Party of Two

The Frog and The Peach

2011-04-08T11:27:00.001-07:00

We decided to partake in New Brunswick's Restaurant Week this afternoon by visiting The Frog and the Peach, a restaurant exactly as old as we are (if you don't know, we're not telling). One of the few restaurants offering both dinner and lunch prix fixe menus, our decision on where to dine was relatively easy. Both of us have eaten at F&P in the past and enjoyed it immensely.

As a starter we both ordered the spring pea soup with mint creme fraiche. The earthy aroma was a welcome start to our meal, and the soup had a nice kick to it that complimented the peas nicely. Unfortunately the mint didn't really come through as much as we would have liked, and we couldn't help but compare it to the absolutely divine pea and mint soup we enjoyed at NYC's Fig & Olive. Still, this was a nice start to the meal.

Again, we both opted for the same entree, Duck Confit Risotto with asparagus (none on mine, thank you), parmesan cheese, and a sherry reduction. The duck on this was absolutely superb. There were meaty, juicy pieces mixed in with ultra-crispy strips that presented a great textural balance with the creamy risotto. The parmesan cheese added a nice salty note to the dish.

At this point we couldn't cram much more in, but thankfully the desserts were quite small. We ordered both options this time, a ginger creme brulee and an Alpaco chocolate sorbet with cassis meringue. The creme brulee had a great ginger flavor, but to be honest, the dessert has never been a favorite of mine. The chocolate sorbet was incredibly rich, and the topping (what I'm guessing was the cassis meringue) wasn't meringue like at all, but it was very salty and even potent. We barely finished, and I think there was even a bit of sorbet leftover.

For $19, you won't find much better food. I wish we could go for dinner as well so I could order the chipotle glazed flat iron steak, but that will have to wait for another day.

You can check out all the restaurant week menus here, which run until April 16th.

H-Mart dining

2011-03-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

I headed into Edison last night to check out the food court of the recently opened H-Mart - joined by friends John and Scott (of Eat Out New Jersey), we made a beeline for the Japanese ramen stand. There are four or five different places to choose from, including Korean, Chinese, and sushi. I was anxious to try the ramen after New York City's Totto Ramen had transformed me into a noodle fiend, so the other cuisines would have to wait until my next trip.

Spicy ramen, please. Other varieties are offered (John and Scott both went with Miso ramen), but I like the peppery kick. While waiting for our meals we dined on the free samples sitting out front. The first was pork trotters, sliced up chunks of a pig's foot. The porky flavor was fantastic, although texturally there's a lot of fat and tendons which is sometimes tough to work through. The second sample was some type of sausage - we had no clue what type. Immediately the texture caught us off guard, but then the pork flavor starting setting in. It was actually pretty tasty! What was up with the texture, though? It was somewhat gelatinous, and not what we were expecting from sausage. After asking (and finding some frozen links in the store), we discovered it was a Korean-style sausage called Soondae, made with vermicelli noodles, rice, beef blood, pork feet, and other pork parts. Traditionally (yes, I researched later) it is made with intestines, so I'm curious as to whether or not they're included under "other pork parts".

On to dinner! The Miso ramen came out first along with some chicken wings the guys had ordered. I was offered one and gladly dug in - wow. These were really, really good. Super crispy, super flavorful (soy, honey, spice).

My Spicy ramen came out next. Traditional noodles and spicy broth with half of an egg, mushrooms, broccoli, bean sprouts, and some weird imitation seafood on top (which I avoided). The ramen itself was good - the broth had the kick I wanted, and the noodles were tasty as well. I'm assuming they were not hand-made in the kitchen, though - while they were good, I have to say they did not come close to meeting the incredibly delicious noodles at Totto Ramen (freshly made each night). Not a huge surprise, but it's worth noting you can absolutely tell the difference once you've had house-made noodles. The ramen was served with little sides of kimchi and pickled radish. The chicken wings were served with fries and some pickled daikon (unbelievably intense pickled flavor).

After dining we explored the store a bit and I eventually decided to pick up a few items. Vegetable, leek, and pork dumplings with some dumpling sauce to go with them. Steamed juicy pork puns (I've been craving these for a long time). Pickled radish, shelled soy beans, and milk tea - a sweet drink Scott recommended to me. I also found some honey powder (not Asian at all, but I hadn't seen it before) - apparently it can be used the same way you use sugar. Figured it was worth a shot. Elizabeth is trying to avoid processed sugar (among other things), so maybe she can use this instead. After adding some run-of-the-mill items to my cart (carrots, plantains, green tea) I checked out.

I had to restrain myself a bit from buying everything interesting I found in the store. There will be other shopping trips! I am excited to try the things I did pick up, especially those pork buns. Mmm.

NYC Restaurant Week - Winter 2011

2011-01-24T10:23:00.001-08:00

We're finally headed to restaurant week! After looking over menus for years, we've finally booked a lunch and dinner for next weekend! For lunch we'll be dining at Tribeca's Plein Sud, followed by a dinner at Barbounia, located in the Flatiron district.

Here are both menus: Plein Sud and Barbounia

While we'll probably do a little sharing/sampling, I think I've got my meals all planned out.

