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A Foodie’s Weekend in the Northeast

March 22nd, 2010

Evan and I just got back from our long-weekend vacation in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Primarily, we went up to witness magic in the making as Evan’s big brother, Andrew Zimmerman, an extremely talented chef in his own right and the executive chef at Sepia in Chicago, prepared dinner at The James Beard House in New York City.  Cooking a James Beard Foundation dinner is a supreme honor for a chef.  If you were a musician, it would be much akin to being invited to perform at Carnegie Hall.

In addition to that, we got to spend lots of time with friends and family, so I figure the best way to do this post is to give you all a rundown of the weekend, where we went and what we ate!  Enjoy.

Thursday: Red Bank, NJ & New York City, NY

After a very late flight, Evan and I slept in until very late in the morning. Combined with the time change (Central to Eastern) we didn’t surface until around 11 a.m. When we did finally stir, however, we were greeted by Annie, Evan’s mother’s delightfully cheerful Australian Shepherd. She is about a year old now, but still very much a pup and her enthusiasm (and the warm, wonderful weather) were infectious. So we grabbed the leash and our walking shoes and strolled into Red Bank, proper to get some lunch.

On Monmouth Street, we found Mister Pizza Slice, a tiny little pizzeria serving up the basics. Evan had two slices of cheese and I had one of pepperoni. The slices were thin, a little crispy, and the sauce and cheese were flavorful. These slices hit the spot, though Annie was a little peeved we didn’t share any with her.

That evening, we took the train into New York City to attend dinner at the James Beard House. We got in a little early, so we made a stop off at Gusto, an Italian restaurant and bar, for a drink.  We were ecstatic to find that Kumamoto oysters were in season and available. So we ordered a few of those and some glasses of wine.  Kumamotos are a rare pleasure and only available for a few weeks each spring. If you find yourself in a restaurant in mid to late March and they’re on the menu (and of course, if you like oysters) order some. You will find them firmly textured, not too goopy, and sweet: totally my favorite oyster.

Finally, it was time to make our way to the James Beard Foundation (situated in the four-story brownstone once owned by James Beard himself) for dinner. We were shown through the basement (which is almost completely kitchen) to the back garden for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

Andrew’s menu did not disappoint at all.  We were started off with foie gras croquettas (fried spheres of batter that contained a burst of foie gras); house-cured sardines with avocado, lemon and scallions (a delicious bite of spring); coppa di testa – head cheese with fava beans, pickles and mint (rolled together maki-style and skewered); shrimp and grits (served in one bite in a spoon with just enough grits, gravy and a single shrimp).

In addition to these yummies, cocktails were served: lovely bottles of Champagne Jean Vesselle Oeil de Perdrix Brut Rosé NV and a surprising, delicious drink: a rye posset (a mix of rye, date molasses, milk and spices, served with an old fashioned pearl, set with gelatin) concocted by bartender Joshua Pearson. After an hour and a half in the garden enjoying ourselves, everyone was shown to their tables and the meal began. Courses were as follows (and delicious):

1. English pea soup with ricotta, pea shoots and nasturtiums
   Wine: Movia Quattro Mani {toh-kai} Exto Gredic Vineyard, Goriska Brda 2008
2. Seared scallop with black pudding, celery and almond
   Wine: Condrieu, Saint Cosme 2008
3. Slow-cooked arctic char with rye gnocci, sauerkraut, mustard and apple
   Wine: Pinot Gris Clos St. Landelin, Rene Mure 2003
4. Rabbit in the style of porchetta, morels, asparagus and rabbit jus
   Wine: Anaba Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast 2007
5. Lamb loin with artichokes, white bean puree, and salsa verde
   Wine: Emilio Bulfon Piculit Neri delle Venezia Riserva 2007*
   (*Evan says: “Artichokes are impossibly difficult to pair with wine. This was an inspired pairing by wine director Scott Tyree.”)

My favorite of the evening was probably the rabbit, followed closely by the scallop with black pudding. The wine pairings formed an excellent harmony to the food. Dessert (by Pastry Chef, Cindy Schuman) was a light, sweet confection: lemon ricotta cream on a thyme biscuit with almond granola, served with Albino Rocca, Moscato d’Asti 2009 (a lovely dessert wine that complimented the sprightly lemon flavor perfectly).

After Q&A with Andrew and the staff, we were completely aglow with pride in his accomplishment. I know we will see big things from Andrew in the future and it will all be delicious!  We stumbled from the restaurant in a happy daze, full of food and wine, hailed a cab and headed back to Penn Station to catch our train back to Red Bank. It was a full and wonderful day.

Friday: Red Bank, NJ & New York City, NY

Evan and I got up a little earlier on Friday, played with Annie a bit in the yard, then headed to the train station to make our way back into the City with the intention of heading for the MoMA. We stopped at Juanito’s in Red Bank near the train station for a pastry and some coffee.  Juanito’s is a Mexican restaurant and bakery and they serve amazing pastries. Evan and I both had mini apple pies. Delicious!

In the city we started walking in the direction of the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) from Penn Station. It was almost 30 city blocks! All that hoofing it worked up an appetite and we stopped at NY Thai Grill and Sushi Bar (directly behind the MoMA) for some Thai food. Evan’s Panang curry was pretty good, but my Pad Thai left something to be desired (See previous post about Pad Thai perfection). We also had some coconut bubble tea. I can admit that I don’t really know what those little balls in the tea really are (something like tapioca and carrageenan?) but it was pretty tasty; I preferred it to my Pad Thai, to be honest: I think it had too much sriracha sauce, I think: the whole thing was an odd PINK color.

