New Jersey Smashburger

By now, if you’ve read my posts, you know I’m a huge fan of Smashburger (http://bit.ly/bOgEKa and http://bit.ly/ahbqNg).  I’m excited about the latest opening in northern New Jersey of the East Hanover location.  Here are three things to note about the newest outpost:

First, the space is large and ideally located in the most prominent location of the Route 10 shopping center it’s housed in.

Second, the staff is beyond helpful and upbeat – something mostly unheard of at other chain restaurants in the USA.

Third, and most important, is that the food, even on the busy pre-opening night I visited, was fresh and tasty. Although the menu offers many delicious-sounding options, I went for the New Jersey Smashburger – we are after-all in New Jersey!  The burger had tons of beefy flavor and is topped with fried onion straws, applewood bacon and blue cheese crumbles.  Just an outstanding sandwich.  On the side, I opted for the perfectly-crisp fries tossed in garlic and rosemary olive oil – brilliant!  Smashburger offers freshly tossed salads and outstanding chicken sandwiches, but really, this place serves a truly outstanding burger and you should go in that direction.

These are truly the best fast food burgers around and perhaps the best burgers I’ve had.

Other New Jersey Smashburger locations are: Clifton, Florham Park, Hackensack, Montclair, Newark Liberty International Airport, new Providence and Paramus.  Coming soon:  Morris Plains and Ramsey.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a Smashburger location near you very soon. Visit www.smashburger.com for current and soon-to-open locations.

Disclaimer: I am not being paid to blog, Facebook and Twitter about Smashburger. I simply feel strongly about its product.

Veronique

This will be the second year that we catch the Big Game at NJ Bar & Grill in Mine Hill, NJ.  Not only is it a fun crowd, the staff of the popular Morris County bar feeds us a dish before the game, during halftime AND during each quarter!

$16.99/person – $8 pitchers of Bud or Bud Light

* Platter of chicken chips for the table at the start of the game
* 1st quarter: Choice of either homemade chili or soup of the day
* 2nd quarter: Choice of platter: spinach & artichoke dip, bacon-wrapped chicken with jalapeno and BBQ sauce, nachos (buffalo chicken or chili)
* 3rd quarter: Choice of one per person: penne a la vodka, fish n’ chips, blackened burger with blue cheese topping, pulled pork sliders
* 4th quarter: Assorted dessert platter (one per table)

PLUS – 6′ sub served at halftime

Reserve by February 1st at 973.989.1999 and join us for all the fun.

NJ Bar & Grill – Mine Hill, NJ (100 Randolph Ave., Mine Hill, NJ 07801)

Cheers,

Veronique

Nicole’s 10 is a restaurant in Randolph, NJ that offers casual dining in an upscale atmosphere.  Read my review as published by Jersey Bites.

Cheers,

Veronique

Shaved Porchetta Sandwich

I am an avid fan of Locanda Verde and its sublime food attentively prepared by Food and Wine Best New Chef award winner, Andrew Carmellini.  I have written about Locanda Verde in the past, but on a recent visit, I brunched and it is worth noting what a super job the staff does with this meal.

For me, a key component of brunch is a good cocktail.  I typically go for a spicy Bloody Mary and Locanda Verde does not disappoint with its fiery Bloody Mary Della Casa ($13) served with Italian hot peppers and Mortadella.

Our party began its meal with the Pastry Misty Del Giorno ($14), a basket of delectable pastries: cranberry muffins, olive oil coffee cake and apple breakfast pie.  I would not skip this starter expertly prepared by pastry chef Karen DeMasco; it is delicious with the dark roasted coffee served at this establishment.

