilo as executive chef last March. Recently we got a chance to taste his cuisine at a press dinner, and in one word: wow! With the top-notch food, paired wines, live music, and view of the NYC skyline, Ellis Island, and Statue of Liberty, we had a memorable evening.
Trickilo offers contemporary American comfort food using seasonal ingredients and also purchases many vegetables from Zone 7, a highly respected purveyor that delivers local farm produce directly to restaurants. He worked previously at South City Grill and Napa Valley Grille. Along with the vibrant signature dishes that we tasted, Liberty House has an extensive raw bar, and sushi is available every night except Tuesday. There’s live music on Friday and Saturday nights and at Sunday brunch. When you dine here, don’t forget to get your parking ticket validated. Phone: 201-395-0300.
Trickilo presented us with the following feast, which can be found on the fall menu.
Zucchini-wrapped roasted red and gold beet terrine with mâche greens, fresh goat cheese, and aged sherry vinaigrette.
Braised littleneck clams with Lopes chorizo (from Newark), with roasted tomato, white beans, mizuna greens, and a white wine and garlic sauce. We asked for more bread to dip in the sauce.
Pumpkin-seed-crusted Alaskan halibut with baby Brussels sprout hash, Austrian pumpkin seed oil, and red pepper coulis. The fish was flaky and juicy—it tasted fresh from the sea.
Crispy Long Island duck breast with autumn lentils (black beluga, white, red crimson, and French green varieties), cipollini onions, butternut squash, and a cranberry and apricot chutney. We loved the balance of flavors from the creamy lentils to the sweet squash and spicy chutney.
Braised Niman Ranch pork cheeks with mustard spaetzle, green apple pomegranate slaw, pattypan squash, and calvados jus. The pork cheeks reminded us of slow-roasted short ribs.
All-natural Meyer New York strip steak with roasted fennel, salsify, cremini mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and a Cabernet demi-glace. Give us a tender first-rate steak, cook it medium-rare, top it with crispy onion rings, and we’re happy.
Dessert tasting of pistachio crème brûlée, biscotti, and pumpkin and Oreo cookie cheesecake. The crème brûlée was a standout.
Photos courtesy of Lowell Saferstein.
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BERNARDS INN, BERNARDSVILLE
On November 10, a Gourmet Game dinner paired with wines and locally brewed craft beers will be held at the Bernards Inn, 27 Mine Brook Road, Bernardsville. Also featured will be a presentation by the Griffin & Howe specialty gun shop as well as nature and sporting artwork from the J.M. Stringer Gallery. Chef Corey Heyer will be presenting the following menu.
Reception: Pheasant meatballs with citrus cranberry sauce; foie gras mousse, toasted pecan bread, and fig jam; duck confit quesadilla, smoked gouda, and scallions; smoked trout, horseradish cream, and brioche; peanut-butter-stuffed dates wrapped in boar bacon; quail eggs Benedict with black truffle hollandaise
(2009 Toasted Head Chardonnay and Tamarack Cellars Firehouse Red, Columbia Valley)
Grilled quail with almond purée, roasted black mission figs, Acacia honey, watercress, and clove gelée
(Golden Monkey, Victory Brewery, Downingtown, PA)
Wild boar sausage with house-made sauerkraut, crispy potato pancakes, braised red cabbage, and apple mustardo
(Prima Pils, Victory Brewery, Downingtown, PA)
Roulade of Griggstown pheasant with cornbread stuffing fritters, chanterelles, bacon, Swiss chard, foie gras, black truffle, and marjoram jus
(2010 Carl Graff Riesling Kabinett, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer)
Roasted loin of elk with butternut squash purée, fried broccoli, maple-glazed chestnuts, huckleberries, cipollini onions, and Balinese pepper
(2008 Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir, Walker Bay, South Africa)
Cocoa-braised venison osso buco with smoked parsnip purée, Brussels sprout leaves, baby root vegetables, and lingonberries
(2007 Côtes du Rhône Syrah, “Les Peyrouses,”, Domaine Alain Voge)
Assorted house-made chocolates, miniature desserts, and coffee and tea service
6:30 PM; $125 plus tax and service charge. For reservations, call 908-766-0002.
