The village of Lawrenceville is an island of good food.
Fedora's [2633 Main Street, Lawrenceville NJ 08648, Ph: 609-895-0844] concept is getting stale, but we still like their luncheon salads. They often feature excellent omelettes for brunch. They have a good hamburger. It is an extremely popular place and is sometimes difficult to get into. Their popularity apparently has resulted in little desire to improve or to re-freshen the restaurant. The desserts are sinfully rich [this is usually a good thing] and sometimes a little cold, when a warmer temperature would improve the taste. They have decent cappachino, but not excellent. For all of this curmudgeonry, we still go there, especially for the hamburgers and the luncheon salads and sandwiches. I think we consider it good value for the money.
Acacia is expensive and has been excellent in the past. 2637 Main Street - Lawrenceville, NJ 08648. Phone: 609.895.9885 Fax: 609.895.9874 It offers beautifully set tables with a good and informed staff and excellent food. The menu and the food are creative. It describes itself as featuring progressive american cuisine. We used to it better than Ferry House in Princeton, but Princeton is more convenient for us. We recently ate there [July 2006]. We were not nearly as impressed as on former visits. The food did not have the impeccably fresh taste that we once associated with Acacia. The Ferry House in Princeton is now the better choice for a fine dinner out. August 7, 2006.
We liked the food at Vidalia but have not been back. We will return. It's cute and a little cramped, but the food was really good.
The Lawrenceville Inn is a blur in my mind, as I write this. I liked the old house where it is located. I have very positive impressions of the food we were served, but don't remember anything specific. The staff was friendly and helpful.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Lawrence
The vegetarian Vasanta Bhavan is absolutely my favorite Indian restaurant in the area, although Palace of Asia is a close second. When we want meat, Palace is the choice. Vasanta, however, is just extraordinary. Their food is fresh, tasty, and we enjoy almost everything we have tried. The desserts are an acquired taste, too sweet for me. They make delicious dosas of many varieties. The curries are wonderful. The samosas are the best I have ever had. We especially like the Panir curries like Panir Shahi, Panir Tikka Masala, and Palak Panir.
The staff is always friendly. The primary service shortcoming is the uncertainty of the sequence in which various dishes are served. You may order pakoras, a dosa, and a couple of curries. You can never be certain what item will be served first or whether all might come out virtually simultaneously. None-the-less I like the service. Everyone is cheerful. They like the food. They can usually be very informative about the ingredients and preparation. Although, when there is new staff, they may start without much of a clue about the menu items.
In the evening, Vasanta Bhavan offers discounts based on the Princeton Packet discount card. The lunch service is a great buffet.
On a Friday evening in mid March [2006], we and two vegetarian neighbors ate once more at Vasanta. We ordered Medu Vada, Samosas, Special Rava Dosa, Paneer Burji, Channa Palak, Kashmiri Naan, and Kulcha stuffed with fenugreek. Instead of the Special Rava Doas and the Paneer Burji [curry], we received a plain Rava Dosa [missing the spicy potato stuffing] and a Paneer Burji Dosa instead of the curry. We had a new waiter. As usual at Vasanta, the waiter was very pleasant, cheerful, and trying mightily hard. So we didn't ask for replacements. Both mistakes were minor, in terms of basic flavor. We enjoyed them, but this is the aspect of service that is somewhat less than professional. The food, however, was as always wonderfully fresh and tasty.
The Palace of Asia is the restaurant that originally taught us to love Indian food. It is our non-vegetarian Indian restaurant of choice. The service is friendly and usually very efficient. It is a pretty space although a bit overdesigned. Palace strives to be a palace. We like the panir curries almost as much as those at Vasanta, but Palace's edge is meat, especially chicken. The chicken is moist, tender, and flavorful. We particularly like the Malai Kebab. The vegetable curries do not seem to us to be as freshly made as at Vasanta Bhavan. The breads are excellent, but not as diverse as at Vasanta.
