Apple Pie

I baked this to bring over for Easter dinner for my parents. It's got a basic double-crust, plus the requisite spiced-up apple filling. I use lots of cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg, and a dash of allspice. This time around, I used Golden Delicious apples, but I normally use Granny Smiths.

Does anyone not know how to bake an apple pie? I can try to give my recipe for it, but about the only things I actually measure are the fat and flour ratio for the crust (1:3). Other than that, I just eyeball the ingredients, and go by smell/taste. I got sloppy when pinching together the crust around the rim, by using my knuckles and a pinky finger, but this was home cooking, for my family, and nobody who's going to eat this will ever care what it looks like, as long as it tastes good.

Regardless, it smelled phenomenal while it was cooling, and will slice up just fine tomorrow . . . heated at 250F while we eat dinner, with a dollop of vanilla ice cream melting over it, for dessert. Simple, but it's a perpetual crowd pleaser.

Review: Eagle Diner

Type: Diner
Location: 6522 Lower York Rd. (U.S. Rte. 202), Solebury, PA 18963
Phone: (215) 862-5575
Price Range: $2 - $20
Hours: Open 24 hours, 7 days a week, except Christmas
Delivery: Yes, through a third party delivery service

We stopped by this place for dinner last night, more for convenience, since it was on our way, than for any other reason. Most times we've driven by, there were a fair number of cars in the lot with PA plates, so it's probably popular with locals. There are two locations, in Solebury/New Hope, and in Warminster. Their website is here.

As far as diners go, it's rather large, although at 8pm on a Monday night, it wasn't crowded at all. The atmosphere is typical diner, but with modern decor, and piped-in classic rock. Service was quick and friendly.

I had the French onion soup for $3.95, which arrived in a nice big crock, piping hot, oozing with cheese. It was absolutely delicious. I've ordered French onion soup at fancy restaurants for twice the price, and this $4 rendition is every bit as good.

The other person in my party ordered an open-face reuben, which came with a small container of cole slaw, fries, and a pickle, for $6.95. I stole a few fries. Those were perfectly salted upon arrival, not overdone, but very crispy, and not at all greasy. I also had some of the reuben. Compared to the NY deli reubens I've had over the years, it seemed a bit skimpy on the sauerkraut, and I couldn't tell whether it had any Russian dressing at all, but it was absolutely smothered in cheese, which, I think, made up for it. Diners have a choice between pastrami and corned beef.

The menu is quite extensive, ranging from breakfast fare like eggs, pancakes, muffins, bagels, etc., through soups, sandwiches and salads/salad bar, to dinner entrees. Diner food, by its very nature, isn't gourmet. However, this place serves fairly large portions of very tasty food, for value prices.

I highly recommend this place. It's where I'd go for my fix of French onion soup for sure. I look forward to trying other menu items.

Review: Back to the 50s Diner

Type: Diner
Price: inexpensive
Location: Rte. 263 (York Rd.) & Edison Furlong Rd., Furlong, PA, 18925
Phone: 215-794-9954
Hours: 6:30am - 2:30pm (breakfast and lunch only)
Take Out: Yes; call ahead for pickup if you don't want to wait
Delivery: No

The menu is limited to typical breakfast fare like pancakes, waffles, eggs, etc., and lunch stuff like sandwiches and burgers, with or without fries. I had a plain old grilled cheese on rye, which came with a pickle and a small bag of potato chips, for about $5. It was grilled to perfection, and was very tasty, but I've gotten the same thing at other diners for about the same price, with more cheese. Other sandwiches (like a reuben) and burgers come with fries. I just wasn't hungry enough for all that.

The other person in my party got a BLT, which also came with a pickle and bag of chips. Again, it was a little skimpy compared to the size of BLTs we've gotten elsewhere for about the same price, but I'm told it was tasty.

It's a very busy place -- obviously quite popular. It's rather small, seating I'd guess about 35 people. As the name suggests, its theme is the 1950s, with decor and music to match. The outside of the building is a really garish purple, so it's hard to miss. Service is prompt and friendly.

What can I say? It's reliable for typical diner food. There are daily specials written up on a chalkboard, but I've never tried any of them.

Chicken Dhingri

Risotto With Hot Italian Sausage and Morels

Recipe: Easy Potatoes au Gratin

I've seen variations on this dish, some of which don't even use cheese, but that's no fun, is it? My version here is really simple: peeled and sliced potatoes, a basic bechamel to which I add several big handfuls of grated cheese, and a breadcrumb topping.

Yield: 4 servings
Time: 20 minutes prep; 1 hour at 375F

Ingredients:

• 4-5 small potatoes, washed, peeled, and sliced thinly
• 1 Tbs. of oil, butter, or bacon grease
• 1 rounded Tbs. of flour
• approx. 1 cup of milk (or cream)
• salt
• pepper
• approx 1.5 cups of grated cheese (swiss, emmenthaler, monterey jack, and/or fontina are good choices)
• a handful of plain bread crumbs (you could use panko, but regular breadcrumbs work fine)

Method:

1. peel, slice and arrange the potatoes in a baking dish
2. make a light roux: heat your fat of choice, add the flour to it, and whisk together
3. cook that for a couple of minutes to get rid of the floury taste
4. add your milk or cream, little by little, as it thickens, whisking the whole time
5. add salt and ground pepper
6. when the sauce coats the back of a spoon, but isn't too thick, add the cheese, a handful at a time, stirring or whisking it in (the cheese will further thicken the sauce, so you don't want it too thick to begin with)
7. pour this over the potatoes, and stir it all together to get them well coated with sauce
8. sprinkle on the breadcrumbs, and bake at 375F for about an hour

Notes:

1. I cover the baking dish for all but the last 15 minutes.
2. You could use a mix of breadcrumbs and grated parmesan or romano for the topping.
3. The cheese you use is up to you, but should have a sufficiently low melting point to incorporate into the bechamel. I find cheddar is rather oily, and I wouldn't use something like mozzarella that might get gummy.
4. The finished product really wasn't that yellowy; it seems to be a function of taking the photo indoors after dark.
   

Electric Stovetop

As much as I'm excited about closing on a new house in a little over a week, the new kitchen may take some getting used to. The neighborhood doesn't have a hookup to natural gas, so the oven and stovetop are electric. I like the idea of a wall oven, even if it screams 1969 avocado green, but find the stovetop a little strange.

It's one of those models that's sunk into, and is flush with the counter. Those were all the rage in the mid-late1970s, but I've never cooked on one before. They're easy to clean, but if it's anything like the electric coil stove I had to cook on when we lived in London back in the mid-70s, the heat won't adjust up or down nearly as fast as a gas stove. I may have to make hollandaise and bearnaise sauce in a double boiler, or else keep pulling it off the heat as necessary. I'm more concerned about making the heat go as low as necessary, than as high.

I'd rather have a gas Viking stove, but it's not exactly an option, and I don't feel like retrofitting the place with a propane tank, just for a stove. I'll get used to the electric, sooner or later, but it's a little daunting at the moment.

That said, the new house rocks!

Recipe: Beef Stew

Like most stews and burgoos, there are lots of variations. I normally add carrots and mushrooms, but we were out of them, so I made do with onion, celery, garlic, and potato. The meat we had in the freezer was a chunk of London Broil. The picture to the left shows it after I added the beef broth and meat back to the pot. As you can see, it's hot enough to be steamy.

Yield: 4 servings
Time: 2-3 hours on the stovetop

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. chunk of beef (doesn't have to be cubed ahead of time)
• Flour, salt, and pepper to dredge the meat
• 2-3 Tbs. of olive oil
  
• 1 14.5 oz. can of beef stock
• One large, or two small onions, diced
  
• 2 large stalks of celery, diced
• a few cloves of garlic, minced
• one or two bay leaves (optional, but I really love the flavor)
  
• carrots (optional)
• mushrooms (optional)
  
• one or two potatoes, depending on size, peeled and cut into 1/2" to 3/4" cubes.
  
