Halcyon Hosts Kunde Wine Dinner

by Melody Kettle in , , ,

Last night many of Montclair’s true blues, (or authentic locals) attended the Kunde Family Estate Wine Dinner at Halcyon Seafood Brasserie, located at 112 Walnut Street., Montclair. 

This was a very special event that also brought together two Montclair families with long histories as local business owners.  For this event, Sharon Walsh Egan, host and co-owner of Halcyon, as well as Egan & Sons in Montclair and West Orange, collaborated with fellow Montclair family, the Powers, specifically, the Egans’ butcher, Martin Powers and his sister, Jacki Powers. 

Before Halcyon Seafood Brasserie occupied the space at 112 Walnut Street, it was Oppenheimer’s Wholesale Meat Distribution Company, which was owned by Jerry Kroll.  It was also the former site of Wayne Meat Corporation, which Martin Powers operates today.

Watch the video for more with Sharon Egan, Jeff Kunde, and Jacki Martin.

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Pal's Cabin Celebrates 79th Anniversary!

by Melody Kettle in , , ,

Remember Panoramic Eggs? I do!

by Melody Kettle in ,

I was strolling through Dulce Candy Boutique with my brood when all of a sudden I encountered a blast from Easter past: Panoramic Easter Eggs.

I remembered receiving these confections as a child, and enduring the bitter-sweet torture of not being allowed to bite into the sugar shell. So, I would stealthily whittle a chunk of sugar from the back, or simply lick the egg all over just to get a taste of the sugar. Fond memories!

So when I saw these eggs, I was so excited, I bought one for each of the kids and one for myself - just kidding! The point is timeless Easter candy does exist.

Co-owner, Melissa Tripoli, says the retro eggs have been very popular this year, and another big seller are the Barley pops, and foil carrots (pictured below).

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Drumm and Duck Fat Ciabatta - Bobolink Dairy!

by Melody Kettle in ,

Frolic, Baudolino, Cave Aged Cheddar, Drumm (left to right)During last month's thaw, I took a trip with Chef Michael Carrino out to Milford, New Jersey to visit artesanal cheese mecca - Boblink Dairy. 

I first sampled the unique cheeses, such as Drumm, Jean-Louis, and Baudolino, at the Summit Food and Wine Festival last September, where I also met proprietor, Jonathan White.  

On our visit, Nina, Jonathan's wife, taught me about the lifecycle of Bobolink Cheese. From the grazing fields, to the milking gallery, to the vats, and finally to the tasting in the bakehouse.

Watch the video below for see Bobolink for yourself:

 

If you're not up for taking the trip to Milford, you coould order cheese from Bobolink on-line. 

I left the Bakehouse with a Duck Fat Ciabatta and some phenomenal "crazy" Drumm.  Once we arrived home, it was gone in an hour!  For me it's all about the Drumm and Duck Fat Ciabiatta.

For the entire visit stay tuned to Montclair TV34, HomeTowne TV, and SOMA TV. 

Top O' The Mornin To Ya!

by Melody Kettle in , , ,

I love a good Irish Pub as much as I love conch shacks and cured pork. St. James Gate Publick House, 167 Maplewood Avenue, is everything an Irish Pub should be and a wee bit more.

St. James exudes the quintessence of an Irish Pub; it s warm, inviting, convivial, comfortable, and just a little bit dark.

The story behind the restaurant is just as authentic as the floor boards, which were sourced from Guinness vats in Dublin, Ireland.

The tale goes something like this: Irishman, John Meade, spent thirty years as a beer salesman. He did well, but yearned to become a Publickan. In 2003, he did just that and transformed the location on Maplewood Avenue from a men s clothing store into St. James Gate Publick House, taking the very name from the bottle of Guinness. To make his pub as authentic as possible, Mr. Meade imported furniture from Ireland, and even integrated wood from the Guinness vats into the wooden bar floor.

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The Aga Oven Breakfast

by Melody Kettle in ,

This morning I had the pleasure of enjoying a divine breakfast courtesy of Dr. Naomi Grobstein and her Aga Oven!

Naomi prepared a full breakfast! Steel cut oatmeal, broccoli quiche, cranberry scones, roasted asparagas, onions and tomatoes, zucchini bread, and toasted almonds and cashews. 

And delicious it was!  The quiche was moist, yet perfectly browned, the scones were fluffy, the vegetables carmelized, and the toasted nuts were rich and full of flavor. 

Naomi is very passionate about her three oven, cast-iron Aga.  She humbly insists that her expertly executed fare is little to do with her, and more to do with her beloved Aga. I tend to think it's a little bit of both.

If you're unfamiliar with an Aga, here's how it works:

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