Restaurant News

This week Rosie tells us about Taormina in Kenilworth, a pig roast at Stage Left in New Brunswick, a Feast of the Farm dinner at the Mill at Spring Lake Heights in Spring Lake Heights, and much more news about NJ restaurants.

TAORMINA, KENILWORTH
Friends raved about Taormina, 482 Kenilworth Boulevard, Kenilworth, which is named for the city in Sicily and for chef/owner Sal Taormina, who’s from Palermo, Sicily. This delightful neighborhood restaurant has been open for eleven years, but we’d never heard of it until recently.

If you like to share appetizers, try the fried and slightly charred long hot peppers topped with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, along with an order of oven-baked fresh mozzarella wrapped with prosciutto and topped with tomato and bread crumbs. Both are on the regular menu, and they make a terrific combination. Not to be missed either is the salad with mesclun, goat cheese, and walnuts, which is made more interesting with golden raisins and a light, refreshing raspberry vinaigrette. Entrées are big. A special of veal Milanese, on the bone and topped with arugula and radicchio, almost covered the plate. Cacciucco, an Italian stew made with shrimp, scallops, scungilli, calamari, and mussels in a mild fish broth, was served over angel hair pasta. The fish was fresh tasting and the broth flavorful. If you like calf’s liver, try Taormina’s version, made with onions and pancetta. Our two sides were spinach and roasted potatoes. The servers were attentive and knowledgeable, and kudos to the owner, who has the specials written out with the prices. When Lowell ordered chicken on the bone with balsamic dressing and asked that the chef go easy on the balsamic, the waiter asked if he would prefer chicken with different ingredients and gave him some examples of what the kitchen could make. Lowell ordered chicken on the bone with sausage and peppers, topped with crispy, thin potato slices—a substantial and tasty dish. We chose two desserts made in house (some aren’t) and were very pleased with the cheesecake, but we thought the molten chocolate cake lacked flavor. The wine list features mostly Italian and California selections, with plenty of options in the mid-$20s. For reservations, call 908-497-1717. I hear that the restaurant is crazy busy on weekends, so you may want to try it on a weekday night.

Chicken with sausage, peppers, and potatoes.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein.

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STAGE LEFT PIG TOAST, NEW BRUNSWICK

On Sundays throughout the summer, Stage Left, 5 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, will hold a “Pig Toast.” A whole pig will be cooked, and when it’s ready, around 5:15 PM, all in attendance will be given a complimentary drink to toast the pig. The pork can be enjoyed family style in the dining room, at the bar, or at café tables. A half-pound portion is $20 and one pound is $29, and a selection of regional American barbecue sauces, cornbread, and black-eyed peas in hoppin’ John will also be available for purchase. For reservations, call 732-828-4444.

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FOODSHED ALLIANCE DINNER
On July 24 (rain date July 31), the Foodshed Alliance along with Alba Vineyard will host a five-course al fresco Farm to Fork dinner at Alba Vineyard, 269 Route 627, Milford. The event, to benefit the Foodshed Alliance, will begin with an assortment of passed hors d’oeuvres followed by a dinner of locally sourced food paired with wine, prepared by the following chefs: Andre de Waal of Andre’s Restaurant and Wine Boutique in Newton, Dan Rothman of Whole Foods in Northern New Jersey, Mike Carrino of Restaurant Passionné in Montclair, Dan Richer of Arturo’s in Maplewood, and James Laird of Restaurant Serenade in Chatham. 4 PM; $125. To register, visit www.foodshedalliance.org.

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MILL AT SPRING LAKE HEIGHTS, SPRING LAKE HEIGHTS
On July 21 (rain date July 28), a Feast of the Farm event featuring hors d’oeuvres, a four-course meal, and wine pairings will be held on the terrace overlooking the lake at the Mill at Spring Lake Heights, 101 Old Mill Road, Spring Lake Heights. Executive chef Matt Giarratano will present the following menu.

Passed hors d’oeuvres: chilled fresh Jersey vegetable and ham soup swirled with pesto and sprinkled with Parmesan
(2007 Brancott Vineyards Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand)

Jersey jumbo scallops Provencal
(2007 Trimbach Riesling, France)
or farm-raised beef filet mignon
(2007 Graffigna Malbec Gran Reserve, Argentina)

A selection of Jersey cheeses
(Sandeman Tawny Port)

Jersey blueberry zabaglione
(wine TBD)

6:30 PM; $100 plus tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 732-449-1800. Menu and wines may vary slightly, based on availability.

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FARM TO FORK WEEK

South Jersey Hot Chefs will be celebrating Farm to Fork Week July 17 through 23, with participating restaurants offering four courses for $35 or $25. For more information, log on to www.sjhotchefs.com.

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CHEF MICHAEL WEISSHAUPT AT BEARD EVENT

Executive chef Michael Weisshaupt from Crystal Springs Resort, Hamburg, has been invited to participate in this year’s James Beard Foundation Chefs & Champagne event honoring Emeril Lagasse. This summer’s tasting party takes place on July 23 at the Wolffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack, NY. Guests will enjoy champagne, culinary offerings from more than 30 chefs, and a silent auction. Chef Weisshaupt will serve Barnegat Light lobster with lemon ricotta and micro sorrel. For reservations and more information, call the James Beard Foundation at 212-627-2308.

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LOOKING AHEAD: BLUE MOREL COMING TO MORRISTOWN

Executive chef Thomas Ciszak and the TLC Restaurant Group have announced the opening of Blue Morel on August 16 in the space that was Copeland Restaurant, Westin Governor Morris Hotel, 2 Whippany Road, Morristown (973-451-2619). Blue Morel will have a farm-to-table culinary focus and use local organic and farm-raised ingredients. The wine bar will offer forty-plus wines by the glass and half-glass tastings. Some new menu selections include: frisée, home-cured Berkshire bacon, and Goffle Road Farm eggs; “mason jar” foie gras, ice wine gelée, and fresh-baked brioche; charcuterie from local artisans; grass-fed sirloin of Angus beef with napkin dumplings and chanterelles à la crème; beef bourguignon made with 40-hour short ribs, home-smoked bacon, root vegetables, and red-wine-braised pearl onions; blueberry trifle with sweet corn ice cream; and peach streusel cake with schlag. Copeland will close for two weeks starting August 1, and a limited menu will be served during construction in the Westin Governor Morris lobby.

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DINING DEALS

On Sundays through August, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, 500 Route 73 North, Marlton, is offering a three-course prime rib dinner for $29.95 plus tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 856-988-1351.

On Sunday evenings from 4 to 8 PM through the summer and maybe into the fall, Napa Valley Grille, Garden State Plaza, Routes 4 and 17, Paramus, will offer a three-course prime rib dinner for $32. For reservations, call 201-845-5555.

Restaurant Serenade
, 6 Roosevelt Avenue, Chatham, is offering a three-course Chatham Farmers’ Market menu Mondays through Thursdays until the end of September for $40. For reservations, call 973-701-0303.

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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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