BelleJo's Profile
Bouillabaisse in Marseilles
I'm going to be on a cruise that will stop in Marseilles. Any recommendations for a restaurant for bouillabaisse?
Lunch on Saturday in Princeton
I've eaten at Underground Cafe a few times. I think their location hurts their appeal. The food is fresh and flavorful. I believe the chef/owner is Bulgarian. I've tried the Bulgarian burger as well as their stuffed pepper and shish-ke-bab. Their website states they have an excellent rating from Zagat. For something a little different than what we're used to in Princeton, give them a try.
http://www.princetonrestaurantunderground.com/
Orlando Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives - any suggestions?
Please consider the Market Street Cafe in Celebration. It is an old fashioned diner with home cooking. http://celebrationtowncenter.com/dining/details/market_street_cafe/
Also check out Scott Joseph's page. He knows everywhere you can eat in the greater Orlando area. http://www.scottjosephorlando.com/
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Market Street Cafe
701 Front St, Kissimmee, FL 34747
Freehold Restaurants
Thanks for all the great suggestions. We finally chose A Little Bit of Cuba off of 537 in West Freehold. The food was authentic and the portions were generous. A couple of us ordered Ropa Vieja, the house specialty.
Freehold Restaurants
I'm meeting some friends in Freehold this weekend for dinner. Any recommendations for a restaurant? We prefer organic and a menu that will have some interesting selections for my vegetarian friend. Ethnic is always a good choice.
baba ghannouj recipe
I'm looking for an authentic baba ghannouj recipe. I seem to recall a recipe that contained a spice (maybe zataar). All of the recipes I have seen recently are similar to hummus. The only difference is that the eggplant replaces the chickpeas. Any suggestions?
Vegetarian Restaurants in Orlando
I'm going to a conference in Orlando in a few weeks. I will be accompanied by a vegetarian colleague. Any good recommendations for a restaurant in the area of the Orange County Convention Center?
Restaurant and Gourmet Supply Stores?
Another great day trip is Chelsea Market in NYC. It has Bowery Kitchen Supply which sells restaurant supplies more than what I have found available locally.
Chowish eats in Orlando?
I'm staying in Kissimmee in a development that is fairly close to where you will be staying. Unfortunately, this area is chain restaurant heaven. A couple of places I'd recommend although they are chains, the food is good. One is Carrabba's on Rt. 192. The food is quite good for a chain. I assume you will have transportation. The town of Celebration is fairly close by and has a few nice restaurants. For a casual and family oriented place, please try Market Street Cafe. Celebration has a wonderful farmers market on Sundays from 9 - 1 in the downtown area. I bought some gorgeous tomatoes and strawberries there. Whole Foods has a store that opened 6 months ago that is a wow store. It's best to shop there on your way from the airport since it isn't worth battling traffic to go back that way. You have to get off Route 4 at the Sand Lake Road exit. At the end of the ramp, turn left and proceed 1/2 mile. Whole Foods will be on your left. The best food market near where you will be staying is the Publix in Clermont on Route 192. That means it is the second Publix on your right once you get on 192 from where you are staying.
Recommendations needed: Princeton, NJ
Since you want light fare, I would suggest Olive's on Witherspoon Street if you don't mind sitting at a counter. They only have a few seats but everything is homemade and you have a number of choices including entrees and great sandwiches.
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Olives Deli & Bakery
22 Witherspoon St, Princeton, NJ 08542
Acacia Restaurant in Lawrenceville
It's probably less about the shrimp and more about the lack of interest in feedback from a customer. When you, George, state that "to call the restaurant the next day seems slightly excessive", I am surprised to hear that from a former restaurant owner. No matter what the industry, it seems to me that we all should invite feedback from our client base. Based on such feedback, we all strive to improve what we do. I found the owner and manager of Acacia uninterested in hearing what I had to say and somewhat dismissive. Even if they did not agree with me, it would be in their interest to keep me happy. Otherwise, I go off and start posting about what I consider a negative experience on a message board like this one.
Does Anyone Have a Bread Maker?
