Mageirocophobia On The Rise Hello my fellow Omnivores and welcome. Question, have you been spending far too much of your disposable income ( is that a stupid term , or what?) on restaurant dining? If you have, it may not be your fault , you might just be suffering from an extreme case of “Mageirocophobia”. Now, I am just going to wait for a second while all you tech nerds type it into your Duck Duck Go (another dumb name) or Dogpile or whatever, like you love to do. Da,da,da,da, correct my friends, it is a fancy term for something very real affecting all our pocketbooks daily, “Fear of Cooking”. So let me ask you a quick question, how many of you like to cook? We’ve got one, two, OK almost nobody. Why? Because when you are standing at the stove, directions in hand trying your best not to ruin everything, the act of cooking can be , well, overwh...
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Harry’s Hacks , Kitchen Confidence Made Easy Hello my friends and welcome. I know that I might have mentioned this before, but have any of you noticed that you basically have to sacrifice your first born to pay for dinner? Do you find yourself gasping with disbelief when the check comes, asking “How much for what?” Are you having a problem comprehending how sharing flatbread and a salad could possibly come to $170 bucks? Well my friends, Harry has your back. If you have not already converted your kitchen to a large walk - in closet it might well be time to fire up that strange silver machine with the burner thingies on it and learn how to actually cook the food you eat yourself. Now you may not know this or care but there is more to me than just a pretty face. I am not just a restaurant town crier and food voyeur. I am a certified cooking fool, who has ruined more meals than Carter has little liver pills, and...
WE ALL EAT Hi Y’all. I really don't know what got into me this month but as we embark on the holiday season, I must admit, sadly , I am feeling a bit less celebratory and more disconnected than usual.The world seems too punitive, way too cruel and inhuman. Is it me, or does everyone just seem so confrontational? Now I am not really a Kum Ba Ya kinda guy but jeez, can’t we all just stop being so snippy? We are all human, breathe, love our children and most importantly, eat. Food, my friends, is magical. It connects us as part of the human family, makes strangers friends and transcends both language and cultural differences. It has been a kind of social superglue bonding us humans together since the dawn of time. In fact , sharing food is hardwired into our DNA, with communal hearths being discovered in the Middle East dating back at least 300,000 years. While pooling of reso...
Not Just Locals Only Hello my friends and compatriots, and welcome. It seems like forever since I last imparted my words of wisdom. This is largely for two reasons , one because I was too lazy and two because I feel I had nothing of import to report. I am sure that is alliteration or something, I should have paid more attention to Mrs Donahoe in my eighth grade English class instead of hurling spitballs. Anyway I’ve gotta tell you about my current crush, the very fine rustic Italian restaurant Locale, located right here ( 51 Oceanport Ave) in Little Silver. I know what you are thinking , just what we need ,one more Italian Restaurant added to the other 2869 located on most every corner , in every town in the state. Yawn. I get it , and you would not be wrong. You may ask. How is one supposed to navigate the open seas of underwhelming spaghetti sauce? Well my peeps , that is what you have me for and I take my non paying job qu...
BAD ADVICE Ya know, ever since I have been doing this column, I always try my best to give my readers good advice. I owe it to you all , because you have taken time out of your life to read this . Thanks, by the way . Then I was thinking , “What would be the worst advice that anyone has ever given you ?” Now there are many contenders for the worst words to live by but a few come to mind right off the bat. How about “What you don’t know won’t hurt you”. Now this is a good one , since it is my observation that most of the things we worry about don’t seem to happen at all, instead it's that unforeseen something coming out of left field that seems to kick your arse Six ways to Sunday. Not far behind are these words of wisdom , “What harm can it do?”, since it is my contention that as humans on this planet we generally have...
HOMETOWN (H)OMAGE Hello my friends and welcome. As some of you may or may know, my home town of Long Branch has a long and sordid history of only two things , charismatic wise guys with colorful names ( like the infamous Pussy Russo) and Italian fare to die for . Ask any old tymers about the good ol days and their eyes will glass over as they recall a young Frank Sinatra and his cohorts slurping Manhattans and raising hell at the infamous Continental between bites of Puttanesca or Ossobucco. Although the once great institutions of the past ( like Ilventos and Sirianni’s ) have vanished along with sub million dollar real estate , there are a handful of very worthy contenders that are continuing the tradition of drool worthy fare in our area. First off has to be the venerable and very tasty Trama’s Tratto...
Making Their Bar R Bar Greetings my bargain seeking gastronomes and welcome to my favorite time of the year. Now, I might have said this before but that was just another one of my favorite times of the year. Anyhoo, are y'all ready for a party ? Well, welcome my friends to R Bar (114 Main St, Asbury Park) , a Multi- “Fun” tual venue with live music, fabulous Greenhouse themed Roof Top bar and a very funky outdoor patio. This joint is friendly, fun and fabulous, thanks to the deft hand of ringleader and managing partner Casey Ritchings who keeps the party going and the inspired cookery of Executive Chef Mike (yes he is fine ) Feinberg ( late of Marc Forgione's American Cut in Manhattan). In fact, in my not so humble opinion, “R”, features some of the very best and most inventive Nawlins Cuisine you will ever have outside of The Big Easy. Their menu is replete ( Good SAT Word) with Delta inspired delicacies galore like light an...