8 March 2010 
Tasty Afghan Food at Kabab Paradise
March 8, 2010 By
Mixed Gyro Platter
Kabab Paradise is a spotless, attractive restaurant featuring Afghan cuisine for onsite dining, take-out or delivery ($15 minimum).
Chef Sal Fahim and his crew couldn’t be more customer-friendly. Diners are greeted warmly as they enter the restaurant and are treated like extended family as they dine in the cozy space. During a recent visit, I could hear ‘the ususal?’ being asked by the cooks to the patrons. Kabab Paradise has had a loyal following since it set up shop in Morris County in 2004.
Hummus
A key to this smallish space’s success is that the food is fresh and absolutely delicious. Kabab Paradise offers an extensive Halal menu that’s completely made from scratch. From the very tasty hummus to the hand chopped burger meat to the fabulous kabab entrees, Kabab Paradise prides itself on serving the freshest middle eastern food around.
On a recent visit, my party enjoyed an attractive platter of hummus ($3.99 for small and $6.99 for large), made on the premises. The portion, enough for several diners, is beautifully presented with just the right amount of fruity olive oil.
Some of the entrees we enjoyed were the beef kufta kabab, the mixed gyro platter and the chicken breast kabab. The juicy beef kufta kabab ($9.99) is made of broiled ground beef marinated in fresh spices and absolutely wonderful in every way. The mixed gyro platter ($8.49) is comprised of thinly sliced then chopped beef, chicken and lamb masterly seasoned and presented in a sizeable portion. For those of us who’ve been served dried out grilled chicken on a stick in the past, Kabab Paradise will be a revelation of moist, succulent chicken chunks broiled to perfection. These entrees are presented with a large serving of seasoned basmati rice, a choice of beverage, bread and a tasty, tart cilantro and lime dressing. You’ll want to pour the secretly-prepared dressing over just about everything. Warning – it’s addictive and you’ll dream of your next taste.
The restaurant is social media-conscious and garners the power of the web, Twitter and Facebook to attract new customers and to share tidbits with its avid followers.
Kabab Paradise is a must-try for a casual meal prepared using fresh ingredients by a team focused on making diners think of their next visit even before they finish eating.
76 North Beverwick Rd
Lake Hiawatha, NJ 07034
Phone: 973-334-7900
Fax: 973-334-7199
Tue-Thur: 11AM – 10PM
Fri-Sat: 11AM – 11PM
Sun: 1PM – 9PM
Aozora – Fab Food Fusion in Montclair
February 24, 2010 By
My review of Aozora featured in NJ My Way: http://bit.ly/dnHFfP
28 January 2010 
I Trulli – Cozy Spot in Midtown Manhattan
January 28, 2010 By
I Trulli
Greek food god Michael Psilakis highly recommended this place, especially the pasta and rabbit ragu dish, so I had to visit (plus, it’s a 5-minute walk from my office).
I lunched at I Trulli during New York Restaurant Week and was somewhat underwhelmed. Upon arriving, we were greeted with soft bread pieces and ricotta (instead of butter). Great touch and quite tasty.
I had the braised octopus, calamari and black chickpea appetizer. The dish sounded incredible but was just odd and sort of flat and flavorless. As an entrée, I ordered the rabbit ragu pasta which was featured on Food Network as a “The Best Thing I Ever Ate”. It was so mild that it came across as just bland…at best. The fact that I found two tiny bones in the dish was both a turn-off and dangerous.
My guest had the braised lamb shoulder with rapini and potatoes and he really enjoyed it. The dish looked rich and decadent and its aroma was contagious.
For dessert, we opted for the ricotta cheese dish with chopped pistachios, chocolate, citrus rind and honey. It was simple, refreshing and fabulous – the perfect end to a rich meal.
The space is beautiful, cozy and the outdoor patio looks inviting. Just a very comfortable atmosphere with its huge fireplaces. I’ll give it another try someday as I want to be fair, but this visit was a bit disappointing.
122 East 27th Street
New York, NY 10016
9 December 2009 
Have a Penchant for Fabulous Food? Café Panache Delivers
December 9, 2009 By
Our party of four was greeted warmly upon arriving at this cozy, upscale restaurant and was seated at a table with great chairs. Yes, I’m mentioning chairs as I believe restaurants often omit splurging on this important décor item. The smallish space boasts a hip and wealthy crowd (can you say “Real Housewives of New Jersey”?). Since Café Panache is a BYOB, we’d brought four wines to enjoy.
The first wine we opened was a terrific Prosceco – La Marca Di Conegliano Valdobbiadene.
