Taste of The Nation- Princeton

Join us for an unforgettable evening. Remember 100% of the ticket sales benefit:

• Mercer Street Friends
• Isles
• HomeFront
• Food Bank of South Jersey

Who would pass up a great night of Food ~ Wine ~ Fun! one that supports great local charities (one of whom I work for)? Most food enthusiasts do not mind the $75 (early bird)/$85 price tag, because it does go to charity. New York City's Taste of The Nation is a far bigger and more expensive event, but think of all that food and wine you might have to pass on. Sometimes a small event like TOTN hosted by The Westin, Princeton at Forrestal Village is just the right amount of good food, wine, and friends.

100% of the ticket sales of this fine dining and tasting event helps ensure no child in Mercer County will go hungry- Chef Stephen Pyles, of Dallas, Texas were I am from helped instrument this organization's beginnings, TOTN & Share Our Strength, and we have enjoyed attending most all of them for the past 20 years (most of them in Dallas).

My open mic/musician friend Rich, Chef of The Blue Rooster put on a big smile as he helped plate up and pass out his tasty Mushroom Julian with local artisan cheese. We have not gotten over to the restaurant yet, but the menu looks great. Another colleague Chef Even Bromglen of  Rocky Hill Inn Eatery & Tavern had three lovely bites for the crowd- One being a few of our friends favorites- a crab and corn tuile. Tre Piani, Jim Weaver, my landlord and rental source, Alchemist & Barrister, On The Bone (great steak for a hotel restaurant), The Westin (also has been good) and so many more I cannot name, at least forty in total.

McCaffrey's display of Masa boats and Edible Spoons (1st photo) was a fun distraction from a few of last years bites. They are a fun things to make for parties, and you can fill them with ingredients like black bean salsa, mango mixers like you see in the photo, and also a favorite of my clients- Cheese Polenta with tomato confit. A great tropical beach theme menu. Elements, Chef Scott Anderson made a grand entrance with an egg shell/crate presentation- Carbonara "in shell", local asparagus, and "our bacon" Parmesan (A custard like mixture with bits of crispiness).

There was much much more, and even with the mingle plates we have on hand and bring, juggling the camera, wine and food in tow, can be a task. Seems like much of the fun was taking place in a corner, on the left as you entered- Wine Toss. Yes, you could take your best 'carnival' toss and land a white ring onto any bottle and walk away with a pretty decent wine.They say its all in the wrist. The line was not as long before the crowd began to arrive, but it was hard to get a good 'shot' at the actual toss, so you will see a little animation added to the photo.

All in all, it is a worthy experience, and a few food blogs were roaming around as well, so I am sure you will hear more about this event from their view points.

WINE: There was a Bonterra Merlot and CA Ferrari-Carono, CA Chardonnay at one table in addition to other things I didn't try. At another table a great Geyser Peak Cabernet, and a Spanish wine we would buy, but cannot remember the details. New Jersey wines were served as well, but I am partial to Amalthea Winery in south Jersey, but Louis was not there.

Elements of a Food Enthusiasts In The House!

There are so many Elements of being a foodie in Princeton, that one might agree it could take four panelist to show how the range of likes and dislikes are so vast... 

THIS Examiner (Sue Gordon), plus journalist Pat Tanner along with food blog Linda Prospero and Phyllis Knight will be talking all things food at the Princeton Foodies and the Food and Places They Love event at 7 pm on Thursday, April 8th at the Princeton Public Library.

Topics will include the Princeton food scene, favorite local restaurants, food blogging and writing plus great food books, movies and so much more.

We’ll be taking questions and comments from the audience too. Come and join in the conversation.

Princeton Foodies and the Food and Places They Love
Princeton Public Library
65 Witherspoon St.
Princeton, NJ
Thursday, April 8th, 7 pm
In the Community Room
Admission is free.

The word 'Free' is not what got my attention, nor 'food', but the 'Princeton Foodies' section. Why? Because three people (two food blogs I follow) were attending I had not met before who live, eat, and breath in my neighborhood were going to be sitting in the same room with my friend Pat Tanner, and other foodies! This had been scheduled in February, but due to a 'snowageddon' it was canceled.

This panel of Princeton area “foodies” (Sue Gordon pictured here) talked about all things edible – from ethnic restaurants and family-friendly places to farmers’ markets and their favorite food blogs, and how the area has taken off as a local, organic, and sustainable community in a discussion followed by questions and refreshments.

The panelists were:

Princeton Food Examiner- Sue Gordon
She has taught cooking for more than 20 years, including a stint at Princeton’s Whole Foods Market. She is a graduate of the Cordon Bleu School in London.

Food Blog- Phyllis Knight (MeHungry)-
Knight’s blog is popular among the food-obsessed. She and her husband plan vacations around food and love nothing more than wandering the aisles of food specialty stores.





Phyllis made two desserts and brought what unfamiliar eaters might consider 'strange' ethnic food for the audience to try, such as a 'Thousand year old egg', century egg, or even called a preserved egg. People were on her table after the symposium like ants at a picnic, or excuse my use of cliches, but like 'White on Rice'!

Linda Prospero (CiaoChowLinda)-
Prospero’s blog (pictured below) focuses on home-cooked Italian food, a topic she knows well from spending a year living in Italy.

Food critic/columnist, New Jersey Life Blog, Pat Tanner-
Tanner is well-known locally for her articles and reviews in New Jersey Life, The Star-Ledger of Newark, The Princeton Packet, The Times of Trenton, and several other publications. Anonymity is part of her job as a food critic, so when she visits restaurants a few times to write solid reviews no one will recognize her.

