Dessert Made the Dinner

The desserts at Mediterranea really made the dinner - but more about that later.

As a last-minute replacement for Udupi Village, which moved out of Montclair, Mediterranea was a nice choice. As described on their website, the food is an interesting combination of the cuisines of several Mediterranean countries, including Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Greece, as well as touches of Spain and Italy.

We started dinner by sharing a tray of eight different appetizers, including baba ghannoush, yogurt dip, hummus and something called green foul, made of fava beans. Entrees included a nice selection of beef, lamb, chicken and fish. I enjoyed grilled salmon cooked in a light lemon and garlic sauce, covered with chopped onions, cilantro, red and green peppers. The flavors were nicely done, not overpowering, especially the lemon and garlic.

One special dish was kufta, which Pat ordered and several of us tasted. Kufta is ground beef, drained, seasoned with herbs and pounded into a fine texture. I had this several years ago at the home of friends from Iran and found it unique and delicious. This was just as good and reminded me of that wonderful dinner.

But the desserts were the highlight of the meal, by far. We shared kinaffa, which is a pastry made of filo and ground pistachio nuts, flavored with honey, and hareesah, a cake made of semolina and flavored with cashews, rosewater and a light honey. A huge success, enjoyed by all five of us.

My only complaint - get a better pita bread!!! The pita that came with our appetizer tray was dry, cold and tasteless. Maybe I was spoiled by the delicious homemade pita at Stamna, but this tasted fresh (or not so fresh) off the supermarket shelf. Not a great way to start an otherwise good dinner. And I like my salad before my entree. The entrees came first, followed quickly by the salads, although I suspect that it wasn't planned that way.

Would we go back? Yes, we all agreed that Mediterranea was worth another trip.

Joining us were our neighbors, Paula and Greg, and Pat, who lived around the corner, moved to Chicago and is now back in Brooklyn. The pictures were fun - the last time Alan and Greg posed for a picture, they broke our neighbor's antique couch! Lots of laughs, memories and, of course, good wine.

Change in Plans

We've had to change our plans for Friday's dinner. Our original stop, Udupi Village, has closed its location in Montclair. Instead, we decided to continue our stroll up Bloomfield Avenue and selected Mediterranea, one block up the street. Their website describes Mediterranea as founded by a Syrian family, featuring dishes from Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Morocco, Italy and Spain. The menu looks interesting and dining is available both inside and outside on their patio. The restaurant also features a hookah bar, described as "after-dinner social smoking."

With or without the after-dinner hookah, we hope you join us Friday at Mediterranea. Check out further information and their menu at http://www.mediterranea.nj.com/. The restaurant is BYOB so, as usual, we will make the reservations and bring the wine. Just let us know if you can come. Hope to see you there!

Another Country in Kansas City

Kansas City may not be another country on our world tour but it could have been - the barbecue was like nothing you would find New Jersey! Spent four days there at a conference and the food was fantastic. Dinner on Friday night at Jack Stack's barbecue restaurant was wonderful. We waited for our table sitting on the patio, smelling the aroma of hickory wood burning in two outdoor fireplaces. The menu seemed to have endless options - beef, pork and lamb ribs, chicken, brisket, sausage and steak of all kinds, all in a delicious, "secret recipe" barbecue sauce. Great onion rings and - we all agreed - the best margeuritas we've ever had.

We started the evening sampling wine at Savvy's, a wine bar in the new Power and Light District in downtown Kansas City. I tried a new white blend which I enjoyed - Interchange by Hayman and Hill - and Joy loved the Moscato. Great barbecue, new wine and hot jazz - what more could you want?

But what made the trip even better was sharing it with family and friends. Alan, Polly and Joy were there, along with Mary, Cyndie and Maia. They came to celebrate with me as I received the Florette Angel Child Advocacy Award from Voices for America's Children. Their presence made a wonderful event extraordinary. We also celebrated Alan's and Mary's birthdays.

Here are Alan, Joy, Polly and Mary at Savvy's and Jack Stack's.

Off to Kansas City!