Lunch
Tarte Flambee - smoked baked, onion & fromage blanc
Butternut Squash Ravioli - crispy sweetbreads, toasted almonds, brown butter & sage
Tribeca - peanut butter ganache, rich chocolate cake, chocolate sorbet

Dinner
Moroccan Harira Soup - lamb, chickpea, black lentil, harrisa & lemon juice
Fresh Fettucine Carbonara - duck prosciutto, duck confit, wild mushrooms & black pepper
Valrhona Dark Chocolate Terrine - sumsumia & carmelized hazelnuts

It should be a blast, and we'll hopefully have restaurant reviews for both locations sometime next week.

-B

Eat Slow!

2010-11-30T17:33:00.000-08:00

Slow Food Central NJ is once again hosting winter markets. Check out this post on NJ Outdoors for further information: http://njoutdoors.wordpress.com/2010/12/01/eat-slow/

Click image for a larger version.

I can just about guarantee we'll be buying something from Picklelicious on December 18th.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T13:17:00.001-07:00

I made these Jack-O-Latern stuffed peppers for lunch today. Just a quick mix of ground turkey, whole wheat pasta, freshly chopped garlic, mozzarella cheese, and tomato sauce (no sauce for me, thanks). Elizabeth was pretty excited by the Halloween-themed meal.

Have a fun and safe Halloween, everyone!

Watermelon!

2010-09-01T19:38:00.001-07:00

We've been getting a watermelon weekly from our CSA share at Honeybrook Organic Farm. They grow not only your standard red watermelons, but also yellow and orange! Our family was quite surprised to see the yellow flesh when they cut into one of the melons we brought over recently.

While a cold slice of watermelon on a hot summer's day is nothing to turn away, I tried to get creative considering how many melons we'd picked up over the last few weeks. First were some simple watermelon and mint popsicles (using ONLY those two ingredients):

Last weekend I decided to make a pair of salads with the red and orange watermelons we had in our fridge. The first was a simple salad of watermelon, blueberry, and mint. Nothing fancy, although I must say it looked quite nice:

Finally, I made another salad using the same two types of watermelon, along with mint, crumbled feta cheese, and diced red onion. All of this was tossed in a dressing of oil, vinegar, and of course salt and pepper. When I read off the ingredient list my family was more than a bit apprehensive. I think they felt obliged to at least try it, though, and everyone placed a small section of watermelon on their plates. About 20 minutes later, the whole bowl was gone! Somehow, someway, the tastes actually work together. The watermelon, the vinegar...don't ask me to explain how.

You can find recipes online for similar salads. I glanced at a recipe and then just adjusted the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste as I was mixing everything together.

Thanks for reading, everyone! Make sure to get the most out of New Jersey's delicious seasonal ingredients!

Quick Bite: Steak Sandwich

2010-07-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth made some delicious steak sandwiches for dinner tonight. I came home to the smoky smell of our barbeque, and found some ciabatta bread crisping up on our deck.

We laid a generous portion of brie on the toasted bread, and topped that with some thinly sliced steak. After adding some caramelized onions, we were ready to dig in! It was a tasty sandwich indeed, with plenty of flavor and texture from all the ingredients. I've really come around on onions - I used to stay away from them at any cost, but now I find myself thinking "You know what this sandwich could use? More caramelized onions!"

Taco night!

2010-07-08T17:09:00.000-07:00

We decided to make some pork tacos and Mexican coleslaw tonight. After getting some cabbage with our CSA share this week, we were reminded that we've been wanting to try to make some of the slaw we had on tacos down in Cape May last spring.

The pork was marinated overnight in a chili-lime rub, and it started cooking in the crock pot this morning with salsa verde and vegetable stock added in. It cooked for about 8 hours on low, and was literally falling apart as we started removing it this evening.

The slaw was simple enough to make:

6 cups thinly chopped cabbage
1.5 cups grated carrots
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

We cooked up some rice and beans as sides, and started piling up the tacos. Some lime squeezed over the top finished them off.

The textures were awesome. Crunchy slaw. Bready tortillas. Mmm. The pork was tender enough, although the flavors weren't really coming through as much as we would have liked. We're definitely going to try and cook it a different way next time. The flavors were still nice, though, and some bites were the perfect blend of pork, cilantro, vinegar, and lime. Certainly not the most offensive thing we've ever made! All in all it was a pretty successful taco, and we've got plenty left for lunch tomorrow - always an added bonus.

The aftermath:

Jersey Shore BBQ

2010-07-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

After spending the morning relaxing on the beach, Elizabeth and I decided to try a new BBQ place in Belmar thanks to the advice of some friends. It's located only a few blocks from the beach - their website can be found here.

As soon as you enter Jersey Shore BBQ you begin taking in the aroma of smoky barbeque. Their pit, "Bessie" is located out back, and the smells of oak, cherry, and other hardwoods fill the air of the small restaurant. The menu covers all of the major BBQ staples, and also offers some pleasant surprises like catfish, homemade salsa, and gulf shrimp.

The staff were very friendly, and after realizing neither of us had ordered mac & cheese as a side, hurried out a small sample of it for us to try. It was some damn good mac & cheese.

My meal, pictured above, is the "Belmar Duo". Two proteins plus two sides and some cornbread. I opted for my two favorites - beef brisket and pulled pork. The brisket had a beautiful smoke ring thanks to hours in the pit, and the smell was heavenly. The sauce on the pulled pork was a little sweet, but the flavors were awesome. Neither meat was the most tender I've had, although the textures were far from offensive. I decided on ranch beans and sweet potato fries for my sides. Both were tasty, although the ranch beans came in a very small plastic cup and only offered a pair of forkfuls.

