PAIRINGS PALATE + PLATE, CRANFORD
Dinners start with an amuse bouche and end with a lagniappe at Pairings Palate + Plate, a casual restaurant, teaching kitchen, caterer, and event space that has opened at 1 South Avenue East, Cranford. Executive chef/co-owner Carol Murphy Clyne changes the menu daily; items may include Yukon Gold gnocchi with roasted tomato-broccoli ragù; horseradish-crusted salmon with charred Brussels sprouts; Burgundy-braised short ribs with garlic mashed potatoes and horseradish gremolata; and, for dessert, red velvet cake. On Wednesday evenings, a four-course tasting menu is offered for $35. Pairings is open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday. For reservations, call 908-276-4026; BYO.
Horseradish-crusted salmon.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein.
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COCCO BELLO CAFE, LIVINGSTON
Do you have a favorite neighborhood BYO Italian restaurant? There are so many choices, and many seem to be different and worth a visit. We recently returned to a casual family establishment, Cocco Bello Cafe, 155 South Livingston Avenue, Livingston, which is known for panini at lunch and fresh fish and pastas for dinner. Salads can be ordered as a side, which we appreciate, or as a meal with an added protein. For entrées we had juicy breast of chicken with caramelized onions, sun-dried tomatoes, and mushrooms, simmered in fresh tomato sauce; tilapia prepared with capers and tomatoes in a refreshing lemon wine sauce; seared ahi tuna with a fried patty of horseradish whipped potato and hazelnut brown butter; and a special of red snapper fillet with sautéed spinach. Everyone was pleased with the entrées, every plate was finished, and there were no doggie bags. Desserts made by Bindi were bypassed. Cocco Bello is open daily for lunch and dinner. For reservations, call 973-992-1999.
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CASUAL RESTAURANTS OFFERING TASTING DINNERS
These casual NJ restaurants/cafes are offering special prix-fixe menus that are different from the cuisine they offer on a regular basis. If you know of other such establishments, please pass along their names.
Honey’s Kitchen, 48 Clinton Road, Fairfield (973-287-6749), a casual eatery offering breakfast and lunch, will hold its next five-course tasting dinner on April 16. The following menu will be presented:
Lemon-infused soup with basmati rice, tomato, and cilantro oil
Classic Caesar salad with garlic croutons, quail egg, and Parmigiano-Reggiano
Crisp roasted chicken with red cabbage, edamame, and gnocchi
Poached lobster with sweet corn, oyster mushrooms, arugula, and orange beurre blanc
House-made dessert
Reservations will be taken between 6:45 and 8:30 PM; $48; BYO. Future tasting dinners will be held on May 7, May 14, and June 4.
Arturo’s Osteria & Pizzeria, 180 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood, has a four-course tasting dinner on Tuesday nights and a six-course tasting on Saturday nights, available by reservation only. For reservations, call 973-378-5800 or visit www.arturosnj.com; BYO.
Kindle Cafe Supper Club, a “pop up” restaurant that holds dinners in different locations in the Lambertville area, specializes in organic, locally sourced, plant-based cuisine. Reservations are required (http://kindlecafe.com/blog); BYO.
Silver Spoon Cafe, 153 Newark Pompton Turnpike, Pequannock (973-872-7300), has a Tour of the World tasting dinner on Saturday nights (http://silverspooncafecaterers.com/index.html); BYO.
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SAVE THE DATES
The following events will be raising money for Table to Table, whose mission is to collect prepared and perishable food that would otherwise be discarded and deliver it free to organizations that serve the hungry. For tickets to either event, call 201-444-5500.
On May 5, a black-tie Chef’s Gala will be held at the Alpine Country Club, 80 Anderson Avenue, Demarest; 6:30 PM; regular admission $400, VIP admission $600 (includes a VIP reception with the chefs).
On May 18, the Great Grill & Pig Out will be held at the Estate at Florentine Gardens, 97 Riverdale Road, River Vale, with more than 30 restaurants in attendance. 6:30 PM; regular admission $250, VIP admission $350 (includes a VIP reception with the chefs).
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Congratulations to Michael Carrino, chef/owner of Restaurant Passionné in Montclair, and his wife, Ellyn von Schilling-Carrino, on the birth of Gabriel Joseph Carrino on February 27.
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EASTER & PASSOVER DINING OPTIONS
The following restaurants will be serving special meals for Easter (Sunday, April 24) and/or Passover (beginning Monday, April 18, at sundown).
Celebrate Easter at the Bernards Inn, 27 Mine Brook Road, Bernardsville, with two choices. A Grand Easter Buffet will be held in the Ballroom from 10:30 AM to 4 PM; $59, children ages six to twelve $30, children ages two to five $15. A three-course prix-fixe menu will be served in the dining room from 1 to 5 PM; $75, children $35. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 908-766-0002.
