NJ Dining: VB3 in Jersey City & Muscle Maker Opens in Montclair

Hot From The Kettle contributor, Elizabeth Palmer Starnes, recently had the pleasure of dining at the newly opened VB3 in Jersey City.  Elizabeth, “tried the arugula and baby artichoke salad, with shaved caciocavallo cheese and lemon juice, and the scallop crudo, zingy with tangy grapefruit and basil.”  She also enjoyed “the Raviolo di Ouvo (homemade oversized ravioli with an egg cooked inside) swathed in luxurious truffle oil and Parmigianino cheese, and laced with springy fava beans and morels.”

Read all about the tasting on Hot From The Kettle!

In Montclair, Muscle Maker Grill opened it’s new location in the former site of Mexicali Rose. According to HFTK writer, John Lee, at Muscle Maker “everything  is either grilled, or sautéed.  There is no fryer to be found! There’s also a huge compliment of salads, juices, and protein shakes. But the most important thing about the menu is that everything is filling, satisfying, and leaves guests wondering why they never realized healthy food could taste so darn good.”

Click to read more about Muscle Maker Grill and check out John Lee’s slide show.

NJ Dining: Montclair Lunch Hot Spots, Costanera Cocina Peruana

Lunch time? How about a lomo saltado sandwich? Or ceviche mixto? At Chef Juan Placencia’s Costanera, Cocina Peruana, these are options on the “all-inlcusive” lunch menu.

Featuring two price options, $11.95 or $14.95, with choice of entree, and soup (Aguadito de Pollo or Crema de Frijole Negros) or salad, and choice of a traditional Peruvian side, and beverage – - Costanera’s lunch menu is indeed a bargain to be had.

Read all about the lomo and ceviche on Hot From The Kettle.

Grand Bahama: Beach food at its best

Rachel and I spent this week on vacation in Grand Bahama, which is one of my most favorite destinations for simply “chillaxing” and hanging out at the beach. Grand Bahama isn’t as developed as Nassau/New Providence, so it’s even more laid back and serene.

Which is just the way I like it.

• Also See: Food and Dining in the Bahamas (203 photos)

But when on any vacation in a tropical environment, it’s not just about the beach bumming, it’s also about the beach food. And Grand Bahama has some of the best beach cuisine in the entire world, to go with what also ranks as some of the best beaches in the entire world as well.

Taino Beach, Grand Bahama

Ready for some killer beach food? Come to Grand Bahama. Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.

All Conched Out

Rachel and I just returned from a vacation in Grand Bahama, and we’re both pretty wiped. The photos below we took in December of 2008 still very much reflect the native cuisine of the island, and I can assure you, we ate an awful lot of it this trip.

• Also See: Food and Dining in the Bahamas (Complete Flickr Photo Set)

I’ll have some new photos of Bahamaian beach food (and the beautiful beaches) to put up shortly. But in the mean time, feast your eyes on the Island nation’s favorite marine gastropod, the ubiquitous Bahamian conch.

This is one of the many conch shell dumping grounds on Grand Bahama Island. There are literally tens of thousands of shells here in this one pile.

In the Bahamas, it’s all about the Conch. Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.

NJ Dining: Le Saluben Cafe Market Opens in Montclair

Hot From The Kettle contributor, John Lee, has been following Le Salbuen since the “attractively papered windows, featuring vintage utensils stenciled on kraft paper” appeared on the storefront.  Today, Le Salbuen opens.  Here’s what John Lee had to say:

First impressions of the space leave guests wondering what filled the space before. Classic black and white tiles, pressed tin ceiling tiles, and vintage fixtures feel as if they have been there forever. The space was an empty shell a few months ago, trips to salvage companies and vintage shops filled the space to tell its story.  John and Christina wanted Le Salbuen to have a familiar feel presented in a new way, all the details in the café do just that. It’s easy to think that they inherited the place from their ancestors, and in many ways they did.

Read more and view John’s beautiful slideshow on Hot From The Kettle.

NJ Dining: Montclair Lunch Hot Spots, Aozora

Around 11:30 am the signs begin to appear on Montclair sidewalks: Lunch Special! Up and down Bloomfield Avenue, along Valley Road, on Church Street, and throughout Watchung Plaza the chalked blackboards reveal the reasonably priced lunch offerings at local restaurants!  (Read: Good eats on the cheap.)

Trust me: take advantage. Lunch specials are the equivalent of gastronomic gold – a midday score.

Hot From The Kettle places Aozora Modern Sushi Cuisine among the best lunch hot spots in Montclair.  Click through to read more!

NJ Dining: Crockett’s Fish Fry

Crockett’s Fish Fry
162 Bloomfield Avenue
Montclair, NJ 07042
(973)746-2114

Crockett’s Fish Fry Shoppe has held its spot on the Montclair restaurant scene for years. That’s quite an accomplishment in a town where restaurants come and go as if passing through a revolving door. Located far from the walkable restaurants along Church Street, Crockett’s sits at the bottom of Bloomfield Ave, just above Lackawanna Plaza.

Read all about it at Hot from the Kettle.

NJ Dining: The Death Seat Burger

Hot From The Kettle contributor, John Lee, recently encountered the Death Seat Burger at Nutley’s Old Canal Inn.

Lee writes, “I first heard of the “Death Seat” at the Old Canal Inn when I found a copy of Weird New Jersey at the Barnes & Noble in Mission Valley in San Diego.  Who would have thought that several years later I would not only have the opportunity to see the actual death seat, but eat the burger after which it is named!”

So what is the Death Seat Burger? Why such a morbid moniker? Read all about it on Hot From The Kettle.

The Case for Bourbon-Give this Spirit a Chance Beyond the Derby

The 138^thKentucky Derby has come and gone, but you can still keep it classic with bourbon- the Southern standby.

For skeptics, bear with me; bourbon can be surprisingly palatable when paired with the right accompaniments, and it becomes downright refreshing over ice with a bright fizzy mixer like ginger-ale. Make like the Derby winner and say, I’ll Have Another!

Read all about our Top Five Bourbon Drinks at Hot From The Kettle.

Photo Credit: Southern Living Magazine

Cinco de Mayo May Have Come and Gone But Margaritas are Forever

Did any of you celebrate Cinco de Mayo this weekend with some of our Top Five? If not- the warmer summer days ahead offer plenty of opportunities for leisurely meals outside at Taqueria Autentica and margaritas in the back yard- try our slimmed down recipe below and sip to your heart’s content!

Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day (that’s September 16^th- not even close!).  It’s actually the celebration of the Mexican army’s victory over French forces on May 5^th, 1862, and also an all around celebration of Mexican heritage and culture.

Read all about our Top Five and a killer margarita recipe at Hot From The Kettle.