re. CAP: YELP Wine & Tapas at Spuntino

RER 7.14.15

Last Tuesday night, Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas in Clifton was brimming with Yelp Elites and their plus ones. 

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The yelpers were treated to yummy light bites like a fresh beet watercress salad, ahi tuna with watermelon, and yellow tomatoes topped with house-made mozzarella.

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We sampled sinful pork belly, garlicky spaghetti pomodoro, and hot pizza with an assortment of toppings. Each offering representing the eatery was delicious and paired delightfully with an adult libation (read: wine and beer). 

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A little bourbon tasting including three different varieties was also available for the yelpers. The night culminated in four flavors of gelato and strong espresso. It was good food and a yelping time.

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7.20.15

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Not Just Nourishment: The Hudson School Board of Trustees Dinner

Third Course: Dill Crusted Salmon with Fennel , Yukon Potato, Pearl Onions, Asparagus and Lemon Beurre Blanc

Tuesday night, alumni, faculty, board members and parents of The Hudson School came together for their annual Trustee Dinner at Amanda’s Restaurant. For many years, the school and its board have hosted the event involving a five-course meal with complimentary wine pairings, to raise money for the school’s scholarship fund.

Amanda’s is a mainstay of Hoboken (more here, here, here and here), offering fresh and classic food laced with comfort and refinement. Each course at this event was visually balanced and alive with color, from the mint green of the pea flan, to the coral pink of the salmon and bright red of the tart raspberries. Quality was present in the pretty ingredients and the varied textures throughout the courses along with the polished flavors.

First Course: Balsamic Roasted Strawberries with Olive Oil Whipped Goat Cheese, Basil, Arugula and Grilled Baguette

Second Course: Spring Pea Flan with Poached Shrimp

Fourth Course: Roasted Strip Loin with Horseradish Whipped Potatoes, Zucchini Batons, Parsley and Meyer Lemon Gremolata

Fifth Course: Raspberry and Brown Butter Tart with Vanilla Gelato

After enjoying chatting over the first few courses, Suellen Newman, the principal and founder of The Hudson School, spoke to the crowd. Her speech was heartfelt and sincere, using stories and real-life examples to underline the reason for the delectable event: raising money for The Scholarship Fund and enabling students who need financial assistance to attend the private school.

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4.28.15

happiest hour: The Cuban

RER 4.20.15

They were spontaneous for his birthday. It was a Monday and they decided they would not be quiet. They would step out of the box and sit at the bar.

This time the dark red walls of The Cuban were not suffocating and the low hanging lights felt brighter. Even the bar felt welcoming and open, not just high stools and slick counters. It was different. Better. They were celebrating a birthday.

They were ready to take on the menu. Both menus.

Their happiest hour involved a rainbow of mojitos and caipirinhas: blush with guava, golden with passion fruit, electric with apples and winter white with coconut. Each was distinct and flavorful, and strong enough to keep her giggling.

But the bites held an intensity of feelings and flavors, satiating hungry eyes and insides. Fatty and delightful pork pieces blending with slinky onions and garlic green mojo were hardly forgotten in the tumult of their mirth.

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Warm moments of sticky sweet plantains wrapped with thin salty bacon and showered with farmer’s cheese made them tongue-tied, when their mouths knew no bounds.  

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Mussels and chorizo sinking in wet broth and encaged by soft aioli-drizzled and smoky paprika-dusted fries made messes like wet kisses.

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They gulped down the drinks and the atmosphere, laughed too loudly, and showed their affection, through delicious bites and wide smiles. Of course they did, because it was his birthday...

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4.20.15

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photo op: BUDDAKAN

RER 3.8.15

A tasty happy hour at Buddakan in Caesars ended our Atlantic City adventures for Yelp’s Spring Break.

We slowly sipped full-bodied cocktails, some hot with jalapeno and gin, others smooth with an array of sweet fruit flavors, and others still, floral with lychee and sake.

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We gorged on slippery dumplings bursting with spicy beef or gingered chicken or even pureed edamame with traces of truffle.

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We had crunchy chicken and shrimp spring rolls and crunchy tempura vegetables, sweet, meaty and green.

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And we finished with cinnamon sugar dusting our lips, residual from tiny dough pockets filled with a light cream paired with tangy sweet banana sauce.

Thanks AC (and my plus one) for the amazing time per usual!

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3.8.15

RER 3.8.15

across the POND: Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill

RER 3.7.15

We made a mistake when making a reservation for the Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill— obviously, there was no way we would make it to Las Vegas before 6:30 pm. But luckily the hostesses at the one in Caesars in Atlantic City were able to seat us right away.

The open restaurant is a little jarring as casino traffic briskly passes, but once our orders and menus were taken and the appetizers were on their way, it was like we were transported across the pond. The hubs ordered off of the special Atlantic City Restaurant Week menu, while I went for the real deal.

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He started with a very British Toad-in-the-Hole: a creamy sausage tucked into an eggy Yorkshire Pudding and drenched in gravy. The textures were unctuous and kind of slimy, with hardly enough chew and almost familiar tastes.

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My pork belly appetizer was fatty and succulent, but lightened with matchsticks of granny smith apple and a sweet carrot puree. The play of textures revved up my tastebuds and carried throughout my meal.

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The casual fillet mignon from the prix-fixe came with meaty salty mushrooms and a grilled tomato (reminiscent of a great full English breakfast). The dish erred on the safe side, as the meat lacked salt and the sauce encapsulated no real innovation or flavor.

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Plump seared sea scallops were bookended by two clamshells filled with briny clam chowder. The decadent chowder lay heavy and rich underneath the four perfect scallops. It was buttery and chunky with potatoes, large clam pieces and creamy moments. Its salt balanced the sweet of the scallops and the four blistered grape tomatoes served as reprieve for the richness of the dish.

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Dessert was magical. Both the Spotted Dick and Sticky Toffee Pudding were the kind of desserts you crave. They were warm and comfortable, dense and intensely sweet, but not complicated, like golden childhood memories. The bread pudding was swirled with spice and smooth, while the ice cream melted slowly on top. And the sticky toffee was so sweet, with different sugars.  The dark caramel cake soaked up the drizzled toffee like a sponge and the vanilla ice cream mellowed the syrupy dessert and added a complexity.

Overall, I was satisfied and stuffed. Most every bite was well-executed and brought a little something to the classic fare. The menu items are straightforward and common, but the end result is timeless and scrumptious.

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3.7.15

RER 3.7.15