Restaurant News

This week Rosie tells us about Chef Christopher Albrecht from Eno Terra in Kingston at the Beard House in New York City, Fusion Restaurant in West Orange, Noodle Chu Dim Sum Seafood House in Parsippany, and much more news about NJ restaurants.

NJ CHEF AT THE BEARD HOUSE, NYC
On February 25, an Italian-Inspired, Locally Grown dinner with executive chef Christopher Albrecht from Eno Terra, Kingston, will be held at the James Beard House, 167 West 12th Street, New York City. The following menu will be presented.

Hors d’oeuvres: schiacciata with cheese, sage, and dried fruit; golden beet and carrot arancini; bruschetta with smoked trout, acorn squash purée, and hazelnuts; grilled clams on the half shell
(Ca’ Furlan Cuvée Beatrice Prosecco NV)

For the table: white beans and marinated broccoli rabe

Tuscan kale and farro salad with domestic speck, dried cranberries, pickled baby carrots, and young goat cheese
(2009 Collezione de Marchi Chardonnay)

Grilled yellowfin tuna with braised escarole, beluga lentils, hen of the woods mushrooms, celery root purée, thyme, and black truffles
(2007 Proprietà Sperino Uvaggio)

Agnolotti en brodo with Griggstown Farm pheasant, Swiss chard, porcini mushrooms, ricotta, and rosemary
(2008 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico)

Barbera-braised Simply Grazin’ beef short ribs with heirloom potatoes, scarlet turnips, Tropea onions agrodolce, cinnamon, and cloves
(2006 Isole e Olena Cepparello)

Buttermilk panna cotta with Canal Farm strawberry-basil jam and crespelle with Meyer lemon curd, New Jersey blueberries, candied fennel, and lemon verbena gelato
(2003 Isole e Olena Vin Santo del Chianti Classico)

7 PM; $170; James Beard Foundation members $130. For reservations, call 212-627-2308.

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FUSION PERUVIAN RESTAURANT & BAR, WEST ORANGE
There are three Peruvian restaurants within one block in West Orange: El Norteno at 300 Main Street, Misty’s at 277 Main Street, and Fusion Peruvian, where we recently dined, at 274 Main Street. This area of West Orange also has other Latin American and Caribbean restaurants to explore, making it a gem for those who seek out these types of ethnic cuisine.

When you’re seated, addictive canchita, Peruvian popcorn, is placed on the table. It’s a bigger kernel than the popcorn we’re used to, and it doesn’t pop on the outside and become white. The outside is crunchy and the inside soft, similar to the kernels left at the bottom of a popcorn popper, but better. We were a party of four and were so full after the appetizers that we ordered just one entrée, an herbed rotisserie chicken accompanied by Chinese-style fried rice. A colorful appetizer, causa rellena de camarones, contained mashed potatoes layered with shrimp salad and avocado, reminding us of a sandwich with yellow potatoes replacing the bread. Chicken tamales were spicy and moist and wrapped in a banana leaf. Mixed seafood ceviche marinated in lime juice, garlic, red onions, cilantro, and aji rocoto (a spicy Peruvian pepper) also contained sweet and boiled potatoes and Peruvian corn. It was a beautifully executed dish with well-balanced flavors. Soups also are offered, and the chupe de camarones, a creamy blend of shrimp, vegetables, rice, and a poached egg, was substantial and soothing. This dish had me searching my Latin cookbooks for a recipe, which I found on page 51 of Daisy: Morning, Noon and Night by Daisy Martinez. It was listed as shrimp bisque, with the creaminess coming from evaporated milk. If you can’t decide what to order, ask about the tasting platter that will give you a sampling of four different dishes. Fusion has a liquor license and also offers pitchers of white or red sangria. The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner. For reservations, call 973-325-6222.

Causa rellena de camarones.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein.

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NOODLE CHU DIM SUM SEAFOOD HOUSE

There are plenty of unusual options at Noodle Chu Dim Sum Seafood House, 770 Route 46 West, Parsippany (973-299-6518), if you’re looking for something different from what you usually order in a Chinese restaurant. The menu states that Noodle Chu offers a “variety of street cooking found in Hong Kong,” and on weekends dim sum is served from roll-around carts. Be forewarned that the staff is not fluent in English and it may be hard to have your questions answered accurately. But we found our waiter to be helpful; he came back to our table to tell us that the dish he’d described was incorrect, and he showed us the dish that we wanted on the menu. In any case we were still unsure of what we would be getting, as it was hard to understand him. Our advice is to be adventurous and go with a large group, bringing your own wine or beer. We shared beef brisket noodle soup filled with tender meat and scented with what smelled and tasted like five-spice powder. Fu Kiang fried rice was not fried rice as we know it but was similar to a casserole and certainly not a side dish. Wet, soft rice filled a pie plate and was topped with a delicious stew made with small pieces of scallops, shrimp, crab, Chinese broccoli stems, egg, and mushrooms. A seafood casserole with eggplant was overflowing with unfortunately tough calamari but also with perfectly cooked shrimp, scallops, and silky eggplant in a spicy sauce, and we couldn’t stop shoveling it into our mouths. Other seldom-seen options at Noodle Chu are different varieties of congee (pork, beef, fish, and frog); dried squid with egg noodles; sautéed conch and chicken in a bird’s nest; beef with bitter melon; salt-baked squid with chili sauce; and fish head and bean curd casserole. Dinner ended with the requisite fortune cookie and slices of orange.

