5 June 2015 7th Annual NJ Beer & Food Festival at Crystal Springs Resort

7th Annual NJ Beer & Food Festival at Crystal Springs Resort

June 5, 2015 By
Photo by Crystal Springs Resort

Photo by Crystal Springs Resort

This Father’s Day, treat the dads in your lives to BBQ and beer…lots of beer at the 7th annual NJ Beer & Food Festival on Saturday 6/20.

This year, the popular two-day event at Crystal Springs Resort is even more suds-packed than ever.

On Saturday June 20th from 3PM – 7PM, the Brews & BBQ Fest will feature over 120 beers from 40 breweries, including many craft brews from New York and New Jersey, paired with delicious barbeque in a scenic outdoor setting. The cost of this fun-filled day is $75.

Photo by Crystal Springs Resort

Photo by Crystal Springs Resort

On Sunday June 21st, the Father’s Day BBQ will take place in the Chef’s Garden with Crystal Spring’s Chef John Greeley and NYC’s acclaimed Hometown Bar-B-Que Pitmaster Billy Durney. Lunch includes a BBQ menu, chef demonstrations, unlimited beer from Coney Island Brewing and live entertainment. Two sessions: 12pm – 2pm and 2:30pm – 4:30pm. Adults $70; Kids 12 – 20 $45; 4 – 11 $22; under 4 free (tax & gratuity additional).

Crystal Springs Resort – 3 Wild Turkey Way, Hamburg, NJ. 844-247-9137.

Cheers,

Veronique

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Escape Montclair Multi-Chef Old/New World French Charity Dinner

May 28, 2015 By

Escape LogoChef Bryan Gregg hosts a French-inspired dinner with some of New Jersey’s top chefs to benefit the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center of NJ.

Chef Gregg will be joined by:

  • Chef Manuel Perez of Peacock Inn
  • Chef Robert Ubhaus of Redux
  • Chef Anthony Bucco of Restaurant Latour
  • Chef Thomas Ciszak of Chakra and Blue Morel.

The cost of the dinner will be $89/person and is BYO. Complete details and menu at www.escapemontclair.com/events.

Cheers,

Veronique

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19 May 2015 Greek Fest at Home

Greek Fest at Home

May 19, 2015 By

Last weekend, I had the immense pleasure of welcoming Toronto Chef Peter Minaki, the creator of the popular Kalofagas food blog and the author of The Everything Mediterranean Cookbook to my home for a dinner party. The guest list encompassed my wine group friends, and of course, Chef Minaki.

We spent Friday in New York City securing special ingredients and Saturday preparing our Greek feast – what fun!

I wanted to share some of the food photos I took of the dinner. Many of the recipes are on Chef Minaki’s blog and others are featured in his amazing cookbook. We also served what we named a Greek Mule (Greek spin on the classic Moscow Mule) and I’ll share that cocktail recipe in a future post.

Chef Minaki does supper clubs throughout Canada and in some USA cities and is also available for catering.

Cheers,

Veronique

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6 May 2015 Lettie Teague book signing at Gary’s Wine & Marketplace

Lettie Teague book signing at Gary’s Wine & Marketplace

May 6, 2015 By

wine-in-words_178On Saturday, May 9 from 12-2pm, wine columnist at The Wall Street Journal  and winner of three James Beard Awards, Lettie Teague will be at the Wayne store on May 9th to discuss and sign copies of her new book Wine in Words: Some Notes for Better Drinking . The book is a companion for the modern taster, a concise and curated collection of tidbits to satisfy anyone with a lively curiosity and palate. Copies will be available for purchase at the signing.

Gary’s Wine & Marketplace – 1308 State Rte 23, Wayne, NJ 07470, (973) 633-3900.

Cheers,

Veronique

 

 

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Montclair Food & Wine Festival Gala Dinner 2015

May 4, 2015 By

MFWF LogoThe Montclair Food & Wine Festival will be back in 2015 with new events, educational seminars and fun for all.