Tuna Tartare
The second wine we uncorked was a 2003 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon. We drank it with our starters, which were outstanding: Tuna tartare with wilted seaweed on an avocado and wasabi puree, a wild mushroom and arugula salad with shaved parmesan and a pan-fried pulled pork cake. The tuna was served in a very generous portion and was a great contrast to the wilted seaweed. The intriguing pulled pork dish was simply great. Pulled pork was formed into a patty then breaded and pan-fried to create a crispy exterior. The huge parmesan shavings on the wild mushroom salad were delectable.
The third bottle we enjoyed was a 2004 The Dead Arm Shiraz and it was served with our entrees: A perfectly-seared loin of venison, braised short ribs with dark beer and black molasses, a stellar mustard seed-crusted and sautéed calves liver, and a special of the evening, a crispy John Dory on a bed of wonderfully al dente farro. Braising the short ribs in beer and molasses is a great way to prepare this popular dish – nice twist by Chef Kevin Kohler. The star of the evening was the sautéed calves liver. This dish was
Short Ribs
simply divine. Perfectly cooked to ensure its tenderness, and full of peppery flavor.
Our final wine was a 2003 La Chapelle de Calon and we drank it with our desserts: a cheese plate with solid options, a white chocolate mousse and a crème brulée. The mousse and the crème brulée were standard and okay.
I made a reservation well in advance for this popular restaurant and had very limited options, so plan ahead if you want to dine at Café Panache on a weekend night. The restaurant occupies what was formerly a Long John Silver’s, but you’d never guess it by the beautiful décor and warm atmosphere. If you haven’t dined at this restaurant, definitely put it on your radar for special occasions.
130 East Main Street
Ramsey, New Jersey
(201) 934-0030
Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant – Irish Food Revisited
December 1, 2009 By
I recently attended the Executive Girlfriends Group’s annual meeting in Orlando at beautiful Omni Champions Gate Resort. While the event was a great networking opportunity, one of the highlights was the fantastic dinner that Irish celebrity chef Kevin Dundon of Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant personally prepared for our group.
When we were informed that our group dinner would be at an Irish restaurant in Disney’s Pleasure Island, I was skeptical of the meal we’d be sharing, but was I pleasantly surprised by the restaurant, the staff and the food.
First, the pub is neat! There’s a large bar area with a multitude of beers on tap with a great vibe about it. The restaurant is expansive and features several semi-private areas, one of which our group occupied on our visit.
As the custom menu was presented to us, I still wasn’t sold on the idea that Irish food could be elevated to a level beyond stew and sheppard’s pie. Boy was I in for a treat! The four-course menu featured creative options that had me intrigued.
Raglan Scallops
For the first course, we could opt for either a seared scallop on pea puree with a smoked salmon salad with crème fraîche or a heritage tomato salad with shallots and balsamic glaze. I adore scallops so chose that option. The scallops were perfectly seared, I wasn’t happy with the pea puree as there wasn’t a whole bowl of it for me to devour and the smoked salmon was perfectly fresh and flavorful. My peers who had the tomato salad were also very pleased.
Raglan Risotto
The second course was a velvety butternut squash and cinnamon soup which was wonderful. For the entrée course, we were offered a choice of duck, risotto or turbot. The duck course consisted of a breast and confit of duck in a lentil and spring onion bulb stew. The risotto featured wild mushrooms and asparagus with parmesan shavings, and was the entrée I opted for. I love risotto, and this version was perhaps the best I’ve ever had. It was perfectly creamy with a bit of a bite and was loaded with mushrooms and huge shavings. The chef personally recommended the turbot and many guests tried an enjoyed it very much. It was served with a wild rosemary and saffron sauce, so not sure how you could go wrong!
The desserts consisted of a chocolate fondant with stout ice cream (to die for) and a baked pear and almond tart with vanilla pod ice cream.
If you’re near Orlando or have an opportunity to be in town, be sure to put Raglan Road on your list of must-try restaurants. I’m a convert and now can appreciate how modern, fresh and perfect Irish food can be…or at least Chef Kevin Dundon’s Irish food.
Restaurant Review: Tasserts
November 29, 2009 By
Tasserts Outside
Tasserts, in Florham Park, opened its doors in 2003. Not a derivative of ‘desserts’, Tasserts is a combination of ‘Natassia’, the chef’s daughter, and ‘Robert’, his father, the unassuming restaurant in a suburban strip mall, is a Morris County gem that shines bright.
The room is trendy, a bit retro and comfortable with its high-back banquettes and dimly-lit atmosphere.