Elizabeth ordered a catfish po'boy sandwich, which she enjoyed. The fish had a nice flavor, and the coleslaw added a nice crunch to the meal. She loved the cornbread - no surprise there.

This fine establishment probably offers some of the most authentic southern style BBQ you will find in The Garden State. The flavors and aromas were all there, although I'd like to see how the meats and their sauces stack up next time. Prices were reasonable and the portions were modest yet filling. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area.

Brew Review 1

2010-06-22T12:04:00.001-07:00

I decided to splurge a bit and pick us up a couple of beers from the "fancy" section at one of the local liquor stores. One of them was Wells Banana Bread Beer. Yes, this beer is actually brewed with real bananas.

Although I will occasionally eat bananas, I'm not the biggest fan in the world. And usually I stay away from things with banana flavoring - the exception being banana bread. The beer actually surprised me with how little it tasted like bananas, or banana bread. That's not necessarily a bad thing, considering how overly powerful certain beers are with fruits and flavors.

The aroma was what really carried the sense of bananas. It didn't smell overly sweet or fruity, thankfully, and taking in the smell of banana bread while a beer is being raised to your lips is definitely a novel experience. There was an ever-so-slight hint of banana in the aftertaste as well, but it was very subtle. The beer itself was fairly innocuous, although for the price it really doesn't seem worth a second purchase. It was a decent enough lager, but there was really no complexity in flavors outside of the banana aftertaste. I almost wish it had been done with a thicker beer to give it a more comforting, banana bread vibe.

We also finally put up our wall-mounted bottle opener! Elizabeth made sure the previous owner left it behind, and it sure is fun to pop open a cold beer after a long day of work.

Honeybrook Organic Farm

2010-05-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

We just found out that we've received a share of Honeybrook's CSA for the 2010 growing season! Community Supported Agriculture is a great way to support local farmers and get wonderful, fresh produce at the same time. You can read more about Honeybrook's program here.

The season officially began this morning with pick-your-own strawberries and fresh herbs! Their website offers a harvest calendar which approximates when certain produce becomes available. You can view it here, and be sure not to skip over the PYO items at the bottom!

We'll have updates after the first pick-ups of the season to let everyone know what we received and what we're making with our fresh produce. There are lots of greens early in the season, so if you have any suggestions or yummy recipes let us know. Thanks!

Ag Field Day / Rutgers Day

2010-04-19T11:08:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, April 24th, Rutgers will hold their event-filled day all over their campuses. Head on over to New Jersey Outdoors to read more about the events surrounding the day, including nature hikes at Helyar Woods and Rutgers Gardens.

Of course we'll be talking all about the food! The big lawn on Cook/Douglass campus will once again host the NJ Folk Festival, which is accompanied by a huge food vendor marketplace. In a brilliant tactical maneuver, food trucks will surround the fields with the smells and sounds of deliciousness.

A variety of cultures and cuisines will be represented, including Italian, Greek, Egyptian, Lebanese, and many more! Of course American cuisine will also be prevalent, with all the spring time classics.

Last year during the events we feasted on flavorful pit beef sandwiches with vinegar fries.

For dessert we watched as our strawberry-banana-chocolate crepes were made.

And then we dug in!

There's something for everyone. Go ahead, ask my little sisters Emma and Sarah!

Don't miss out on a great day in central NJ filled with fun and food!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2010-04-13T16:45:00.000-07:00

This was our second time having this version of a southwestern style soup, and we just couldn't deprive our readers any longer! The recipe we started with for this particular soup came from Real Simple, but there are a ton of different variations and you can tweak things here and there to make it your own. For example, we added corn and cheddar cheese (added on top when serving) and ditched the sour cream.

Here's the ingredient list:

1 12-ounce jar salsa verde
3 cups cooked chicken pieces (1 small rotisserie chicken or leftovers)
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained
3 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
tortilla chips
1 can of corn, drained

Start off by emptying the salsa into a large saucepan. Cook it for 2 minutes over medium-high heat, and then add in the chicken, beans, broth, and cumin. Bring all of that to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook it for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can add another cup of chicken broth (4 total) to make the dish soupier, but 3 cups really is plenty. It's not overly thick.

Top each bowl with a sprinkling of onions, a dollop of sour cream, or some tortilla chips. We decided to put some shredded cheddar cheese on top as well.

The salsa verde really makes this a unique dish, and you get a bunch of fun textures and flavors with each bite. Careful, though, as you can easily go through an entire bag of tortilla chips while eating dinner. We know from experience.

Quick Bite: The Bent Spoon

2010-03-23T07:24:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month we visited The Bent Spoon in Princeton, NJ. After hearing about flavors such as dark chocolate habanero and basil lavender, we decided we just had to see what this artisan ice cream shop had in store.

They offer plenty of sorbets, including passionfruit and blood orange (both delicious), along with a nice variety of homemade ice cream. We opted to try the olive oil and the cardamom ginger. I know what you're thinking - olive oil ice cream? What the...? It worked. The flavors were subtle and the ice cream itself was smooth and creamy almost beyond belief. The cardamom ginger had a more forward flavor but it wasn't overpowering. It was fresh and unique, and the tiny pieces of candied ginger were an added bonus. An unexpected scoop of ice cream, but certainly a pleasant surprise.

