Restaurant News

This week Rosie tells us about Edward’s Steakhouse in Jersey City, Samba in Montclair, a Cooking for Kids charity event, and much more news about NJ restaurants.

EDWARD’S STEAKHOUSE, JERSEY CITY
Some members of my family quote Fran Lebowitz, who once said, “My favorite animal is steak.” Therefore their choice to celebrate a birthday was Edward’s Steakhouse, located in an 1870s brownstone at 239 Marin Boulevard, Jersey City. And quite a good choice it was. The first floor has a prohibition-era bar where you may want to start your evening with a drink and slake your hunger with a big bowl of addictive house-made potato chips. Upstairs you’ll find the main dining room. The service is attentive, and the food is worthwhile.

We began with some of the usual steak-house starters: full-bodied onion soup; wedge of iceberg lettuce with diced tomatoes, bacon, and chunky blue cheese dressing; chopped salad; and ahi tuna tartare topped with an edible flower and served with a scrumptious soy, ginger, and Serrano sesame sauce. Salads were served on ice-cold plates, an appreciated touch. It’s not all about steak here. Fish, chicken, lamb, pork, and a vegetarian option are available. Okay, we all know what Lowell had. His pork chop was juicy, full of flavor, and accompanied by wild mushrooms and haricots verts. A hash-brown potato cake served as a raft for tender petit filet mignon surrounded by a bordelaise sauce. And we shared, along with a vegetarian entrée, a wonderful 24-ounce charred bone-in cowboy steak, my favorite cut, topped with a very generous portion of onion rings. Both were excellent, and even with two people sharing the steak and vegetables, there was plenty left over for lunch the next day. Kudos to Edward’s for giving vegetables a starring role on the vegetarian plate. Presented in a ring, surrounded by an Asian sauce, and topped with an edible flower, the haricots verts, asparagus, brown rice, and broccoli were stunning and delicious. A 42-ounce porterhouse for two is available, and judging from the one devoured at the table next to us, it is an impressive piece of meat. For dessert, don’t miss the icebox cake made with chocolate wafers and whipped cream.

Monday through Wednesday, a special three-course prix-fixe dinner is offered for $30 (four courses for $44), and select bottles of wine are $25. And whenever you dine here, an added bonus is that there’s validated parking one block away. Reservations: 201-761-0000.

Tuna tartare.

Cowboy steak.
Photos courtesy of Lowell Saferstein.

***********

SAMBA, MONTCLAIR
It’s a cafe by day, serving breakfast and lunch, with sandwiches made on Balthazar bread. But at 5:30 PM Monday through Saturday, owner Ito Hostins, a native of Brazil, offers authentic Brazilian home-style cuisine at Samba, 7 Park Street, Montclair. Dinner entrées range from $15.95 to $21.95 at this cozy and charming 32-seat restaurant (which has outdoor seating in season), with copper pots and antique trays on the walls, candles, wood tables, linen napkins, and unmatched antique utensils and plates.

Patrons will find down-to-earth dishes on the menu, including fried yucca with Brazilian pork sausage and caramelized onions; baby arugula, mango, and caramelized pistachios with orange vinaigrette; organic chicken sautéed with garlic, onions, tomatoes, okra, and fresh herbs, with rice and beans; thin pan-fried steak topped with two fried eggs and served with sautéed collard greens, white rice, and breaded fried banana; and, for dessert, passion fruit mousse, flan caramel, and Brazilian chocolate mousse. On Fridays and Saturdays, feijoada, the Brazilian national dish made with black beans, beef, and pork and served with rice, fresh orange, collard greens, farofa (a toasted manioc flour mixture), and vinaigrette sauce, is offered. Reservations: 973-744-6764; BYO.

****************

COOKING FOR KIDS CHARITY EVENT
On April 30, the Fifth Annual Cooking for Kids: Gourmet Fare From Everywhere event will be held at the Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel, 2 Meadowlands Plaza, East Rutherford, to benefit the St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital’s pediatric programs and services. Chefs who will be offering samplings of their signature dishes include Lidia Bastianich, Michael Carrino, Ryan DePersio, Ariane Duarte, Scott Cutaneo, and Jim Weaver. 6 to 9:30 PM; $200 general admission, $250 for a VIP ticket that includes a special gift bag. For more information, visit www.stjosephshealth.org/chefevent, contact the St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center Foundation office at 973-754-4408, or e-mail [email protected].

*****************

TABLE TO TABLE UPCOMING EVENTS
Table to Table, a community-based program that delivers prepared and perishable food to organizations that serve the hungry, will be holding the following events:

On May 8, a Chef’s Gala with guest of honor Lidia Bastianich will be held at the Alpine Country Club, 80 Anderson Avenue, Demarest. 6:30 PM; $400; black tie optional.

On May 30, the Great Grill & Pig Out, aka Swine & Wine, with guest of honor Anita Lo (executive chef and owner of Annisa in New York City and Iron Chef winner) will be held at the Estate at Florentine Gardens, 97 Rivervale Road, River Vale. Participating restaurants include Axia Taverna, Cafe Panache, Liberty House Restaurant, Nico/Fascino, Park West Tavern, Varka Estiatorio, and Village Green. 6:30 PM; $250.

For tickets to either event, call 201-444-5500.

********************

DINING DEALS
Dine at Cafe Matisse, 167 Park Avenue, Rutherford, on a Sunday and pay cash for a 15 percent discount off the grazing prices. The restaurant is now open Tuesday through Sunday, and the garden will open on May 15. Reservations: 201-935-2995; BYO.

Executive chef Mitchell Altholz from the Manor, 111 Prospect Avenue, West Orange, is offering a new three-course Terrace Lounge menu on Wednesdays and Thursdays for $39. Reservations: 973-731-2360.

On Sundays, the Stockton Inn, 1 Main Street, Stockton, offers the entire wine list discounted by 25 percent with the purchase of an entrée at lunch or dinner. Reservations: 609-397-1250.

***************
Please send press releases and restaurant news, including information on staff changes, wine tastings, and cooking classes, to [email protected].

[justified_image_grid exclude="featured"]
Read more Table Hopping articles.

By submitting comments you grant permission for all or part of those comments to appear in the print edition of New Jersey Monthly.

Required
Required not shown
Required not shown