Scampi and Grits

Some can’t miss brunch entrées are the soft scrambled farm egg crostino with leek, mushrooms and speck ($17) – the bread used to make the crostino might be the best I have had in New York City and the contrast of soft-cooked eggs over the crunchy bread is amazing.  The “Scampi and Grits” ($20) with organic polenta, tomato, sausage and coddled eggs is a winner – the polenta is creamy, the shrimp is cooked with the flavorful sausage and the soft-cooked eggs  create a yolky ‘sauce’ that helps marry all the flavors together.  Another stellar option, and perhaps one of the best sandwiches in town, is the shaved Porcetta sandwich ($16) with grilled onions and Provolone – the meat is juicy and cooked perfectly and the Provolone is especially sharp and a tremendous asset to this succulent sandwich.

Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from 10AM until 3PM.  Making the trek down to Tribeca is a small price to pay to be rewarded by fabulous food, a trendy, sexy space and a helpful staff.

377 Greenwich Street

New York, NY 10013

212-925-3797

Cheers,

Veronique

Pork Belly

Michael’s Genuine, in Miami’s up-and-coming Design District, is a foodie’s paradise dressed down as a casual neighborhood bistro.  Chef Michael Schwartz excels at what should be three basic restaurant concepts: the space, the staff, the food and wine.

The bistro, opened in 2007, can accommodate up to 100 diners both indoors in a comfortable dining room and outdoors in a bustling courtyard area.  The ambiance is relaxed, even with a roomful of some of Miami’s most beautiful people.

The staff is friendly, helpful and knowledgeable about the menu and its ingredients.  There is a palpable excitement amid the crew about the product being offered that is akin to being a kid in a candy store.

The food…is absolutely amazing.  Chef Schwartz masters New American cuisine and many of the ingredients used or served are housemade.  The pork belly over kimchee is succulent.  The short rib Panini is rich and delectable.  The beet, heirloom tomato and blue cheese salad is ultra-fresh and perfectly dressed.  A special of the day, the croque-madame sandwich is prepared with house-cured ham is comforting and completely old school perfect.  The restaurant’s wood fire oven also works miracles on the ultra-fresh fish sourced by Chef Schwartz and his team.

Croque-Madame

The wine list is eclectic, interesting and offers great value.  There are over twenty wines by the glass ranging from Austrian Gruner Veltliner to Krug Grande Cuvée and Piedmonte Barbera.  The list is smartly designed to be unintimidating to all fans of the grape.  The Chardonnays are categorized into ‘unoaked’, ‘light oak to moderate’ and ‘moderate to heavy oak’ and varietals are divided by region making it straight-forward to select the right wine for the occasion or dish.

Chef Michael Schwartz hits it out of the ballpark with this venue by offering unpretentious food in a casual atmosphere.  A must-try dining experience when in Miami.

130 N. 40^th Street

Miami, FL 33137

305-573-5550

www.michaelsgenuine.com

Hours of operation:

Lunch: Monday – Friday 11:30AM – 3PM

Brunch: Sunday 11AM – 2:30PM

Dinner: Sunday 5:30PM – 10PM; Monday – Thursday 5:30PM – 11PM; Friday – Saturday 5:30PM – midnight

Happy hour: Monday – Friday 4:30PM – 6:30PM

I recently attended a conference in Atlanta and stayed at Omni Hotel at CNN Center.  The hotel has a few dining options, and on the first morning of my stay, I decided to try Prime Meridian for early breakfast.

The space is well-adorned in dark woods and plush upholstery and has a welcoming feel.  The staff offers southern hospitality to each guest and made me feel pampered, even at 6:30AM while in my gym clothes.

The food isn’t your typical hotel restaurant fare.  The ingredients are high quality, the food is hot, even on the buffet, and the selection is outstanding.

I’m an oatmeal connoisseur and was thrilled to see and sample McCann’s Steel Cut Irish Oats ($5) on the menu.  It was cooked to perfection – with a bit of texture and nuttiness.  The perfectly-pillowy pancakes ($10) are light, delicious and served with 100% pure maple syrup.

Besides the a la carte menu, there is the “Chef’s Art of Breakfast” buffet ($22) which features an extensive array of top-quality foods.  The buffet offers a choice of juice and Starbucks coffee.  The buffet is truly a great option with tremendous variety.