• extra salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 Tbs. cornstarch, with enough water to make a slurry

Method:

1. Dredge the beef in the seasoned flour, and sear it on all sides in the olive oil
2. Remove the beef and set it aside while you sweat the veggies, except for the potatoes, (about 8 minutes) on medium-low
   
3. When the veggies are translucent, add the beef stock to the pot to deglaze it, add the beef back to the pot, nestling it down in the liquid, and add the bay leaf
   
4. Put a lid on it, and let it simmer on low, until the meat is tender enough to shred (2-3 hours, depending on how tough your cut of meat is), flipping the meat every half hour or so
5. Remove the meat, let it cool for a few minutes, then shred it
6. Add the shredded beef and cubed potatoes back to the pot, and give it another half hour
   
7. Add the cornstarch slurry to the liquid and let it come to a boil to thicken
8. Adjust the seasonings to taste, and serve

Notes:

1. You could make a medium-dark roux to use for thickening the sauce, after sweating the veggies, but I find the veggies will get coated in the oil and don't leave any in the bottom of the pot, so you'd have to add more oil, if you want to go this route. The cornstarch isn't exactly low-carb, but at least it doesn't add the sort of calories to the dish that adding another couple of tablespoons of oil and flour to make a roux does.
2. You can substitute bouillon cubes and water for the beef broth, but if you do, go easy on the salt.
3. I prefer Baleine sel de mer fin, but Kosher salt, or even ordinary table salt will do.
   

Recipe: Chili

I never make this stuff with a recipe. Every time I make it, it comes out different. This batch was slightly soupier than I prefer it, but was hot enough to blow a hole through an oriface.

There are a bazillion recipes for chili. Here's mine --not that I ever follow it, but, whatever.

Serves: 4
Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of ground beef, or buffalo, skillet-browned
  
• 3 large stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 qt. of beef stock
• 2 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes, with peppers, etc.
• beans (pinto, black, kidney, or some mix, if you like)
  
• oregano
• half a head of garlic, mashed
• cumin
• chili powder
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper (I prefer Tellicherry)
• red pepper flakes
• corn (frozen is alright, but fresh is better)
  

Method:

1. Brown the ground meat, and remove it from the heat
2. Sautee the veggies, along with the spices
3. Dump the beef broth into the pan to deglaze it, stir well, then toss the rest of the ingedients back in, including the previously browned ground meat
   
4. Simmer on really low heat for another 3 hours
5. Adjust seasonings to taste, then serve

Notes:

1. Some people love sour cream with chili. I hate sour cream, so I go with grated cheddar.
2. Chopped scallions are optional, for garnish. I don't bother with them unless I have guests.
3. Chili always tastes better the next day, even if it tastes fantastic 15 minutes after it's done.
4. I prefer the canned diced tomatoes that already have other stuff in it, but plain diced tomatoes are alright. You can even use stewed tomatoes, if that's what you have on hand. In the summer we stew and "can" our own tomatoes in 1 qt. mason jars.
   

Recipe: Baked Ziti

As far as I know, this is the sort of dish people just make without referring to a recipe. I suspect there are variations on it, just as there are with chili or stews. The hard way, of course, is to make the tomato/spaghetti sauce from scratch.

That's great in summer when you can either pick vine-ripened romas from your garden, or buy them from a local farmer or at a grocery store. This time of year, however, grocery store tomatoes are pretty tasteless, so I use a commercial jarred spaghetti sauce.

Yield: 2-3 servings
Time: 15 minutes prep; 45-60 minutes at 350F

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of dry ziti, or a little more if you use fresh
  
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup of spaghetti sauce
• 3/4 to 1 cup of shredded mozzarella

Method:

1. Cook the pasta according to directions
2. Meanwhile, shred the cheese, and spread out a layer of sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Cover it with a layer of the shredded cheese.
   
3. Drain the pasta, and arrange a layer of it in the dish on top of the cheese
4. Add another layer of sauce, and another layer of cheese
5. Top with more pasta, and layer on more sauce, and a final layer of cheese
6. Cover the baking dish with foil if it doesn't have its own cover
7. Bake for about 45-60 minutes at 350F, until it smells done, and is all bubbly
8. Let cool for a few minutes before serving

Notes:

1. I prefer to remove the foil or lid for the last 15 minutes to allow the cheese to brown a little bit.
   
2. You may want to place your baking dish in a drip tray or on a cookie sheet if it's really full. I have had the tomato sauce bubble over the sides a time or two, and my oven is not "self-cleaning."
3. The baking dish I used here is only 6" diameter, across the inside rim, to give you an idea of scale. However, this recipe scales up very nicely to a regular sized casserole dish.
4. I have, in a pinch, made this with rigatoni, a large sized macaroni, or even fusili (broken into 2" lengths). Most likely, anything tubular would do fine, if you run out of ziti, as long as it's not big enough to stuff, like manicotti.
   

Review: Restaurant Serenade

Type: Contemporary French
Location: 6 Roosevelt Ave., Chatham, NJ 07928
Phone: (973) 701-0303
Price Range: Expensive
Liquor License: Yes

Serenade is a great place to go for special occasions, or to entertain guests. Lunch, dinner, and tasting menus are available. I've been there several times, but only for dinner. The menu changes seasonally. Prices range from $10 for salads, up to $21 for other appetizers. Entrees range from $27 to $38. Desserts are all $10 each.

The last time I was there, I ordered the lobster, with no appetizer, and no dessert. Portions are sufficient, but not oversized. Had I ordered dessert and an appetizer, someone would have had to roll me out of there in a wheelbarrow. I'm not sure how the others in my party managed to pack away three courses. I'm told the peach cobbler was delicious, and unexpectedly light.

I think the reason for classfying this restaurant as "contemporary" French is that the dishes aren't smothered in butter or cream sauces, and are lighter than old-style French fare. The veggies (other than new potatoes) that accompany each dish may not always match what's listed on the menu, but they always go well with the featured item of the dish, and are neither undercooked (a la the "nouvelle cuisine" fad of the 1980s), nor overcooked.

Every dish that anyone in my party has ordered there over the years was cooked to perfection. Service was attentive, but a little slow last time I was there. In all fairness, however, the place was very busy with at least two large parties in the same room in which we were seated.

This restaurant has deservedly gotten rave reviews from the NY Times, among other publications. I would highly recommend it for special occasions, such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc., but consider it a bit too expensive to become a frequent dining destination.

Review: Nine Thai

Type: Thai
Location: 641 Shunpike Rd., Chatham, NJ (in the Hickory Square Mall)
Phone: 973-377-3636
Price Range: Moderate (average for Thai)
Liquor License: BYOB
Delivery: It used to; I don't think it does anymore
Take-Out: Yes

The decor doesn't look particularly Thai, but the food is reliable, if not stellar. This is a kid-friendly restaurant, so I would recommend avoiding it, or getting take-out, during early evening hours on weekends. At other times, it's fairly quiet. One time when we visited, it appeared that an entire little league team was there with a couple of adult chaperones. I think the restaurant seats 50 or less. The kids weren't rambunctious, but with half a dozen conversations going on at once at that table, adjacent to ours, it was a little hard for the two of us to hear each other.

Service is attentive, friendly, and polite, but at times, annoyingly so. If they're fairly busy, it's not an issue, but I prefer not to have 10 minute conversations with our waitress while we're trying to eat, which can happen if it's a slow night.

The curry dishes, pad thai, and noodle hot-pot dishes are nicely seasoned, and quite tasty. I've ordered the frog's legs a few times. Those are fried in a tempura-style batter, served on mixed veggies in a somewhat nondescript sauce. Yes, they taste like chicken, but smell a little different.