The shop makes a new flavor each time one of their current choices runs out, so there's almost always something new to try. Two small scoops will cost you $3.50, so this isn't the most budget-friendly treat, but the taste and unique flavors are worth the splurge. We can't wait to see what they have out the next time we go!

Free Talk 3/22

2010-03-02T13:13:00.000-08:00

The Princeton Library will be hosting a free talk and slide-show presentation on March 22nd. The talk, titled "Crops and Culture: The Preservation of Heirloom Varieties" will be presented by Adam Forbes, an accomplished farmer who has started school gardens, organized community gardens, and traveled the world studying seed saving and biodiversity in food crops.

The event begins at 7pm and should be very interesting! Head on over to central NJ's Slow Food site to get all the info you will need.

Quick Bite: Cheeseburger

2010-02-11T10:43:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth put her own spin on the cheeseburgers we had at Elevation Burger last month. You can check out that post here. These burgers were 93/7 lean beef, topped with sharp cheddar and caramelized onions. I've been avoiding onions for the last 20 years or so (although my family still talks about how I sat on my great-grandmother's lap and took bites out of whole onions) - but these were delicious. Elizabeth put a little sugar in with the onions as they cooked, and to my surprise the sweetness really worked with the rest of the burger.

We ate them on the freshly baked Ciabatta rolls I purchased earlier in the day, and baked up some tots as a side. A little Sam Adams Noble Pils was the perfect accompaniment to the meal.

On the horizon...

2010-02-03T11:22:00.001-08:00

Here's a few things we've got in store for the blog in the near future...

* Review of Real Jamaican Jerk An' Ting in Somerset, NJ: http://realjamaicanjerk.com/

* Review of On the Bone in Princeton, NJ: http://www.ontheboneprinceton.com/

* We will hopefully be planning our trip to Frederick, MD to visit Volt: http://voltrestaurant.com/

* Plus more homemade dishes, recipes, and photos!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Fennel and Potato Hash

2010-01-29T10:04:00.000-08:00

In the latest issue of Bon Appetit magazine, fennel was highlighted in the "At The Market" section. We've been a bit intrigued by fennel as an ingredient since I made a fennel and citrus salad last year, so I found a recipe that looked right up our alley and planned to make fennel and potato hash one Saturday morning for breakfast.

The recipe:
2 fennel bulbs with fronds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into .5 to .75 inch cubes, patted dry
.5 teaspoon fine sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1 garlic clove, chopped
.25 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley

After cutting the fennel up into half-inch pieces, cook it in boiling salted water until it starts to get tender. This should take about 3 minutes. Drain it and set it aside.

Heat up the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, then add the potatoes and cook them until they're golden and crisp, turning often. This should take 20-25 minutes. Then, using a masher (or the top of a meat tenderizer like I did), crush the potatoes in a skillet. Add the fennel, salt, and pepper. Keep cooking until the fennel is golden, which should take another 2 or 3 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley and the fennel fronds.

Elizabeth jumped at the suggestion to put a fried egg on top of the dish, and I even tried one (usually I'm a strictly scrambled kind of guy).

This was an instant favorite for us. It was a little labor-intensive for a breakfast, but a lot of that time was spent turning the potatoes every few minutes. And man, was it worth it. The potatoes were perfectly cooked - nice and crispy on the outside with a flavorful softness to the inside. I find fennel always adds an unexpectedly welcome flavor to dishes - often I don't expect it to fit in but it always finds a way. For me, the egg kind of put a damper on the textures I was getting from the rest of the dish, but maybe that's from a lifetime of hating on non-scrambled eggs. Elizabeth didn't seem to have a problem with it.

Definitely give this one a try. A nice hearty breakfast with some flavor.

Butternut Squash Soup recipe

2010-01-21T15:11:00.000-08:00

Excited to use the new crock pot I gave her for Christmas, Elizabeth set out to make some butternut squash soup last week. This recipe is highly recommended as the two coworkers I shared the leftovers with have been clamoring for it. Here's what you'll need:

2 cups of finely chopped onion
1 butternut squash (about 3 lbs), peeled and cubed
4 cups of chicken broth
1.5 cups apple sauce
1.5 tsp. salt
.25 tsp. ground white pepper
.25 tsp. ground nutmeg
.25 tsp. ground cloves
.25 tsp. curry powder
.25 tsp. ground coriander
.25 tsp. cinnamon

After cooking the onions until they're transparent, toss them into the pot with the squash, chicken broth, applesauce, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cloves, curry powder, coriander, and cinnamon. Cover everything up and cook on low (if your pot has settings) for 4 to 6 hours or until the squash is nice and tender.

Unless you like eating big ol' chunks of squash in your broth, we suggest you place the cubes into the food processor and smooth everything out. Once you've gotten all of the squash, cook the soup for an additional 2 to 4 hours.

The cooking times can definitely vary and we've already discovered that what some recipes call for are either way too long or too short for our pot. If you can, check on your dishes every so often - if you can't, just make sure there's enough liquid so your food doesn't get dried out (not a problem with soup).

We tossed some onion garlic croutons into the soup and went at it. I was a bit nervous that it would be too "vegetably" tasting for my liking, but it ended up being really good. It had a pleasant but not overpowering earthy flavor, and the seasoning was spot on. Plus, it's super healthy! Just don't tell the kids.

It's all about the burger.