I recently brought my old breadmaker up from the basement. I forgot how wonderful bread smells when it is baking. Some days I just use it to make dough and then bake it in the oven. Other times, I let the machine do everything. The folks at KA flour claim that breads that are kneaded in a breadmaker rise higher and better than those kneaded by mixer or hand.
DANISH BREAD DOUGH WHISK
I have both the large and the small whisks I purchased when KA first started to carry them. However, I have never seen them in a retail store. I use them for a variety of tasks. Today I used the large one to revive and feed some forgotten sourdough starter that was in my refrigerator. I love the small one for muffins, waffles, pancakes. Good luck with your purchase.
I know epi's doing it, but what are your 5 favorite kitchen things?
1. My pot hanger over my kitchen peninsula that keeps everything within easy reach.
2. Stainless steel French press for great coffee that stays hot.
3. Le Creuset dutch oven for lots of wonderful comfort food.
4. Electric breadmaker for easy homemade bread
5. KitchenAid stand mixer for too many things to mention
Acacia Restaurant in Lawrenceville
What's the difference between comping an appetizer that has been eaten versus offering a free appetizer the next time you come to the restaurant? I fail to see the distinction.
when did you start to become interested in food?
Everyone in my family was interested in food and cooked so it was all around growing up. Then, at age 19 I went to Madrid for my junior year of college. It opened up new flavors and food experiences for me. I remember coming home and cooking Spanish dishes for my family.
cookbook purge: how do you choose?
I've purged books but inevitably look for that one recipe and the book is no longer here. I'm usually sorry months and even years after I've donated books elsewhere. Sometimes I lose interest in a particular type of cooking (like Spanish in my 20's) but then it makes a comeback and I no longer own the book.
How to handle a reaction to food allergies at a restaurant?
I did read that but thank you for clarifying nonetheless. I agree that NewtoLA06 made a mistake in not inquiring first if the dessert contained nuts. However, I also think that the server should have been more concerned about whether or not the allergic reaction was going to cause serious medical problems (hence the offer to call 9-1-1 or contact a manager for direction). I must say I'm a bit surprised at the reactions of other posters in not seeing any responsibility on the part of the restaurant. If someone has a minor heart attack in a restaurant, do we say that person should't have eaten high cholesterol foods and walk away? I doubt it.
Cauliflower? Ummm... Yummmm!
A family favorite, especially at Thanksgiving, was creamed cauliflower. Just steam the florets, make a cream sauce with a little nutmeg added in and combine the vegetables with the sauce. Delicious.
How to handle a reaction to food allergies at a restaurant?
I am going to offer a little support to newtoLA06. Yes, it is your responsibility to manage your allergy and ask if the food contains an ingredient you can't have but how many of us have slipped up and eaten something on occasion we should not have? Certainly I have done so. Secondly, I agree with the posts suggesting an epi-pen. If you are allergic, you have to err on the side of caution. However, I don't think the server did her job. Allergies can be life threatening. newtoLA06 did inquire if the dessert contained nuts and was told no by her server. It wasn't until the server went into the kitchen and asked did she discover that the dish had nuts. That server was told that the diner was having an allergic reaction. She should have asked if the diner needed a 9-1-1- call or at the very least, she should have contacted her manager. People do die from these allergies. I knew someone who had a similar situation at a catered party, was informed by a server that a dish did not contain nuts, but became very ill. It turned out that there were nuts in the food. She used her epi-pen on the way to the hospital but did not survive the episode. People with allergies are not just fussy diners. And yes, restaurants have a responsibility to post their ingredients, especially those that are likely to cause a severe reaction as nuts do.
Seven-Layer Cake in Mercer County?
The Village Bakery in Lawrenceville is a wonderful old fashioned bakery in the European tradition. The owner/baker is willing to work with her customers. I don't know if she does 7 layer cakes but it's worth a phone call. I just had a birthday cake from her that was excellent.
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Village Bakery
2 Gordon Ave, Lawrenceville, NJ
trimming Silpats?
I agree with dscheidt. Since there is fiberglass in the Silpat, you could be asking for trouble. Also, I have seen one that is sized for a toaster oven. Check any large kitchen supply or housewares store.
Do You Get All Fussy?
