NJ Dining: Lebanese-French Fusion at Uncle Moustache

I stumbled into Uncle Moustache one Saturday afternoon because my daughter liked the name.  I’m glad she did, since that wonderful afternoon I’ve returned to Uncle Moustache at least six times for brunch, lunch and dinner.

So what’s behind the funny name? The owners, of Uncle Moustache, Chef Wisam El Masri and Ali Lyoussi, are dedicated, charming hosts, and the former managerial team of  Uncle Moustache in Manhattan.

Read more on Hot From The Kettle.

NJ Dining: Taqueria Autentica

On a recent, lazy, hazy summer day, the Lil’ Kettles had a hankering for tacos. But the Lil’ Kettles didn’t want the tacos Mommy makes. They wanted tacos “like the ones we had in Mexico, Mommy!”

Just about one year ago, Michael Natiello opened Taqueria Autentica, the brick and mortar version of the very popular food truck by the same name. Hot From The Kettle was at Taqueria Authentica for their Grand Opening and Elizabeth Palmer raved about it!

So, the Kettle’s made the journey out of Montclair, and over to 1035 Broad St., Bloomfield for authentic tacos.  Read more on Hot From The Kettle.

NJ Dining: Interview with Chef David Felton

Chef David Felton has a passion for produce! Here’s an excerpt from Elizabeth Starnes’ recent interview with Chef Felton:

David C. Felton stands at the helm of the kitchen and farm at Ninety Acres Culinary Center, the restaurant situated on ninety gorgeous acres in Somerset County, New Jersey. He attended Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island, and after graduating with a degree in the Culinary Arts headed across the country, picking up flavors and techniques as he went along.

After working his way around the country, and traveling around the world, he set his sights on New York City, working with top-notch chefs before assuming his executive chef position at Ninety Acres.

Read the rest of the David Felton interview on the Chef’s Table.

 

NJ Dining: CulinAriane, Montclair and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Newark

They still got it!  After years of accolades and a bustling celebrity chef lifestyle, CulinAriane has retained the je ne sais quois that made the Montclair restaurant one of the finest in New Jersey!

Entrees at CulinAriane always boast the best of the season.  The halibut with spring vegetables and morels (left) was not only a beauty to admire, but a fresh delight for the palate to enjoy.

Read all about it on Hot From The Kettle.

A dinosaur rides into Newark on a Harley …. It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but it’s actually the beginning of a beautiful relationship!  John Stage, renown pit master and founder of Dinosaur BBQ has stomped into Newark and brought his competition class Bar-B-Que with him.

The location in Newark, which opened in May 2012, marks the first out-of-NY-state location for the Dino.  Located conveniently next door to the Prudential Center, the acclaimed, east coast Dinosaur Bar-B-Que has embraced Newark’s underdog chic and brought out it’s best.

Visit Hot From The Kettle for a full taste of the Dinosaur menu and video from the smokehouse.

NJ Dining: Interview with Chef David Burke

Hot From The Kettle’s, Elizabeth Palmer recently interviewed renown chef, David Burke:

Does the name David Burke ring a bell? It should. He’s everywhere in the culinary world. Burke has competed on both Iron Chef and Top Chef, won countless awards and accolades, and has amassed quite the collection of restaurants that he owns and operates, from Las Vegas to Chicago to NYC to our very own New Jersey. Oh, and he writes cookbooks and dabbles in culinary gastronomy as well, branding GourmetPops (ready to serve cocktail lollipops) and Flavorsprays to enhance your cooking with less fat and more flavor. 

I had the opportunity to speak with Chef Burke a few weeks ago about his time as a private chef in Norway, cooking for Prince Charles and Julia Child; his train ride travels around Europe, and his most memorable meal ever.

Read the rest of Elizabeth Starnes’ interview with David Burke on the Chef’s Table.