Entree portions are not especially large, so I've never brought home leftovers, but we've never ordered appetizers, either. Every time I've gone there, the waitress asks whether we'd like an order of green beans to go with our entrees. Those are sauteed with red pepper flakes and garlic, I think. It's a huge plate of green beans which could probably be shared among three or four people. They were tasty, but too much to share among two people, along with our entrees. Bear in mind that neither of us has a particularly big appetite, compared to most people we know.

Are there better Thai restaurants around? Undoubtedly. But this is conveniently located near other shopping. It's easy to walk in, place an order, go run errands at the pharmacy or grocery store in the same mall, and pick up your order when you're done. There also happens to be a liquor store next door, in case you'd like to BYOB to have with your meal, if you choose to sit down and eat it there.

Review: Neelam

Type: Indian
Location: 295 Springfield Ave., Berkeley Heights, NJ, 07922
Phone: 908-665-2212
Price Range: Entrees $13 - $20, with most in the low - mid teens
Liquor License: BYOB
Delivery: Yes
Take Out: Yes

There is another location for Neelam in South Orange, but I've never been to that one. Entrees include tandoori specialties, chicken, seafood, lamb, and vegetarian dishes. Some Indian restaurants have beef dishes, but Neelam doesn't. If you're feeling adventurous, you can try one of the combination dinners (individual, or for two) that include soup, an entree, and dessert. These vary from day to day, so it's worth asking what the dishes are before you order a combo meal.

Papadum, along with onion chutney and some sort of green sauce are brought to the table, the way other restaurants bring out bread baskets.

The vindaloo dishes are reliably hot, but not quite spicy enough to induce sweating eyebrows. Some of my favorite dishes are chicken tikka masala, chicken dhingri, shrimp dhingri, and chicken vindaloo. I don't particularly like lamb, but have dined with others who say the lamb is nice and tender.

This location of Neelam doesn't seat that many people, so it does a lot of take-out, from orders that are phoned in for pick-up. The atmosphere is cozy, and a bit on the dark side. Service is attentive, if a bit on the slow side. This may be a function of how long Indian food takes to cook; I've never eaten at an Indian restaurant in which the food arrived fairly quickly. Parking can be a problem at the restaurant, which is in a tiny strip mall that also has a fairly popular pizzaria, but can be found within a block in some other lot.

Neelam has been around for almost three decades, which indicates to me that it's been reliable for a long time. I think the entree portions are rather large. Appetizers are available, but if you're tempted to order any, it's best to share them among the table, or you may easily be too stuffed to finish your entree. The staff is certainly willing, however, to pack up any leftovers for you to bring home. Everything I've ordered over the years reheats well, either on the stovetop in a pot, or in the microwave at low-medium power, so as not to vulcanize the animal flesh.

If you believe their yellow pages advertisement, Zagat rated it "excellent," NJ Monthly wrote "Best Indian food," and the Star-Ledger rated it 3-1/2 stars. I tend to agree.

Review: Sarah Jane

Type: Family Style American, mostly steak and seafood
Price Range: $15 to $25 for entrees
Location: 33 US Highway 206 North, Somerville, NJ 08876
Phone: (908) 722-5454
Liquor License: Yes

This family owned and run restaurant has a rustic feel, with solid, familiar, comfort food -- no contrived dishes or "overly imaginative" sauces. Fish dishes can be ordered fried, broiled, or stuffed with crabmeat and baked. I was in the mood for something fried, so I had the fried flounder. The person with me wanted the prime rib special, but they were out of it (at 6pm on a Saturday), so he ordered a 10 oz. filet mignon. I've read a few other reviews of this place that mention the rib eye is excellent.

My fish was lightly breaded and fried to crispy perfection. There was nothing greasy about it at all. It arrived with one huge fillet, one medium sized one, and a small strip that looked a little like a chicken finger, and was served with tartar sauce and cocktail sauce. The filet mignon was cooked to a perfect medium rare. Chances are that it wasn't aged prime grade beef, as you would find at, say, Ruths Chris, Smith & Wollensky, or Morton's, but was cooked properly.

Each entree comes with a choice of baked potato or fries, and a cup of soup or a salad. Had we remembered that, we probably wouldn't have ordered the fried mozzarella sticks to start. However, they were fried perfectly, and served with a semi-chunky marinara sauce. Nothing fancy, but cooked the way it should be, and served piping hot. The soup of the day was barley, which had a thickish consistency, and was very tasty.

Judging from those at other tables, doggie bags for leftovers are the norm, rather than the exception. The waitress also automatically asked if we wanted to bring home what we couldn't finish. Service was friendly, and attentive, without being annoyingly so.

We both brought home leftovers. The fish reheated really well in a toaster oven set to 350F for about 8-10 minutes, which kept the breading crispy without drying out the fish. Indeed, I got three meals out of the fried flounder. Portions are huge, unless you order a 6 oz. filet mignon.

Neither of us would drive all the way to Somerville just to go to this restaurant, but if we were in the area, would definately eat there again.

Recipe: Pumpkin-Spice Bars

Yield: One 15.5" x 10.5" jelly roll panful (approx. 48 - 54 bars)
Time: 25-30 minutes at 350F

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1 cup of vegetable oil
• 1 can of pumpkin
  
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
  
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 cup of raisins
• cream cheese frosting
• 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Method:

1. beat eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin in a large bowl until smooth
2. stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices
3. stir in the raisins
4. pour into a greased jelly roll pan
5. bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes
6. Let the pan cool on a rack, while you make the frosting
7. frost the cake, and sprinkle on the chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 3 oz. of cream cheese, softened
  
• 1/3 cup of butter, softened (approx. 2/3 of a stick)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups of powdered sugar

1. cream together the cream cheese and butter
2. mix in the vanilla
3. stir in the powdered sugar little by little, until well incorporated and smooth

Notes: This comes out very much like carrot cake. You may want to add a little more of the spices than the recipe calls for; I found the spice a little on the subtle side, despite the fact that my jars of it were pretty new.

Recipe: Buttermeal Cookies

Yield: Approx. 4 dozen
Time: 12 minutes at 300F per ovenload

This dough is a very stiff dough, so either use a very sturdy metal spoon, if mixing by hand, or use a countertop mixer, if you're lucky enough to own one. The latter will probably save you half an hour vs. mixing the dough by hand. Don't even try it with a hand-held electric mixer. See "notes" at the end of the recipe.

I cadged this recipe off my grandparents' next door neighbor about 35 years ago. For the life of me, I cannot remember the woman's name. At the time, they were the best cookies I'd ever tasted, and boy do they withstand the test of time. Yum!

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of butter, softened (1/2 lb.)
• 1 heaping cup. of dark brown sugar
• 2 Tbs. of dark corn syrup
  
• pinch of salt
• 1 scant tsp. of baking soda
• 2 cups of flour
• 2 cups of quick oats

Method:

1. Cream together the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup
   
2. Mix in the salt and baking soda
3. Stir/cut/cream/blend in the flour, about 1/3 cup at a time (whatever works best for you), until it's all incorporated
4. Repeat step 3, with the quick oats
5. Grease a cookie sheet, and plop about 1 Tbs. of batter per cookie on it, about 3" apart, center to center
   
6. Score each cookie with a fork, in cross directions, to press it down to 1/4" thick, or less
7. Bake at 300F for 12 minutes

Notes:

1. I only had light brown sugar on hand this afternoon, so I substituted molassas for dark corn syrup, and they came out tasting the same as always
   
2. The original recipe calls for dropping the batter off a spoon onto the cookie sheet, but it's not a sticky batter, so I find it much easier to form the batter into flat patties by hand first, then toss them on the sheet
3. Do let these cool for a minute or two on the baking sheet before removing them
4. Truth be told, you could easily get away with 1/3 to 1/2 cup less quick oats than the recipe calls for
5. They're supposed to come out crunchy

Recipe: Tuna Casserole

Yield: 4 servings
Time: 30 minutes prep; 45 in the oven at 350F

Ingredients:

• one medium sized onion, diced
• 2-3 stalks of celery, diced
• handful of white or brown mushrooms, chopped (optional)
  
• one clove of garlic, sliced thinly or minced (optional)
  
• 2 6-oz. cans of tuna, thoroughly drained, and flaked
• dried spaghetti or linguini (about 3/4" diameter held between your thumb and index finger, if you circle them together), broken in half or thirds
  
• 3-4 Tbs. of olive oil
• 2 Tbs. of flour
• 1 to 1-1/4 cups of milk (you could use light cream)
• salt
• pepper (preferably freshly ground)
• handful of grated parmesan
• handful of Italian-style breadcrumbs

Method:

1. Sautee the onions, celery, and mushrooms in enough olive oil to get the job done, making them sweat, not fry, on medium to medium-low heat. This should take no more than 10 minutes. Set them aside to cool.
2. Add 2 Tbs. of olive oil and 2 Tbs. of flour to the pot in which the veggies sauteed, and stir or whisk well to make a roux. Cook it just long enough to get the flour taste out of it. You're shooting for a really light roux here, so it shouldn't take more than a minute or two.
3. Add some milk, maybe 1/3 of a cup to start with, and whisk it in really well. When it starts to thicken, add more milk, a splash or two at a time, and whisk it in really well. Repeat as necessary until you have a sauce that's not runny, but somewhat on the thin side. It should coat a spoon, but drip off pretty quickly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Collectively, this step with the previous one, is sort of a fake bechamel. Cover the pot, so your sauce doesn't form a skin, unless you do step 4 simultaneously with this one.
4. Boil the pasta, according to directions. You can let it go a minute or two beyond al dente, but don't let it get mushy. Frankly, you can do this simultaneously with step 3.
5. Drain the pasta and stir it into the milk/cream sauce, mixing well.
6. Stir in the veggies, and mix well, then stir in the flaked tuna, and mix well. It's supposed to look like glop -- it's a casserole.
7. Pour the mess into an oven-proof casserole dish, sprinkle a handful of grated parmesan on top, then sprinkle a handful of Italian-style breadcrumbs on top of that.
8. Bake in a 350F oven, covered, for 30-35 minutes, then remove the cover, and bake another 10-15 minutes. It's done when it smells done, the sauce bubbles through the topping in a few spots, and the topping gets golden brown.

Notes:

1. I was out of mushrooms, so I omitted them this time. I like this dish better with the mushrooms, but it tastes fine either way.
2. All I had around was 2% milkfat milk, so that's what I used for the sauce, but it doesn't really matter what you have around -- it'll work, as long as you shoot for the right consistency of the sauce. Even skim works.
   
3. The reason for the milk/cream sauce being a little on the thin side is that while the casserole bakes, the pasta will absorb more liquid, so the sauce gets thicker by default.
4. Leftovers reheat really well in a microwave on 40-50% power.
   

Recipe: Low-Fat Chicken Stew

This is a relatively low-fat version of chicken stew that uses a cornstarch slurry at the end to thicken the liquid, rather than a roux at the beginning. The leftovers reheat really well, either on the stovetop, or in a microwave at 40% (or so) power. Truth be told, I didn't follow a recipe, or even refer to one; I just cooked it. Ingredient quantities are approximate.

Yield: approximately half a gallon
Time: 2-3 hours, on the stovetop

Ingredients:

• One very large chicken breast on the bone, or two small ones, with the skin
• 4 stalks of celery, sliced about 1/4" thick
• 4 oz. of baby carrots, sliced about 1/4" thick (or two large carrots)
• one very large onion, or 2-3 smaller ones, roughly chopped
• cloves from half a small head of garlic, or 1/3 or a large one, peeled and sliced
• 2 small or one large potato, peeled, and diced into 1/2" chunks
• 1 qt. of chicken stock (chicken broth works fine, too)
• rosemary
• thyme
• salt (preferably sea salt, but it doesn't really matter)
• pepper (preferably freshly ground Tellicherry)
• 3-4 Tbs. of olive oil
• 1 Tbs. of cornstarch

Method:

1. Heat 1-2 Tbs. of olive oil in a wide pot, and brown the chicken breasts on medium heat. You can coat them with flour first, but it's not necessary -- salt and pepper's sufficient.
2. Remove the chicken, and toss in the sliced veggies, add salt and pepper, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Add more olive oil as necessary. Let the veggies sweat until the onion is translucent, stirring occasionally (about 10 minutes).
3. Place the chicken back in the pot, bone side down, sprinkle on the thyme and rosemary, then add the chicken stock. Nestle the chicken down into the stock and veggies a bit, then put a lid on the pot. Reduce the heat to a low simmer.
4. After about an hour, flip the chicken, and nestle it back into the rest of the stuff in the pot.
5. Give it maybe another 20-30 minutes, then take out the chicken, and let it cool for a few minutes.
   
6. Peel the skin off the chicken, throw it away, along with the bones, and shred the chicken.
7. Toss the shredded chicken back into the pot with the diced potato. Let it simmer for another half an hour. The lid is optional at this point.
8. Mix the cornstarch with enough cold water to make a slurry, then stir it into the pot. It'll thicken the "sauce" once it comes to a boil.
9. Adjust the seasonings to your taste, serve, and enjoy.

Garden Rice

Type: Chinese
Location: 234 Main St., Chatham, NJ
Price Range: Inexpensive

This place advertises itself on its menu as "Szechuan & Cantonese Cuisine," although it has a few Hunan dishes on the menu as well. As is typical, their lunch specials range from $5.50 to $6.15, and include your choice of rice (white, brown, or pork fried), and soup (wonton, egg drop, or hot & sour) to go with the main dish.

The dinner menu ranges in price from $6.35 for varieties of Foo Young to $12.95 for a few things on the "chef's special" section, with most dishes in the $9-11 range.

There's a $10 minimum for delivery, instead of the customary $20. Garden Rice also claims to use only vegetable oil and no MSG. Delivery is prompt; the usual half an hour they quote over the phone is normally an overestimate for delivery to my neighborhood, a town away.

Best dishes are:

• Lemon Chicken (nobody around makes this better than Garden Rice; it's phenomenal)
• Hunan Beef (nice and spicy, the way it should be)
  
• Kung Po Chicken (what you expect from this dish)
  
• Shrimp in Lobster Sauce (hard to mess this one up, but they always get it right, and never overcook the shrimp)
• Lake Tung Ting Shrimp (see above)

Disappointing:

• Szechuan Beef (it's almost all onion and pepper, and not even slightly spicy)
• Hot & Sour Soup (it doesn't have enough vinegar to give the sour flavor, and has those weird green greeblies that I pick out, as I find them, but at least it doesn't have strips of mystery meat)

Could Go Either Way:

• Pu Pu Platter (the value for the money is there, but the pork dumplings are really bland)

The pu-pu is almost all fried. The stuff that looks burned is shrimp toast. It's not burned, and tastes great. It just looks odd. The fried shrimp and fried chicken nuggets are excellent. The fried wontons are so-so, but if you're starving, they'll do nicely.

The lemon chicken is to die for. No other Chinese restaurant around here makes it better.

Normally, I'm not into battered and fried food other than fish and chips, but this is phenomenal. For $20, the pu-pu and lemon chicken is enough food for three meals -- for three people. OK, I consider an egg roll to be an entire meal, so you'll have to adjust my take on the amount of food to your own stomach size.

It's best immediately after delivery, but believe it or not, the leftovers reheat really well.

L'Allegria

Location: 11 Prospect St., Madison, NJ, 07940

Type: Italian

Price Range: Expensive (expect to pay $50+ per person)

Saverio and Giovanni Allocca run this place, right smack dab in the center of town.

From the moment you walk in the door and check your coat, to the moment you leave, the hospitality is wonderful.

I love the pizzette con gorgonzola for a starter. What's not to like about a thin, crunchy-crust blue cheese mini-pizza?