Fu Kiang fried rice.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein.

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HO-HO-KUS INN, HO-HO-KUS
Executive chef Bryan Gregg of the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern, 1 East Franklin Turnpike, Ho-Ho-Kus, is now offering his winter menu, which has a strong emphasis on locally grown, organic, and sustainable produce. Highlights include Elysian Fields Farm lamb loin with house-made lamb bacon, turnip, and leek gratin; Goffle Farm chicken with parsnip purée, hen of the woods mushrooms, and cipollini onions; and risotto with walnut crumb, local beets, Coach Farm cheese, and chives. The Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern is open from 11:30 AM until 10 PM on weekdays and until 2 AM on weekends. For reservations, call 201-445-4115.

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LOOKING AHEAD
From March 11 to 13, the New Jersey Food & Wine Festival will be held at Crystal Springs Resort, Route 94, Vernon, with special dinners, seminars, tastings, and much more. For more information, log on to www.crystalgolfresort.com, call 973-827-5996 ext 3, or e-mail [email protected].

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VALENTINE’S DAY

Here are some places to celebrate Valentine’s Day (Monday, February 14).

A special Valentine’s menu will be presented from February 11 through 13 at the Atlantic City Country Club, 900 Shore Road, Northfield. The cost starts at $29.95 per person. There will also be a Valentine’s-themed Sunday brunch. For reservations and more information, call 609-236-4408.

Amidst a dramatic view of the beach and ocean, lovers can feast on a four-course dinner for $39 at Avenue, 23 Ocean Avenue, Long Branch. For reservations, call 732-759-2900.

At the Bernards Inn, 27 Mine Brook Road, executive chef Corey Heyer will present a special three-course prix-fixe menu in the dining room on February 13 and 14. A Valentine’s Sunday brunch will also be served from 9 AM to 1 PM. Better yet, stay the night with the Valentine’s Day Getaway Package. Reservations can be made by calling 908-766-0002.

Blu, 554 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair, will offer a four-course dinner for $68. For reservations, call 973-509-2202; BYO.

Boulevard Five 72
, 572 Boulevard, Kenilworth, will offer an à la carte or four-course tasting menu ($85, or $115 with wine) from February 11 through 14. For reservations, call 908-709-1200.

February 12 through 14, experience a romantic four-course Valentine’s dinner with music from violins and classical guitars at Casa Dante, 737 Newark Avenue, Jersey City; $59. An à la carte menu will also be available. For reservations, call 201-795-2750.

Valentine’s weekend will be celebrated from February 11 through 14 at Copeland Restaurant, 2 Whippany Road, Morristown, with executive chef Robert Trainor offering a six-course tasting menu ($89) and an à la carte menu. Seatings are 5:30 to 10 PM. A Sunday brunch buffet ($24) will be served from noon to 2:30 PM and includes a glass of champagne. For reservations, call 973-451-2619.

Special romantic menus, entertainment, and luxury accommodations are available at Crystal Springs Resort, Route 94, Vernon. Dining will be available at Springs Bistro, Napa Valley Room, Crystal Tavern, Restaurant Latour, and the Wine Cellar. For more information, log on to www.crystalgolfresort.com. For dining reservations, call 973-827-5996 ext 3. For overnight packages, call 973-827-5996 ext 2.

A four-course “greatest hits” prix-fixe dinner menu ($82) will be available from February 12 through 14 at Chakra Restaurant, 144 West Route 4 (Eastbound), Paramus. A three-course Lover’s Brunch on February 13 ($36) will include a glass of champagne. For reservations, call 201-556-1530.

David Burke Fromagerie, 26 Ridge Road, Rumson, will have a weekend of love with lunch, brunch, and dinner as usual and will be open on Valentine’s Day with a prix-fixe $85 menu. For reservations, call 732-842-8088.

Fascino, 331 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair, will offer a four-course menu for $75 per person plus tax and gratuity on February 14. A credit card is required to book a reservation, and the restaurant is asking for a 48-hour cancellation notice; no-show reservations will be charged full price. Restaurant.com gift certificates are not valid for this menu. For reservations, call 973-233-0350; BYO.