NJ Dining: Tabboule Fine Lebanese Cuisine

My husband and I recently had the opportunity to join Jason and Rachel Perlow at Tabboule Fine Lebanese Cuisine in Ridgewood, NJ.  Tabboule offers fine Lebanese cuisine in a casual, comfortable setting.  Parking for the restaurant is easy and plentiful, as the restaurant is located in the Kings Shopping Center on N. Maple Ave.

We began our mid-day marathon eating session with traditional Lebanese Za’atar Chips.  Rich with spices of thyme, sesame and sumac, these crunchy, golden triangles are very savory and very addictive!  Red Lentil soup accompanied the chips.  Rachel had the fabulous idea to sprinkle some crumbled Za’atar chips on the soup.  It was perfect; like Saltines in chicken noodle soup – only much better!

Read more about Tabboule on Hot From The Kettle!

July 18, 2009 Updates: Havana’s Cuban Cafe, Tenafly Farmer’s Market

Crack open a Hatuey or an Ironbeer, Havana’s Cuban Cafe in Edgewater has an expanded dining room and is serving some of the best Caribbean Latino food in the entire area.

Sunny Organic Treats abound in late July at the Tenafly Farmers Market.

NJ Dining: Best Dumplings

Best Dumplings
16 Humphrey Street, Englewood NJ
201-568-9337

Englewood has been undergoing something of a transformation lately, with a lot of new businesses sprouting up among the new condominiums as well as a result of renewal as a result of the demolition of older buildings off the main drag on Palisades Avenue. One such new business that caught my eye recently is Best Dumplings, a commercial Korean Mandoo manufacturer (Which used to be based out of the industrial part of town and was previously known as Mandoo, Inc.) that now has a retail outlet.

For those not familiar with Mandoo, they are Korean dumplings, similar to  Japanese Gyoza or Chinese Jiaozi, although in terms of wrapper thinness they are more like Gyoza. Like Gyoza, they can be deep fried, pan fried, or steamed. Most Japanese gyoza is limited to pork and scallion filling, but Korean Mandoo are quite varied, which include mixed vegetables with bean thread noodles, pork, beef, chicken and shrimp, and of course Kimchi. If you like Gyoza, chances are you’ll love Mandoo.

They’re not kidding when they say these are the Best Dumplings. Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.

NJ Dining: A Palisades Park Pictorial

This week, Elisa Ung and Eunny Park at the Bergen Record did a culinary overview of the Korean food offerings of Palisades Park.

I congratulate the Record for doing this, as it’s time that Korean food has gotten some attention from the mainstream NJ newspapers. Until recently its been most regarded as some sort of little understood alien cuisine, with weird flavors that many Americans wouldn’t appreciate. This could be nothing further from the truth.

I have had a wealth of nice Palisades Park Korean food photos sitting in the larder for over a year, so I thought that given the Bergen Record’s recent coverage it might be a good idea to let them out of storage. While not all these foods reflect my current lifestyle, I still think that korean food overall is a healthier dining choice due to the high vegetable and protein content of the cuisine. All of the stores and restaurants below are on the long stretch of Broad Avenue in Palisades Park.

Dumpling House

This place, simply called “Dumpling House” specializes in “Wang Mandu” or giant steamed dumplings and buns.

They use these big rack steamers to cook them. Buns are typically filled with meat and vegetable mixtures.

Wang Mandu ready to go into the steamer.

Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.

NJ Dining: Greek Taverna (UPDATED 2009)

Greek Taverna

Locations:

Edgewater, NJ
55 Promenade (City Place Shopping Center) 07020
(201) 945-8998

Montclair,NJ
292 Bloomfield Ave, 07043
(973) 746-2280

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

Greek food is becoming increasingly popular in Bergen County as appetites and dietary preferences are leaning towards Mediterranan foods. One of the best Greek restaurants in Bergen County is Greek Taverna, which opened in the City Place shopping center in Edgewater in 2006. I recently had a chance to re-visit the restaurant after about a 3-year hiatus and the food is better than ever. I’ve updated the post with a number of new pictures I think you’ll enjoy.

Click on the “Read the Rest of this entry” link below for more.