We don't eat at Passage to India nearly as frequently as we do at Vasanta and Palace, but their food is excellent. Like Palace they serve well prepared meats. Their array of curries and roti are somewhat different than Palace's. The recipies for some items are substantially different. The Panir Tikka Masala is more complex than it is at either Palace or Vasanta, not better, not worse, just more complex. I not sure why we prefer Palace, perhaps just loyalty and habit. The food is very, very good.
The staff is always friendly. The primary service shortcoming is the uncertainty of the sequence in which various dishes are served. You may order pakoras, a dosa, and a couple of curries. You can never be certain what item will be served first or whether all might come out virtually simultaneously. None-the-less I like the service. Everyone is cheerful. They like the food. They can usually be very informative about the ingredients and preparation. Although, when there is new staff, they may start without much of a clue about the menu items.
In the evening, Vasanta Bhavan offers discounts based on the Princeton Packet discount card. The lunch service is a great buffet.
On a Friday evening in mid March [2006], we and two vegetarian neighbors ate once more at Vasanta. We ordered Medu Vada, Samosas, Special Rava Dosa, Paneer Burji, Channa Palak, Kashmiri Naan, and Kulcha stuffed with fenugreek. Instead of the Special Rava Doas and the Paneer Burji [curry], we received a plain Rava Dosa [missing the spicy potato stuffing] and a Paneer Burji Dosa instead of the curry. We had a new waiter. As usual at Vasanta, the waiter was very pleasant, cheerful, and trying mightily hard. So we didn't ask for replacements. Both mistakes were minor, in terms of basic flavor. We enjoyed them, but this is the aspect of service that is somewhat less than professional. The food, however, was as always wonderfully fresh and tasty.
The Palace of Asia is the restaurant that originally taught us to love Indian food. It is our non-vegetarian Indian restaurant of choice. The service is friendly and usually very efficient. It is a pretty space although a bit overdesigned. Palace strives to be a palace. We like the panir curries almost as much as those at Vasanta, but Palace's edge is meat, especially chicken. The chicken is moist, tender, and flavorful. We particularly like the Malai Kebab. The vegetable curries do not seem to us to be as freshly made as at Vasanta Bhavan. The breads are excellent, but not as diverse as at Vasanta.
We don't eat at Passage to India nearly as frequently as we do at Vasanta and Palace, but their food is excellent. Like Palace they serve well prepared meats. Their array of curries and roti are somewhat different than Palace's. The recipies for some items are substantially different. The Panir Tikka Masala is more complex than it is at either Palace or Vasanta, not better, not worse, just more complex. I not sure why we prefer Palace, perhaps just loyalty and habit. The food is very, very good.
Cranbury
Several years ago, when we lived in South Jersey, we wanted to move to Cranbury. We love the village character of this beautiful town. So we continue to visit and on occasion we will eat in one of the restaurants. Our most recent visit was to Hannah and Mason's. This restaurant has a Culinary Institute of America chef/owner. The menu sounded interesting. The place was attractive. We were disappointed with the service and food.
Hightstown, Allentown
Basil's Legends at the Days Inn on NJ 33 has a scrumptions eggplant parmesan that they call stuffed eggplant. It is available as an appetizer or an entree. The entree comes with salad and pasta. The serving of eggplant seems identical in size and both appetiser and entree have wonderful tomato/basil flavor. What makes it special to me, is that the tomato sauce has an extraordinary complex herb filled rich flavor. The sauce is on the sweet side, but doesn't seem sugary. I attribute the sweetness to the quality of the tomatoes, but I am not sure. I do like the the combination of the sweet and savory.