2010-01-14T08:50:00.000-08:00

Last week we headed up to Montclair, NJ with Elizabeth's brother Pete and two cousins Adam and Alex. Our mission? Eat burgers. Lots of burgers.

We had heard of both Elevation Burger and SmashBurger in the recent past. The two chains have both opened up one location each (with more on the way) in northern NJ, and we decided it was finally time to try them out. Our first stop was Elevation Burger - the environmentally friendly chain that serves up 100% USDA-certified organic, grass-fed, free-ranged, ground-on-premises beef. They even have a philosophy page so customers can read up on why all of the things mentioned above are not only more healthy but better for the environment. Definitely a concept we can get behind...but would the burgers stack up?

Oh, the burgers stacked up, both metaphorically and literally! Each Elevation Burger comes with two patties, cheese, and your choice of as many of their eleven free toppings (blue cheese is extra) as you want. We decided to go with carmelized onions and pickles, and what a decision it was. Everything tasted great together - the onions added a nice flavor, the pickle added some texture and crunch, and the cheese was just right. Now, what are we forgetting? Ah, the beef! The two burgers were, in a word, awesome. I've read complaints that grass-fed beef doesn't quite measure up in terms of taste thanks to a lower level of intramuscular fat (making it healthier), but we found that couldn't be further from the truth. Toronto-based journalist Mark Schatzker agrees and conducted a blind taste test to prove it - check out his article here. The meat at Elevation Burger was juicy and flavorful and held just the right amount of grease. All in all, a burger that we will be going back to.

Elevation Burger also offers the Vertigo Burger - a stack of anywhere from 3 to 10 patties on a single bun. Adam decided to man up and try the four-patty Vertigo, pictured above. We also tried some fries, which are cooked in 100% olive oil. Again, the healthier option ended up delivering in terms of taste - the fries were nice and thin with a golden-brown finish to them. We washed everything down with two beverages. The first, a chocolate milk shake with black cherries and more chocolate, was delicious. Milkshakes tend to be a little too expensive to justify buying, but we splurged here and it was worth it. The second drink was an iced tea flavored with some odd combination of citrus and spices (was it cinnamon?) - it actually ended up being really interesting and something you won't find in many places.

Elevation Burger was a hit with everyone. Awesome burgers were the focal point, but all of the supporting cast came through and as a whole the meal was really, really good. The staff there was super friendly, and for us, the whole organic grass-fed thing was a big plus too. It was definitely a straight-up burger joint, with metal chairs, tables, and troughs for delivering your meal.

SmashBurger was next up on our burger odyssey. This place was much more restaurant-like, with comfy booths and a menu that offered quite a bit more. Alex ordered up the chili fries (pictured above), but the rest of us went with some combination of burgers and (non-chili) fries.

This time we went separate ways and had our own burgers. I ordered a Mushroom Swiss (pictured above) on an egg bun. The seasoning on the burger was really tasty, but the meat seemed a bit more dense and since this was our second stop I was already started to fill up. Definitely a good burger, though, and the egg bun was actually a pleasant surprise. -E.

I went low profile with my SmashBurger and just put on some cheddar cheese and a few pickles. Put that all on an onion bun, which added a nice flavor to the burger. I definitely appreciated all the options here. The burger itself was definitely seasoned well, but while the meat itself was good I found it to be a little overdone. The thing here is that they "smash" the burgers and seal in the juices. Sounds good in theory, but in practice they ended up smashing a bit too hard (at least on this occasion) - the outside of the burger ended up being a little too crunchy and charred for my liking. It wasn't terribly offensive, though, and I still enjoyed everything. - B.

We both split an order of Sweet Potato Smash Fries, seasoned with rosemary, olive oil, and garlic. There was definitely an awesome rosemary aroma emanating from the fries, but we were in agreement that everything just didn't seem to work together. I'm an absolute fiend for everything sweet potato (-B), but all of the other stuff going on just didn't seem in balance with the flavor of the spuds. We had a few of Pete's regular Smash Fries and found them to work much better with the rosemary and garlic.

A hard night's work, and a lot of burgers smashed. Most of us agreed that the Elevation meal was the winner, even though we didn't set out to make it a night of competition. This most likely won't be our last stop at either place, though, so we'll see who steps up their burger game the next time we're in town.

Suggestions for the next culinary mini-road trip? Tacos, anyone?

Eat Slow!

2010-01-12T12:22:00.000-08:00

Please click the flier for a larger version.

Slow Food Central NJ will be putting together another Winter Farmers Market! This time around the event will be held at the D&R Greenway Land Trust in Princeton from 10am-2pm on January 23rd. The list of confirmed vendors will be bringing plenty of local goodies, from vegan treats and organic ghee to honey, cheese, and wine. There will be teas, orchids, ciders, and salsas.

Don't miss out. We attended one of the December markets at Rutgers and came away with moist pumpkin bread and delicious pickles (eaten at separate times). Who knows what we'll end up with this time around?

Egg & three potato sandwich with homemade veggie chips

2010-01-05T08:41:00.000-08:00

While browsing through the Top Chef Quickfire Cookbook, a gift from friends Kira and Evan, I came across a recipe for carrot chips. Looked like a pretty fun idea, so I decided to try it out. Why stop at carrots, though? Along with a huge bag of carrots, I picked up a sweet potato, some yucca, and a few beets. I also purchased corn starch, which the recipe called for, however that remained unopened and forgotten about at the end of the day. Oh well.

