FUTURE FEEDINGS
I don't know about you, but when I'm stuck in traffic, I sometimes fantasize about what kind of food I wish I could find here at the Shore. (I also think how much nicer Mainers are to out-of-state motorists flailing about on roads up in 207-land than I am to visiting drivers down here. Every year when I'm Down East, I see Mainers at busy intersections waving ahead vacationers with Jersey, Pennsy and even New Yawk tags. Massachusetts' drivers, however, generally are not afforded the same kindly treatment. It's a long story.)
Anyway, here's a bit of a wish list, in no particular order.
I'd love to see a locally owned and operated artisan bakery. With real good bread. I'm not talking about shipped-in-bread from other ports, but hand-crafted bread. Hand-crafted HERE.
While we're baking, what about a true patisserie?
Charcuterie is probably the hottest commodity in the food world right now, with the best chefs doing their own and some even skipping out of the restaurant realm to make their own salumi on a full-time basis. Wouldn't it be dynamite to have a place that specialized in that genre, perhaps one also serving a little wine and, of course, some good cheese and, maybe, a spot of marinated vegetables?
You've heard me gush about Momofuku Noodle Bar and Momofuku Ssam Bar in New York, both owned by the brilliant chef David Chang. Well, I believe his talent is singular, but that doesn't mean we couldn't do with a true noodle house here or a place where Korean wrap sandwiches can be procured.
Taking that a step further, anyone who has experienced kimchi (a.k.a. kimchee) or any of the various bap (a.k.a. pap) rice-centric dishes in authentic Korean restaurants knows we need one here. Badly. You'll hanker for it like you crave sushi.
And how about an Indian restaurant that serves more than the standard-issue dishes? To those Indian restaurants that insist on continuing with only the common, why is it that the best tandoor-style chicken I've eaten in New Jersey was at a contemporary American restaurant on Long Beach Island? (Blue, in Surf City; reviewed Aug. 12).
Well, that's for starters. How about you? What do you wish for?
Cheers,
Andy
8.17.07
Anyway, here's a bit of a wish list, in no particular order.
I'd love to see a locally owned and operated artisan bakery. With real good bread. I'm not talking about shipped-in-bread from other ports, but hand-crafted bread. Hand-crafted HERE.
While we're baking, what about a true patisserie?
Charcuterie is probably the hottest commodity in the food world right now, with the best chefs doing their own and some even skipping out of the restaurant realm to make their own salumi on a full-time basis. Wouldn't it be dynamite to have a place that specialized in that genre, perhaps one also serving a little wine and, of course, some good cheese and, maybe, a spot of marinated vegetables?
You've heard me gush about Momofuku Noodle Bar and Momofuku Ssam Bar in New York, both owned by the brilliant chef David Chang. Well, I believe his talent is singular, but that doesn't mean we couldn't do with a true noodle house here or a place where Korean wrap sandwiches can be procured.
Taking that a step further, anyone who has experienced kimchi (a.k.a. kimchee) or any of the various bap (a.k.a. pap) rice-centric dishes in authentic Korean restaurants knows we need one here. Badly. You'll hanker for it like you crave sushi.
And how about an Indian restaurant that serves more than the standard-issue dishes? To those Indian restaurants that insist on continuing with only the common, why is it that the best tandoor-style chicken I've eaten in New Jersey was at a contemporary American restaurant on Long Beach Island? (Blue, in Surf City; reviewed Aug. 12).
Well, that's for starters. How about you? What do you wish for?
Cheers,
Andy
8.17.07
posted by Andrea Clurfeld at 8:22 AM
4 Comments:
I wish we had an In and Out Burger;
I wish we had more places that were not as insistent on overcharging for wines but that we had more wine bars that focused on unusual varietals and matched them with great tapas.
We need more places other than coffeehouses to focus on desserts, a true patisserie would be outstanding.
Finally, we need a way to continually preserve regional and local food sources and promote them.
The brand-new bakery in Atlantic Highlands called The Flaky Tart may just be what you seek. Really terrific, very authentic French pastry, along with nicely-done standbys like crumb buns and the best croissants I have had outside Paris. I've made weekend pilgrimages since it opened 2 weeks ago.
Having grown up in NH, I can shed some light on the kindness to strangers. NY and NJ drivers have a bad reputation, so letting them go saves wear and tear on yourself. (PA was ok, so maybe it's just force of habit.) But nothing would help with MA drivers. Putting as much space as possible between you and them is just self-preservation, and usually doesn't work anyway.
FREEHOLD - It just may be the end of an era, one that included ice cream sundaes on hot summer nights and hot dogs after a Little League baseball game.
Customers of the Jersey Freeze ice cream stand and restaurant at Route 9 and Manalapan Avenue may have to switch their appetite from ice cream and grilled food to a plate of pasta and a side order of garlic bread.
On Aug. 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Borough Hall, the Freehold Borough Zoning Board of Adjustment is scheduled to hear an application filed by Chesapeake Companies Diversified Group LLC, of Minnesota, seeking a use variance to build an Olive Garden Italian restaurant on the property where Jersey Freeze now sits.
In order to complete the project, Jersey Freeze will have to go.
The property where Jersey Freeze sits is in Freehold Borough and Freehold Township. It is owned by Bruce Blackmore, who has run Jersey Freeze since 1980. Blackmore's father founded the business as a seasonal ice cream stand in the early 1950s. It eventually became a year-round restaurant.
Blackmore said he wanted to keep Jersey Freeze where it is and is disappointed that he is not able to do that. He said the Olive Garden representatives wanted the restaurant to be able to be seen from the highway and that means Jersey Freeze has to be demolished.
He said the Olive Garden must be built where it is proposed on the property because the liquor license for it must remain in Freehold Borough. Blackmore said he will seek a new location for Jersey Freeze.
For some people, Jersey Freeze is more than just a place to buy ice cream. It is a place that holds wonderful memories. Many people who have been customers for years now have their grandchildren in tow as they pull up to the restaurant.
Over the past few years Blackmore has negotiated with representatives of Ruby Tuesday and the Outback in an effort to bring a restaurant to the site. Those negotiations did not pan out. In furtherance of developing the site, Blackmore demolished a vacant home on the property in 2006 that had served as a real estate office for years.
Attorney William Mehr, of Freehold, will represent the applicant before the zoning board.
Mehr said the parcel of land in Freehold Borough is in a residential zone and requires a use variance in order for a restaurant to be built in that location. He said if the Zoning Board approves the use variance, the applicant will return to seek site plan approval.
The application that is scheduled to be heard on Aug. 28 states that the current use of the property is Jersey Freeze restaurant and ice cream storage building, residential house and parking.
The document also states that the applicant proposes to remove the present uses and construct a 7,762-square-foot restaurant and a 3,669-square-foot bank with a drive-up window. The application also calls for landscaping, lighting, parking areas and stormwater management.
Scheduled to testify on behalf of the applicant are a representative from Bohler Engineering, Warren, and the applicant's planner, Allison Coffin, of James W. Higgins Associates, Ocean.
Mehr said additional details about the plan will be presented at the Aug. 28 Zoning Board meeting.
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