I highly recommend starting your day at Prime Meridian if staying in downtown Atlanta.  It offers quality food, prepared expertly and served by a cordial staff.

Cheers,

Veronique

Fresh fig with Japanese pear lemon vinegar sauce

I always plan a special dinner out for my guy’s birthday, typically in Manhattan.  He’s crazy about Asian food, particularly Japanese, so when it came time to book this year’s evening out, I polled my Twitter foodie followers for recommendations.  Kyo Ya in the East Village made the short list and I promptly called to reserve a table.

When I called Kyo Ya, the hostess asked which tasting menu I wanted to opt for.  I selected the 10-course menu at $120 and had to secure the reservation with a credit card.  I didn’t mind the credit card guarantee since the place is small and purchases the required fish daily based on client reservations.

To say the restaurant doesn’t do sidewalk advertising is a major understatement.  There are no visible signs outside; the place is located downstairs in what looks like a residential building.  Even with the address in hand and knowing Kyo Ya has a non-descript facade, I still had doubts about it being the correct venue when we arrived.  We asked the hostess if we had the right place and she softly giggled and confirmed that it was, apparently not the first time this question has been posed to her.

We were seated at what I’ll describe as a sushi bar.  My guy was sat on the end, and me facing the chef.  It turns out he had the best seat in the house as he could see not only our chef preparing food, but all the way into the bustling kitchen.  The space is cozy, extremely neat and inviting.  The staff is there to create an experience and is very knowledgeable about the food and preparations.

Grilled lobster, corn with shuto sauce in potato

The sushi / sashimi chef is incredibly talented.  He works with the freshest, purest and rarest fish in Manhattan and it shows.  He’s so proud of the fish varieties being flown in from all parts of the world, that he even offered us a side-by-side comparison of Portland, Maine sea urchin vs. rare Japanese sea urchin.  What a treat!  Here are details of the ten courses we enjoyed:

First course: Zatsuki – stuffed lotus root with fish cake

Second course: Sakizuke – grilled eggplant and Goma tofu with sea urchin sauce

Third course: Oshinogi – seared Hamo pike conger sushi with seasoned cucumber

Fourth course: Owan – snapper mousse ball and mushroom clear soup

Fifth course: Otsukuri – sashimi of the day, seared Bonito PLUS, assorted sashimi and sea urchin

Sixth course: Yakimono – grilled lobster, corn with Shuto sauce in potato simmered Sanma pike mackerel with Arima Sansho

Seventh course: Nimono – steamed Guji sweet snapper and togan squash with Sudachi citrus thick sauce

Eight course: Tomezakana – fresh fig with Japanese pear lemon vinegar sauce

Ninth course: Oshokuji – rice cooked with organic chicken and assorted autumn mushrooms in clay pot Nameko Akadashi soup and pickles

Tenth course: Sweet potato crème brulée with Shio whipped cream honey dew melon sorbet

This isn’t the place for you if you’re looking for a celebrity TV chef or for touristy sushi.  This place is a museum where fish is proudly displayed.  I highly recommend it to serious fish lovers.

Cheers,

Veronique

Some news for my Chicago friends, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar has a new small plates menu offering the following dishes that sound amazing:

• Sliced Filet Mignon on shiitake risotto, chili oil, drizzled with porcini butter
•  Jumbo Shrimp Scampi Skewers with Chimichurri dipping sauce and avocado citrus salad
• New Zealand Petite Lamb Chops with pistachio-mint pesto, “F-17″ sauce, and polenta fries
• Ahi Tuna Skewers with wasabi aioli, sweet tomato vinaigrette, and homemade wonton chips
• New Bedford Scallops with Meyer lemon-honey glaze, baby carrots, green beans, and asparagus
• Filet Mignon Skewers with gorgonzola-bacon fondue, mozzarella and sweet tomato salad
• Fleming’s Lobster Tempura with soy-ginger dipping sauce, arugula, jicama and apple salad

I love the idea of sharing multiple dishes with my friends.  It’s an affordable way to sample several dishes and Fleming’s small plate prices range from $15.50 to $22.95.

