HIGHLAWN PAVILION, WEST ORANGE
Lunch or dinner at Highlawn Pavilion, Eagle Rock Reservation, West Orange, is always a treat. Mitchell Altholz, the very talented executive chef, uses quality ingredients and has a well-trained staff. The setting is also memorable, with views of the New York City skyline. (In the summer, consider dining on the patio for even better views.) Recently we felt like having a light dinner but wanted the Highlawn ambiance, so we opted to dine in the bar and order from the bar menu. If you’re looking for a more substantial meal and live music, dine here on a Wednesday or Friday night, when a three-piece combo is playing and a “jazz” menu is offered with three courses for $29.
We experienced the same quality of service in the barroom as we’ve had in the dining room. Drink orders are taken (they were a generous pour), a basket of rolls and butter were placed on the table, and three menus were offered: the bar menu, the jazz menu, and the regular à la carte dining-room menu. We were there for the bar food and started with a bowl of pappardelle with Bolognese sauce that was chock full of meat. Three fish tacos were whimsically presented on a rack, making them easy to pick up. One was filled with salmon tartare topped with avocado mousse, another had tuna tartare with compressed melon, and the third was lobster salad with spicy mayonnaise. They were refreshing, and the melon had quite an intriguing taste and texture. Chef Altholz told me that he uses watermelon and cantaloupe with shichimi togarashi, a zesty Japanese seasoning, and compresses it all in a Cryovac machine. Delicious.
Attention to detail is what makes Highlawn Pavilion stand out and explains why the restaurant has such a stellar reputation. Thought also went into the preparation and presentation of Wagyu sliders topped with Cheddar and applewood-smoked bacon on a house-made brioche roll. The bacon is also made in house, using Mangalitsa pork belly that’s brined for 35 days with maple syrup and then cold smoked with applewood. The accompanying chipotle ketchup had us licking our lips. We were full and bypassed coffee and tempting desserts such as raspberry napoleon and chocolate fudge sundae. For reservations, call 973-731-3463.
Trio of fish tacos.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein.
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ANNA’S RISTORANTE, SUMMIT
The Ferraro family, owners of Ferraro’s Ristorante, Ferraro’s South catering, and Bovella’s Pastry Shoppe, all in Westfield, and the Primavera Regency catering space in Stirling, has opened Anna’s Ristorante at 67 Union Place in Summit. This casual BYO eatery has an extensive menu featuring pizza, pasta, meat, poultry, and fish, with traditional Italian dishes such as lasagna, eggplant parmigiana or rollatini, chicken giambotta or Murphy, and veal Marsala, saltimbocca, or parmigiana. Kudos to the chef for also having healthy whole-wheat pasta options, as well as multigrain dough available for pizza.
Spears of fried, breaded zucchini came with a sweet and a spicy tomato sauce, both of which were a hit. The same sweet tomato sauce topped a stellar eggplant parmigiana; we could actually taste the eggplant, which wasn’t heavily dredged in bread crumbs. We would have preferred a crisper crust and more basil on our Margherita pizza, although the plum tomato and mozzarella topping was tasty. Chicken Giuseppe was an uninteresting lightly breaded cutlet topped with mozzarella, tomatoes, and a salad of arugula dressed with balsamic vinaigrette. A special of sea bass with shrimp, mussels, and clams had a salty light-red sauce and many broken and empty clam and mussel shells. For $32.95 we expected better ingredients and execution. Do try the banana crunch, a phyllo shell filled with cinnamon- and sugar-caramelized bananas, vanilla ice cream, and crunchy sweet croutons, surrounded by caramel and chocolate sauce. Not all of the desserts are made in house, so if this is important to you, ask. For reservations, call 908-273-4448.
Banana crunch dessert.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein.
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URSINO, UNION
Ursino is deliciously distinct. From the top-level entrance by a stunning bar to the descent to the dining room down a curved staircase to the expertly prepared food by executive chef Peter Turso, we had an exceptional experience here. Located on the Liberty Hall Campus of Kean University, the ancestral estate of the Livingston and Kean families at 1075 Morris Avenue, Union, this is a place you will want to try. I don’t remember college dining ever being so pleasurable.