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UPCOMING CHARITY EVENTS
The Twelfth Annual Youth Consultation Service Festival of Flavors will be held on November 7 at the Park Ridge Marriott, 300 Brae Boulevard, Park Ridge, to benefit YCS, a private, nonprofit, social services agency for children and families in crisis, affected by trauma, or challenged by intellectual and developmental disabilities. Area restaurants will be presenting signature dishes complemented by a sampling of wines, beers, and spirits from Gary’s Wine and Marketplace. Participants include Dino & Harry’s, Harvest Bistro, McCormick & Schmick’s, Nanina’s in the Park, and Nisi Estiatorio. 6 to 9 PM; $75 before October 7, $85 thereafter. For tickets, call 201-678-1312 or visit www.ycs.org
A Harvest Wine Festival will be held at the Hilton Short Hills, 41 John F. Kennedy Parkway, Short Hills, on November 4, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Family Promise of Bergen County, an organization dedicated to alleviating the plight of the homeless. More than 100 wines will be available for tasting, along with hors d’oeuvres, antipasti, cheeses, breads, and pasta. Three wine classes will also be held in a special tasting area for an additional $20. 7 to 10 PM; $75 through November 1, $84 thereafter. For tickets, call 866-811-4111.
On November 4, a wine and cheese tasting will be held at Sickles Market, 1 Harrison Avenue, Little Silver, to benefit Holiday Express, a nonprofit group of volunteers whose mission is to deliver music, food, gifts, financial support, and friendship to those in need during the holiday season and throughout the year. 7 to 10 PM; $125. For tickets, call 732-741-9563 or visit www.sicklesmarket.com/holidayexpress.
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ROSE MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT, CALDWELL
A few of the new items on the fall menu at Rose Mediterranean Restaurant, 435 Bloomfield Avenue, Caldwell (BYO), are spinach salad with warm goat cheese, figs, toasted pine nuts, and fig balsamic vinaigrette; lobster risotto with lobster claw meat, sweet corn, and tomato; chicken briouats (phyllo dough filled with chicken and sweet Moroccan spices) with chermoula sauce; Mediterranean-style bouillabaisse; and swordfish served with lobster sauce. Chef/owner Joe Albergo will also introduce a tapas menu in November. For reservations, call 973-403-7673.
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CLAREMONT TAVERN, BERNARDSVILLE
Co-owners/co-chefs Steven Borton and Andrew Pantano reopened the Claremont Tavern, 121 Claremont Road, Bernardsville (908-766-4544), in July, offering casual family dining with a menu that features burgers, pizza, salads, entrées (pasta, meat, and fish), and desserts. Every weekday from 5 to 7 PM there’s a special of $2 off draft beer and appetizers, plus a chef’s palate teaser at the bar. Also, there are daily specials listed at www.theclaremonttavern.com. The second floor of the building, which has televisions, an additional bar, and a kids’ arcade room, has been renovated and is available for small groups. For reservations, call 908-766-4544. Borton and Pantano also are also the co-chefs/co-owners of Culinary Creations in Hillsborough.
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HAIL TO THE CHEFS
Congratulations to executive chef/co-owner Scott Anderson from Elements, 163 Bayard Lane, Princeton (609-924-0078), for being listed by Esquire magazine as a “Chef to Keep Our Eye On,” which was part of the Best New Restaurants in America 2011 feature.
Congratulations to Chef Michael DiIonno of Avenue Bistro, 558 Bloomfield Avenue, Verona, for winning Food Network’s Chopped on October 18. In this episode, called “Trick or Treat, Chicken Feet,” Dilonno created dishes from precooked chicken feet, poblano peppers, black radishes, and fruit-flavored candy in the appetizer round; blood sausage, frog legs, sea beans, and Halloween candy in the entrée round; and ossi dei morti, apple cider, ricotta salata, and black licorice in the dessert round.
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