Monday, June 8, 2015 from 6PM to 9:30PM – THE GALA DINNER at The Manor (111 Prospect Avenue, West Orange, NJ).

The Gala Dinner is an exclusive night of collaborative culinary magic! The six course dinner will be designed and prepared by some of the area’s most talented chefs:

  • Chef Mitchell Altholz, Highlawn Pavilion
  • Chef Michael Carrino, Pig & Prince
  • Chef Ryan DePersio, Fascino, Battello, Nico
  • Chef Ariane Duarte, Ariane Kitchen & Bar
  • Chef Kevin Sippel, Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen

NEW for 2015 – Special Amuse Bouche Series

Guests at this year’s gala dinner will be treated to amuse bouche by the following chefs:

  • Chef Francesco Palmieri, The Orange Squirrel
  • Chef Zod Arifai, Blu & Next Door
  • Chef Thomas Ciszak, Blue Morel & Chakra
  • Chef Meny Vaknin, Mish Mish

To learn more about the chefs – CLICK HERE.

Wines paired by Sharon Sevrens, proprietor of Montclair’s Amanti Vino.

CLICK HERE for additional information, for pricing and to buy tickets to the gala dinner.

Cheers,

Veronique

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2 May 2015 5/20 Husic Vineyards Wine Dinner at Restaurant Latour‏

5/20 Husic Vineyards Wine Dinner at Restaurant Latour‏

May 2, 2015 By

Crystal Springs Resort’s Restaurant Latour will host Husic Vineyards’s Co-Founder, Frank Husic, for what will surely be a memorable dinner on Wednesday May 20th. 

husic_logoDinner will begin in the spectacular Wine Cellar at 6:30pm with passed canapés and 2010 Domaine Carneros Brut sparkling wine. Dinner will follow at 7:30pm at Restaurant Latour.

Anthony Bucco, Chef of Restaurant Latour, will be serving a four-course menu featuring spring ingredients. 

Blonde Morels, Ramps, Gnocchi & Meyer Lemon is spring in a bowl with ramp gnocchi, braised morels, pickled ramps and foraged greens. Paring – 2013 Husic Chardonnay.

Squab will be served two ways – seared breast and leg confit – accompanied by macerated cherries and Sicilian pistachio puree. Pairing – 2013 Husic Pinot Noir.

Mishima Rib-Eye, finest American wagyu with hay smoked fingerling potatoes and Blue Ledge Farms Middlebury Blue cheese, tarragon and bone marrow butter, will be paired with two Cabernet Sauvignons. Pairing – 2012 Husic Cabernet Sauvignon and 2012 Palm Terrace Cabernet Sauvignon.

Strawberries Textures: shortbread crumble with strawberry granita, foam and dehydrated berries. Pairing – 2012 Husic Late Harvest Semillon.

The Husic Wine Dinner is $149 inclusive of wine (tax and gratuity additional). Reservations can be made by calling (855) 421-2170.

Cheers,

Veronique

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1 May 2015 Spring Truffle Festival at Spuntino Wine Bar

Spring Truffle Festival at Spuntino Wine Bar

May 1, 2015 By

Spuntino TruffleSpuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas, specializing in small plates that put modern twists on Italian classics, has created a special Spring Truffle Festival menu, highlighting the iconic truffle, available May 4 – 17 at its location in the Clifton Commons in Clifton.

Chef Josh Bernstein has created a one-of-a-kind menu featuring the “diamond of the kitchen,” known as one of the most desirable gourmet foods throughout the world, and a highlight of Italian culinary tradition. Each special dish encompasses the incomparable flavor and aroma of the truffles, and each includes a suggested, complementary wine pairing, featuring wines from the Piedmont region of Italy. Dishes include:

 TRUFFLED ASPARAGUS BRUSCHETTA – Asparagus, pea purée, Pecorino tartufo, truffle oil. Paired with a 2012 Ceretto Arneis.

