MIDDLETOWN STRIP SHOW    



Hello my fellow subterranean arctic dwellers ,and welcome to the darkest , dankest, most depressing time of the year. Are you beginning to regret that you were too chicken to pull the trigger on that palatial intercoastal  condo,  you could have bought for peanuts back in the day? Well, now that I have sufficiently raised your spirits, let me ask you, could all y'all, use just a little treat to hold you over until the Summer Solstice? Of course you could. Hiding in plein site,  tucked away in an unremarkable strip mall between a luncheonette and pizza shop is the very remarkable (and great) Belford Bistro (870 Main St , Belford) , winner of my  last years “best meal of the year”,  award. The owners , husband and wife team Kurt Bomberger and Crista Trovato, late of Gramercy Tavern and Aquavit in Manhattan  have been quietly putting out, in my opinion, some of NJ’S most drool worthy fare. Virtually everything I tasted there was in a word stellar. Now I know I have said this before , but now I really mean it. This is a truly exceptional neighborhood gem on par with any French Bistro you’ll  find in “The City” without paying the Tolls. The Day Boat  Scallops with Pork Belly and Cauliflower Whipped Potatoes  could not be improved upon. The Bucatini Cacio E Pepe with Shaved Truffles  was just as decent and satisfying  as intended, as was the  tender Hanger Steak in shining  Burgundy sauce. Well as Jack once said (in the movie of the same name) “It doesn’t get much better than this”, unless of course you have the homemade peanut butter cup for dessert , just kill me now.  BB is, by the by, a BYOB ( wow thats  a lot of B’s) and is  the perfect place to crack open that bottle of Silver Oak you’ve been saving that your showoff aunt Sally brought over as a housewarming gift in 2019. It should also be mentioned that this is a bit of a splurge but what the hell , you never did take that trip to Tahiti you were planning  and you did save 8 bucks on the congestion charges. Run, do not walk to BB, it is only 17 miles away, lazy. Food rating 96.  

                         

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