The wait staff is friendly, gracious and effective, and is quick to offer advice about the “New American” seasonal menu.
New Jersey-born chef, Michael Lapinski, creates an outstanding Manhattan-caliber menu . Dinner begins with freshly-baked rolls, right out of the restaurant’s brick oven. Yes, these are simple rolls, but they are absolutely perfect in every way. The only downfall of having one, or three, of them is that it might interfere with the fact that the rest of the food to come is also outstanding.
Winning starters are the tuna Carpaccio – fresh fish with great flavor, the flatbread pizza – baked to perfection in the brick oven and fit for sharing, and the lobster cake – nice rendition of its sister, the crab cake .
Tasting Plate
As far as entrees are concerned, an interesting way to explore chef Lapinski’s menu is to opt for the three-course plates, where diners select three entrees from the menu which are then served as tasting portions on a plate. Great option for those who can’t commit to just one entree. On a recent visit, I chose the lamb, short ribs and the scallops and was very pleased with each dish.
Overall, Tasserts serves up great New American food and interesting preparations. Note that this restaurant is a BYOB, so bring an exciting wine to pair with the creative food served at Tasserts.
176 Columbia Turnpike
Florham Park, NJ 07932
Tel: 973-822-3712
Restaurant Blue Pepper
November 18, 2009 By
Blue Pepper Interior
Blue Pepper is a very intimate space near the popular Leidseplein in Amsterdam. The restaurant is away from the touristy places, but within close proximity to the nightlife and fun of Leidseplein.
First, the service at Blue Pepper is impeccable. Our server was very well-versed about the menu and the ingredients and had great wine recommendations. Very impressed by him, and can’t say this about many people in that role.
Executive chef Sonja Pereira does an amazing job at recreating the famous Indonesian rice table. The 70 Euro tasting menu features over 25 dishes, yes 25, each more outstanding than the next. Stellar were the citrusy soup, the lamb saté, the extra spicy meat ‘stew’ and the banana and caramel fritter.
Blue Pepper Food
We’re experienced diners and this might be one of my top 5 meals ever. A must-try in a city not typically known for its cuisine.
Blue Pepper
http://www.restaurantbluepepper.com
Nassaukade 366
1054 AB Amsterdam
Telephone: 020-4897039
Perilla Greenwich Village
November 10, 2009 By
At the urging of some of my fellow Twitter foodie pals, I brunched at Perilla while in Greenwich Village last week.
The uncluttered small space, with 18 tables, is inviting and feels cozy immediately upon entering. The wait staff is young and energetic and aims to please without overwhelming guests. Our wait person also served as the bartender during brunch and fixed us a very generous cocktail, mine a perfectly-spicy Bloody Mary and my guest a mimosa made with freshly-squeezed orange juice.
Perilla Grits
The brunch menu offers limited options, and what it lacks in variety it makes up in creativity. The only negative I can find with the brunch dishes is the fact that it’s nearly impossible to select just one. A sure winner is the creamy white grits with fried egg, rock shrimp and Tasso ham. This dish is uber flavorful and puts a smile on one’s face it’s so delicious. By ‘deep fried’ it’s meant that the egg is boiled in the shell to a runny yolk, peeled, breaded then deep fried. As I cut into it, the yolk ran into the cheesy grits making the dish even more perfect, if that’s possible. Any must-try is the spicy duck burger served with jack cheese and avocado.
Perilla Cheeses
Desserts are imaginative and Perilla also offers a selection of 3, 5 or 7 cheeses to end the meal. The peanut butter mousse with chocolate crisps, the vanilla scented doughnuts and the sticky toffee pudding are good options. Solid cheese to try are the Penterman Farm Aged Gouda, the Painted Goat Cinderella and the Berkswell.
Solid food and an attractive, cozy space – winning combination.
Perilla Restaurant
9 Jones Street
New York, NY 10014
Phone: 212.929.6868
Bali by the Sea – Pleasant Hawaiian Grub
October 21, 2009 By
Bali by the Sea
Located at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Bali by the Sea is an inviting, warm space. First, definitely try to secure a table right off the ocean on the wall of open floor-to-ceiling windows. Sitting and dining at one of these tables provides a unique dining experience in true Aloha spirit.
The menu isn’t unpredictable, but offers quality ingredients and well-designed dishes. The poki appetizer features the freshest tuna available. The cucumber salad with moi is another outstanding starter. The duo of fish for an entrée is stellar. The tempura ahi might be the most memorable dish at this restaurant.
The wine list is very extensive and features a wide selection of both California and European wines. Diners will find some very well-priced options and also some famous cult wines to enjoy.
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