PAIRINGS PALATE + PLATE
Along with the regular menu, Pairings Palate + Plate, 1 South Avenue East, Cranford, is offering tapas on Thursdays. Dishes on the menu include: sesame-crusted tuna kebabs; pecan chicken sticks; meatball sliders; charred Brussels sprouts with grapes, almonds, and pancetta; and kale, spinach, and chickpea sauté. Diners can bring their own wine, and the restaurant will supply a sangria mixer for $7. For more information and reservations, call 908-276-4026.
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CHARITY COOKING CLASS AND DINNER
On December 14, a cooking class taught by chef/restaurateur Marilyn Schlossbach, From Land to Sea: Cooking With Marilyn, will be held at Langosta Lounge, Third Avenue Pavilion, 1000 Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park, to benefit the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. 6:30 PM; $50 including dinner. For more information and reservations, call 732-455-3275 or e-mail [email protected].
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GIFTS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Here are some suggestions that will put the foodies on your holiday gift list in high spirits.
You’ll find pint-size appetizers, foie gras, shrimp cocktail, and more at David Burke Fromagerie, 26 Ridge Road, Rumson (732-842-8088).
Whether you need healthy foods, cookies, brownies, cakes, or a variety of gourmet toffees, Nicolette “Nicky” Mesiah, owner of Mesiah Event Planners and a graduate of Peter Kump’s Cooking School, can meet your needs. Her products contain no trans fats, hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, additives/preservatives, or fillers. We’re addicted to Miss Nicky’s gourmet toffee, which is a perfect stocking stuffer. More information about these products can be found at www.missnickys.com.
Oren’s Daily Roast, which has a roasting facility and warehouse in Jersey City, allows customers to create their own gifts in the price range of their choice. Oren’s offers coffees, biscotti, cookies, candy, and equipment to create the perfect gift for your friends and loved ones. For more information, log on to www.orensdailyroast.com or call 888-348-5400.
If someone on your list thirsts for a readable, instructive, and entertaining book about wine, consider Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines by Natalie MacLean. MacLean, a winner of four James Beard Foundation journalism awards, writes about her encounters and wine tasting experiences from around the world. Each chapter lists insider notes, best values, and recipes. Available at bookstores and online at www.nataliemaclean.com.
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LA GRIGLIA, KENILWORTH
They’re all on their toes at La Griglia, 740 Boulevard, Kenilworth, from the moment you walk in the door and the coat-check girl greets you to when you leave and every member of the waitstaff that you pass thanks you for coming in. The bartender in an adjoining room even calls out a thank-you as you’re departing. These little gestures are remembered and made us feel welcomed at La Griglia, which has been family owned and operated since 1997 and offers modern Italian cuisine and tremendous portions. And it has a printed menu listing specials and prices. We had a pleasant revisit to the restaurant, which we hadn’t dined at in years.
The menu is large, and there’s also a three-course $38 prix-fixe menu with options to give you more bang for your buck. Starters include raw seafood (oysters, seafood tower, classic shrimp or jumbo lump crab cocktail, seafood salad), salads, and pastas. Be aware that two or three people can easily share a half portion of pasta. We had pasta Bolognese as an entrée, and there were enough leftovers for dinner the next night for two people. Recommended starters are the fresh mozzarella and prosciutto with tomatoes, roasted peppers, and basil olive oil; not Italian but very tasty ahi tuna tartare with an Asian marinade, toasted sesame, mango, cucumber, and salmon roe; and Prince Edward Island mussels in a white wine sauce. Eggplant rollatini, my go-to dish, was creamy and had an excellent tomato sauce. The heirloom tomatoes accompanying the imported burrata were mealy, so unless you’re here at the height of the tomato season I would avoid this dish.
If it’s available, don’t miss the entrée of organic Scottish salmon with scrumptious wild mushroom and lump crabmeat orzo, plum tomatoes, chives, and a white wine sauce. Swordfish was livened up by braised leeks, roasted peppers, thyme, ginger, and a yellow tomato broth. Pomegranate-glazed boneless short ribs were fork tender and accompanied by bourbon smashed sweet potatoes and crispy shallots—a hearty dish on a cold evening. If you’re uncertain what to order, organic free-range chicken is offered in a few guises: with broccoli rabe and sweet Italian sausage; giambotta style with sausage, onions, vinegar peppers, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and potatoes; Milanese style, breaded and topped with a salad of arugula, tomato, and onion with a balsamic vinaigrette; or stuffed with roasted garlic bread crumbs and fresh herbs.
Both heavy and light desserts are offered. A caloric choice would be the napoleon, chocolate molten cake, chocolate banana bread pudding, or mascarpone cheesecake. Lighter options are berries with sorbet, gelato, or an ice cream sandwich. Okay, the ice cream sandwich may not be so light, as it’s made with chocolate chip cookies, butterscotch–peanut butter morsels, and vanilla gelato! We didn’t have it, but it sure sounds good.
The extensive wine list is heavy with Italian varieties from throughout the country, starting at $30 and with enough options in the $40 to $60 range. La Griglia is open for lunch Monday through Friday and dinner Monday through Saturday. The restaurant is open on Sundays for private parties. Co-owner and head chef John Tocci seems to have a loyal following, as the place was packed on the weeknight we dined there, so call 908-241-0031 for reservations.
Salmon with wild mushroom and lump crabmeat orzo, plum tomatoes, chives, and a white wine sauce.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO…
Johnny DeCarlo (aka Johnny Meatballs) of Woodridge, who won the Charity di Vino Meatball Throwdown on November 10 at the Sheraton Crossroads in Mahwah. The event was hosted by Chef Central, Paramus, and sponsored by Whole Foods. DeCarlo’s opponent, Ninamarie Bojekian of Ooh La La Catering in Franklin Lakes, won the Ultimate Chef Bergen County qualifying round on October 17 at Chef Central and will compete again on Saturday, January 14, 2012, in the quarterfinals to determine a challenger to face 2011 champion Justin Pehowic of Chakra.
Happy third birthday to the Orange Squirrel, 412 Bloomfield Avenue, Bloomfield, where owner/chef Francesco Palmieri has been wowing us with his contemporary American and European cuisine; 973-337-6421, www.theorangesquirrel.com.
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