DAN RICHER AND NICOLE SABEL MARRIED
Congratulations to Dan Richer chef/co-owner of Arturo’s in Maplewood and Razza Pizza Artiginale in Jersey City on his marriage to Nicole Sabel on September 27.
We recently returned to Razza, co-owned by Richer and Fred Shandler, which serves one of the best pizzas with a crackling, slightly charred crust, that the Safersteins have ever eaten. Go here with an appetite, as everything is sooooooo good.
We started with their bread and cultured, hand-churned butter, kale salad, fire-roasted meatballs, ricotta crostini and a selection of artisanal cured meats. Yep, that was a lot of food but there were six of us. The maple pizza with fresh mozzarella, Mangalista bacon, Pennsylvania maple syrup and shaved onions had us all swooning. The bacon paired with the maple syrup was a satisfying blend of saltiness and sweetness. Not to be missed either was cinghiale with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella wild boar sausage and New Jersey kale; a splendid combination of flavors. A special of New Jersey corn pizza with mozzarella was another example of simple local ingredients that were used to create a memorable and interesting dish. Although our guts were busting, we indulged in dessert, a creamy blueberry panna cotta strikingly served in a glass jar. With the exception of Prosecco, Razza specializes in local and Italian craft beers, cocktails and wine selections from the Alba region of Italy or the surrounding area. They are open for dinner daily, except for Sundays, from 5:30 until 10 PM. Reservations are not accepted. Chef Richer was a James Beard Rising Star Chef semi-finalist in 2011.
Pizza with fresh mozzarella, Mangalitsa bacon, maple syrup and shaved onions.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein
Razza Pizza Artiginale
275 Grove Street
Jersey City
201-356-9348
EXECUTIVE CHEF BEN POLLINGER
Executive chef Ben Pollinger, of Oceana in New York City and a resident of Oradell, will unveil his debut cookbook, School of Fish at a special fundraising event at the Oradell Free Public Library, 375 Kinderkamack Road, Oradell on October 18. Pollinger, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America has worked at Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo under chef Alain Ducasse; Les Célébrités, Lespinasse, Union Square Cafe, and Tabla. He joined Oceana as executive chef in 2006 and has maintained the midtown Manhattan restaurant’s Michelin star rating throughout his tenure. He has been featured on programs like the Today show, The Martha Stewart Show, and Chef’s Table on ABC News. Esquire named chef Pollinger a “rising star chef.” He serves on the Program Advisory Committee at The International Culinary Center and is an advisor to the Alaskan Seafood Marketing Institute.
At this event, Pollinger will present a culinary demonstration and answer questions about cooking seafood followed by a reception with a sampling of select dishes from School of Fish. Light refreshments, including beer and wine, will be served. Proceeds will benefit the children’s education and technology resources at Oradell Public Library. 6:30 to 9:30 PM; $60 per guest, plus one signed copy of School of Fish, or $100 for two, plus one signed copy. Tickets are on sale at Oradell Public Library’s main desk. For those unable to attend, Oradell Public Library is taking pre-orders for signed copies of School of Fish for $35. Pre-order books will be available for pick-up from the library. For additional event details and updates, visit the library’s website or “Like” the event on Facebook. Tickets will not be sold at the door.
Here is a recipe from School of Fish for you to try.
•ROASTED LOBSTER 101 • WITH BASIL-GARLIC BUTTER
Serves 4 as an entrée
This is a dead simple way to make great-tasting roast lobster, focusing on the sweetness of the meat. Serve with Olive Oil-Crushed Potatoes and sautéed zucchini.
FOR THE BASIL-GARLIC BUTTER
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 generous tablespoon slivered fresh basil
FOR THE LOBSTER
Four 1¼-pound live lobsters Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. For the basil-garlic butter, melt about one quarter of the butter (2 tablespoons) in a small pan over low heat. Add the garlic and cook without coloring, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining butter and heat until melted, about 3 minutes more. Remove from the heat. Add the basil and let stand 10 minutes to infuse the broth.
2. Place the lobsters on a cutting board. Kill the lobsters by driving the point of a chef ’s knife through the center point of the line that bisects the tails from the heads; pull off the claws and knuckles, split the lobster tails in half lengthwise, and remove the vein from the tail and the grain sac from the head. Crack the claws just as you would for a cooked lobster.
