RANDOM RESTAURANT THOUGHTS
I was speaking this morning with John Roberts, who for 17 years was president of the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade. We were talking about Sickles Market, which has won the NASFT's prestigious retailer of the year award, a particularly big deal for a market in Little Silver, N.J. (We'll be highlighting Sickles in the Food section of Wednesday, July 4.) Anyway, John, who has lived for 15 years in Rumson, offered some personal observations of eating in this area that I found reflective of comments I've heard from many folks over the years.
"When we moved to Rumson 15 years ago,'' John said, "our feeling was that this area was behind the times in terms of restaurant innovation.'' Perhaps restaurants relied on tourism, rather than creativity in the kitchen, to keep business strong.
John, who now works as a consultant in the food industry, had vast experience and lots of travel under his belt to support his observation that "at that time, not a lot of places were offering exciting dining experience.''
He feels the area is beginning to catch up with the culinary times - - and he credits folks such as Bob Sickles, owner of Sickles Market, with vision and determination to innovate and educate.
Just as I was finishing the Sickles' story this morning, a colleague came by to tell me of a disappointing dining experience she'd had at a local restaurant. A local restaurant, I should note, that is extremely popular. What did I think of the place? she asked. Behind the times, with a menu that hasn't evolved in years. Resting on very, very old laurels -- and very dependent on visitors to the Shore.
Our conversation brought to mind many of the excellent points John Roberts made to me and prompts me now to ask you: What restaurants in our midst are resting on old laurels? What restaurants chronically disappoint when you expect them to excite?
cheers,
Andy
6.27.07
P.S. Samaha's Farm Market, on Lloyd Road in Aberdeen, opened for the season this week. I talked to farmer-owner John Samaha this morning and he was picking all those good squashes and early-summer vegetables we've been craving. It's open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. FARMERS: Please post right here on this blog when you open your markets and farmstands for the season. Tell us your address and your hours of operation. Or e-mail me the info at clurfeld@app.com and I'll post it all for you. Whenever new crops come in, or if you have something special and/or unusual, either post it here or let me know so I can spread the good and delicious word.
"When we moved to Rumson 15 years ago,'' John said, "our feeling was that this area was behind the times in terms of restaurant innovation.'' Perhaps restaurants relied on tourism, rather than creativity in the kitchen, to keep business strong.
John, who now works as a consultant in the food industry, had vast experience and lots of travel under his belt to support his observation that "at that time, not a lot of places were offering exciting dining experience.''
He feels the area is beginning to catch up with the culinary times - - and he credits folks such as Bob Sickles, owner of Sickles Market, with vision and determination to innovate and educate.
Just as I was finishing the Sickles' story this morning, a colleague came by to tell me of a disappointing dining experience she'd had at a local restaurant. A local restaurant, I should note, that is extremely popular. What did I think of the place? she asked. Behind the times, with a menu that hasn't evolved in years. Resting on very, very old laurels -- and very dependent on visitors to the Shore.
Our conversation brought to mind many of the excellent points John Roberts made to me and prompts me now to ask you: What restaurants in our midst are resting on old laurels? What restaurants chronically disappoint when you expect them to excite?
cheers,
Andy
6.27.07
P.S. Samaha's Farm Market, on Lloyd Road in Aberdeen, opened for the season this week. I talked to farmer-owner John Samaha this morning and he was picking all those good squashes and early-summer vegetables we've been craving. It's open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. FARMERS: Please post right here on this blog when you open your markets and farmstands for the season. Tell us your address and your hours of operation. Or e-mail me the info at clurfeld@app.com and I'll post it all for you. Whenever new crops come in, or if you have something special and/or unusual, either post it here or let me know so I can spread the good and delicious word.
posted by Andrea Clurfeld at 1:57 PM
8 Comments:
Checked out Samaha's today. Nice Squash & White Peaches. Tomatoes & Corn aren't Jersey yet (of course) but they are coming real soon! The tomatoes did however look pretty good......
What restaurants in our midst are resting on old laurels? What restaurants chronically disappoint when you expect them to excite?
Everyone: Help Andrea out please, don't just read my comment, add yours...
WITHOUT A DOUBT, OTT's/THEO's in Ocean Grove - it is the biggest advertiser in your paper, but the worst in terms of what they offer!
Bad food, nonexistent service - review them and put them away, please! Let's get a real eatery on the waterfront, please...
Huge tourist trap...avoid it!
Others whose bloom is off the rose for food:
Who's on Third - Spring Lake
SHORE CASINO - Highlands
CAPTAIN JACK's - Ocean Grove
Murphy's - Red Bank
Blue Swan Diner - Oakhurst
All Seasons Diner - Eatontown
www.marsilios.com
Marsilio's in Trenton to close for 2 months while owner owns the Quarter Deck Buffet in LBI - it will reopen September (date TBD) for a 2 month swan song until November 11th when it will no longer offer a la carte dining, for private parties only...
sad... :-(
I totally agree with the first poster about Theo's - we went there for Fathers Day breakfast before the beach and we walked out before we even sat down - why?
they were out of food at 11am - lines were ridiculous, and for what?
right through the Casino building there's a great little place, I think it's called the Tides, good food and no lines! Help Asbury out!
Just for starters, how about Rooney's and Pier House in Long Branch--two places that seem to think it's ok to pass off sub-par food at high prices just because they're on the ocean. To my taste, Rooney's has always sacrificed nuance to sheer number of ingredients and show--decorating fish like a parade float more than enhancing its essence. And speaking of starters, even their lobster bisque--which was always rather superior in the area--was sparse and even a bit "off" last visit.
Next, forgive me if there have been improvements in the past year at Pier House. But for all the fal-de-rol surrounding its kitchen at opening, there is a very good reason I never returned after a first visit. Every single dish was nearly inedible.
Old laurels? Ye Cottage Inn, Bahr's (although they still make $$$)and just about every Italian restaurant in the area - some of them even rest on others 'old laurels - oh and every Chinese take-out......
You are SO right about the vast majority of Italian places. And not a single decent Chinese take-out ... or sit-down for that matter. Sure, Little Szechuan is all right. But it's so limited. I know a place in Vermont for goodness sake that runs circles around it. (Of course, when I lived in Vermont I couldn't understand how all 32 pizza places in one small town could all get it so very very wrong:)
Ah, Chinese takeout - that's a topic unto itself. Folks tend to have their local favorites, where they get the same dishes time and again and accept them for what they are. Or they avoid the genre. Personally, I think the best sit-down Chinese restaurant in the area is West Lake Seafood in Matawan. But it's important to go for authentic dishes there. Just north of West Lake on 34 is Shanghai Bun, which has fine dumpling and noodle selections on a separate menu. I also had some fun Taiwanese food at China Palace, inside Harmony Bowl on 35 in Middletown.
I wish, I mean WISH, that someone would open a noodle house. I would love to go to a place and have real Chinese Beef Noodles with a hint of cinnamon, or soba tossed with a lemon-herb-soy vinaigrette and shrimp. Know what I mean?
Is there a Chinese takeout you know of that does a decent to good job? With FRESH food?
cheers,
Andy
7.3.07
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