Archives for November 2009

Restaurant Review: Tasserts

 

Tasserts Outside

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

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

 

Blue Pepper Interior

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

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

Quebec Cretons

This spreadable meat dish is similar to pâté but with more texture.  Cretons are a very typical eastern Canada dish served at breakfast time on toasted bread.  Cretons are sometimes also served on a cheese platter.

Cretons

Cretons

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 lb ground veal
  • 2 onions finely minced
  • 2 tbsp chicken bouillon granules
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 pinch of ground cloves
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 envelope flavorless gelatin

Directions:

  1. Place all the ingredients (except gelatin) in a heavy saucepan.  Mix well and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium, and simmer for one hour, stirring often.  Turn off heat.
  2. Mash down the mixture with a hand potato masher to a coarse consistency.
  3. Incorporate the gelatin to the mixture.
  4. Cool completely, then stir the mixture.  Put mixture in small containers and refrigerate or freeze.

Will last in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Settling on Just One Restaurant is Pure Hell in Hell’s Kitchen

For those of you who don’t live in Manhattan and aren’t familiar with the city’s neighborhoods, Hell’s Kitchen is, yes it’s a cliché, a truly unique place.  Located in the general vicinity of 9th Avenue and the 40s, it’s eclectic, nutty and foodie haven.  For locals, it’s worth revisiting Hell’s Kitchen if you haven’t been in a while.

Along 9th Avenue, hungry folks can sample from an interesting international array of restaurants.  Here are just a few of the places you should try in the area:

  • Mercury Bar:  Fun spot to watch football game while enjoying some pretty decent bar food and a nice selection of beer on tap.
  • Rachel’s:  Neat place to enjoy a casual dinner or Sunday brunch.
  • 5 Napkin Burger:  The place is so popular that there’s a line out of the door waiting for a juicy burger.
  • Xie Xie:  Stop by this trendy spot for the “1000 Year Old” Ice Cream Sandwich.  Chocolate cookie, black caramel…need I say more?
  • Esposito Finest Quality Sausage:  Besides being a fabulous old-world butcher shop, Esposito’s prepares first rate sandwiches.
  • Chez Josephine:  Neat $35 prix fixe menu perfect for pre-theater.

Wherever you land in Hell’s Kitchen, you’re sure to find something to satisfy any craving you might have, whether it’s Thai, a burger, Turkish kebab or something a bit more exotic.

Spit & Twit – Who Wouldn’t Buy Into That Concept?

Spit & Twit NYCI attended Wine Twits’ Spit & Twit event last week at City Winery in New York City.  The launch event for this concept was very well-attended and featured over 100 wines from around the world.  Steve and his team from Wine Twits really did a great job putting this event together.  The concept is simple: 1) Taste a wine 2) Spit (or not) 3) Twitter about the findings.  Large TV screens throughout the room display live feeds of the tweets as patrons send them.  Neat, no?

I enjoyed some pretty great wines and met fabulous folks in the wine trade, and found the space at City Winery to be ideal for this type of event.  Each winery, or wine distributor, featured his/her product at tables set up throughout the place and patrons made their way around the room savoring wines from around the globe.  A sponsor of the event, Riedel, provided each guest with a fine piece of stemware upon arriving, and this made the tasting all the more enjoyable.

Some of the wines I particularly enjoyed were:

2008 Alder Springs Roussanne Westerly Vineyard

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyards

2004 D’Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz

2007 Ravines Wine Cellars –Cabernet Franc

2007 Ravines Wine Cellars – Pinot Noir

2007 Benziger Signaterra Pinot Noir, Bella Luna Vineyards

I’m looking forward to seeing where Wine Twits will host its next event.  Count me in on the concept of tasting then tweeting my findings.  

2007 Benziger Signaterra Pinot Noir, Bella Luna Vineyards

Benziger Signaterra Pinot Noir

Benziger Signaterra Pinot Noir

This wine personifies Russian River Pinot Noir.  The 2007 Signaterra Pinot Noir shows a perfect marriage of fruit and spice, soft tannins and velvety mouthfeel.

Price: Around $50

Cult Vines at Spit & Twit – Crème de la Crème Wines

I attended Wine Twits’ Spit & Twit event last week at City Winery in New York City.  The launch event for this concept was very well-attended and featured over 100 wines from around the world.

While I enjoyed some pretty great wines and met fabulous folks in the wine trade, I especially enjoyed the two wines served by Cult Vines, whose motto is “is to provide the finest wine to discreet connoisseurs and collectors”.

2008 Alder Springs Roussanne Westerly Vineyard

2008 Cult Vines Roussanne

2008 Cult Vines Roussanne

This golden honey colored Roussanne has a beautiful nose, huge mouthfeel, bright apple flavor.  This wine is well-balanced but with higher alcohol content and would be outstanding with food.  Could use some cellaring.  Chardonnay drinkers, move over to this wine.

 

Price:  Around $49

 

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyards

 

2007 Cult Vines Cabernet Sauvignon

2007 Cult Vines Cabernet Sauvignon

It was difficult to pull myself away from the lush fruit aroma in order to actually sip this wine, but I certainly wasn’t disappointed when I did.  This Cabernet offers the darkest, opaque purple hue that’s easy to simply stare at for a while.  This wine is full of ripe fruit, especially blackberry, and young, not at all unpleasant, tannins.  Craved a rare porterhouse after the first sip.

 

Price:  Around $125

2004 D'Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz

2004 Dead Arm Shiraz

2004 Dead Arm Shiraz

The 2004 The Dead Arm Shiraz was one of the top five wines I tasted at a recent event featuring over 100 wines.  This fabulous full-bodied wine offers a beautiful dark purple color that’s impossible to resist.  This Shiraz explodes in the mouth with bold blackberry, peppery spice flavors, and although still young it’s pleasantly tannic and complex.

Apparently, I’m not the only taster who enjoyed this Shiraz:  “This deep, rich, full-bodied, tannic Shiraz should be drinkable in 2-3 years, and will last for two decades or more. It is the finest Dead Arm since the 2001.” Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 95+ Points.

Price: Around $50.

Perilla Greenwich Village

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

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

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

NYC Dessert Tasting Event: “We Are Sweet On You”

TWCTime Warner Center’s Restaurant and Bar Collection Presents We Are Sweet On You

WHAT:

In celebration of the lighting of “Holiday Under The Stars,” Time Warner Center kicks-off the holiday season with a very special dessert tasting event, “We Are Sweet On You.”

Enjoy a world of fine desserts and delectable treats from their esteemed restaurant collection. Signature sweets including double truffle brownies from Porter House New York, nutella profiteroles from Landmarc’s ovens, hot chocolate Italian style from A Voce and Star cookies from Bouchon Bakery are just a few of the treats to be served.

WHERE:

Time Warner Center, 2nd floor

10 Columbus Circle NY, NY 10019

Columbus Circle and 59th Street

Subways: 1,A,B,C,D

WHEN:

Friday, November 13th

Beginning at 5:30pm

PRICE:

Free and open to the public