NJ Dining: St. Eve’s

St. Eve’s
611 N. Maple Avenue, Ho-Ho-Kus NJ 07423
(201) 857-4717

Web Site: http://www.stevesnj.com

The first time I tried Steve Christianson’s cuisine was the night he closed his restaurant, the Citrus Grille, in Airmont, New York. It was simultaneously a delicious, yet depressing affair. But that cold February evening was also filled with hope, as we knew that soon, the CIA-trained chef would return, with a brand-new restaurant in nearby Ho-Ho-Kus, in a newly constructed space.

When it re-opened, Judi Christianson, Steve’s wife and front of the house majordomo wanted me to come over, have a nice meal, and provide them photographs for their new web site. Naturally, I agreed, since I was going to take photos anyway.

I’m a food blogger. It’s what I do.

Fifteen months later, I get an email from Judi. “We’re ready.”

I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect when I got there. Would it be a warm, intimate spot like the last restaurant? Or something different? Would the cuisine be a carry over from Citrus Grille, or a reboot?

St. Eve’s, which is simply a play on words on “Steve’s”, is in my estimation probably one of the most important destination restaurants to open in Bergen County in a very long time. It’s a beautiful, huge space, which utilizes a lot of reclaimed wood and has very much a tavern-style atmosphere and lots of natural light.

Aesthetically, it reminds me a lot of the tavern/casual dining part of Gramercy Tavern in New York City.

St. Eve’s Patio dining area.

The rear entrance of St. Eve’s, which has a large amount of parking available. Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.

Big Apple BBQ Block Party 2011: Behind the Scenes Pit Tour

We go behind the scenes at the 2011 Big Apple BBQ Block Party and visit the pits at Memphis Championship BBQ, Blue Smoke, Martin’s, Ubon’s, Pappy’s Smokehouse, Dinosaur BBQ, Ed Mitchell and Salt Lick — all while the weather conspires against us. We promise there’s plenty of Hi-Def food porn in this 32 minute video.

For photographic coverage of previous Big Apple BBQs, I’ve compiled four years of it, over 900 photos worth, in this single Flickr album.

Eating Mazatlán

Mazatlán, Mexico was where Rachel and I decided to spend our most recent vacation. Situated in the state of Sinaloa on Mexico’s Pacific coast, Mazatlán has long been one of the country’s jewels, with a strong tourism and fishing industry as well as a unique cultural history, dating back to the Spanish conquest of Mexico as well as being the origin of  “Banda” music which was created by the town’s German settlers.

Mazatlán, however, like the rest of Mexico, has fallen on tough times. The local economy has been whacked just like the rest of the world, and due to recent security concerns regarding Mexico in general and Sinaloa’s role as a conduit for arms trade and violent gangs heading up the coastal region, all of the major cruise lines have ceased making stops at the port city, resulting in a loss of over 25,000 tourists per day.

In September of 2011, the cruise ships are expected to return once new contracts with the city have been signed, but nothing is a given.

The reality is, however, is that Mazatlán is still a very safe city, with a great deal of police protection. It is also an excellent value, particularly as it relates to food, as it has some of the best seafood in the world, due to its local shrimp and tuna fleets. The state of Sinaloa also is known for raising livestock and has a large amount of local agriculture, so you can get some of the best steak and chicken/pork dishes here and fantastic produce as well.

See my complete Mazatlán photo set on Flickr

An outdoor table at La Playa Bruja restaurant in Mazatlán, Mexico.

So without further ado — let’s go eat Mazatlán. Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.