I sliced the veggies nice and thin using our mandolin and tossed them in some heated canola oil (the recipe calls for either canola or peanut oil). After each batch I would take out the chips and put them in some paper towels to soak up some of the oil.

While looking for taro (I love taro chips but was unable to find any at our local market) I was inspired by some of the various potatoes for sale. I grabbed a few different varieties and decided to make an egg and potato sandwich to go along with the vegetable chips. I've had this type of sandwich once before and it is starchy, carb-heavy goodness. I cut up the potatoes into small pieces and started browning them in a pan. After a few minutes I scrambled up some eggs and poured them in along with the red, white, and purple potatoes.

The sandwich was pretty tasty, although a few of the potatoes were larger than the rest and ended up being a little undercooked. A silly mistake, but a lesson learned. Regardless, the combination of the scrambled eggs and browned potatoes gave a warm, breakfast-y feel and the different colors of the potatoes was a neat visual treat. Most of the chips came out really well. The sweet potato chips were delicious (I'm a sucker for anything sweet potato), and the yucca chips were nice with a little salt and pepper. They ended up being extremely crunchy so if possible slicing them thinner might have been helpful (although I think I used the thinnest mandoline insert). The circular carrot chips were tough to cook and ended up burning really quickly. That may or may not have been the result of forgetting the cornstarch. I'll have to try that one again. Sliced length-ways, though, they ended up being really good. They had a nice sweetness to them, similar to the sweet potato chips. The beets, sadly, were the biggest flop. They just wouldn't cook right, and never ended up being crispy. If sliced too thin, they would wilt and crumble immediately. If sliced too thick, they would retain their shape but end up being mushy and not very chip-like. Oh well.

Definitely a fun meal and probably something we'll try again in the future. It was actually a nice change of pace to be able to walk around the market and form a dish with the ingredients present rather than coming up with a list before you even leave the house.

Quickfire Challenge: Chocolate Donut Holes

2009-12-29T16:52:00.000-08:00

On the way back from dinner we decided to pick up a few donut holes and have ourselves a little quickfire challenge. If you're not familiar with the concept, participants are given a culinary challenge to complete in a relatively short amount of time. We gave ourselves 30 minutes to create a unique dish using the chocolate donut holes.

After checking the contents of our kitchen, we were each allowed 10 minutes to come up with a menu. Once the challenge commenced, the atmosphere made us feel like we were in the Top Chef kitchen - pots banged into one another, we scrambled back and forth checking cabinets, and pans started heating on the stove. Time was up before we knew it, but we were both able to finish plating our chocolate donut hole dishes.

I felt like our choices were somewhat limited to only creating sweet dishes, being that our main ingredient was a donut, but we both created some pretty creative plates. My concept was to make chocolate munchkin lollipops 3 ways. I started by making my own chocolate sauce as a base, and then created different flavors for each donut hole to be dipped in. I had a chocolate peanut butter pop, which was pretty tasty, followed by a chocolate mint coffee dipped pop, which was then rolled in a little raw sugar to sweeten it. As if the whole thing wasn't sweet enough already. My favorite of the pops was dipped in the plain chocolate sauce and was coated in cinnamon sugar pecans that I toasted on the stove. I arranged them all on a circle of the sauce on a small white plate and had just enough time to create a hazelnut drink to wash it all down with...with a little bit of the chocolate sauce drizzled in of course. -E

I'm a sucker for three-way presentations, so I decided to do chocolate donut holes three different ways. First, I cut the donut holes in half and placed three of them on the plate, all lined up. I drizzled them with a little maple syrup and topped that all off with some freshly roasted almonds to add a little earthy, nutty flavor to all that sweetness. The second portion of my dish was filet of donut hole, served over a blueberry-ginger preserve for a bit of tartness. And finally, I served the halved donut holes along side some halved peanut butter cups. I melted down some chocolate and peanut butter and drizzled the sauce over top, which ended up looking pretty cool. -B

Bill definitely took the cake, or donut, for plating. He used a lot of creative ingredients to create 3 separate donut creations all on one plate. My favorite plating of his was the peanut-butter cups that were drizzled in a peanut butter chocolate sauce. The best tasting part was definitely his toasted almonds that accompanied the donut hole halves. The drizzling of the maple syrup overtop was a really nice touch as well, although I think it would have done better had it been warmer. I also really liked his choice of using blueberry-ginger jelly alongside his donut hole filets, as he called them. A surprisingly good flavor with chocolate. -E

I really liked Elizabeth's concept - simple, yet cute and creative at the same time. Her presentation was definitely a bit more focused than mine, although I would have liked a splash of color or something else interesting. The lollypops were tasty - especially the one with the toasted pecans. Apparently toasting nuts is our speciality. It had a nice balance of textures with the soft donut and the crunchy pecans. The peanut butter pop was really good too...I mean, can you really go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter? I ended up hitting a coffee-heavy spot in her mint coffee and raw sugar pop, and it was a little bit too strong, but the idea was definitely something neat and I think the flavors could work really well together if they were a bit more balanced. The drink was yummy too and it was certainly a clever way to tie everything together. -B

Really fun idea, great date night if you like to cook and compete...definitely going to go with something savory next time. I had quite a sugar rush when we were done. Oh and allow for plenty of cleanup time! -E

Antipasto & updates!