The MoMA was a bust (a combination of the Tim Burton Exhibit and a Free Friday promotion by Target had the place packed to the ceiling) and it was impossible to enjoy any of the galleries. Everywhere we went, people were talking loudly about anything BUT ART. We decided to chalk up the money we’d paid (we missed the “free” part by about 45 minutes) and push on to other points of interest, specifically Tiffany & Co. and the wine store, Sherry-Lehmann Wines & Spirits.

After another few hours kicking around the city (and walking tons more blocks) we figured dinner was in order: the traffic was way too terrible to even entertain the idea of trying to find a cab back to Penn Station, so we figured we’d have dinner in the City and make our way to Les Halles, one of our favorites. We always try to make a pilgrimage to this popular French brasserie for their delicious American steaks cooked in the French style (read: the French know what they’re doing, but American beef is better than French beef).

We started with the Les Rillettes du Boucher (housemade shredded pork confit served with mustard and cornichons) and Frisée aux Lardons with a poached egg (a salad of frisée, tossed in a vinagrette along with roquefort cheese and big, succulent pieces of bacon). For mains, I had Onglet à l’Échalote (hanger steak with shallot sauce) and frites (literally, french fries) and Evan ordered Paleron, Sauce au Poive Vert (flat iron steak with green peppercorn sauce).  With dinner we had a bottle of Bandol (and I forget the year) but it was excellent.  After dinner, we stumbled back to Penn Station, happy to have earned our steak dinner after a walk of 80+ blocks during the day.

Saturday: Philadelphia, PA

We rolled out of bed at an even more decent hour Saturday morning, not wanting to miss any time with Evan’s mum (who was so graciously putting us up at her home in Red Bank). For breakfast, she made us bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches, along with Dunkin Donuts coffee.  Can’t go wrong!  We played in the yard for a bit with Annie (again: you gotta love dogs) and then headed to Philly.

Evan is a photographer and has two clients in Philly he owed a session, so we made our way to meet up with them.  We arrived around lunchtime, parked the car and got out to explore the Rittenhouse Square area. We were having dinner Saturday night with a family friend, Marc, and so we wanted to drop off the wine we’d purchased the night before with the restaurant (a BYOB establishment) in the same area. We couldn’t get anyone on the phone at the restaurant, so we took the wine and made our way through the neighborhood where we settled on lunch at Marathon on the Square nearby. The drive in had completely fried my nerves, so I had a Bloody Mary (not too spicy, heavy on the horseradish) and the shrimp and grits, Evan had a chicken sandwich and fries.

As a good Southern girl, I found much to be desired in what this restaurant called “grits:” the grits I know and love are smooth and creamy and seasoned by someone tasting them, not just calculating; grits can be finicky and need to be tasted and tested for texture!  These “grits” were grainy and not well-seasoned; I don’t think they had cooked them long enough, or maybe they hadn’t thought to use good quality grits. But I will say that I enjoyed the shrimp, which were very flavorful.  Evan’s sandwich disappeared quickly, so I’m guessing it was good.  From there, we headed to drop off the wine at the restaurant (we finally got ahold of the chef) and then to meet the clients.

After a full day of running around the city taking pictures, we headed back to the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood and had a drink at Snack Bar (where they make “Slammin’ Mojitos,” by the way) and then on to Caffe Casta Diva, an Italian place where we were meeting Evan’s godfather, Marc. Marc is always fun to hang out with and the food was a nice compliment to the company.  Caffe Casta Diva is intimate and comfortable and the menu seems seasonally inspired.  Bringing your own wine is encouraged and they do not charge a corking fee.  They also don’t take credit or debit cards, so make sure you head to the bank first.

We ordered lots of dishes to share: a few salads, some perfectly prepared, sauteed calamari with tomatoes and green peas, wild boar with pappardelle, scallops with saffron cream and spaghettini, Niman Ranch pork chop on the bone with nectarines and golden rasins.  All were good choices, with my favorite being the pork chop which was so flavorful.  The pastas are also all handmade and have a chewier, more pleasant texture than you get from a dried, box pasta. Awesome.  Dessert was a cannoli and cappuccino: a sweet ending to the First Day of Spring.

Sunday: Seabright, NJ & Red Bank, NJ

On our last day, Sunday morning, we headed to The Riverfront Cafe in Seabright, NJ with Evan’s mum. I was craving bagels and lox for some reason and while I’m not sure that was all this place specializes in, they certainly had it on the menu.  My smoked salmon was fine, though the lettuce, tomato and onion that accompanied it was warm and unappetizing.  I didn’t touch it and stuck to the bagel, cream cheese (which was on a fine temperature) and the salmon. Evan ordered potato pancakes with apple sauce, Evan’s mum had some poached eggs on toast.

After breakfast Evan’s mother and I whiled away many hours shopping around for makeup and clothes (Evan was in tow but not impressed) and got packed and ready to leave for the airport. Before we left, we had an early dinner at a local Five Guys in Red Bank, quite possibly the best hamburger in the nation.  But that’s a subject for another blog post altogether.