Ole Ole Foods: Jamon!

by Melody Kettle


Porkophiles and lovers of Spanish food, imagine this: a warehouse filled with Iberico and Serrano hams, Mahon, and aged Manchego by the wheel, boquerones, and tuna in olive oil, smoked paprika, and almost every conceivable type of chorizo known to our pork loving palates. Imagine, this divine space opens it's doors and allows us to graze like hogs on the products of Spain, while filling our arms with purchases to triumphantly display at our foodie parties.  We needn't only imagine, because, yes Virginia, this place is real. And it's in Belleville, New Jersey, a place called Ole Ole Foods. 

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Cheers Upper Montclair Style: De Novo | Montclair

by Melody Kettle


I'm a serial luncher (note: not a cereal luncher). As such, my options seem a bit exhausted at times.  And, in BYOB-centric Montclair, the possibility of lunch with a cold beer or a cocktail is slim. 

Enter DeNovo, and re-enter Demetri Malki. Malki, who is hardly new to town, gained a loyal following with Table 8 and D'metri's, but De Novo is his largest and most ambitious venture to date - and, most notably, it has a liquor license. 

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A Winter Retreat: Ledges Hotel & Settlers Inn

by Melody Kettle


Are the Poconos too cliche for an anniversary getaway?  I mean, we've all heard the stories (gasp - from our parents!)  about champagne glass hot tubs and mirrored walls and ceilings. That's what I knew of the Poconos. 

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Oysters, Weiners & Big Ice Cubes: Lunch at Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen

by Melody Kettle


He had me at "Weiner Vault." As if two floors flush with cuisine and the best cocktails in New Jersey weren't enough, restauranteur, Christopher Cannon, saw fit to add a biergarten-style Weiner Vault - complete with a neon sign and all forms of tubular and spherical meat product - in the cellar of Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen, his three floor epicurean dream run amuck.  Michael White kerfuffle be damned - Cannon is my kinda guy! 

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Aston Martin Restaurant Motor Club at Strip House in Livingston

by Melody Kettle


Last week, the Restaurant Motor Club, a dinner series created by Aston Martin Summit | Short Hillshosted their second installment at the Strip House of Livingston. The dinner featured five courses of over-the-top American steakhouse cuisine, including a three-meat entree, from executive chef Bill Zucosky.  And, because ordinary just doesn't do with the Motor Club, each course was paired with American Bourbon, Whiskey and Rye's coordinated by Whiskey Ambassador John Oliver of R&R Marketing. 

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Fall Recipe: Pumpkin Cheesecake with Brûlée Topping

by Melody Kettle in ,


Here's an easy recipe for a creamy pumpkin cheesecake with a bit of brûlée crunch. 

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