You can get just about any wine to go with what you order, whether it's seafood, pasta, or veal. Skip the wine, and you can keep down the cost of the meal, but if you dress up to go there, why do that?

I go there for the seafood. My partner-in-eating loves the pasta dishes. I wish they'd bottle their fra diavolo sauce.

Dive into a dish of seafood, and you will never find it overcooked. Dive into pasta, and it'll always be al dente. Dive into veal, whether it be osso buco, piccata, or saltimbucco, it's great! They never undercook, nor overcook your meal.

Here's their dinner menu. Their saltimbucco is phenomenal. So's their shrimp fra diavolo.

I'd rate this place up there with my beloved (and gone) White Horse Inn.

The only downside is that since it's in the center of town, you might have to park a block away.

Sourdough Loaf

This is the way it came out of the oven after 375F for around 45 minutes, and cooling. The starter we have is a good 30 years old. Personally, I'd like it less dense, but it has a good flavor, a good crumb, and makes really good toast. It also makes an excellent base for eggs benedict, if you have no english muffins on hand.

The next picture shows an inside shot, to give you an idea of the crumb, and denseness. It's sourdough, so it's not really supposed to look like a baguette, inside, but I'd prefer bigger holes in it.

As James Beard said in Beard on Bread, to paraphrase . . . sourdough is really unpredictable. Indeed, it is.

In the end, it's no denser than your average loaf of Russian rye. I keep thinking I could have cooked it another 10 minutes, but the bottom really is cooked. It's not gooey.

I'd love to post a recipe for it but, sourdough is just one of those things you make, without any exact proportions. The following paragraph gives you my best shot at it.

Take out the starter, dump in a cup of milk and a cup of flour, mix it together really well, and let it sit around all day until it gets really bubbly. Then toss half the mix back into the fridge to be starter for next time. Work the rest into a soft (but not sticky) dough, form it into a loaf, plop it into a loaf tin, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise until it tops the pan. Bake it at 375F until it smells done -- around 45 minutes.

The World's Best Diner

We have a few diners within easy driving distance, but this one is legendary:

Everready

As much as I adore fine cuisine, I want my diner stuff. We can argue about french fries, or eggs benedict. One has better fries, but the other has better Hollandaise.

Everready is there for you.

I Love Tomatoes

This time of year, fresh tomatoes, even those sold still "on the vine," can be rather tasteless. Even the ones we canned ourselves last summer are gone by now. Never fear; commercially canned ones can work just fine.

Inspired by ThePinkPeppercorn, I made a take-off of her friend's recipe for roasted tomato soup. As Gail said, the basic recipe can be customized, and it's really good. I'm not going to repeat that basic recipe here -- read it on Ms. Peppercorn's blog.

My version is probably a little thicker than Gail's, but I like it that way, if it's going to make for a filling dinner, with half a grilled cheese and ham on foccacia sandwich. All I aim to do here, is mention what I did differently.

• used four 14.5 oz. cans of tomatoes, two of which were "stewed," and two of which were "diced," with all the juice
  
• used two medium-sized onions
• used four cloves of garlic, sliced, with the butt end cut off for the trash bin
• added basil, which got whoosed with the rest, at the end, so you can't really see it in the picture
  
• rushed it a little, using six hours in a 225F oven, after the initial stovetop treatment
• used grated romano to "garnish" it
  

I happened to use a well-seasoned cast iron dutch oven, for no other reason than it'd fit into my oven better than a tall stockpot. Cast iron is priceless for certain types of cooking, although perhaps any old slow cooker would have done just as well with this one.

Add to that bowl of soup one 3" x 3" grilled ham and cheese, and you've got a rib-sticking dinner.

Recipe: Onion Soup

If you don't happen to have any crusty French or Italian bread loaves around, you can still make onion soup.

Yield: 2 servings
Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• One really huge onion or two medium-sized ones, sliced in half rings
  
• a clove or two of garlic, depending on how big they are
  
• a little dry white wine
• a pint of beef broth
• a bay leaf
• salt
• pepper
• a little olive oil
  

Method:

1. Sautee the onions in the olive oil until they become translucent, then add the garlic, and sautee for another few minutes
2. Dump in the white wine to deglaze the pot
3. Give it a few minutes to burn off, then add the beef broth, and the bay leaf.
4. Let it simmer for half an hour, uncovered, remove the bay leaf, and serve with a broiler-toasted crouton and mega-cheese, if you have it, or if not, use grated parmesan.

Notes:

1. It's not the end of the world if you don't happen to have toasty bread, a boatload of cheese on hand, and crockpots that can go under the broiler
   
2. It's not Kosher -- not with the beef broth and cheese. Use veggie broth and cheese, or the traditional beef broth, and skip the cheese, to make it Kosher.
   

Recipe: Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

I've been on a bit of a soup kick, lately, with the well below freezing outside temperatures. For whatever reason, it never really occurs to me to take pictures of soup, because we all sort of know what it looks like. Nonetheless, here's my best attempt to replicate the delicious version of "crema di funghi zuppi" from Basilico.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 75 minutes

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• approx. 4 Tbs. of butter
• one large, or two small onions
• one large leek, white and light green parts sliced (~ 1/8" wide rings, or you could use ~ 1/4 cup of diced shallots)
• 3/4 lb. of mixed wild mushrooms (shiitake, portobello, and porcini are good choices; personally I want the dark color for contrast with the cream base, so I leave inoke or oyster mushrooms out of this)
  
• scant 1/4 cup of flour
• 3/4 cup of dry white wine
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 3/4 cup of half-and-half
• salt
• pepper
• 1/2 - 1 tsp. of thyme, depending on your taste
  

Method:

1. Brush off the mushrooms with a damp towel, and remove the stems to use for stock
2. Chop the stems, and mushroom caps
3. Sautee the mushroom stems, onion, a pinch of the thyme, 3/4 tsp. of salt, and half that of freshly ground black pepper for 10 - 15 minutes, in 1 Tbs. olive oil and 1 Tbs. of butter
4. Add 4 cups of water to the pot, bring to a boil, and simmer, uncovered for half an hour
5. Strain the mushroom stock, and discard the solids
   
6. Sautee the leeks in the remaining butter, with an additional 1 Tbs. of olive oil, on low heat, for about 10 - 15 minutes, until the leeks start to carmelize
7. Add the chopped/diced mushroom caps and flour. Cook for another minute or so
   
8. Add the white wine to deglaze the pot, scraping and stirring up the goodness (this takes about a minute or less)
   
9. Add in the mushroom stock, remaining thyme, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil
   
10. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes
11. Add the milk and half-and-half, and heat through, but don't boil it
12. Adjust salt and pepper as necessary
    
13. Serve as is, if you prefer, or whoosh it with a "boat motor" mixer to turn the mushrooms into flecks rather than chunks

Notes:

1. The wine is optional, if you're a teetotaler, or don't have any on hand, but it does add something.
2. Basilico whooshes the soup, which I prefer, but I consider that optional.
   
3. This makes a slightly-thick, creamy soup. If you prefer something thicker, richer, and more calorie-laden, just increase the flour content a little, and use light cream instead of a mix of milk and half-and-half.
4. I don't bother garnishing it with anything, but I only serve it at home
5. The recipe may sound more difficult than it is. It really only takes about 20 minutes worth of full attention to what's on the stovetop, during the two sautee processes, and the rest is just simmering, until the dairy goes in at the very end.
6. If the idea of a light roux to thicken it makes you want to barf, calorie-wise, just use a slurry of cornstarch instead.
   

Super Bowl Eats

I'm tossing around a few ideas for Super Bowl food. Super Bowl Sunday isn't the time to force people into fruit and veg, but there's no reason to pig out on total junk. I'll be rooting for the Steelers, but Cardinals fans won't be forced to eat celery. ;)

It won't necessarily be vegan-friendly, although vegans can find a few things to eat, and vegetarians who allow seafood and dairy will have a few more choices.

