What’s up at Upstairs? The trendy Upper Montclair bar and restaurant, has undergone quite a few changes recently, including the departure of general manager, Scott Hirschberg, and other staff. But so what? Montclair’s restaurant scene is ever in flux; restaurants open, close, reinvent, and retool regularly. Why should a personnel shuffle be a headline? Because Chef Trevor Perkins, the 31 year-old chef, and Verona native, has been named executive chef by owner of Upstairs, Aki Kaneda. - See more at: https://melody-kettle-njrw.squarespace.com/blog/2013/4/29/new-chef-new-plates-at-upstairs-montclair#sthash.1UNYmwc9.dpuf
Read MoreMeatless Monday: SO Tasty Vegan Pop-Up Dinner at Trattoria Rustica
Montclair is about to get a little more vegan-friendly! Sally Owens of SO Tasty Vegan will be cooking up delicious vegan and gluten-free dinners every Wednesday night at Trattoria Rustica. Dinner will begin at 7:00pm and will be a pre fixe four-course meal.
SO Tasty Vegan’s pop-up café will begin on Wednesday, April 24th with a special introductory rate of $32.95 per person. Sally hasn’t released the evening’s menu yet, but she promises it will be gorgeous! Seating for the first night’s dinner is limited to 40 people, but more seats will open as the weeks move on. Reservations are required. Once a weekly flow is established, Amanti Vino will join in with wine pairings.
SO Tasty Vegan is the project of vegan chef Sally Owens, a.k.a. "SO". Sally has always been innovative in the kitchen – not always by choice due to a dairy allergy – but when she went vegan she quickly learned it was her entire lifestyle that was transformed, not merely her diet. The passion, heightened awareness, and artistry born out of her relationship with food unexpectedly flowed into every dimension of her life. SO Tasty Vegan is Sally’s commitment to share her discoveries with anyone and everyone interested in cultivating a better understanding of the intricate relationship between their food, body, and lifestyle.
The SO Tasty Vegan Pop-Up Café begins at 7:00pm on April 24th at Trattoria Rustica, located at 517 Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair. Reservations can be made by calling the restaurant at (973) 783-3436. Visit SO Tasty Vegan’s Facebook page for schedules and menus. (Note: there will be no dinner on May 6th.) You can bet that Hotwill be on hand on the 24th and we’ll let you know all about it on Meatless Monday.
Let's Get Porked: Lou Palma
Rob Nicolosi and Lou Palma at Nicolosi Foods in Union CityIt all started about three years ago. I was a new blogger on Baristanet with a penchant for pork, when an ill-fated attempt to make prosciutto led me to Lou Palma.
Shortly after the article bemoaning my prosciutto failure was published, Montclair food enthusiast and author, Laura Schenone, emailed me and suggested I contact the pork curing maestro, Lou Palma. I immediately emailed Lou, and the rest is porkographic Montclair history.
Read more on Devil Gourmet.
Bryan Gregg to Open Escape in Montclair
Chef Bryan GreggThe Montclair restaurant saga continues! Chef Bryan Gregg, formerly of the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn and Michael Anthony’s, has announced his plans to open Escape, at 345 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair.
Read MoreNuevo Latin Cuisine at Mamajuana in Secaucus, NJ
One-third through my first Coco Mojito, I became blind to the traffic zooming by on Route 3 East. It’s safe to say, that if I were capable of only three senses – taste, smell and sound - I might fancy myself somewhere in the Riviera Maya. But I wasn’t in Playa del Carmen or Tulum, or some sexy South American city. I was in Secaucus, NJ.
Montclair Food & Wine Festival Culinary Scholarship Video
Montclair Food & Wine Festival from Mido Emad on Vimeo.