3. Arrange two racks in the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil.
4. Arrange 4 lobster halves cut side up on each baking sheet. Sprinkle the tail meat of each lobster half lightly with salt and pepper and drizzle with tablespoon basil-garlic butter. Cover with foil and bake 5 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and remove the foil. Drizzle each lobster tail half with about ½ teaspoon more of the butter. Cover again with foil and roast 5 minutes more, switching racks this time for even cooking. Remove the foil and continue roasting until the lobsters are cooked through and lightly browned, about 8 minutes more.
6. Serve drizzled with the rest of the basil-garlic butter.
Text copyright © 2014 by Ben Pollinger. Published by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Printed with permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
MORE CHEFS IN THE NEWS
ROBERTO CARNERO
Ilson Goncalves, chef/owner of Samba, has announced that Roberto Carnero as the new executive chef at his Brazilian restaurant at 7 Park Street Montclair (973-744-6764); BYO. Carnero, a graduate of NYC’s French Culinary Institute (now the International Culinary Center) was previously chef de cuisine at Costanera in Montclair. Along with specials and larger salads added to the lunch menu, new dinner selections include: potato-spinach soup; strawberry bass with heirloom carrots and French beans; and a trio of coconut, sweet corn and mango ice creams for dessert.
JAMES DESISTO
James DeSisto is the new chef/owner of Laboratorio Kitchen, 615 Bloomfield Ave, Montclair (973-746-6100) BYO. He studied at Johnson and Wales University in Miami Florida.
DUKE ESTIMES
Duke Estimes is the executive chef at Le Malt, Brown Spirits and Wine Lounge at 1021 St Georges Ave, Colonia (732-510-7700).
SCOTT JACOBSON
Scott Jacobson, who you may remember from Zoe’s on the Lake in Sparta (now closed), is now the executive chef at Hudson Farm, a private gun and hunting club, in Andover.
ELI KACHLON
Eli Kachlon is the executive chef/partner of Novo Mediterranean Restaurant at 37 Chestnut St, Ridgewood (201-444-4910); BYO. Formerly Kachlon was a consulting chef at Mezza in Westwood, a sous chef for Gordon Ramsay at The London and at Oceana both in NYC.
BRIAN MCGACKIN
Brian McGackin is the new chef de cuisine working under executive chef Christine Nunn at Grange, 31 Westwood Ave, Westwood (201-497-3788). He previously was sous chef at Terre a Terre in Carlstadt.
TIVADOR “THEO’ ORBAN
Tivador “Theo” Orban is the new general manager and server at Satis Bistro, 212 Washington St, Jersey City (201-435-5151). He previously worked at The Delano Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida and has extensive experience in the business, having worked for the Bice Group in Chicago and NYC.
IAN SINDHIKARA
Ian Sindhikara, who has been working with Vic Rallo and Rallo Hospitality for a number of years, is the executive chef at Birravino (the combined Italian words for beer and wine), a casual, authentic Italian restaurant, that has opened at 183 Riverside Ave, Red Bank. (732-842-5990).
GARY NEEDHAM AND CRISTIAN SOTO
Chef Gary Needham, the founding chef at Silver Oak Bistro, Ridgewood (now closed) as well as the Bourbon BBQ in Wyckoff, will be rejoining Bourbon BBQ as a consulting chef and will be visiting periodically from his home in Charleston WV to work with executive chef Cristian Soto and his team on recreating some of the Silver Oak favorites as well as new items from Needham’s vast repertoire. The first visit will take place October 15th to 19th. For the last11 months, Soto has been the executive chef. Previously he was executive sous chef, Agata & Valentina, NYC; executive sous chef, Hamilton & Ward Steakhouse, Paterson; and head chef, Sushi Lounge.
WALLY WEAVER
Wally Weaver is the new executive chef at La Griglia, 740 Boulevard, Kenilworth (908-241-0031) and Water and Wine, 141 Stirling Road, Watchung (908-755-9344). He previously worked at 3Forty Grill in Hoboken.
GREGORY ZAPANTIS
Gregory Zapantis is the new executive chef at Molos Restaurant, 1 Pershing Road, Weehawken (201-223-1200).
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