Chain, Chain, Chain, Chain  of  Food



Looking for a place to meet that geographically undesirable  friend from (gulp)  North Jersey 


who you never see because they live in the boondocks? Are you trying to pick a spot that is only 


half way from nowhere?  Then I would seriously consider checking out Seasons 52 ( 217 


Lafayette St Edison ) at the Menlo Mall. Really, you ask?  Isn”t that a chain? At the Mall?  Yes, 


yes and yes. Ah, “Chain Restaurants”,  not a phrase  that conjures up thoughts of culinary 


dreams. The Olive Garden, Chili's, Applebee’s, food so mundane and boring , that you have 


forgotten what you’ve eaten even before you’ve eaten it. Well my friend, prepare to be 


surprised,  welcome to Seasons 52 the “Unchained Chain”. Seasons is a very upscale grill and 


wine bar featuring 100% fresh ( never frozen) ingredients  served at their seasonal peak, 


healthily prepared in a brick oven or roasted over an oak fire.  Likewise their seafood is 


responsibly sourced from family run farms and fishing boats. No Vietnamese Swai here 


masquerading  as your fish of the day. In fact, the whole menu screams light and healthy with 


large beautiful entree salads , fun appies and mains with a choice of 12 different proteins . The 


prices are also quite reasonable for the quality you receive . As per their name, Season’s  


changes its menu 52 times a year ,offers 52 wines by the glass and everyone pays $52 ( only  


kidding, I  just wanted to see if you are still paying attention). Also if you are in the mood for 


something more exotic, their upscale bar  offers some delish concoctions like  the Hawaiian 


Cosmo, Hibiscus Margarita or Elderflower Bourbon Sour. Now in its 20th year, Seasons is 


owned by The Darden Group (think the great Capital Grill and Eddie Vee’s ) boasting  44 


locations in 22 states and with  6 in  the Garden State alone including  Bridgewater, Paramus, 


Parsippany, Princeton , Cherry Hill and the aforementioned Edison.  All I can say is that this  

jaded food snob  has been delighted every time I have eaten there. It almost makes going to the 


mall fun (not really) . Share one of their  6  delicious flatbreads and you will see what a I mean, 


served up nice and crispy on a 2 ft wooden plank or opt for their outstanding  Maui Tuna Crunch 


Salad (only 360 calories) or their  savory crab cakes  or their anything. To me, Seasons is guilt 


free dining at its best . So let's check the score card: Innovative healthy cuisine , check,  


pleasant and well trained staff, check, great value for your dollar check .How come you don’t 


know about this place? Then again, that's where I come in. If you knew all these things , I would 


have nothing to say. So don’t ever go bad mouthing  chain restaurants again ; well you can if 


they deserve it which they mostly do but not this one  fellow food seekers  So until the next 


time , have fun and live well, my friends. You can also drop me a line  at harrynobilitynews@


yahoo.com as I am either lonely or need to be put in my place or probably both.


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
                                             BREAKFAST  BATTLES Hello my hungry friends, it is time again for my meaningless culinary words of wisdom. Actually,  I almost didn’t get started this month because I was “Across The Pond “, doing some vital  empirical research for you which can be summed up in one word ,“Shakshuka”. In case you  don't know , “Shakshuka” is a North African -Style Poached Egg Dish  in A Spicy Tomato Sauce  which appears on every breakfast menu in the UK. That along with the second most popular  offering ,  “The Full English Breakfast”, a dish that  somehow elevates  Heinz  Vegetarian beans ,and Orang...
Read more
Image
                         GO WEST  YOUNG MAN (OR LADIES)               Hello my penny pinching Gastronauts. Are you sick of the same old, same old? Then it could well be time to throw caution to the wind, top off the T bird with that  sub $3  gas and as Horace Greeley ( editor of The NY Tribune and failed presidential candidate ) once declared “Go West Young Man (Or  Ladies) .”  Now by West, I mean Freehold not Oklahoma. Our first stop on our journey has got to be the fine new  Turkish Restaurant Marmara (3710 US 9 Freehold) named for the small inland sea located entirely within the borders of Turkey. It is the brainchild of Bill Ayaz a Manalapan resident of Turkish heritage who has transformed this large space (seating for 200)  occupied by Ruby Tuesdays into an authentic mecca of Modern Turkish fare.  It is, if you ask me, ...
Read more
Image
                 Sweet  Dreams are Made of This …           Greetings my penny pinching Gastronauts, did you miss me? Well I missed you. So tell me , Mon Ami , do you feel like a bear emerging from  hibernation just  Jonesing to feel that warm sun on your face. I bet you do. Well my friends , it is time to party. How would you like to be sitting ala fresco at your favorite trattoria  in  sunny Piedmont sampling some freshly made Stracciatella ( homemade Italian Cheese) . Well you can , Tue Amiche, just ring up  the designated driver of your choice or what the hell, call an Uber ( because parking is a bringdown there)   and Andiamo your butt  over to the  fabulous  new Dolce Fantasia (521 Cookman Ave) in Asbury Park.  Now I can hear you thinking, ”Italian” , it is so boring, you can almost taste the...
Read more