In late April we decided to go once again for the Stuffed Eggplant. We were initially disappointed to find that Basil's regular menu was tempoarily displaced by a special prix fixe menu. It was Greek Cuisine Week. It was very enjoyable, although an enourmous quantity of food. Include were mageiritsa soup [Easter Sunday soup]; a cold appetizer platter composed of Dolmadakia [rice stuffed grape leaves], Revithosalata [chick-pea dip], Melitzanosalata [eggplant dip], Kafteri [a spread of feta with red spicy pepper], Tzatziki [cucumber, garlic, & yoghurt dip], and served with pita toasted on the grill; a hot appetizer platter composed of Kotopoulo Me Amygdala [chicken breast with almonds in feta sauce], Garides Skaras Me Dendrolivano [grilled shrimp on rosemary skewers], Kalamari Gemisto Me Elies Ke Feta [stuffed calamari with olives and feta]; Salata Horiatiki [salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers, olives, and feta]; the entrees were a choice of Paidakia Ala Polita [char grilled lamb chops with artichokes, peas carrots and roasted oven potatoes] or Gourounaki Me Manitaria Mavrodaphne Me Patates Fournou [grilled loin of pork with mushroom "mavrodaphne wine sauce roasted oven potatoes, and artichokes, peas, and carrots]; an a choice of two desserts, honey yoghurt souffle or Galaktoboureko [described as a custard in a phyllo dough -- it had a honey cinnamon sauce and the custard was dense, almost like a cheese cake texture]. The two of us ordered a different entree and dessert. We shared. The dinner was delicious. Some of the flavorings were new to us -- at least not common experiences for us. Dill and lemon seemed to be used frequently. We wondered why we had never mated shrimp and rosemary. Not being fans of lamb, we were amazed by how much we loved the chops. The only disappointment was that the pork loin was a little overcooked for our taste, but most would not consider it to be. Even the pork had a wonderful flavor because of the seasonings and the good mushrooms. The touch of lemon on the oven roasted potatoes was a tasty surprise. You may correctly guess that we are not very familiar with greek cuisine. My partner shared the desserts, despite normally avoiding cinnamon [cause her headaches], but it was so lightly applied that no problems resulted. We had a bottle of Coppola Claret with the meal rather than the Greek Moschofilero with rowsewater and petals. The Claret complimented the lamb and pork nicely.
We used to frequent the Americana Diner for Sunday breakfast. We liked their eggs and their rye toast. Over the last two years, the Americana Sunday breakfast rush has seemed busier than the Turnpike at 5:00 pm on a weekday. If you can take the crowds, try the BTO omelette if the ingredients appeal at all.
We like the water ice and "gelatos" at Rita's Water Ice in Hightstown among many other locations.
Black Forest Inn
Pork shanks with sauerkraut, Beef Goulash with buttered noodles, sides of cole slaw and mashed potatoes, Cherry Chocolate Torte. Good bread with cinnamon butter, but plain butter also was served.
The Inn is in an old mill building on a stream that cuts through Allentown. The building is charming, but needs some maintenance.
The food was plain but good. The sauerkraut was rinsed and thus allowed the pork flavor to assert itself in the dish. The goulash was a good beef stew, flavored with paprika. The noodles had no special flavor, but were nicely buttery. The cole slaw was served with a clear sweet and sour dressing rather than a mayonaisse base. The potatoes were pureed and buttered. The torte was sweet and moist, with a pronounced chocolate and cherry flavor. The Black Forest Inn has good tasty comfort food that is vaguely eastern european with an emphasis on german style cooking. I suspect that german-american is the appropriate label. I liked a couple of the hungarian restaurants in New Brunswick in the 1970s much better. I am looking forward to trying the Blue Danube in Trenton.