 BEEF CARPACCIO – Pecorino tartufo, quail egg, truffled-citrus oil. Paired with a 2010 La Spinetta Barbera D’Asti ‘Ca di Pian.’

 “CACIO E PEPE” – Roasted morel mushroom ragu, spring black truffles, basil, cracked pepper. Paired with a 2009 Cantalupo ‘Agamium’ Colline Novaresi Nebbiolo.  

 STRIPED BASS – Porcini mushrooms, fava beans and truffled-pea tendrils in a port reduction. Paired with a 2013 Gavi San Matteo.

CHOCOLATE TERRINE – Black truffle gelato, candied walnuts, Luxardo cherries. Paired with a Fizz ’56 Brachetto NV.

The tasting menu is available for $45 per person, or $65 including wine pairings. Menu items are also available a la carte. For more information, visit www.SpuntinoWineBar.com or at Facebook.

 

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Escape to Greece Dinner with Chef Peter Minaki

April 28, 2015 By
Chef Peter Minaki Photo Credit: Kalofagas

Chef Peter Minaki
Photo Credit: Kalofagas

For those of you who didn’t attend last year’s Greek restaurant takeover with Toronto-based Chef Peter Minaki of Kalofagas – Greek Food & Beyond, you’re in luck! Chef Minaki will return to Escape for another memorable meal on Sunday May 17th at 6PM.

Here’s what’s in store for the evening:

Amuse: Santorini tomato fritters with Feta yogurt sauce

1st Course: Smoked mussels Saganaki

2nd Course: Seared Halloumi, grape, orange salad with arugula

Bonus Course by Escape: Sausage of duck, buckwheat blini, cured duck yolk

4th Course: Rack of lamb, Greek chimichurri, boulangère potatoes

Dessert: Phyllo cigar filled with Bougatsa custard

Wine pairing suggestions can be provided upon request.

The cost of the dinner is $68 excluding taxes and gratuities.

There aren’t many seats left so call (973) 744-0712 today to secure a seat.

In the meatime, visit Chef Minaki’s drool-friendly website to get an idea of the tasty dishes he’s known for.

Cheers,

Veronique

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24 April 2015 Outstanding Earth Day Dinner at Chakra

Outstanding Earth Day Dinner at Chakra

April 24, 2015 By

Wednesday night, I attended the Earth Day Chefs’ collaboration by Thomas Ciszak of Chakra, Bobby Varua of Blue Morel and Todd Villani of Terre à Terre at beautiful Chakra in Paramus.

The three talented chefs created a delicious, five-course wine-paired dinner using some of the gorgeous produce of Bracco Farms. I was privileged to sit at Anthony Bracco’s table and hear about the crops he’s planted for the 2015 season and the enhancements he’s made to his popular Bracco Farms CSA Program, of which I’m a satisfied client.

The menu and wines served were:

Reception – Hors d’oeuvres from Bracco Farms

First Course – “Garden State Salad” Blue Crab Blini
Wine: SAUVIGNON BLANC, SCHOLIUM PROJECT PRINCE IN THE CAVES 2010, CALIFORNIA

Second Course – Viking Village Scallops with Lavender-Scented Pea Puree, Lemon Quinoa, Fennel Confiture.
Wine: PUILLY FUISSÉ, J. J VINCENT MARIE ANTOINETTE 2012, Mâconnais

Third Course – Morel Mushroom Ravioli Ramps, Asparagus.
Wine:  PINOT NOIR, REX HILL ESTATE, 2012 WILLAMETTE VALLEY

Fourth Course – Lamb Crepinette Olives, Fingerling Potatoes, Fried Artichoke, Cured Chorizo.
Wine: BANDOL, CHÂTEAU JEAN-PIERRE GAUSSEN 2008, PROVENCE

Fifth Course – Chilled Elderflower Soup Strawberry in Gelée, White Asparagus Ice Cream
Wine:  MOSCATO D’ASTI, CASCINA CASTLET

While all the courses were very special and expertly-prepared, I’m a sucker for morels, ramps and asparagus and as always, Chef Ciszak’s mastery of pasta, especially wowed me.

