This was quite a weekend eating fest! A bunch of us went to Nikki's Grandma's house in New Jersey to celebrate Passover. It was so great to get away from the city, even if it was only for a day and a night. What's more relaxing than driving down tree-lined, winding dirt roads, swerving to avoid beavers on the road and listening to Kashmira sitting in the back of the car singing along to a song with the lyrics, "drop Ds on that bitch"?
The Passover dinner was amazing. I got my annual fill of haroses. Everything from the matzo ball soup to the brisket and matzo and vegetable hash was delicious. The chocolate cake was fantastic - it definitely didn't taste anything like those flat and hard flourless chocolate cakes that I've had before. Apparently the matzo meal is what makes the cake so moist.
I'm so glad Nikki is my friend. And Jewish.
In addition to the Passover meal, here are some other culinary highlights from this weekend:
- Essex Market Restaurant
This is the restaurant attached to the Essex Street Market. The dishes are a cross between Jewish and Latin cuisines - reflecting the ethnic and cultural diversity of the lower east side. Unfortunately, the waiters and waitresses were not wearing tight graphic tees and skinny jeans. I ordered the blackened catfish, which came on a bed of potatoes, chopped scallions and shrimp. The fish was tender and flaky, and the cream sauce that came with the dish was rich without being too creamy and nauseating. Everyone else's dishes look great as well - I saw crab cakes, potato pancakes, filet mignon and mac & cheese. Despite the difficulty with the reservations (you have to put down a credit card and will get charged a fee for missing your reservation), I have nothing bad to say about the service. Especially since our waitress so graciously gave us 8 drink tickets so she could make room for another party. The atmosphere was laid-back and the decor was simple: high, airy ceilings, simple black tables and chairs, lighting that was dim enough so that everyone appeared to have a rosy hue, but bright enough to still see what you were eating. Thumbs up!
-Sally Lunn's
An adorable Tea Shop in Short Hills, New Jersey - Molly has been raving about this place for years. We stopped in to have scones and tea on Saturday afternoon, before the Seder. My scone was warm and moist and came with clotted cream and fruit jam. Nothing is worse than a hard and dry scone! Eating pieces of a warm scone topped with cream and jam, following by a few sips of earl grey tea from a dainty teacup is the best thing in the world. It makes me feel like a little girl and an old lady all at the same time.
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