Snacks:

• Tortilla chips with homemade salsa (diced tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, lime juice, and chopped cilantro)
• Crudites, with a chive dip that uses plain low-fat yogurt with a pinch of sugar, instead of sour cream
• Pretzels
• Crispy potato skins, filled with mashed potato and a few bacon bits, topped with extra sharp cheddar, a little bit of the plain yogurt with sugar substitute for sour cream, and a sprinkle of scallions for garnish. I'll make a few that skip the bacon, and have chili beneath the cheese, to give people a choice.
• Bruschetta, some with a topping of well cooked-down mushrooms, and others with a thin slice of fresh mozarella, thin slice of roma tomato, and a chiffonade of fresh basil
• Mushroom caps, stuffed with crabmeat

Dinner:

• Four-cheese mac & cheese, for those who feel really decadent (cheddar, swiss, fontina, and a little bit of morbier, which I love)
  
• Pasta with an olive oil pesto sauce

Dessert:

• Gingerbread (recipe from James Beard's Beard on Bread)
• Fruit salad (clementine supremes, grapes, and pineapple, since the only fresh berries and melon we can get this time of year are rather tasteless)

I probably won't make all of these, but if I make an assortment of things that include a few veg-friendly items, nobody's going to starve.

Onion Soup

After having a bowl of S's chili for lunch, I wanted something lighter for dinner. I didn't have any good crusty bread for a crouton, or any white wine, so this is hardly traditional, for those who have fond memories of French onion soup, with the toasted crouton, and gobs of cheese melted under the broiler. Yet, it was really tasty. After I made it, I checked Foodnetwork.com for French onion soup recipes, and was pleasantly surprised to see something similar to mine, from Ina Garten. She uses butter, sherry, cognac, and wine, but, otherwise, it's very similar.

I didn't take a picture. Truth is, it didn't occur to me to do so, but we all know what onion soup looks like, right? S is away on business, and doesn't really like onion soup very much, so this was the perfect opportunity for me to make an old favorite just for myself.

Yield: 2 servings
Cook time: 30 - 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• One huge, or two smallish onions
• 1 - 2 cloves of garlic, depending on size, minced
  
• approx. 1 Tbs. of olive oil, maybe a little more
  
• 1 pint of beef broth
• a bay leaf
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• grated parmesan

Method:

1. Peel the onions, and cut them in half, then slice them fairly thinly
2. Mince the garlic
   
3. Sautee the onions with the garlic, bay leaf, and a little salt and pepper in the olive oil on medium heat until the onions get translucent and turn a little yellowy (10 - 15 minutes)
   
4. pour in the beef broth, stir well to deglaze the pan, and let simmer uncovered for 20 minutes
5. Add a little extra water, if necessary, to make up for the steam loss during simmering
6. Remove the bay leaf
7. Adjust the salt level to taste, if necessary
8. Ladle the soup into a bowl, and top with grated parmesan cheese

Note: the grated parmesan will sink, and turn the soup cloudy, but it's alright, and doesn't detract from the taste at all. You could also make a Kosher version by substituting vegetable broth for the beef broth, but it's not the same. Leave off the cheese, and the Kosher version becomes vegan.

A Match Made in Heaven

I used to collect matchbooks from restaurants. Nowadays, they're almost non-existant, since smoking is illegal practically everywhere but outdoors, or inside your own home. I have a fish tank full of them. The picture you see is basically only a handful. Click on it, for a full-sized view.

Some of these restaurants are long gone. The saddest matchbook I found was the one from Windows on the World. I couldn't bear to put it in the picture. Remember 9/11, and the WTC? That's what happened to that restaurant. It used to have a great brunch. I was at work, in Lower Manhattan, when the WTC towers fell.

Girafe and The Ryland Inn are also gone. The Ryland Inn was once one of the best restaurants in NJ, but it never really recovered after a huge fire.

I've no idea whether the Stonington Beach Hotel in Bermuda still exists. It was next to Elbow Beach, but sort of tucked back in its own cove, up the hill. Society Hill in Philly, and Grand Concourse in Pittsburgh bring back tasty memories. The flip side of the Grand Concourse matchbox shows a stylized crab.

I'm pretty sure the Yale Club and University Club still exist. The University Club used to have segregated dining for men-only, and men who brought women to dine. I thought it was funny that I had to eat in a segregated room with my dad (while I was wearing full business attire in the mid-80s), but the place had phenomenal eggs benedict, so I dealt with it, and left on a really full stomach, with no complaints about the service.

Basilico, Campanile, and Telephone Bar still exist. I don't remember where The Spinnaker, or The Privateer were, but it's pretty obvious by their names that they were seafood joints.

Foccacia

Yield: One 9" x 13" loaf
Time and Temp: 35 minutes at 375F

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups of warm water (110 - 115F)
• 1 packet of yeast (1/4 oz.)
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 2 tsp. salt
• 3 - 3 1/2 cups of flour (all-purpose is fine)
• olive oil
• rosemary, about a teaspoon (freshly chopped is better, but dried is okay, if you crush it up a bit)

Method:

1. Mix the first three ingredients in a small bowl, and leave it until it gets foamy
2. Mix 3 cups of the flour and the salt in a large bowl
3. Stir the foamy yeast mix into the dry ingredients, and mix well (it will be sticky)
4. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface, and knead it for a few minutes, working in more flour until it's still soft, but no longer sticky, and has a nice elasticity (3 - 4 minutes or so)
   
5. Coat a large bowl with olive oil, form the dough into a ball, and place it in the bowl, turning it to coat it thoroughly with the oil
6. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until double in size
7. Punch down the dough
8. Coat a 9" x 13" baking pan with olive oil, and press out your dough into it, working it all the way into the corners the best you can
9. Drizzle olive oil all over the top of the dough, spread it out, and poke dimples in the dough with your fingertips (it's fine if they fill in with olive oil)
10. Sprinkle the rosemary on top of the bread
11. Bake at 375F for 35 minutes
12. Let cool on a wire rack or a stovetop burner

Notes:

1. This bread makes great sandwiches, toasted or untoasted, if split in half horizontally.
2. Although I simply used rosemary in this case, it's like pizza dough, and you can top it with practically anything you like.
3. The basic dough itself, w/o the oilve oil and rosemary topping, makes good pizza dough.
4. If you make this in a chilly winter house, you may want to use rapid-rise or instant yeast, instead of regular, just to speed up the rising process.
   

Lemon Bars

Yield: 2 dozen
Cook Time and Temp: 45-50 minutes, at 350F

Ingredients:

• 1 c. of all-purpose flour (self-rising works, as well)
• 1/2 c. (1 stick) of butter, softened
• 1/4 c. powdered sugar
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 2 Tbs. of lemon juice
• 2 tsp. grated lemon peel (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• extra powdered sugar, for dusting the cooled cookies (about 2 Tbs.)
  

Method:

1. Heat oven to 350F
2. Mix together the first three ingredients, and press the dough into an ungreased 8" x 8" baking dish, working the edges up the sides about 1/2".
3. Bake for 20 minutes
4. Beat together the sugar, lemon juice, peel, baking powder, salt and eggs with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes on high until fluffy, and the color gets a bit lighter yellow. Note: a whisk will work, but it takes forever.
   
5. Pour the filling into the hot crust, and return it to the oven for another 25-30 minutes
6. Let cool, and dust with the additional powdered sugar.
7. Cut into bars
   

Note: the filling will form a very thin crust as it cools, which is normal, but gets hidden by the powdered sugar. The filling comes out smooth and soft, with a slightly sweet, crunchy bottom crust.

This recipe can be doubled, if using a 9" x 13" oven dish.