In late April we decided to go once again for the Stuffed Eggplant. We were initially disappointed to find that Basil's regular menu was tempoarily displaced by a special prix fixe menu. It was Greek Cuisine Week. It was very enjoyable, although an enourmous quantity of food. Include were mageiritsa soup [Easter Sunday soup]; a cold appetizer platter composed of Dolmadakia [rice stuffed grape leaves], Revithosalata [chick-pea dip], Melitzanosalata [eggplant dip], Kafteri [a spread of feta with red spicy pepper], Tzatziki [cucumber, garlic, & yoghurt dip], and served with pita toasted on the grill; a hot appetizer platter composed of Kotopoulo Me Amygdala [chicken breast with almonds in feta sauce], Garides Skaras Me Dendrolivano [grilled shrimp on rosemary skewers], Kalamari Gemisto Me Elies Ke Feta [stuffed calamari with olives and feta]; Salata Horiatiki [salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers, olives, and feta]; the entrees were a choice of Paidakia Ala Polita [char grilled lamb chops with artichokes, peas carrots and roasted oven potatoes] or Gourounaki Me Manitaria Mavrodaphne Me Patates Fournou [grilled loin of pork with mushroom "mavrodaphne wine sauce roasted oven potatoes, and artichokes, peas, and carrots]; an a choice of two desserts, honey yoghurt souffle or Galaktoboureko [described as a custard in a phyllo dough -- it had a honey cinnamon sauce and the custard was dense, almost like a cheese cake texture]. The two of us ordered a different entree and dessert. We shared. The dinner was delicious. Some of the flavorings were new to us -- at least not common experiences for us. Dill and lemon seemed to be used frequently. We wondered why we had never mated shrimp and rosemary. Not being fans of lamb, we were amazed by how much we loved the chops. The only disappointment was that the pork loin was a little overcooked for our taste, but most would not consider it to be. Even the pork had a wonderful flavor because of the seasonings and the good mushrooms. The touch of lemon on the oven roasted potatoes was a tasty surprise. You may correctly guess that we are not very familiar with greek cuisine. My partner shared the desserts, despite normally avoiding cinnamon [cause her headaches], but it was so lightly applied that no problems resulted. We had a bottle of Coppola Claret with the meal rather than the Greek Moschofilero with rowsewater and petals. The Claret complimented the lamb and pork nicely.
We used to frequent the Americana Diner for Sunday breakfast. We liked their eggs and their rye toast. Over the last two years, the Americana Sunday breakfast rush has seemed busier than the Turnpike at 5:00 pm on a weekday. If you can take the crowds, try the BTO omelette if the ingredients appeal at all.
We like the water ice and "gelatos" at Rita's Water Ice in Hightstown among many other locations.
Black Forest Inn
Pork shanks with sauerkraut, Beef Goulash with buttered noodles, sides of cole slaw and mashed potatoes, Cherry Chocolate Torte. Good bread with cinnamon butter, but plain butter also was served.
The Inn is in an old mill building on a stream that cuts through Allentown. The building is charming, but needs some maintenance.
The food was plain but good. The sauerkraut was rinsed and thus allowed the pork flavor to assert itself in the dish. The goulash was a good beef stew, flavored with paprika. The noodles had no special flavor, but were nicely buttery. The cole slaw was served with a clear sweet and sour dressing rather than a mayonaisse base. The potatoes were pureed and buttered. The torte was sweet and moist, with a pronounced chocolate and cherry flavor. The Black Forest Inn has good tasty comfort food that is vaguely eastern european with an emphasis on german style cooking. I suspect that german-american is the appropriate label. I liked a couple of the hungarian restaurants in New Brunswick in the 1970s much better. I am looking forward to trying the Blue Danube in Trenton.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
West Windsor/Princeton Junction
Sunny Gardens has the reputation of being one of the best chinese restaurants in New Jersey. We like the food as well as the modern look of the restaurant. The food is very well prepared. The staff is hospitable to requests not to include msg in the food and will warn you when msg can't be avoided, as in pre-made stocks for some soups.
One take-out foray on Saturday night yields a few observations. Saturday night is a busy time for the restaurant. The parking lot was completely full and the restaurant lobby was crowded with people waiting for tables, some reserved, some not. Their take out service was prompt and courteous. During a hiatus in the cashier's work, they permitted me to pay prior to the food's delivery. As the credit card transaction was completed, the food came.