2009-12-01T13:36:00.001-08:00

So we're not exactly Italian (with names like Lynch and Shaughnessy who would have guessed?), but every so often we find it fun to have antipasto as a meal. The main attraction for us is usually the fresh roasted garlic, which we apply lavishly to whatever bread we've purchased for the evening. This time it was a nice, fresh loaf of Italian bread.

Most of the other items we picked up during our recent trip to Trader Joe's. The peppered salami was really delicious with a great kick from the black pepper rub. For the most part the meal turned into miniature sandwiches consisting of one of the meats, one of the cheeses, and fresh garlic. Mix around the ingredients and repeat. And of course some of the bread gets soaked in extra virgin olive oil and herbs de provence. (Elizabeth was kind enough to separate her anchovies from the rest of the plate. Blech. -B)

We're both going to be extremely busy for the next few weeks dealing with graduate school stuff, but we promise we've got a TON of cool places coming up in the early parts of 2010. Bryan Voltaggio's VOLT in Maryland is already a definite, and we're thinking about a few other neat culinary journeys to take. One option is a burger tour, stopping at places like White Manna, Elevation Burger, and Smashburger. Hoboken might also be on our list so we can stop at Miami Rice Pudding on our way to the Taco Truck.

Stay tuned!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-27T08:09:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving! We had a great time visiting with family, relaxing, and eating way too much. Dinner started off at my Dad's with some delicious pumpkin soup, followed by the usual cornucopia of turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, green beans, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and so on. After chatting with everyone and letting our stomachs settle, we headed to Elizabeth's parents' house for some dessert.

Elizabeth's contributions to the pie-topped table were pecan pie and harvest pie. The pecan pie was the hit of the night - I mean, look at that arrangement of nuts! She cut the sweetness of the usual diabetes-inducing pecan pie and everyone agreed it was the perfect blend of earthy pecans and sweet dessert goodness.

If you've never had a harvest pie, you don't know what you're missing. Elizabeth's version didn't contain nuts thanks to a lot of family allergies, but the fruits were enough. Tart granny smith apples and fresh cranberries were balanced with sweet blueberries and raspberries. Add a forkful of that to a flaky crust and you've got the perfect bite of pie.

Like most holidays, Thanksgiving always seems to come and go too quickly, but at least Christmas is right around the corner! There's nothing like spending time with family and friends and sharing great food.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Trader Joe's Trip

2009-11-25T06:49:00.000-08:00

Neither of us had ever been to Trader Joe's before, but we decided to take a short trip down to the Princeton area store to do some shopping. The store itself isn't that large, so it was at times a bit cramped trying to squeeze through other people and their carts. I have to say, though, that everything was very reasonably priced. I was expected trendy, hiked-up foodie prices, but most items were comparable to other grocery stores we've shopped at.

We ended up getting a few weekly staples (orange juice, apple juice, etc), and then had some fun. Some peppered salami, prosciutto, sharp cheddar, and fresh mozzarella were to become our antipasto dinner one evening (stay tuned for that post). Picked up a few sides, including the delicious lentils pictured below. We polished off the bag of popcorn in two sittings - it was really, really good. The trail mix bars will also be purchased again - super tasty and loaded with nuts and berries.

For a future breakfast we also picked up some blintzes and a box of potato pancakes. Mmm. Can't wait for that morning.

I have to say the orange juice was a big dissappointment. I like OJ with a lot of pulp and a rich, orange-y flavor. This was watered down with no pulp and tasted like the convenience store brand you pick up in a pinch. The apple juice, however, is pretty damn good, walking a fine line between juice and cider. I also really enjoyed the cranberry-hibiscus. I love cranberry juice but sometimes it's a little too bitter by itself, so I like when it's mixed with something else a bit sweeter. The hibiscus extract was the pefect compliment.

This certainly won't be our weekly shopping trip as it's a little out of the way, but it defintely made for a fun mini-date and we ended up finding some neat products that aren't available everywhere else.

Chicken & Waffles

2009-11-20T10:27:00.000-08:00

After passing it countless times over the last year or so, we finally decided to try Last Legg’s chicken and waffles. Neither of us had ever had chicken and waffles before, so we were pretty excited to experience this soul food staple.

I ordered the Hungry Delight, a duo of chicken breast and Belgian Waffle. I’m a lover of crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside waffles, and this one was a little more on the chewy side. It was nothing offensive, mind you, and I ate the whole thing with relative ease. Besides, it did its job as an accompaniment to the fried chicken. Oh, the fried chicken. This was certainly the star of the culinary show. I started with the still very much attached wing (A wing that comes with an order of chicken breast? Somebody pinch me.) and didn’t look back. It was lightly breaded, which was a nice break from the completely over-breaded fried chicken I’ve become accustomed to. The meat was tender and juicy with just the right amount of grease, and the seasoning was absolutely spectacular. I don’t know the exact blend of spices used, but it was the perfect blend. I can undeniably say I have never had fried chicken with a flavor as delectable as this. I’m a breast man when it comes to poultry, but I have to admit I think the wings were really the perfect combination of everything previously mentioned. They really captured that soul food essence. Along with the chicken and waffles I ordered a side of grits and a sweet tea. I’d order the grits again even if they were a little thick (they made this batch because of our order so I suspect it may have been a little rushed). The sweet tea was a fun novelty but it was definitely REALLY sweet. Needless to say we’ll be heading back here in the near future, and I’ve already decided the mac & cheese and cornbread will definitely be included in my order. –B.