Carrot Cake

Yield: One 13" x 9" pan, a double-layer round cake, or a boatload of muffins
Cook Time & Temp: 350F for around 40 - 45 minutes (muffins take less)

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of sugar
• 1 cup of oil (or two sticks of butter, but butter will make it dense, not light)
  
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups of flour
• 1.5 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. of baking doda
• 1 tsp. of vanilla
• 0.5 tsp of salt
• 0.25 tsp. of ground nutmeg
• 3 cups of shredded carrot
• 1 cup of chopped walnuts
• cream cheese frosting (optional)

Shredding the carrots is about the only thing I ever use the food processor for. It takes forever, if you use a box grater, but that'll work, too. Do not skimp on the butter/oil, because it'll be dry and inedible if you do. It sounds like a lot, but any less won't work well. I just eyeball the spices in the palm of my hand, but really do measure the oil, if I use it instead of butter.

As is usual, mix your wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls, then add the wet to the dry, stirring them together into a batter.

Dump out the stuff into a greased and floured pan. I suppose you could use cooking spray, but I've never tried that with carrot cake.

Let it bake at 350F for 40 minutes, then check on it. It might need a little longer. Use the toothpick or bamboo skewer test on it. If it's done, take it out, and let it cool.

Optional cream cheese icing:

• an 8 oz. pack of cream cheese
• half a stick of butter
• 2 tsp. of milk
• 1 tsp. of vanilla
• 4 cups of powdered sugar

It's a lot of powdered sugar. This frosting recipe can be cut in half, if you don't want a thick gooey mess on your carrot cake. You can skip it altogether, if you want, although, if I'm going to eat junk, I want it with the works, so to speak.

Carney's

Type: Pub Grub
Location: 411 Beach Ave., Cape May, NJ, 08204
Price Range: Low - Moderate

As is typical of pub grub, you can pay $10 - $15 for either a dinner-sized salad, or fish and chips, etc., and get a beer for around $4. What surprised me is how well the food has come along over the years. I used to hate this place, and tried to avoid it like the plague, but no longer.

Carney's is actually good nowadays. The "fish and chips" is decent, with no overabundance of batter on the fish, and the fries come out crispy. All you need is a bit of malt vinegar, which they will bring, if you ask for it.

Don't go for the pizza, though. That's what turned me off to the place, all those years ago. The crust is crispy-thin fine, but the toppings are, um, well . . .

Pros: easy walk from anywhere in town
Cons: too much nightlife, if you catch my drift

Jackson Mountain

Type: Pub Grub
Location: Washington St. Mall, Cape May, NJ, 08204
Price Range: Inexpensive

Yeah, it's pub grub, but you can get a Yuengling or Boddington's there. The odd thing is that your potato chips come in a small still-sealed bag from Wise. Get over it, tuck the bag in your pocket, and bring it home.

The burgers are grilled just right, but the "crab melt" is way too rich for one person to eat. It comes on an English muffin. If there are only two of you, I'd ask to split the crab melt. It does not reheat well, as leftovers.

Service is fine, even when the joint isn't that busy, around mid-afternoon. Around dinner time, it really gets hopping, but your waiter or waitress won't leave you neglected. Please give your server a good tip. They really work for it.

Pros: right there in the center of town; good pub grub
Cons: leave your car at home, and just walk there

Gecko's

Type: Mexican/Southwestern
Location: Carpenter Sq. Mall, Cape May, NJ, 08204
Price Range: Low - Moderate (~$20 per person)

Try to eat inside, if you can, during off-season. The food gets cold way too quickly, if you're outside for dinner, unless it's beach season. The menu is currently more diverse than I remember from previous visits, and now includes rabbit, duck, and venison.

The rabbit is a bit dry, but comes with a nice, thick sauce, that really makes the dish. Without the sauce, it's nothing to write home about. The venison, on the other hand, is cooked just right . . . medium rare slices of tenderloin, with a bourbon-apple juice sauce that doesn't overwhelm the meat. Next time, I think I'll try the duck.

Gecko's is a good place to go when you want something a little different from pub grub or seafood. It's got chicken, too, which I have grown to (almost) hate, given the 1001 ways my mom used to foist it off on us when I was a kid, but I have yet to see another diner who's ordered it, and not tucked in with gusto.

Pros: within easy walking distance of just about anywhere in town; fairly inexpensive; chef is from NM, and knows his ingredients
Cons: it's metered parking only in that part of town, if you can even find a space, so walk there; it's BYO, if you want something stronger than iced tea

Cafe Monet

Type: French
Location: 309 Millburn Ave., Millburn, NJ, 07941
Price Range: Expensive

It's a bit hoity-toity, and expensive, but the food is damn good. They cook fish perfectly -- flaky, but not dry, and not uncooked in the middle (which is my biggest complaint with chefs who seem to be afraid of fish). Their steaks are also cooked perfectly. When you order a steak medium-rare, it comes out darkish pink and juicy, but not oozing red juices.

Monet is open for lunch on Wednesdays through Fridays, but I prefer it for dinner. The salads are good, as are the fries, but c'mon, you can get good fries at a diner or pub, and make a salad yourself.

I've never had a problem with service, but others have, so perhaps it's a bit uneven. The joint is BYO.

Pros: excellent food
Cons: you may have to park in a lot a block or two away, and walk

Ginger Snaps

You know you want this. It's a ginger snap. Yes, it's a nice crunchy bit of goodness in your mouth that may bring back memories of childhood.

Yield: 4-5 dozen cookies, depending on how big you make them

Bake Time: 10-11 minutes per batch, at 375.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of brown sugar, packed (light or dark is irrelevant)
• a stick and a half of butter (nuke it if you have to, or melt it on the stovetop)
  
• 1/4 cup of molasses
• 1 egg
• 2-1/4 cups of flour
• 2 tsp. of baking soda
• 1 tsp. of ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. of ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. of ground cloves
• big pinch of salt (maybe close to 1/4 tsp.)
• extra granulated sugar, for the rolling thing

Mix the first four ingredients in one bowl, and the others in a different bowl. Pour your wet ingredients into the dry ones, and mix really well. This is going to make a really stiff dough. You might want to use a sturdy metal spoon for it. It's supposed to be this way.

Chill it in the fridge for maybe an hour, or the freezer for half an hour.

Preheat your oven to 375F, and when you are ready to bake these suckers, get out a spoon, ball up a scoop in your hands, roll the top half of it in that excess sugar, and just plop them onto your cookie sheet, sugar side up.

I lightly grease my cookie sheet with a little canola oil, because it's aluminum, but if you have a non-stick one, skip that.

Tip: between batches, stick the dough back in the fridge, because if it isn't cold, it'll get sticky, and won't roll into balls very well.

Basilico

Type: Italian
Location: 324 Millburn Ave., Millburn, NJ
Price Range: Semi-Expensive (easily $50 per person for an appetizer and entree for dinner)

As is typical, Basilico's lunch menu contains fewer options than the dinner menu, for a few dollars less. The cream of wild mushroom soup (crema di funghi) is to die for, but can be a bit too salty, even for this salt-lover. Order it, savor it, and deal with the salt overload later, with your entree. The mushroom soup is why I keep coming back to Basilico.

Lunch portions aren't that huge, if you order pasta, but if you order the Luca panini, be prepared to ask for a doggie bag. It's that good. And, no, they won't give you a snooty look, for asking for one. The Luca is smoked turkey, brie, romaine, and tomatoes, on a killer foot-long piece of crusty Italian bread. It comes with some strange eggplant concoction, but that's alright, as long as you scrape it away from the bread, so it doesn't get soggy. Prices for panini are around $9-$10. I can easily get two meals out of one of those.

Dinner portions are huge. I've always ordered some sort of fish for dinner, and can never finish it. Others in my party have ordered chicken and veal dishes. Nobody complained.

The menu is semi-seasonal, so do go to their website to see what's there at the time.

