Cherry Blossoms and a trip to the Ironbound

Saturday I met up with Brian and Ron at Newark's Penn Station. From there it was a short trip on the light rail and we were transported to the middle of Branch Brook Park's Cherry Blossom Festival. The trees were in full bloom and the park was filled with parents putting their kids up in trees and snapping away on their digital cameras. We didn't have any children to toss up on a branch so we just walked around the park a bit and enjoyed the beauty.

All that nature can sure work up an appetite, so to top off the day, we headed back into Newark's Ironbound section where we met up with Brian's family for some Portuguese food at Casa Vasca. After starting the meal off right with quite a few pitchers of sangria, we were seated and the feast began!

We started with a few appetizers: clams in green sauce, mushrooms in garlic, grilled chorizo and the mother of all apps, shrimp in garlic sauce. This was my first time having the mushrooms and they were garlicky and delicious with just enough parsley to elevate the dish.

And I have extolled the virtues of shrimp and garlic in previous posts and this (double) order certainly did not disappoint. After I scooped up as much shrimp as I possibly could without being rude and gluttonous to my dining companions, I sopped up most of the remaining red garlicky oil with a few crusty Portuguese rolls!

For my main course, I couldn't resist my all-time favorite, Paella Marinera. Of course there were many stand out dishes on the menu (including roast suckling pig and octopus) but I knew that if I didn't go for the paella I'd feel I was missing out. The paella was delicious and it was like seeing an old friend...lots of nostalgia for the good times we've shared over previous meals.

The lobster was chewy and the clams, mussels and shrimp were fresh. Fresh tomatoes and peas rounded out the dish and there was plenty to share. Spanish and Portuguese restaurants in the city just cannot come close to what you can find in Newark... and having been to both Spain and Portugal, I can tell you it's pretty authentic too!

For dessert, I tried the orange cake which was two thin slices of pound cake soaked in an orange and sugar sauce. Moist and quite tasty, especially with my 10 year old ruby port!

As the three of us ran to make our train back, I almost forgot my tin of leftovers and ran back into the restaurant in a frenzy to retrieve my package. I think you can guess what's for dinner tonight!

Culinary Surprise!

I came home late from work last week and found two boxes waiting for me. Since I wasn't expecting anything, I was a bit perplexed and increasingly curious about what was inside these packages from Williams-Sonoma. After examining the packing slip, I saw that the mystery gifts were "thank you" presents from Brian and Ron for being in their wedding party! Thank me? Thank you! These boys certainly know the way to this foodie's heart.

After I stopped running around the apartment exuding an Abagail Breslin-as-Olive in "Little Miss Sunshine" scream, I caught my breath and took inventory.

First, was a box of frozen French butter croissants and my eyes glazed over as I fantasized about enjoying the warm pastry (with my favorite jam of course) over the Sunday newspaper and a piping hot mug of coffee.

In the second box were some more treats right up my alley - four different Laura Chenel goat cheeses! Ms. Chenel is an artisan whose love for her goats led to her becoming a pioneer of the goat cheese revolution of the 1980s. And even though the Sonoma based dairy goddess sold her business to the French Rians Group in 2006, we continue to enjoy the delicious cheeses that still bear her name. Williams-Sonoma was even so kind as to include an insert with descriptions, storage and shelf life for all of the four cheeses: chablis log, cabecou, tapuiniere and herb coated chabis. I can map out my cheese intake for months!

But wait...there's more! I came home the next night to ANOTHER Williams-Sonoma box! Are you kidding me? The treats in this box included an Olivier cruet set complete with extra-virgin mission olive oil and barrel aged balsamic vinegar. Hmmmm....might go well drizzled over some goat cheese!

And finally, last but certainly not least was a Recchiuti sauce duo: burnt caramel sauce and extra-bitter chocolate sauce. Ohmigosh! Poached pears...stat!

Culinary Gifts: The Results Post

I finally opened one of my Laura Chenel goat cheeses I received from Brian and Ron. After some extensive internal dialogue, I went for the herb and it served as the inspiration for today's side salad.

The salad was comprised of: baby arugula, sliced orange segments, herb goat cheese, sherry vinegar and olive oil. I was hoping to add some pistachios to the mix, but until I can stock up at Manhattan Fruit and Vegetable Exchange, it was not meant to be. In the end, the salad did not need anything else.

The peppery bite of the arugula was smoothed over by the creamy richness of the goat cheese. The cheese had a nice hit of fresh herbs on the back end and the orange provided a bit of juicy sweetness to the salad. The sherry vinegar and Spanish olive oil from my recent trip to Spain were just mild enough to bring the salad together in perfect harmony.

What a perfect way to get me out of my salad rut!

Brian and Ron got Married!

I can not put into words how wonderful it was to see two of my dearest friends be able to (legally!) declare their commitment to each other. After a beautiful ceremony with traditions incorporated from both of their cultures, it was time to celebrate and even more importantly time to eat!

The Landmark Loew's Theater in Jersey City was the perfect backdrop for this art deco vintage affair and the evening included sushi passed by women in geisha attire, live music, a dj, gaming tables and a visit from the cake diva.

A good time was had by all but I'll let the pictures do the talkin'...