Category: New Jersey (Page 4 of 5)
Osteria Procaccini, Pennington NJ
REVIEW
Have you ever spent time traveling in Italy? If so, you’ll recognize Osteria Procaccini very quickly. This osteria is very much in the classic Italian mold, with a simple menu of thoughtfully constructed antipasti, panini, salads, and pizza, and a very casual, almost offhanded, demeanor. None of that would mean a thing if the food wasn’t up to snuff. We’re happy to report that the execution is as successful as the conception. Continue reading
Checking in at: Villa Barone, Robbinsville NJ
New Year’s Eve Eve – why is this restaurant so packed? These must be the people (like us) whose plans involve staying home or hosting on New Year’s Eve. Continue reading
The Chowda House, Red Bank NJ
REVIEW
Most of what we sampled at The Chowda House was good; some was mediocre. It’s good enough, though, to warrant a return visit to explore more of the menu. That name almost kept us away. It’s a pretty good rule of thumb that when a restaurant uses cutesy names like “chowda” instead of chowder, you’re dealing with a strictly-for-tourists joint. But that rule is violated here. Not that Red Bank is any kind of tourist magnet to begin with but Chowda House, across the street from the train station, is fairly unobtrusive and not in the choicest part of town. If they want to survive they’ll have to click with locals and commuters. Continue reading
Charlie’s Famous Italian Hot Dogs, Kenilworth NJ
REVIEW
It’s possible to be served an Italian hot dog in the Newark area at a restaurant with more soul, more sass, but few dog houses can compete with the taste of a Charlie’s Italian dog. What makes a Charlie’s dog special is that each item in the sandwich is a little bit, but noticeably, better than at most other places. The hot dogs themselves are more flavorful, the potatoes are superb and crisp, and the onions and peppers are brighter, too. We recommend getting a double. In fact, we always recommend a double when ordering an Italian hot dog. Not only is it easier to eat (you get a 180 degree section of bread, rather than the awkward 90 degrees), but it just feels right, in the same way that getting a double brat in Wisconsin feels more right than a single. Continue reading
LAF in the A.M. December 20th, 2014
A Morning Menu of LAF-Style Food News and Stories to Begin Your Day
Skyline Chili Watch
NYC: Deli Capital
Marty’s Donut Land of Ipswich Has Closed
Canadian Columnist Samples NOLA Fried Chicken
Checking in at: Rossi’s Bar & Grill, Hamilton NJ
We began with Mushrooms & Long Hots. Long hots are Italian-style hot green peppers that can vary in heat from a slight nip to explosively hot. It’s fun eating them because it’s like Russian roulette – you never know the punch each pepper is about to deliver until you eat one! The heat doesn’t hit immediately; it takes about 10 seconds to really set in. A couple of these were very, very hot, delicious laid across a slice of Italian bread. Continue reading
LAF in the A.M. December 16th, 2014
A Morning Menu of LAF-Style Food News and Stories to Begin Your Day
Atlantic City Casino Closures Hit Formica Bakery Hard
Bringing the NYC Burger to London
Black’s vs. Black’s in Austin
Bagel Boy, Masquerading as Fairmount of Montreal, Comes Clean
Checking In at: Rossi’s Bar & Grill, Hamilton NJ
This is our second time to Rossi’s new location in Hamilton, but our first burger at the new spot (we’d eaten them for years in Trenton). That’s Rossi’s biggest claim to fame, the Rossiburger. And those burgers have not changed a bit. They are still as bulbous and massive as ever, still served on a Kaiser roll, and are still under-seasoned, a small flaw that can be mostly corrected for at the table. Continue reading
Checking In at: Trap Rock Restaurant & Brewery, Berkeley Heights NJ
Early Sunday evening visit. We dined at the bar, as we always do. Trap Rock was in top form. Prof. Bob’s Brown Ale is a delicious malt bomb. Kestrel IPA is a crisp, bitter classic American-style IPA. Now if we could only figure out how to get our beer photos to focus. Continue reading
Checking In at: Daphne’s Diner, Robbinsville NJ
Breakfast at “our diner” on the way to the tree farm for our Christmas tree. Interesting mix of gospel and soul playing loudly on the sound system this Sunday. Continue reading
Esposito’s Pizza & Restaurant, Mahwah NJ
REVIEW
We found Esposito’s, not far from the NJ/NY border, to be a thoroughly ordinary New Jersey pizza joint with one exception: service is unusually attentive and caring. Nothing we sampled was less than OK, mind you, but neither did anything rise above that level, although the food looked particularly good. Better ingredients would do wonders for the place. As it is, if we lived nearby we might stop in on occasion, but it doesn’t rise to LAF levels. Continue reading
Checking In at: Villa Barone, Robbinsville NJ
A pre-Thanksgiving, escape-the-kitchen meal found Villa Barone in top form. Our waiter was superb. Continue reading
LAF in the A.M. December 1st, 2014
A Morning Menu of Stories We Think You’ll Find Interesting
Cory Booker Dishes Ice Cream
Made-to-Order Pies in Charlotte Region
What to Do with Cosby Mural on Ben’s in D.C.
A Larger Cafe du Monde?
LAF in the A.M. November 26th, 2014
A Morning Menu of Stories We Think You’ll Find Interesting
Whoopie!
Wolfgang’s Steakhouse Coming to NJ
Top 5 Pizzas in Connecticut
Texas Fried Chicken Throw Down
LAF in the A.M. November 24th, 2014
A Morning Menu of Stories We Think You’ll Find Interesting
Fralinger’s Salt Water Taffy Escaping the Boardwalk
Zachary Levi Visits Cafe du Monde for The Getaway
Shooting, Robbery at Kevin’s Hamburger Heaven in Chicago
An Interview with Tony Luke Jr.
Checking In at: Blue Swan Diner, Oakhurst NJ
First time at a diner is always chancy. There are different levels of diner in New Jersey. You have to peg your food order to the diner level. We’ve got a few near where we live that does well with dishes beyond the diner basics. With others, it’s best to stick to sandwiches, breakfast, onion rings, you know? We misread the Blue Swan; had it pegged a notch too high, so we’ll take some of the responsibility for the lackluster food. Credit where credit’s due: our waiter was terrific. Continue reading
LAF in the A.M. November 16th, 2014
A Morning Menu of Stories We Think You’ll Find Interesting
David’s Country Kitchen in NYC?
How to Get By at a BBQ Chain
Top 101 American Breakfasts, Says Playboy
Tony Luke’s Watch
Checking In at: Capuano Ristorante, West Windsor NJ
Capuano Ristorante falls into one of two major categories of central New Jersey pizzeria Italian restaurants: the food is OK (the other category: the food is terrible). That’s about the best you can hope for at these restaurants, which are sprinkled by the dozens all over the region. You’ll never hit one where the food is better than OK, but sometimes OK is good enough. (Keep in mind we’re not talking here about those rare, and spectacular, pizza masters like De Lorenzo Tomato Pies in Robbinsville.) Continue reading
Villa Barone, Robbinsville NJ
REVIEW
Dining in Central New Jersey generally offers a choice of Italian, Italian, and… oh, yes, Italian. There are plenty of take-out Chinese restaurants, many mediocre pizzerias, and a light sprinkling of other cuisines but the Italian offerings are overwhelming. So why is it next to impossible to find a decent Italian restaurant around here, especially since Trenton’s Chambersburg district lost its Little Italy identity? We don’t have the answer to that question but there’s no denying that, hard as we’ve tried, we have not found an Italian restaurant around here to call our own, something not very expensive or formal, but with solidly good food. Until we dined at Villa Barone. Continue reading
