Food and Wine Corner

          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...

  We’ve Got To Get Ourselves Back To The Garden Hello my friends and homies , let me ask you a question, are all you all you all just feeling just a little bit anxious lately? Like you are waiting for the next shoe to drop , only one bit of bad news away from disaster? Like if you were a piece of Sushi you would be an “ Out of Control Roll” . Are you feeling , now how should I put this, Just a little freaking uncertain? Well my friends if it makes you feel better, there are very good reasons for this and one of them is quite close, buzzing and pinging in your pocket. Never before have we been so distracted, so disconnected from nature and the spiritual world. Little beknownst to us, there is an industry spending virtually a trillion dollars annually to capture your time and attention . While it may seem relatively harmless , there is a “ Toll for the Scroll”, a cost we all pay for our modern conveniences and that among other things is a loss of wonder and separation from the earth,...

                            LIVIN THE LIFE Hello my excellent friends and welcome to the very  best time of the year. Ah, Spring! The birds are singing, the buds are budding , the Yankees are cheating, the days are getting longer and everyone is is just so anticipant ( if that's a word).You can almost smell the plethora of fertilizer blowing off your neighbors lawn, and hear his wife chirping , “I told you it was too windy”. Even the word “Spring”  just connotes forward movement, leaping ahead, a new beginning and who among us wouldn’t want another chance to foul it all up again? Not Moi. FYI, Spring” or more accurately, “The Spring Equinox “ is called such because the sun is  positioned directly over the equator dividing  the periods of day and night time equally. Who knew? Not me, perhaps I should have listened more intently in science c...

  BETWIXT AND BETWEEN  ( IF IT ITCHES, THEN)  Hello my Besties and welcome to that in between time year when we are all waiting  for that big yellow ball to return to the sky, for the lilies  to bloom, for  the Robin Red Breasts to make their appearance and for the Umpires ( if they are not electronic) to yell “Play Ball”. Yes my friends it is that “Almost Time” of the year when you can feel it trying to be spring. Soon you will be able to watch the commotion at the garden stores as they scramble to double their prices of anything green , knowing full well that you will be buying them twice, once far too soon watching them freeze overnight and later when it is actually warm. And so my friends, where should you go while you're waiting for the snowbirds to return to Capistrano? Glad you asked. I for one would hightail it over to one of my favorite local haunts, the consistently excellent , always  satisfying rustic Italian Skratch Kitchen (812 Main St Br...

                       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 i...

    UP ON THE ROOOF Hello my wonderful friends and Happy Holidays. I sincerely hope that you and yours have found your way to Tim McLoone’s   fabulous addition to the Jousey Shore , AP Rooftop (1200 Ocean Ave, Asbury Park).Take the dedicated elevator to the third floor and you’ll know you have arrived at  what feels like your private  club in the sky. And what a space this is. It is shiny and sexy with soft glowing lighting, a killer bar and  a plethora of floor to ceiling windows showcasing a 270 degree panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean. Now I don’t know whether it is the warm welcoming vibe, the high ceilings or just gazing out onto the ocean but there is certainly something that makes me feel instantly calmer  at AP Rooftop. To me the place just feels special. Maybe it is the masterful job that  super restaurateur ( and super person ) Tim McLoone has done in putting this shining Asbury venue together. Now just in case you recently  land...

    WE'RE GOING TO THE CHAPEL     Hello, my very awesome and  tasteful friends. Ya know, I always felt that my home town of Long Branch was somehow missing something. It seemed contrived, lacking the personality, creativity and yes, the  coolness factor of Asbury Park. This is apart from the fact that  it was historically, the birthplace of many literary giants, including Poet Laureate  Robert Pinsky, Pulitzer Prize Winner Norman Mailer and most humbly yours truly. Now if the only Culture that concerns you, is written on the side of a Cherbani Container, it may well be time my friends to expand your horizons. Enter the fabulous art and event  venue, come gastro pub, come environmental marvel; The White Chapel Projects (15, 2nd Ave, Long Branch). The WCP is aptly named for  the bustling district in London’s infamous East End  a virtual epicenter of art, culture and most importantly the home of Jack The Ripper ( who has sinc...

             Now That The Boys Of Summer Have Gone Hello my very awesome friends ( you know who you are) . I hope you have all  heeded at least some of my recommended warm weather spots and slayed summer at Jersey Shore. Well, it had to happen sooner or later but the boys of summer  are starting to load their beach chairs  into the Woody and you are just beginning to feel  hints of the brisk chill on the back of your neck. It may well be time to check that lightweight  wool sweater in your winter drawer  for moth holes, ( “Damn  how do they get in there ?”)  top off your tank and head for the hills. But where to go? Well, I am glad you asked , my friends. I for one am heading West  to “The Blue Bottle Cafe ” (101 E. Broad Street, Hopewell) ,  just 10 miles out from nearby Princeton and downtown New Hope , PA . The  BBC is headed by Super Chef  Aaron Phillipson, late of La Cote Basque, The Ryl...

           THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS ( PART DEUX)                                    LOCAL EDITION Hello  my hungry friends. Harry here. I know it hasn’t been long but it is seriously  hard for me to contain myself.  I was really not done with the list of “My Favorite Things” , which have pathetically changed my world. You know I always thought that it takes a bit of talent to find  the best takeout and dining spots , if you ask me, which you didn’t. But as usual , I feel compelled to tell you anyway. Besides, life and happy hour is short and I just can’t live with the fact you might miss something. After all, that is what I am here for. So without further ado or additional loquaciousness (another good SAT word) here it is : Tremendous Takeaway ( Mark...

                                        TAIL OF TWO BIRDS    Hello my fellow bargain seeking omnivores, did I hear you asking me  what's new? Well I can’t really hear you , but I am still pretty sure  you asked. Coincidentally , there just happens to be two new Avian named restaurants that you should flock to sorta speak, competing for the best new spot. This begs the question: Why  birds?” Did you know that there are almost 100 million birdwatchers ( 35% of the population) in the US alone. Last year they spent $250 billion on their hobby. That is not chicken feed . Anyway where was I? Oh, Yes. Are you looking for a cool new spot on the water with finely crafted pizzas?  Look no further my friend and meet me at Catbird (1215 Sunset Ave, Asbury Park) This is the former location of what locals called “The Canoe Place”, essentially a cabin perched on S...

  HOT TOWN , SUMMER IN THE CITY  Hello my fellow summer fun seekers. ( Say that 3 times fast).   Are you looking to hang out at a beach concert with 100,000 of your closest friends? No , you are not , but  the good news is neither am I. But  what I don’t mind doing is sipping some ice cold beer , munching on crispy fried clams with waffle fries while watching the boats go by. But where to go? I am glad you asked. BTW now I am not guaranteeing that you can actually park there ( and having a fistfight over the last parking space  could  kill your  buzz) so it might be expedient to finally use that outdated UBER app that your friends grandson installed on your phone four years ago .Yes, the APP is  black  and no, you can't share the cost of  the ride with 14 other people  cheapskate).So for what it’s worth  (or not , you decide ) here is my list of ,Water, Water Everywhere , the Shoreist of the Shore : Watermark Asbury, (800 ...