No dinner this week - I am off to Kansas City tomorrow, followed by the rest of the family on Thursday. We'll just have to update you on KC barbecue - I hear it is great! Here's Alan on Sunday on the patio at Stamna. We've been back every week - I am workng my way through their traditional Greek menu and it is great!

Pandanelicious!

Pandan was the third stop on our world tour and it was truly delicious. There were five of us for dinner and our entrees reflected the extensive menu. They included Thai noodles, roasted pork belly, spare ribs and two Filipino dishes with chicken. My brother had marinated chicken, deep-fried and wrapped in pandanus leaves. I had chicken gata, boneless chicken with coconut milk, carrots and bamboo shoots. Very different and very delicious.

But my favorites were the appetizers and desserts. We shared pork dumplings and shrimp fritters, which were outstanding. My dessert of sticky rice in coconut milk with mango ice cream was wonderful. A great end to a great dinner. Pandan is definitely on our list of places to try again.

Joining us at dinner were Al, Sue and Richmond. Barbara came in time for dessert and a glass of wine.

Stop #3 - Pandan for Filipino Cuisine

Stop #3 on Friday is Pandan, located at 406 Broad Street, Bloomfield. Another popular restaurant that we have passed many times, but never tried. Pandan bills itself as Asian cuisine and has an eclectic menu that features some Thai dishes as well as an extensive vegetarian section. The menu can be accessed at http:\\pandanasiancuisine.com.

Searching the web for more information, I came across a 2007 New York Times review, which describes the cuisine as Filipino, apparently only one of a handful of restaurants serving Filipino food in New Jersey. The name Pandan comes from a tree with a vanilla scent that is native to the Philippines. The review was very positive, noting both the regular menu and specialty dishes, especially the great variety of roast pork. We are looking forward to stop #3 on the world tour!

Pandan is small, so let us know if you are coming so we can make a reservation. It is also BYOB, so we will bring the wine. Purple Cowboy anyone?

Great Dining in Connecticut

We attended a wedding in CT this weekend. Here we are with the beautiful bride, Chantelle. That's me with Polly and Joy, who was the maid of honor.

While there, we enjoyed two great restaurants - one with fabulous food and one with a spectacular setting (and good food, too.) The rehearsal dinner on Friday was at a New Orleans-style restaurant, Creative Cooking, in Westbrook. The appetizer of scallops, shrimp and andouille sausage was delicious and the entree of bourbon-marinated steak was amazing. The martinis were good, too! The menu was extensive and made me think of the summer I spent in New Orleans. We also enjoyed listening to a wonderful band playing there that night- lots of dancing.

The wedding the next day was also in Westbrook at the Water's Edge Resort. What a spectacular setting for a wedding! The restaurant overlooks Long Island Sound and the view was lovely - a perfect setting for the very beautiful bride, Chantelle. Much happiness to her and her new husband, Jonathan, who are both musicians in the Air Force Band.

Pictures from Bohemia

Here are some pictures from our night at Bohemia. From the top: Michael and Ellen; Polly, Shahan and Jessica; Jessica and Joy; Cyndie and Amanda. We had a great time!

Table for Twelve

There were twelve of us for dinner at Bohemia, stop # 2 on our summer tour. It was a wonderful mix of family and friends - great conversation and lots of laughter. Just what I envisioned when we came up with the idea of the summer tour. Old friends and new, getting together to try a different cuisine, this time from Latin America.

The food did not disappoint. The menu had great variety - there was something for everyone. The ceviche was a big hit. We shared an appetizer that included ceviche and several friends ordered it as their entree. The dinner choices varied from ceviche to grilled beef and chicken, a great variety of fish as well as several stir-fried dishes. Universal favorites were the risotto and the flan, which had a light coconut flavor.

My only criticism was that dinner was a little slow. We were the only table of diners in the restaurant. It would really have been nice to have more conversation with the restaurant staff about the food, but they mostly left us alone in the dining room. But the dinner was a hit and the consensus was that we would all come back again.

Took lots of pictures with Polly's camera (I forget mine at home) and will post them later.