Francesco Palmieri, chef and owner of The Orange Squirrel, has long been a fan of the macabre, with a particular penchant for Vincent Price. Along with his wife, Elaine, The Palmieri's have acquired a sizable collection of horror memorabilia, including the Vincent & Mary Price Cookbook - A Treasury of Great Recipes.
Read MoreNoches de Colombia: Basically, it's a Colombian Diner
Until I dined at Noches de Colombia with Mr. Hot, I thought there was no such thing as too many chicaronnes (pork cracklings). Noches de Colombia (with other locations in Englewood, Paterson, Clifton) opened it's doors in Montclair about three months ago. Essentially a BYOB Colombian diner, Noches serves three meals a day, seven days a week, and fits all the diner specs: large, laminated menu with thumbnail photos, enormous portions, reasonable prices, a bakery section, acceptable fare, and service that could never be criticized as overly precious.
Read MoreOrange Gonads, Tongue Tacos & More! Villalobos, Montclair
Sizing up the orange gonads sitting astride the guacamole, my business partner, Liz, asked, "so...do we just mix it in?" A nod in the affirmative came from Adam Rose, 32, chef/owner of Villalobos in Montclair.
Seated at the counter, overlooking the open kitchen during a #tacotuesday lunch service, we stirred in the orange gonads of a the hedgehog of the sea,
Read MoreFarm to Fine Dining: The Farm at Pleasantdale
Executive chef Mitchell Altholz took a leek - in fact, he took several - as he left The Farm at Pleasantdale. The leeks will return with Chef Altholz to Highlawn Pavilion, a sister property of the The Pleasantdale Chateau, where the oniony sheaths will be braised and plated with Japanese Wagyu.
Read MoreFestival Diaries: Looking Back, From Back of House
An internal documentation, recitation, regurgitation, and evaluation of the festival - unlike any other - including the good, the bad, the paranoid, and the exhausted. It may be worth a write, and, possibly, worth your read. The following raw and rough excerpts are from my notebook, my iCal and a small journal I keep which lend a back of house view - of the Montclair Food & Wine Festival.
Read MoreEVENT: Pop-Up Cinco de Mayo Party with Villalobos at Pig & Prince
Pop-Up Cinco de Mayo Party with Chef/Owner Adam Rose of the soon-to-open Villalobos (6 South Fullerton Avenue, Montclair, NJ)
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