Terms of non-Endearment

I only had time to tweet about this when it first appeared, but wanted to be sure you had seen Ben Schott’s Op-Art Terms of Service piece in the New York Times last week about the linguistic shorthand restaurant staffs use to communicate with each other about various aspects of their customers behavior and preferences (and sometimes … Continue reading →

Amish Chop

Sometimes I just love a stuffed pork chop.  I had bought a couple last spring at the Amish Market (check for coupons!) in Kingston), and one was still in my freezer, waiting to be cooked.  I know their meat makes no claims about how it’s raised; what can I say, a weak moment when I was there primarily to pick up … Continue reading →

Shrimp at Wegmans

I paid a visit to Wegmans last weekend (maybe for the last time before they close the Quaker Road bridge!), and one thing on my list was to look for the fresh shrimp they’ve had lately – sad to say I can’t remember who told me to be sure to try these, but thank you!  … Continue reading →

Mussel Salad

Better late than never.  I finally leafed through the summer issue of McCaffrey’s Market’s Real Food Magazine. This seasonal handout has not always impressed me, but this issue seemed to take a big leap forward into presenting more interesting food along with good articles by top chefs – okay, probably by their ghostwriters, but still.  (A packager/publisher … Continue reading →

Pastrami – sort of

I usually avoid cold cuts, but for some reason bought a small package of sliced pastrami at ShopRite recently.  Believe me, this is not the lovingly crafted pastrami we might dream of, but mass produced deli stuff. Still…. I put it on some multi-grain baguette from their bakery department, which does hold some pleasant surprises, … Continue reading →

Donna & Company Chocolates

This is the impressive Summer Seasonal Collection from Diane Pinder’s Donna & Company, in a very nice gift box with a magnetic closure. I loved this collection, which continues the seasonal theme Diane started last fall.  Two of my favorites are below, the Long Island Ice Tea – black tea infused ganache with lemon, Triple … Continue reading →

Mallery’s Grazin’ Meats

The crowds were thick at opening day today for Mallery’s Grazin’ Meats.  Mark and Lynne Faille, owners of Simply Grazin’ Organic Farm in Skillman, have taken over the space in the little mall near the intersection of Routes 518 and 601 (Blawenburg), that I last visited as a gelato shop. I’ve long enjoyed Simply Grazin’ … Continue reading →

Gelavino Gelato

Welcome to Gelavino Gelato in the Princeton Shopping Center! Rather than drive into the eye of the storm last night on my way home to Montgomery (and on heavily wooded roads), I pulled into the Princeton Shopping Center thinking to wait it out. I parked along the Harrison St. side, and promptly noticed a sign … Continue reading →

Birthday Dinner at Camillo’s Cafe

I took my friend Carol out to dinner for her birthday earlier this month, and since I hadn’t been to Camillo’s Cafe, in the Princeton Shopping Center for a while, thought we’d give them a try.  What started out several years ago as a very modest and inexpensive Italian spot has grown into a larger … Continue reading →

Shortbread

I do love shortbread. It started with Walkers (of course!) in the plaid boxes, years ago. Then I fell for a Nordic Ware shortbread pan (see below) from King Arthur Flour, and added a packet of Shortbread Mix to that order as well.  Since you still have to add your butter, that was kind of … Continue reading →