ORANGE SQUIRREL, BLOOMFIELD
It’s no surprise that chef/owner Francesco Palmieri was named on NJ Monthly’s Top 25 Restaurants in 2012. He certainly deserves it; our recent dinner was here was impressive. Beginners were a gorgeous vertical presentation of endive leaves, drizzled with Caesar dressing and white anchovies scattered among the leaves. The salad looked like a flower and tasted better than we could have imagined. A colorful yellow-and-red tomato salad paired with red-and-yellow watermelon, buffalo mozzarella, and hazelnut praline balsamic vinaigrette was refreshing, and a salad of caramelized figs, from the chef’s garden, accompanied sweet Bibb lettuce. Baby spinach beautifully fanned across the plate with a baby artichoke, Taleggio, and a pancetta cylinder was a delicious composition. Also, highly recommended is the vegan BLT, a smoked tomato soup with crispy kale topped with a serpentine fakon (vegetarian bacon) breadstick.
Not knowing what to choose for my middle course, and with so many tempting sides, I opted for an appetizer of two large pan-seared diver-sea scallops that came with brown-butter cauliflower puree and a wasabi poppyseed tuile. For the sides: fontina macaroni and cheese, and zucchini and carrot hay. Other worthy sides, which come with the entrées, were outrageous: smooth as silk Irish-cheddar mashed potatoes; green beans with pimento; broccoli rabe; herbed-cheese fries; and broccoli with a fontina béchamel. The proteins were memorable also. When we saw the two hunks of duck breast, we thought our friend had ordered steak, as usually duck breast is fanned out across the plate. The tender meat was served medium rare, and we loved it. A steak special topped with tomatoes from the chef’s garden was juicy and rich, while an impressive old standby—whole crisp-skinned bronzini presented in a cast iron skillet with a Cerignola olive vinaigrette (which we’ve had many times before and never tire of)—was moist and perfectly cooked.
The Orange Squirrel doesn’t serve bread, so we had room for dessert. Chef Palmieri always has a Three-Dirt Tasting consisting of three flights of flavored mousse that change monthly and are served in tall shot glasses. The “dirt” signifies the crumbs. We had S’mores (chocolate-marshmallow mousse with graham, marshmallow-chocolate crumbs), Black Bear (Devil’s food, butterscotch-caramel mousse with dark-chocolate pretzel crumbs), and Trail Mix (honey-nut butter mousse with trail-mix crumbs). We also ordered a German chocolate soufflé with a warm, chocolate-walnut sauce and grated coconut. When the soufflé was brought to the table, the middle was cracked open and sauce poured into the soufflé. Luxurious. The bill was presented with a small shot of homemade Bailey’s Irish Cream. Be sure to take a handful of the chocolate nuts by the front hostess station as you leave the restaurant.
Smoked tomato soup with crispy kale.
Picture courtesy of Lowell Saferstein
The Orange Squirrel
412 Bloomfield Avenue
Bloomfield, New Jersey
973-337-6421
www.theorangesquirrel.com/
************************************************************
JAZZ @ THE HIGHLAWN, WEST ORANGE
Like music? Every Wednesday through Friday, from 7 to 10 PM, Jazz@Highlawn is featured in the bar at the Highlawn Pavilion, Eagle Rock Reservation, West Orange. Visit www.highlawn.com/live-music-in-the-bar.html for information. Reservations: 973-731-3463.
************************************************************
MA MAISON BRASSERIE, MILLBURN
We felt as if we were in France at Ma Maison Brasserie in Millburn, an adorable restaurant with white-lace curtains, brick walls, French-themed posters, and cane chairs. The menu features French dishes such as mussels, prepared four different ways, bouillabaisse, and plates du jour.
While the Caesar salad came with croutons and bacon on an ice-cold plate with crisp greens, the anchovy-heavy dressing overpowered this dish. French bistros usually serve killer fries but unfortunately our grilled steak came with thin, limp, undercooked french fries. And there was no aioli, though we were offered ketchup and A1 sauce for the steak. The pappardelle with duck ragu was steaming hot and full of flavor unlike the sirloin steak. Wide noodles embraced a tasty red sauce with chunks of tender duck; a worthwhile dish. Also endorsed are the light and airy profiteroles au chocolate, filled with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce.
Profiteroles.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein
Ma Maison Brasserie
291 Essex Street, Millburn, NJ 07041
973-467-7873
BYO
www.mamaisonmillburn.com/
*******************************************************
NINE THAI & SUSHI, CHATHAM
While out on a weekday afternoon we happened into Nine Thai & Sushi in Chatham and had a decent lunch. The problem was that we requested the dishes to be medium spiced and they were bland. Both our fried tofu dish with onions, and a crispy duck dish were very mild. Basil noodles with vegetables, fresh basil, and spicy-chili sauce had a mild kick, but were certainly not what we expected from a dish that was listed as having a spicy-chili sauce. Beef salad also lacked seasoning, although it was a colorful presentation with shredded carrots as a topping. Green-papaya salad tossed in a lime dressing and dusted with finely chopped peanuts was as tasteless as it was colorless. Nine Thai & Sushi will appeal to those that are not hardcore Thai devotees.
Beef salad.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein
Nine Thai & Sushi
641 Shunpike Road
Chatham, NJ
973-377-3636
BYO
************************************************************
HARVEST WINE FESTIVAL, SHORT HILLS
The Seventh Annual Harvest Wine Festival will be held on November 2 at the Hilton Short Hills, 41 John F. Kennedy Parkway, Short Hills. A portion of the proceeds will go to Family Promise of Bergen County, an organization dedicated to alleviating the plight of the homeless in Bergen County. This event will include more than 150 wines, hors d’oeuvres, antipasto, pasta, cheese, and breads as well as wine classes (an additional $25) and live music. 7 to 10 PM; $79 (thru 10/27); Final Week: $89. For information or tickets call 866-811-4111.
*************************************************************
DINING DEALS
Ram’s Head Inn, 9 West White Horse Pike, Galloway is offering a three-course prix-fixe lunch menu every Tuesday through Friday for $25 and a three-course prix-fixe dinner menu every Tuesday through Friday and Sunday for $29.95. Reservations: 609-652-1700.
Every weekday a three-course meal for $30 is offered at LoBianco New American Cuisine, 20 S Douglas Avenue, Margate City (609-350-6493).
************************************************************
RAZZA PIZZA ARTIGINALE, JERSEY CITY
Opening today October 3 is Razza Pizza Artiginale located at 275 Grove Street in Jersey City, a 40-seat restaurant from the owners of Arturo’s Osteria & Pizzeria in Maplewood. This intimate new restaurant will focus on pizza—made in a custom-built, wood-fired oven—a few small plates, and salads. Executive chef/co-owner Dan Richer, a James Beard Award semifinalist, said that they will be baking bread in their wood-fired oven and serving it with a house-made, naturally cultured butter. Salads will change frequently since their vegetables are sourced locally. A small list of northern Italian wine and locally crafted beer from the northeast will also be available. Razza Pizza Artiginale will be open daily (except Tuesdays) from 5 to 10 PM; delivery will not be offered. The restaurant does not have a phone.
**********************************
SAVE THE DATE
On November 8, chef Robert Albers will present a Burgundy Wine Dinner at the Pleasantdale Chateau, 757 Eagle Rock Avenue, West Orange. 6:30 PM; $150, all inclusive. For reservations, call Laura Madden at 973-731-5600 ext 3016. Overnight accommodations are available for guests who wish to stay the night at the Chateau.
************************************
Please send press releases and restaurant news, including information on staff changes, wine tastings, and cooking classes, to [email protected].