Maryann again, with a plea to everyone who loves good food: Visit one of NJ's high-quality restaurants.
When I started to get into food, my focus was on New York restaurants. No explanation needed here, but I soon realized that NJ had some phenomenal chefs hiding up its sleeve. As with all great chefs, there is a connection between the menu and the seasons. Taking it further, there is an emphasis on local ingredients.
One summer evening, while coming back from PA, Alan and I stopped at Circa in High Bridge (right off Route 78E.) I was blown away by the fresh, local ingredients, attentive but casual service, and the charming decor. One of my dishes was garnished with a nasturtium plucked from the chef's garden! The corn and watercress soup tasted of summer's finest bounty.
On Nov. 24th, myself, Alan, Lily, Jeff, Diane, Ed, and Miriam had the meal of our lives in the wine cellar at Restaurant David Drake in Rahway. To eat in a restaurant's wine cellar is a rare (and usually very expensive) experience. Thanks to Lily's connections, we were allowed to order the 3-course Prix Fixe instead of the usual wine cellar 6-course meal.
First, let me comment on the service. When most people think of "fancy" restaurants, they usually imagine service that is pretentious. True service is unobtrusive, but always present. It whispers rather than yells. Each time a course was served, several staff members came to our table, stood behind our chairs, paused, and then put all the plates down at exactly the same moment. Then someone would whisper in your ear, " That is the acorn squash risotto", just in case you had forgotten! It was so personal, and genius. I felt as if each of us had our very own server, looking out for us.
Our entrees varied between fishes and meats, each one like a work of art (Lily and Miriam will hopefully post some photos). You all must see the tirimisu Lily had--Drake has elevated this dessert to the sublime.
Phenomenal food and phenomenal friends--does life get any better than that?
Check out this link as a start to finding the NJ restaurants that care about where the food comes from:
http://www.buyfreshnwj.org/WebPages/FSLocal%20Restaurant%20List.htm
Save your pennies, and visit one of these places. Fine dining is not for some elite group of people. It should be an enlightening, not intimidating, experience. Choose a high-quality NJ restaurant, and you'll have an experience to savor.
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