URBAN TABLE, MORRISTOWN
Urban Table is an appropriate name for the latest restaurant from the Harvest Restaurant Group (www.harvestrestaurants.com). The décor transports you right into a metropolis. Upon entering, you’re wowed by two large murals depicting a city scene and a subway station. Adding to the atmosphere are industrial lamps with bulbs protected by wire cages, exposed pipes, white pillars whose upper portions have colorful city- and subway-themed tiles, and a bar that goes from the front of the house to the rear wall. Located at 40 West Park Place in Morristown, by the historic Green, Urban Table is open daily for lunch and dinner and offers casual comfort food and a full-service bar. Banquettes and tables can seat 120 patrons.
Urban Table.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein.
The menu has something for everyone, including seared skirt steak nachos, hummus and beets, sushi, burgers, salads, burritos, fish and chips, steak frites, bratwurst, and BBQ-glazed baby-back ribs. The food here is pocketbook friendly, with many items in the $10 to $15 range.
Presentations impress. The avocado roll comes with sriracha sauce, soy sauce, wasabi cream sauce, and pickled ginger, allowing a variety of dipping options. The Urban Table burger, one of the best we’ve had recently, is playfully presented with a small squeeze bottle of ketchup and fries in a paper bag. Mac and cheese is as good as what I make at home, except mine is topped with crushed Ritz crackers. Desserts are large enough to share. Chunks of red velvet cake are mixed into vanilla custard for the red velvet sundae. Frozen custard and yogurt are available with assorted toppings such as caramel, chocolate crumbs, bananas, granola, doughnuts, and peanut butter cups. Shakes, smoothies, and ice cream sundaes with liquor may also tempt you. Bruce Johnson is the opening executive chef, and Patrick Aste is the chef de cuisine. For reservations, call 973-326-9200.
Burger and fries at Urban Table.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein.
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CHAKRA, PARAMUS
Executive chef/owner Thomas Ciszak at Chakra, West 144 Route 4 East, Paramus (201-556-1530), has created a special menu featuring white asparagus. The following dishes will be presented through the middle of June or whenever the season ends: chilled white asparagus with home-cured Mangalitsa ham and hollandaise sauce; white asparagus and smoked salmon with dill sour cream; white asparagus soup with morel mushrooms and orange pickled ramps; white asparagus, veal medallion, hollandaise sauce, and fine herbs; white asparagus “vegan” with baked Provencal tomatoes; and white asparagus ice cream with rhubarb-strawberry cobbler. For reservations, call 201-556-1530.
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SIMPLY DONE, WELL DONE COOKBOOK
NJ resident Aaron McCargo Jr., winner of season four of The Next Food Network Star and star of Big Daddy’s House, both on the Food Network, has published a cookbook, Simply Done, Well Done, featuring 120 recipes including soups, salads, main courses, BBQ favorites, desserts, and much more. Some of the easy-to-make dishes, which do not include hard-to-find ingredients, are coconut-ginger chicken skewers with sriracha-honey butter; spicy cheeseburger soup (McCargo’s most requested recipe); summer grapefruit salad with spicy walnuts and honey mint dressing; braised BBQ pork belly sliders; and buffalo chicken pasta with blue cheese sauce. The book is available at Amazon.com, BN.com, and bookstores.
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MICHAEL ARNONE’S CRAWFISH FEST
From June 3 through 5, Michael Arnone’s Crawfish Fest will be held at the Sussex County Fairgrounds, 37 Plains Road, Augusta, featuring music, food, crafts, and camping. Menu items, which are $9 or under, include boiled crawfish, crawfish étouffée, jambalaya, grilled alligator sausage, beignets, and more. For more information, log on to www.crawfishfest.com.
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MORTON’S, HACKENSACK
A three-course Steak and Seafood for Two menu will be offered through June 30 for $109.99 at Morton’s the Steakhouse, Riverside Square Mall, 1 Riverside Square, Hackensack. For reservations, call 201-487-1303.
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HELP WANTED
Copeland in Morristown is looking for cooks in the banquet department. Call Robert Trainor at 973-539-7300 ext 273 or e-mail [email protected].
Mitchell Altholz from Highlawn Pavilion in West Orange is looking for a few dedicated line and pastry cooks. E-mail [email protected].
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LOOKING AHEAD
From July 28 through 31, the Food Network Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival will be held at Harrah’s Resort, Caesars, Showboat, and Bally’s in Atlantic City, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The festival will include events, tastings, and celebrity appearances. For tickets, log on to www.acfoodandwine.com or Ticketmaster.com.
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Please send press releases and restaurant news, including information on staff changes, wine tastings, and cooking classes, to [email protected].