Our food included Steamed Shrimp Sao Mai, Mango Beef in Tamarind Sauce, and Stuffed Egglant. The steamed shrimp were a sort of a dumpling, shaped like a crumpled paper bag. The shrimp were fresh and had a slight crunch to the bite. I liked them enormously, but my partner, a shrimp lover, was less enthralled. We both adored the stuffed eggplant [stuffed with shrimp]. My partner, without knowing the name of the dish, described the mango beef as sweet, fruity, and crunchy. The mango was sliced and cooked. Atop the beef was an uncooked julienne that may have included mango and jicama. The tamarind sauce was not distinctive to us. The mango flavor predominated. The eggplant was a small slice butterflied and stuffed with shrimp that had a defined texture to the bite The dish was covered in a light garlic sauce. We ate at home and drank Gewurtztraminer with dinner. The spicy character of the wine went well with the seafood and the spicy sauce on the beef.
They have also been very accomodating about take out orders while we were without a kitchen. When I walk in the door they know who I am and they remember that I need both a plate and utensils for my order.
Another recent trip [April 2006] to Sunny Gardens had us ordering Steamed Mussels with Lemongrass as an appetizer, Eggplant Stuffed with shrimp in mild garlic sauce, a south asian Beef Curry, brown rice, and tea. My partner who normally loves mussels and lemnongrass, did not like these. I did. She just did not like the mussels, but the seasonings were ok. As usual we loved the stuffed eggplant. The Beef Curry was new. It was a tasty spicey stew, seasoned differently than any curry we had had before. We will need to taste it again to comprehend the flavorings.
Big Fish, Chili's, Chevvy's, Macaroni Grill, & On-the-Border are chain restaurants, with highly variable food quality and service quality. More-to-come.
One take-out foray on Saturday night yields a few observations. Saturday night is a busy time for the restaurant. The parking lot was completely full and the restaurant lobby was crowded with people waiting for tables, some reserved, some not. Their take out service was prompt and courteous. During a hiatus in the cashier's work, they permitted me to pay prior to the food's delivery. As the credit card transaction was completed, the food came.
Our food included Steamed Shrimp Sao Mai, Mango Beef in Tamarind Sauce, and Stuffed Egglant. The steamed shrimp were a sort of a dumpling, shaped like a crumpled paper bag. The shrimp were fresh and had a slight crunch to the bite. I liked them enormously, but my partner, a shrimp lover, was less enthralled. We both adored the stuffed eggplant [stuffed with shrimp]. My partner, without knowing the name of the dish, described the mango beef as sweet, fruity, and crunchy. The mango was sliced and cooked. Atop the beef was an uncooked julienne that may have included mango and jicama. The tamarind sauce was not distinctive to us. The mango flavor predominated. The eggplant was a small slice butterflied and stuffed with shrimp that had a defined texture to the bite The dish was covered in a light garlic sauce. We ate at home and drank Gewurtztraminer with dinner. The spicy character of the wine went well with the seafood and the spicy sauce on the beef.
They have also been very accomodating about take out orders while we were without a kitchen. When I walk in the door they know who I am and they remember that I need both a plate and utensils for my order.
Another recent trip [April 2006] to Sunny Gardens had us ordering Steamed Mussels with Lemongrass as an appetizer, Eggplant Stuffed with shrimp in mild garlic sauce, a south asian Beef Curry, brown rice, and tea. My partner who normally loves mussels and lemnongrass, did not like these. I did. She just did not like the mussels, but the seasonings were ok. As usual we loved the stuffed eggplant. The Beef Curry was new. It was a tasty spicey stew, seasoned differently than any curry we had had before. We will need to taste it again to comprehend the flavorings.
Big Fish, Chili's, Chevvy's, Macaroni Grill, & On-the-Border are chain restaurants, with highly variable food quality and service quality. More-to-come.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