Seasonal and local foods are highlighted at Ursino. There’s a four-acre farm at Liberty Hall, which during the growing season supplies the restaurant with produce and herbs. Honey is expected to be harvested in the spring, and fruit is supplied by a small orchard on the premises.
There are no ho-hum salads here; the two that we had were fresh-tasting eye-catchers. The Liberty Hall beet salad came with mâche, candied walnuts, Shepherd’s Basket cheese, and crab apples, along with multicolored beets and a long translucent crispy cracker. The local winter green salad with shaved Tewksbury cheese and cranberry sauce was accompanied by a colorful slice of squash terrine. Smoked swordfish with shaved fennel, pea tendrils, and extra-virgin olive oil reminded us of smoked whitefish, but better. Another exceptional dish was the handmade cavatelli with short ribs, perfectly diced sugar pumpkin, peppercress, and Tartufo Shepherd cheese. Vegetable lovers or vegetarians can opt for the creamy local organic polenta with root vegetable confit, shaved Gruyère, spaghetti squash, and vincotto—a beautifully plated and tasty dish. Baby bok choy, forbidden rice, and kumquats decorated the plate of a deeply satisfying Long Island Crescent duck a l’orange. Rabbit lovers shouldn’t miss one of the best renditions of a rabbit dish that we’ve had in a long time. The bacon-wrapped tenderloin was joined with braised fennel, steel-cut-oat risotto (an unusual accompaniment that we loved), and carrot purée. The desserts also had seldom-seen combinations such as ruby red grapefruit consommé with avocado and fromage blanc sorbet, and poached apple with crispy farina and wildflower honey gelato. We opted for a lemon tart and a selection of ice creams, both of which were well executed.
Ursino is open for lunch Monday through Friday and dinner Monday through Saturday; a lounge/bar menu is offered throughout the day Monday through Friday. When the restaurant is full, it can get quite noisy, so if possible dine here on a weekday night or early in the evening. For reservations, call 908-249-4099.
Local green winter salad.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein.
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ATLANTIC CAPE COMMUNITY COLLEGE GALA
On March 22, the Atlantic Cape Community College Restaurant Gala will take place at Bally’s Atlantic City Hotel and Casino to benefit student scholarships and the Atlantic Cape Foundation. Plan on feasting on thousands of hors d’oeuvres prepared by students at the Academy of Culinary Arts as well as specialties from 40 area restaurants, and enjoy an elegant dessert reception and live music. 6:30 PM; $200. Tickets can be ordered by contacting Lauren Canzanese at 609-463-4672, e-mailing [email protected], or visiting www.atlantic.edu/gala.
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LOCAVORE ADVENTURES: ONE CHEF’S SLOW FOOD JOURNEY
Part memory and part cookbook is the newly published Locavore Adventures: One Chef’s Slow Food Journey by Jim Weaver, chef/owner of Tre Piani, 120 Rockingham Row, Princeton. Readers will learn about the Central New Jersey chapter of the Slow Food movement, with more than forty recipes to try. Available online and at bookstores.
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SOUTH JERSEY RESTAURANT WEEK
South Jersey Restaurant Week will be celebrated March 18 through 23, with participating chefs offering four courses for $25 or $35. For more information, log on to www.sjhotchefs.com.
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RUMSON RESTAURANT MONTH
March is Rumson Restaurant Month, with participating restaurants offering specials as well as prix-fixe menus. For more information, visit www.rumsonnj.gov.
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JAMES BEARD SEMIFINALISTS FROM NJ
Congratulations to the following NJ James Beard 2012 semifinalists.
Best New Restaurant: Zeppoli, Collingswood
Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic: Andrew Araneo, Drew’s Bayshore Bistro, Keyport; Maricel Presilla, Cucharamama, Hoboken; and Michael Krikorian, Copper Canyon, Atlantic Highlands
The finalists will be announced on March 19, and the winners will be named on May 7.
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MAC-AND-CHEESE MARCH MADNESS
Each day throughout March, a different version of mac and cheese is being offered at Liberty House, 76 Audrey Zapp Drive, Jersey City (201-395-0300), and Stone House at Stirling Ridge, 50 Stirling Road, Warren (908-754-1222).
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