Bracco Farms Represented

Bracco Farms Represented

It was a delight to meet Blue Morel’s new Executive Chef, Bobby Varua and sample his lamb served with a fab fried artichoke.

The dessert, Chef Villani told me, was a collaboration of the three chefs and was incredible – asparagus ice cream anyone? Yes please!

The wine pairing were genus again at this dinner as Chakra’s lovely Wine Director, Evelyn, outdid herself by choosing organic/natural wines to complement the dishes. My favorites of the evening were the not-your-typical-sauvignon-blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and the bold and sexy Chateau Jean-Pierre Gaussen Bandol. More about those babies in a later post.

Chakra often hosts wine-paired dinners and to stay abreast of upcoming events, sign up for its newsletter.

Cheers,

Veronique

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15 April 2015 Morris Tap & Grill Spring Menu Launching April 15

Morris Tap & Grill Spring Menu Launching April 15

April 15, 2015 By
Chef LeVine

Chef LeVine

Last week, I attended an intimate event to preview Chef Eric LeVine’s spring menu at Morris Tap & Grill. This event provided Chef LeVine an opportunity to ‘test drive’ the new menu to a small group of fans, foodies and food writers who are familiar with his style of cooking.

The new spring dishes will be a complete departure from the current, more casual menu. Chef LeVine endeavors to work more closely with area purveyors to offer a locally-sourced dining experience that’s a bit more upscale than what was previously offered at his popular Morris County restaurant, while keeping some of his guests’ favorites.

A new concept for Morris Tap & Grill will be two new serving sizes: “selfish”, meant for one person or “shared”, meant to be shared among guests.

The dishes we sampled and provided written feedback on were:

  • Wasabi popcorn / BBQ popcorn / truffle popcorn – our favorites were the truffle and BBQ version and we liked this simple treat while enjoying craft beer.
  • Tempura asparagus, broccolini, carrot threads with soy scallion ginger sauce – we found that carrot threads, something we’d not had before, are pretty delicious yet were unsure what the proper manner was to pick them up if enjoying with others. We liked both the tempura asparagus and broccolini and thought the dipping sauce was a bit sweet (we know the final version will be perfect).
  • Smoked shrimp and shaved fennel asparagus salad – we like that Chef LeVine’s smoking various menu items and thought the shrimps had a lovely smokey flavor. The salad could have used a good pinch of salt but both the fennel and asparagus had good texture and tasted freshly-picked.
  • Smoked scallops with corn risotto, crispy celery root chips and chili oil – the corn risotto was likely our favorite component of all the dishes that evening: creamy with a ton of big corn flavor.
  • Braised pork belly on tomatillo, tomato salad served with roasted chili – as a whole, this was our favorite dish of the night. Bright, tart dressing cut through the pork belly fattiness and the chili brought a nice level of heat to the dish: winner!
  • Homemade Chorizo sausage and braised ox tail with corn pudding with Ancho aioli and poblano cream – nicely done in-house Chorizo that we think Chef LeVine should use in several dishes. The corn pudding was super and the aioli was enjoyably tangy. I love ox tail and it was flavorful yet chewy from the attached cartilage…I’m not certain this will be how the final product will be served.

There also new desserts being creatively prepared and our favorite was the decadent chocolate dessert with dolce de leche – to die for.

Chef LeVine admits that he’s still playing around with some of the components of the dishes and tweaks will be made based on the feedback received at the tasting. While some of the items we sampled may not make the final cut, the general group consensus showed Chef LeVine’s on the right track.

This spring menu can be paired with the more than 100 beers served at the restaurant and also with new wines and craft cocktails Chef LeVine’s team has created.

The new spring menu launches today so go pay these guys a visit and connect with Morris Tap & Grill on Facebook to stay abreast of all the events and classes planned for the remainder of the year.

500 Route 10 West, Randolph, New Jersey. 973.891.1776.

Cheers,

Veronique

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