Fleming’s two Chicago-area locations can be found at: 25 E. Ohio St., Chicago; 312/ 329-9463 and 960 Milwaukee Ave., Lincolnshire, Ill.; 847/ 793-0333.

Cheers,

Veronique

I had heard from several foodie friends about the fabulous meals served at A Toute Heure, so when I had guests in town, I secured a reservation for the brunch, exclusively served on the last Sunday of the month.

A Toute Heure, which opened in May 2007, offers seasonal foods sourced locally to feature the freshest produce, meats, dairy and more.  The menu is ever-changing depending on what chef de cuisine Kara Decker is presented by co-owner Andrea Carbine from her market sourcing visits.

The cozy space seats 38 and is bright and inviting with its high ceilings and large windows.  The wait staff is young, informed and helpful about the menu and ingredients.  A Toute Heure is a BYOB which makes dining at this lovely bistro an affordable option.

For our party, brunch began with hot bowls of powdered sugar-coated beignets ($8).  Beignets can also be served coated in cinnamon sugar.  A Toute Heure’s version of the puffy, dough balls are light and addicting and were gone moments after being delivered to our table.  The coffee is strong and simply great.  It’s a special blend created for A Toute Heure by Small World Coffee of Princeton, NJ.

There were ten brunch entrées available when we visited and each was described in a way that made it extremely difficult to decide on.  We selected the breakfast tart ($9), the housemade jalapeno cornbread with spicy beef chili ($16), the egg-in-a-hole ($16) and the brunch burger ($16).  The breakfast tart begins with a hand-made puff pastry base that is topped with crispy pancetta, melted Manchego cheese and a barely set farm-fresh egg.  The combination of the buttery pastry with the tangy cheese and crispy ham is a must-try.  The cornbread topped with chili, cheese and two sunny side up eggs was flavorful, but a bit dense and heavy for one of my guests.  The egg-in-a-hole  consists of a thick slice of sourdough bread with two fried eggs baked in the center then served with crispy, high quality bacon.  My guest who ordered the brunch burger stated it might be the best he’d had.  The house-ground beef patty is stuffed with Gruyere cheese and topped with sautéed mushrooms and caramelized onions then sandwiched between English muffin halves.  The burger is paired with uber thin house chips.

The vibe of the place is simply fantastic and I look forward to visiting for dinner very soon.

232 Centennial Avenue

Cranford, NJ 07016

908.276.6600

Lunch: Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Dinner: Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m.

Brunch: the last Sunday of each month, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Cheers,

Veronique

VOLT Open Kitchen

Last weekend, I was able to secure a kitchen table at Bryan Voltaggio’s VOLT in Frederick, MD.  I was excited to take my in-laws from The Netherlands to the Top Chef contender’s chic, hip place and to sample some of the creative food put forth by the staff.

First, the space is sleek and the open kitchen where our table was is hectic and efficient.  It was truly an amazing show to see every member of the kitchen staff move in such unison yet at such a frantic pace.

The food was creative, beautiful and above all, delicious.  Presentation is a top priority at VOLT and we were fascinated by the eclectic tableware, meticulous food displays and care of service by the wait team.  I’ve posted photos of our tasting menu dishes on Food and Wine Chickie’s Facebook Page for your perusal.

The wine list is extensive and many wines are served by the glass and the half bottles.  I love the half bottle concept with a tasting menu as I enjoy sampling a progression of wines as I make my way through the meal.  VOLT’s sommelier was attentive, yet understated.

Bryan Voltaggio shows he didn’t need to come out on top during Bravo’s Top Chef competition to be a real winner.  The proof’s in the foie gras macarons.

Cheers,

Veronique