Mesob in Montclair is one of my favorite restaurants, and it’s well loved by local vegans. Not only do they have an extensive meatless menu, but they’re sensitive to the needs to vegans and they cook their vegetable dishes in dedicated vegans pots. I usually take out-of-town visitors to Mesob to impress them with delicious Ethiopian food they probably won’t be able to get back home, and because it’s always it fun to eat with your hands.
There are a lot of really good restaurants in our area. Often times, many go overlooked – but not by Hot From The Kettle®. I recently had an awesome lunch at Ryan DePersio’s Bar Cara in Bloomfield.
I started out with a little antipasti of grilled octopus with shaved sunchokes, and tomato vinaigrette ($12). The crisp sunchoke, also referred to as Jerusalem artichoke – has a crisp texture of an apple, the color of gingerroot and a somewhat rooty, water chestnut flavor. Dressed with tangy, crisp vinaigrette, and laid on topped of charred octopus, it was a fresh and satisfying opening course.
For all those who didn’t know, take heed: Bar Cara makes great pizza! The dough at Bar Cara undergoes a 24-hour cold ferment – like any great pizza dough should – and has a nice flavor profile that is noticeable and a light lift. I enjoyed Ryan’s Pie which is topped with sauce, ricotta salata, house cured-pancetta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and a sprinkle of chive. This pizza is everything a pie should be.
Saturday was the first day of fall, my favorite time of the year! Signs of autumn are here with cooler days, trees full of colorful leaves and bright orange pumpkins on display in the grocery store’s produce department. I’m already looking forward to sipping warm mulled cider, making my first pumpkin pie of the year and taking my annual pilgrim to the orchards of Warwick, NY to pluck my own apples straight from the tree.