I went with the Two Bite, which is described as “four hot mini bite size buttermilk waffles served with four delicious chicken wings.” And they were. I have to agree with Bill that these were probably the best wings I have ever had. I normally go for the chicken breast as well, but next time, I’ll go with the wing. They weren’t small and fatty like most. They had a great flavor and plenty of meat on them. They had the perfect amount of “salty” to go along with the “sweet” of the waffles with butter and syrup. I know, if you’ve never tried it, it sounds really weird. The first time I heard of chicken and waffles, I thought, “how extremely unnecessary.” But I am now a firm believer that they are. I actually thought my waffles were perfect. I think because I ordered mini ones, they weren’t quite as chewy as Bill’s. I’m a big fan of the grits as well. I thought they had a really great flavor, and they were happy to make them even though they had clearly cleaned up all of that stuff before we walked in. They make a really great bread pudding too, which is one of our favorites. We enjoyed it two days later, because after all of those waffles, honestly, we just couldn’t. They warned us when we walked in that we would get addicted, and I think they were right. I think next time, I am going to try Aignee’s Shrimp Special, which has a buttermilk waffle and hand battered shrimp, with two sides. I will probably go with the mac and cheese as one of them, and see if they will let me sub a chicken wing as my other side. Yummmm. All in all, it was a great meal, and really wonderful service and friendly staff. Definitely makes me want to go back. -E

Eat Slow Winter Farmers Markets

2009-11-17T16:13:00.000-08:00

The slow food movement, for those unfamiliar with it, is in many ways the antithesis of the fast food movement. Slow food fights back against the industrialization and homogenization that has been taking over the worlds food cultures. It emphasizes sustainability, biodiversity, and the support of local food. To visit their international site head on over to Slow Food.

On Tuesday, November 24th, Slow Foods New Jersey will team up with the Rutgers Gardens Farmers Market. The winter farmers market will take place from 4pm to 8pm at the New Jersey Museum of Agriculture and will feature the following vendors:

Cherry Grove Farm
Ducky Life Tea
ER & Sons
Krowicki
Simply Nics Shortbread
Stefan & Sons
Stony Brook Orchids
Valley Shepherd Creamery
Village Bakery
Woodland Produce
Woods Edge Wool Farm

These winter markets continue all the way through the season, so check back with central Jersey's Slow Food site for dates and locations. If you're elsewhere in the state or country, search for your own winter markets! There is still delicious, locally grown produce available during the colder months, not to mention baked goods and other sustainable products.

There will also be winter markets the last two weekends of November in Stockton, NJ. To view a larger version of the flyer for these two locations, click on the picture below:

And then there were 5...

2009-11-11T20:00:00.000-08:00

Well, we all finally got our wish. Robin has been ousted. I'm sure she made some good homestyle food along the way, but being on the bottom that much and surviving is going to garner a lot of hostility from other contestants and from fans. And honestly, she was way out of her league. A poorly made panna cotta with broken glass on it? Oof. Take your cheetah shoes up to the kitchen and go pack your knives.

I appreciated Eli's playfulness and it seemed like he was on the way to making a fun dish, but there was no way those elements were going to work together. If you're going to fool around that much with flavors and textures, you better nail it. Pulverized popcorn on a peanut soup? I don't think so, Eli. I think he's probably at the bottom of the totem pole heading into next week, unless Jennifer messes up again (which is a distinct possibility considering she has for a few weeks straight).

It looked like Kevin was going to win yet another elimination challenge, but my boy Mike V. prevailed! I always enjoy "inspiration" challenges because it shows who can really create things with food, not just cook what they know. For him to win with what was, in essence, a buffalo wing with some bleu cheese showcases all of his talents as a chef. He put his contemporary spin on things with the bleu cheese disc and the cooking style but still made a good ol' fashioned piece of chicken that I'm sure was just as tender as it was crispy.

Jennifer really better get her head in the game if she doesn't want the finals to be all-male. Right now it looks like the Voltaggio brothers and Kevin are going to be duking it out for the Top Chef title. I really thought Jennifer was going to be a force to be reckoned with earlier on, but she just seems to be falling apart bit by bit. Half the time it doesn't even seem like she wants to be there anymore.

The previews for next week already have me anxious.

-Bill

Welcome!

2009-11-09T18:31:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Welcome to Party of Two, our new food blog. Here we'll share with you our restaurant reviews, our favorite recipes, plenty of beer suggestions, photos, Top Chef rants, and some other fun stuff as we think of it. We know there are already an overwhelming amount of blogs based on food, but we think our little spin on things should be interesting and hopefully entertaining.

For those readers who are not friends and family, we were married last summer (July 18th, 2008) after spending most of our high school and college years together. We're always looking for fun new things to try together, and this blog is one of them. Hopefully we can bring our unique blend of creativity, honesty, and total goofiness to the blogosphere.

On tap for the blog we have some fun stories and photos to start things off. Beer and restaurant reviews are sure to follow closely behind. We also plan on visiting Bryan Voltaggio's VOLT sometime in the early months of 2010, so stay tuned for that review. [I'm already eyeing up the pork tenderloin with corn polenta, crispy onions, orange braised fennel, and arugala -B.]

Thanks for reading - please feel free to send us suggestions for restaurants, recipes, beers, etc. If you know us or are in the area, let's dine/drink/cook together!

-Bill & Elizabeth