The Frog and the Peach, 29 Dennis Street, New Brunswick, will offer a three-course lover’s prix-fixe dinner on Valentine’s Day for $75. For reservations call 732-846-3216.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day from February 11 through 13 at the Golden Inn Resort Hotel, Oceanfront at 78th Street, Avalon. The Valentine’s French Wine Weekend includes a stay of three days and two nights, a Friday-evening welcome wine tasting with hors d’oeuvres, two hearty breakfast buffets, a Saturday-afternoon wine and food pairing seminar, two four-course à la carte themed dinners, and more. The cost is $229 per person based on double occupancy. For more information and reservations, call 609-368-5155.

On February 12, 13, and 14, Kuzina by Sofia, Sawmill Shopping Center, 404 Route 70 West, Cherry Hill, will offer a romantic four-course prix-fixe dinner for $40 per person. For reservations, call 856-429-1061; BYO.

The Manor, 111 Prospect Avenue, West Orange, will celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 13 with a lobster dinner buffet from 3:30 to 7 PM. À la carte dining will be available from 4 to 7 PM. On February 14, a lobster buffet will be served from 6 to 9:30 PM, with à la carte dining from 6 to 8:30 PM. For reservations, call 973-731-2360.

On February 12, get lucky at Terraces Restaurant at Meadowlands Racetrack, 50 Route 120, East Rutherford, where a Valentine’s Day special is being offered. The evening includes a four-course dinner and champagne toast for two for $85 (excludes track admission, live racing program, tax, and gratuity). Call 201-843-2446 for reservations or log on to
www.meadowlandsracetrack.com/event_detail.aspx?id=1674.

Executive chef Todd Villani at the Park Avenue Bar & Grill, 3417 Park Avenue, Union City, will offer a four-course Valentine’s Day dinner. Seatings are at 7, 8, and 9 PM; $80 per couple. For more information and reservations, call 201-617-7274.

One of the most romantic restaurants in NJ, Rat’s, located at Grounds for Sculpture, 16 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton, will offer a four-course Valentine’s tasting menu; 6 PM. For pricing and reservations, call 609-584-7800.

Restaurant Serenade, 6 Roosevelt Avenue, Chatham, will offer a special three-course menu with multiple options for each course on February 13 from 5 to 9 PM and on February 14 from 5 to 10 PM; $85, including American coffee or tea. For reservations, call 973-701-0303.

Robert Ubhaus, chef/owner of Resto, 77 Main Street, Madison, will have extended hours on February 13 and 14. On Valentine’s Day, Resto will offer a prix-fixe menu. For reservations, call 973-377-0066; BYO.

Guests can celebrate Valentine’s Day at Rosa Mexicano, Riverside Square, 390 Hackensack Avenue, Hackensack, with sweet and savory à la carte menu specials. Some items being offered are spiced chocolate agua fresca, chocolate cocktail, coffee- and chocolate-rubbed sirloin for two, and a decadent chocolate dessert trio. For reservations, call 201-489-9100.

Salt Creek Grille, 4 Bingham Avenue, Rumson, will offer a sweetheart of a deal from Friday to Monday. For $100 (plus tax and gratuity), a couple will get two glasses of champagne, a bottle of wine, one appetizer to share, the choice of two soups and/or salads, two entrées, and one dessert to share. On February 14, a special menu in addition to the prix-fixe dinner will be offered. For reservations, call 732-933-9272.

On Valentine’s Day, Stage Left, 5 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, will offer a three-course menu from 4:30 to 6:30 PM for $69. After 6:30 PM, a four-course menu will be available for $85. For reservations, call 732-828-4444.

Celebrate love at Sushi Lounge, 12 Schuyler Place, Morristown (973-539-1135), and 235 Route 46 West, Totowa (973-890-0007). At 6 and 8 PM, seatings will be available for couples, and at 9 PM the restaurant will host a Valentine’s Mix and Mingle for Valentine’s Singles with a communal table and lounge area. Drink specials and a full menu as well as a prix-fixe three-course menu will be available.

If wine and chocolate are your passion, wineries throughout the state will be participating in a Wine & Chocolate Wine Trail Weekend on February 12 and 13. For more information, log on to www.newjerseywines.com/wine-trails.html.

Zylo Tuscan Steak House, W Hoboken, 225 River Street, Hoboken, will offer a four-course prix-fixe dinner menu on Valentine’s Day; $89 including a glass of champagne. For reservations, call 201-253-2500.

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Please send press releases and restaurant news, including information on staff changes, wine tastings, and cooking classes, to [email protected].

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