Pros: excellent food; attentive wait staff
Cons: parking in downtowm Millburn can get nasty, but there are a couple of lots, only two blocks away

The Algonquin

Type: American Grub
Location: 4770 Lakeshore Dr., Bolton Landing, NY, 12814

The Algonquin is an old standby. It's neither great, nor bad, but it's accessible by car or boat, and there aren't too many restaurants around, without going all the way down to Lake George Village, or all the way up to the top of the lake, so people keep going there. It's got mostly seafood and pub grub.

Even when you stay at The Sagamore, which is really the only place to stay at Bolton Landing, you need to drive out of town for dinner (The Sagamore has restaurants, but go elsewhere). There is a really nice greasy-spoon diner within a half-mile walk -- back over the bridge, and about three blocks down into town. I hate to admit it, but I love shit like bacon, eggs, hash browns, pancakes, French toast, waffles, beignets, and all the fixin's. Those can be had for around $4 a person.

For fancier stuff, go down to Lake George Village.

Half Moon Saloon

Type: Pub Grub
Location: 108 West State St., Kennett Square, PA, 19348

This place has nice appetizers and entrees for decent prices.

The mushroom bisque and Buffalo-style chicken tenders are good. OK, they aren't "wings," but I prefer "tenders," as long as the dipping sauce is aces.

I had a hell of a time choosing between the kangaroo and buffalo, but in the end, I went with our native bison. It's lean, tasty, and I get to pretend that I'm eating the mascot from my old undergrad alma mater.

Prices run from $5-$12 for lunch, and the same for dinner. How often do you see that?

The Landing

Type: Eclectic American
Location: 22 N. Main St., New Hope, PA, 18938

Many years ago, this place used to insist on reservations for dinner. It no longer does. The menu changes from time to time, in keeping with what's fresh and available from season to season. There's an outside bar and terrace which overlooks the Delaware River; it's nice in the summer, but is closed most of the rest of the year.

Stellar burgers and sushi-grade tuna is available there, even at 3pm. The lobster & shrimp spring rolls are to die for -- no weird dipping sauces here -- just wasabi-tartar and orange-sesame. It's perfect.

They have bivalves, if you like them, but I prefer fish that actually swims, or crustaceans. If you order seafood, you can be sure that it's fresh, and cooked properly. And, even if you eat inside, you can still get a nice river view, and a good selection of wine.

Pros: no reservations needed; easy parking somewhere within a block or so
Cons: it can get crowded on a Friday or Saturday Night

Black Horse Pub

Type: Upscale Pub Grub
Location: 1 W. Main St., Mendham, NJ, 07945

Price Range: soups and salads start around $5; entrees range from $10 - $33.

This is our go-to place for pub grub. It has gotten more expensive over the years, but what can I say? It's as reliable as ever. If you go on a Friday or Saturday night, you'll need to get there by (or before) 6pm, to avoid a long wait. Otherwise, go for lunch or a late afternoon "dinner." Once they get busy, and have a line out the door, your 20 minute wait could easily turn into 45, and it gets really noisy inside. Bear in mind that this pub was once the stable for the inn next door, and dates back to the 1800s; the roof structure is completely exposed, beams, sheathing, and all, so the acoustics are awful.

The biggest hitch, however isn't the wait. It's the valet-only parking, if you use their adjacent lot, and by the time you do that, you're sort of stuck waiting, unless you want to fork over a couple of bucks to the valet to have him bring out your car, so you can go elsewhere. Chances are really good that the valet doesn't know how to drive a manual shift car, so if you have one, you may have to give him a crash course. On-street parking in Mendham is very limited, unless you want to use a side street and walk a few blocks, which is fine in the summer, but not in the dead of winter.

On to the menu: you can get everything from French onion soup, to burgers, to club sandwiches, to boiled lobster with the usual clarified butter. In the old days, it used to serve a really nice chicken pot pie, but that's no longer on the menu. What is still a classic on the menu, though, is a bacon & blue cheese burger. It's one of those huge-ass 8 oz. ones, so I peel it off the (really good, lightly toasted, challah-like) bun/roll, scrape the cheese onto the burger, and eat it essentially naked, because I don't want to waste valuable stomach space on the bread. The bacon/blue burger is always cooked just the way you order it. I like mine medium-rare. It's a fail-safe option, and a really good burger.

Pros: reliable grub; on-site parking
Cons: pricey for pub grub; very noisy during dinner hours; kids running all around; long lines after 6pm on weekend nights

Chen's Restaurant

Type: Chinese
Location: 1268 Springfield Ave., New Providence, NJ, 07974 (just east of the South St./Passaic Ave. intersection)

Chen's now delivers. You used to have to either go there for sit-down or to pick up your phoned-in order. It's mostly Chinese, as the name implies, but it also has sushi, with a sushi bar and chef. For lunch, there are $6-$7 specials from the Chinese menu, and $7-$11 ones from the Japanese menu.

Chicken dishes run between $10 (for ordinary offerings from the Chinese menu), and $14, for half a Peking Duck. Rice and noodle dishes run around $7 or $8, even for my fave -- Singapore Mei Fun. Most seafood dishes run between $11 and $18. The Japanese stuff runs a bit higher, but not much more than a dollar or two, for what you might expect.

Their hot & sour soup is a great appetizer, really inexpensive, and doesn't contain any strange strips of "mystery meat." Get a bowl of soup each, and split an entree, if there are only two of you. Unless you're really starving, it will be enough for two, and should come in at around $15-$16, including a 15-20% tip.

I've never had a bad dish from Chen's, but the ones I like the best are "Ginger Chicken," "Diced Chicken with Hot Pepper Sauce & Peanuts," "Beef with Pepper, Baby Corn, Scallion, Hot Pepper Sauce," and "Jumbo Shrimp with Ginger Sauce." The shrimp with honey-coated walnuts is pretty good, too, if you want something that isn't spicy.

Pros: inexpensive; good food; attentive wait staff; huge parking lot behind the place; does take-out, and now, delivery (within a limited area)
Cons: No dumplings, dim sum, or any sort of japanese noodle dish like sukiyaki, or a ramen bowl

Trap Rock Restaurant & Brewery

Type: Upscale Pub Grub
Location: 279 Springfield Ave, Berkeley Heights, NJ, 07922

We've been to Trap Rock several times, and have sampled both the dinner and lunch menus. The lunch menu is essentially the same as the dinner menu, with a few less options, costing anywhere from the same, to a couple of dollars less per entree. If you go during late afternoon, there's a limited bar menu, that nonetheless has some really tasty options.

The Trap Rock burger and BBQ pulled pork sandwich are aces. Both come with fries, made on the premesis, served in a cute little copper-clad bucket lined with an unbleached coffee filter, and about four forkfuls of cole slaw. The crab quesadilla is also really good. The grilled cheese has gruyere and tomato, but ask for it without the carmelized onions, if like me, you think onions have no place on a grilled cheese sandwich. These, and many more items, are available on both the lunch and dinner menus. The prices for items on the lunch/pub menus range from about $10 - $17.

Dinner is where it can get pricey, if you order appetizers, an entree, and side dishes to go with your wonderful beer (brewed right there in the restaurant) or wine. Entrees range in the mid-high $20s for fish, lamb, pork, beef, or duck breast, and in the lowish $30s for steak. Appetizers are in the same price range as the lunch menu.

The good news is that a dinner "appetizer" is plenty of food for anyone who either has a small-ish stomach capacity, or isn't really that hungry. I would recommend the Tasting Trio of chicken satay, chili-lime shrimp, and mini crab cakes, with all the requisite dipping sauces. The Lobster Spring Roll is another good option, but I'm not sure what they're trying to do with the trio of dipping sauces: the chili-lime, spicy mustard, and a pickled ginger viniagrette. From either Mexican or Thai (can't figure out which), to Chinese, to Japanese . . . it's an odd combination.

Pros: reliable food; on site parking; on-site brewery visible from most tables or booths
Cons: parking can get tight after 7pm on a Friday or Saturday; a bit pricey for pub grub