I don't think that the generations were as you described. I think history and ethnicity of the individuals (Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y) influenced their food choices more than their ages. I'm a Baby Boomer and had Italian grandparents. Food was important in my family and it was connected to family and friends. The kitchen was the center of life in that house. Everyone cooked and it was about eating locally and organically before it became trendy. I recall stories about my grandmother cooking huge meals during the Depression and feeding down on their luck salesmen who would come to the door and who couldn't afford a meal. This may account for your grandmother and friends eating food that helped define their class. My dad who experienced the Depression as a boy, would buy everything in sight in a grocery store once he was an adult, just because he could. I agree with some of the other posts that the dividing line is foodies versus non-foodies. I know a lot of young people who eat food that I would never consider. Some of them never think about what it means to enjoy food. Others eat the most expensive thing on the menu because that communicates their success to the world. Not getting "all fussy" about food may indicate how we take it for granted. Yet, the understanding of how our food gets from producer to market to our table is a crucial one. When your grandmother and her friends were young, acquisition of food was not nearly as easy as it is today. We assume if we want to eat strawberries or a melon in the dead of winter, we can go to our local food market and buy something out of season that has been shipped to the store. Those were not assumptions made in the 1950's - 60's. I think food has a real value in our lives but it has a symbolic value as well.
Orlando Recomendations for non-hounds
I'd recommend the Market Street Cafe in Celebration. It is an upscale diner and everything is fresh and homemade. They have excellent entree salads, great sandwiches as well as serving neutral dishes like meatloaf and turkey. They also have all day breakfast. Their prices are very reasonable. Although the link to a place address will say Kissimmee, they are actually in the nearby town of Celebration.
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Market Street Cafe
701 Front St, Kissimmee, FL 34747
Acacia Restaurant in Lawrenceville
I think the manager should have done something like remove the price of the appetizer on the spot. Instead, I had to take it a step further and call the owner. Frankly, I found her a bit defensive and thought that her response was presumptuous that I would return there for dinner considering their lack of interest in my concerns at dinner the night before. I have been a long-time customer of Acacia (about 15 years or so). These are fairly new owners. The previous owners were more hospitality oriented.
Eating Local: Princeton
The Lawrenceville Farmer's Market is my favorite. When they close for the season I head out to the Trenton market but the Lawrenceville Market has a community feel. Have you seen the Edible Jersey magazine? http://www.ediblejersey.com/content/ It is usually available at the market or at the Village Bakery in Lawrenceville.
Best tomatos for making pasta sauce?
Caralien, I live in the Princeton area and I have never seen the NJ Fresh canned tomatoes. Where are they available?
Your favorite ravioli fillings?
I was invited to dinner and the host made her Genovese Italian family recipe for ravioli. They were filled with cream cheese, sausage, and spinach. Outrageously delicious.
Lawrenceville Inn, NJ - BIG Change
Thanks for the update but I'm sorry to hear that a potentially lovely restaurant like this with local ownership was unable to survive.
Acacia Restaurant in Lawrenceville
I recently had dinner in Acacia's Restaurant. The quality of the food was very good as usual but I was very disappointed in the appetizer. I ordered their grilled poached pear and cilantro marinated shrimp appetizer for $12. Another member of my party (we were six diners) ordered the fried pumpkin ravioli appetizer for $10. My appetizer consisted of only 3 shrimp that appeared to be medium shrimp. The pumpkin ravioli appetizer consisted of only 3 ravioli. I told the server that I was disappointed to receive 3 shrimp for $12 and the size of the shrimp was fairly small. She said she agreed with me. When I received the bill, no adjustments had been made for the appetizer and a 20% gratuity had been added on for a party of six. On the way out, I spoke to the manager who apparently had not been informed about my comments on the appetizer. He said that was a standard menu item and no one has ever complained. I decided to take it a step further and called the owner the following day. She told me these dishes were appetizer sized portions and reiterated that no one has ever complained. She said that the shrimp were 16/20 shrimp. She did offer to buy me an appetizer the next time I came in for dinner but I felt that my feedback as a customer was not valued. I was very surprised that they were not more accommodating, especially in these difficult times.