Easter brunch will be held at Branches, 123 Monmouth Road, West Long Branch, from 10 AM to 2 PM; $39.50, children ages three to twelve $19.50. For reservations, call 732-542-5050.
Copeland Restaurant, Westin Governor Morris Hotel, 2 Whippany Road, Morristown, will offer a three-course dinner menu from 1 to 9 PM; $56, $28 for children under twelve. A breakfast buffet from 6:30 to 11 AM will cost $19. For reservations, call 973-451-2619.
Executive chef Gregg Freda will present an à la carte Easter menu at Casa Dante, 737 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, from 1 to 9 PM. Entrée options include veal saltimbocca, sole Francese, stuffed pork loin, and bone-in chicken sautéed with onions, peas, potatoes, parsley, Parmesan, and Pecorino. For reservations, call 201-795-2750.
Fascino Restaurant, 331 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair, will be open on Easter Sunday from 2 to 7 PM, offering an à la carte menu featuring selections for the spring season. Table size will be limited to a maximum of ten people. Reservations are required (973-233-0350), and a credit card is necessary to book a reservation.
Food for Thought Catered Events, 140 County Road, Suite 111, Tenafly, will cater your Passover dinner. For more information, call 201-227-9119.
The Frog and the Peach, 29 Dennis Street, New Brunswick, will offer a prix-fixe holiday menu on Easter for $49. For more information and reservations, call 732-846-3216.
A buffet brunch and dinner will be offered at High Street Grill, 64 High Street, Mount Holly. Brunch will be served from 9 AM to 2 PM; $22 with champagne, $20 without champagne, $15 for children under twelve. The prix-fixe and à la carte dinner will be served from 4 to 8 PM. For reservations, call 609-265-9199.
Throughout the entire week of Passover, Kuzina by Sofia, Sawmill Shopping Center, 404 Route 70 West, Cherry Hill, will serve kosher-style items to eat in or take out. Menu items include grilled root vegetable kebobs, eggplant salad, lentil soups, hummus made without tahini, potato pancakes, chopped liver, egg salad, lamb and chicken soups, beet salad, lamb entrées, stuffed cabbage, roast half chicken, salmon wrapped in a grape leaf, and charcoal-grilled branzino, red snapper, or porgy. Kuzina by Sofia will also host a traditional four-course Greek dinner on Easter Sunday, with a spit-roasted whole spring lamb served family style, plus accompanying live Greek music. Traditional holiday lamb magiritsa soup, spit-roasted kokoretsi, seasonal phyllo pies, and many more Easter-specific delicacies will be served. The restaurant’s regular menu and grilled whole fish are options as well. The meal will close with traditional red-dyed Easter eggs with Chef Sofia’s famous tsoureki Easter bread. This prix-fixe meal is $35 per person. Easter meal catering services are also available. For more information and reservations, call 856-429-1061 or go to www.kuzinabysofia.com.
Liberty House, 78 Audrey Zapp Drive, Jersey City, will have an Easter egg hunt on Saturday, April 23, from 11 AM to 2 PM; reservations are required. On Easter Sunday, dinner will be served from 11 AM to 6 PM; $50. For reservations, call 201-395-0300.
Easter Brunch will be served at Rat’s, Grounds for Sculpture, 16 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton. 11 AM to 5 PM; $69, children ages five to twelve $24, children ages four and under free; includes tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 609-584-7800.
Resto, 77 Main Street, Madison, will be open for Easter from 4 to 8 PM. In addition to the regular menu, the restaurant will offer special starters, entrées, and desserts. For reservations, call 973-377-0066.
For Passover, Rosa Mexicano, Riverside Square, 390 Hackensack Avenue, Hackensack, will offer sangria haroset made with Herradura Silver tequila, apple juice, lemon juice, house-made cinnamon syrup and honey syrup, fresh apples and a Manischewitz reduction, evoking the flavors of the Seder favorite haroset. Additionally, Rosa Mexicano will offer a special Passover a la Mexicana menu from April 18 through 25. On Saturday, April 16, the restaurant will host a cooking demonstration. For more information and reservations, log on to www.rosamexicano.com or call 201-489-9100.
Easter brunch will be offered at Seaglass Restaurant, 78th Street & Dune Drive, Avalon. 10 AM to 4 PM; $27.95, children ages ten and under $14. For reservations, call 609-967-2116.
The Washington Inn, 801 Washington Street, Cape May, will serve Easter brunch from 10 AM to 1:45 PM; $25.95, children under twelve $15.95. Dinner will be served from 4 to 7:30 PM featuring an à la carte menu. For reservations, call 609-884-5697.
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