TRATTORIA BOLU, BASKING RIDGE
With so many Italian restaurants in NJ, it takes a novel menu to spark our interest. Such was the case with Trattoria Bolu, 25 Mountainview Boulevard, Basking Ridge, whose menu tags dishes that are vegetarian, gluten free, and vegan, plus those that contain organic ingredients. Pizza is offered with a multi-grain or gluten-free crust. An antipasto bar whose offerings change daily is a good deal, with a single antipasto for $7, three for $14, and five for $19. The servings are big enough that three of the choices can be your entrée, but we shared three as an appetizer: marinated baby artichokes; bean and tiger shrimp salad; and rice croquettes stuffed with sausage, broccoli rabe, and mozzarella. Other small plates are available as well, including broccoli gratinato; brick-oven flatbread; and sautéed spinach with pine nuts and raisins. My go-to dish, eggplant parm, was on the menu and was a large portion made with thin slices of eggplant rather than the thick, heavily breaded pieces that are sometimes used. Lowell’s braised short rib lasagna was full of meat as well as goat cheese, mushrooms, and mozzarella, making for a very rich and filling dish. Dessert was warm apple and pear strudel studded with walnuts and served with pecan ice cream. Bolu is open daily for lunch and dinner; BYO.
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AN “A-PAW-TIZER” FOR CHARITY
On Sunday, July 29, a Wine and A-PAW-tizers fundraiser for the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge will be held at Flirt Sushi Lounge, 140 West Allendale Avenue, Allendale. 6 to 9 PM; $75. For tickets, e-mail [email protected] or send a check Rob Lehmann, 52 Saxonia Ave, Wyckoff, NJ 07481.
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HUDSON RESTAURANT WEEK
Hudson Restaurant Week returns from July 23 through August 3, with forty-plus participating restaurants in Bayonne, Hoboken, Jersey City, and Weehawken. Prix-fixe lunches start at $13, and three-course dinners start at $23. New to the list are O’Hara’s Downtown, Las Olas Sushi, Pilsener Haus, Skylark on the Hudson, VB3, and Goodfellas. For the entire list, restaurant specifics, and menus, visit www.hudsonrestaurantweek.com or www.facebook.com/hudsonrw.
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SAVE THE DATES
From September 15 through 23, the Cape May Food & Wine Celebration presented by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities will be held throughout the town. Events include chefs’ dine-arounds, gourmet brunch walks, a scotch tasting dinner, gourmet lunches, a Cape May clambake, a self-guided wine and brewery trail, a beer and cheese tasting, and a food and wine lecture with Chef Joseph Poon of Philadelphia. For more information and tickets, call 800-275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org.
The Twelfth Annual Epicurean Palette will be held on September 30 at Grounds for Sculpture, 18 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton, with tastings of food, wine, and spirits. 1 to 4 PM; VIP tickets $225, members $99, non-members $120. For tickets, visit www.epicureanpalette.org.
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ATLANTIC CITY FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL
The Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival will be held July 26 through 29, with four days of events, tastings, and celebrity chef appearances. Participating chefs include Anne Burrell, Tom Colicchio, Buddy Valastro, and Andrew Zimmern. For more information, visit www.acfoodandwine.com.
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FARM TO TABLE AT LORENA’S MAPLEWOOD
A $39 Farm to Table summer prix-fixe menu is offered between 5 and 6 PM at Lorena’s, 168 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood. Chef Humberto Campos Jr. has also launched his early summer menu, which changes weekly and features ingredients from organic, sustainable, and environmentally conscious New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania farms. Reservations: 973-763-4460; BYO.
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SALT STUDIO, ANDOVER
Chef Bradley Boyle is booking his Salt Studio, located at 4 Lenape Road, Andover, for chefs who can use the space to create special dinners and/or a pop-up restaurant. The studio can also be rented for a party for 8 to 40 guests. Renters get full use of the facility and equipment as well as marketing for the event. For more information, call 862-266-2375 or log on to www.saltgastropub.com/studio/faq.html.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO…
The New Jersey Restaurant Association has announced that Ashley Lauren Fisher of Pazzo Pazzo is the winner of the Gold Plate Award, and celebrity chef David Burke of the Burke Group is Restaurateur of the Year. Betsey Alger, past NJRA chairwoman and former owner of the Frog and the Peach, is the recipient of the Deborah Roy Dowdell Lifetime Achievement Award. These winners will be honored at the NJRA’s annual awards gala in November.
Berta’s Chateau, 7 Grove Street, Wanaque (973-835-0992), has received the Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine since 1991, and in 1989 and 1990 the restaurant was presented with the Award of Excellence, making it 24 years of honors. To celebrate this unbroken streak, Berta’s will offer a $24 deal until the end of the summer, which will change daily. Some promotions may be a $24 three-, four-, or five-course dinner; Monday’s Chef’s Night dinner (three courses plus two glasses of wine) for $24 instead of $32.95; a very special entrée for $24; or high-end wines on sale for $24. Contact chef/owner Peter Bernstein at the restaurant, or e-mail [email protected] for more information.
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Please send press releases and restaurant news, including information on staff changes, wine tastings, and cooking classes, to [email protected].