What did you walk away from after listening to them bounce back and forth on topics such as favorite- restaurants (ethnic or other), blogs (many I follow), markets, ingredients to cook with, strangest ingredient to cook with, food network show (Top Chef seemed to be in the lead), cookbooks, chef's, and so many wonderful things about the time-line of Princeton's food scene one might not ever know.

I admit you did walk away with a lot of things to remember if you did not take notes as I did, but one of my favorite things to hear, since I have only been on the Princeton food scene for five years now- The time-line of so many restaurants I have only heard of, eaten at that are gone, and the current ones surrounding my neighborhood (chefs may or may not mentioned).

Of course 'Elements' is the hot spot for me, and 'new' favorite restaurant on the scene for much of the panel. Some Chef Scott Anderson love was going on, and it has put Princeton on the 'food' map I believe. Many people have told me over the past years that Princeton was behind and still not up to par on the quality of eateries, compared to other local townships for being such a 'literary' cultured demographic. Not to mention the money circulating in the area. In spite of the Momo group- Mediterra, Eno Terra, and Theresa's in Princeton. It was said that Momo came with offerings of Tapa's and the town's people were not quite ready for the unique dining experience, or shushi, so they closed only to reopen later.

Yet the campus alone has so many eating clubs as seen in the top photo! Food is either prepared on site, or many times one of the restaurants I worked at, Masala Grill is catered in. I loved learning that Indian restaurants had not hit the scene until the late eighties. The panel discussed how Princeton was not ready for food such as sushi and curry, but Italian and basic food chains offered the only eats in the area for years. Even a few of the eating club chefs such as Bobby Triggs became savvy by opening The Ferry House shortly before the boom of shopping boutiques came on the scene. Nassau Inn & Pub, along with Alchemist & Barrister around the corner alley, was probably the only place open in town.

HEY! Some of you out there- they mentioned quite a of you as their favorite blog reads. Some of you I have already shared that news! So be on the look out for new followers...

PS- Someone out there may (I hope you are)or may not be thinking- "Where is the Wine-Down Wednesday post"? Good point and one thing I was disappointed about the panel. I would like to see more of a marriage of food and wine. Wine is a food group right? Well Pat mentioned Elements had wine, and about how when you add wine to the high price tag of eating out it adds to the economy of things, and also mentioned a few places were BYO, but I would have liked to have been the 'Food ~ Wine ~ Fun!' element to that panel. Oh well maybe next time! I did however go home afterward and have a nice glass of Iron Horse Pinot Noir I paired with two dishes in a video Partners In Wine Club filmed earlier that day!

Iron Horse Estate Pinot Noir paired with a mild dressing, creamy feta cheese, and a black bean and grilled chicken salad. The creaminess of the cheese along with the earthiness of the beans and wine was a perfect match! Join us April 18th as PIWC Tweet for Earth Day, and share this wine! Hashtag #GreenValley

"F, F, F", and "F F"!

My weekend, well it did not start off so good. I was surprisingly calm when I discovered my car missing from my parking spot after I was done with teaching Friday afternoon. Was it stolen, or did a tow truck haul it away to vehicle jail? I could have been using Gordon Ramsey's 'F'avorite word, but my title stands for "Friends, food, fun, and Fiasco Friday".

Friday was the first day of culinary class at the newly located Isles building. Trenton is not the greatest place to leave your vehicle unattended (we had a parking lot before). My van was taken, and it took me all night to find the thing, and without the help of police "Thank You Very Much"! A big headache, but I will have it back by Monday afternoon, and hopefully all in one piece. Moving on, as I am still unusually calm, maybe shock is a good word...















A Saturday get together challenge with our AWS friends more than made up for 'Fiasco Friday'. Earlier in the week, Adrienne and I discussed how much we enjoy doing progressive dinners. I thought this would be a fun addition to Mommy Gourmet @ My Original Recipes blog challenge of how we each entertain in our own fun ways...~ Here is MG's post...

The plan- to start out at our house with a round of appetizers paired with a wine sampling; move to a restaurant for the main course; then another hot spot for dessert, or after dinner cocktails. I found the time to make one of my appetizers- Scallion Potato filled 'Pierogi's' with Asparagus. This was not quite the spread nor the traditional pierogi I had planned, but I figured all would understand. My class had so much Asian marinade/sauce left from our feast; that I decided to use a little, since I now had time constraints out of my control...

After some great conversation we headed to a new restaurant in our area, J.L. Ivy. We found it quaint and friendly staffed, but not the 'French' infused restaurant it presented itself at launching. Our friends already had guessed it used to be a once popular establishment from long ago, The Rusty Scupper. We shared that it must be a law that every time it is mentioned in the media, The Rusty Scupper appears as well. I have never eaten at a Rusty Scupper, nor does it sound appealing, but they say it was decent.

Word is, J.L. Ivy menu is all over the place, and we agree. The 'BBQ Fluke Rolls' turned out to be the winning dish on this visit, so we would come back just for the sushi bar. Four small plates to share was plenty, and the wine list is wonderful. Three bottles suited our taste buds. Sounds like a lot, but we sat for a long time before moving on.





















When our check arrived, escorted by the manager explaining to us the table next to us got our bill and without question, they paid. We paid for theirs with a discount. This surprised us, but what about the others, as tomorrow they will awake and realize "Hey did we order those three bottles of wine, and martinis"? Who doesn't look at their check before paying?





















'The manager brought over our check that had been paid, but gave us the lighter one...'

Off to the next adventure... Thank goodness we rode in their car, because we were having at great time laughing at each others stories from the past, that I was happy to sit back and relax for once. Elements was chosen as the 'dessert' destination. Sharing the memory of my 'Brown Butter Whiskey' excited them, and Adrienne was looking for a place to take her college graduate son in a few weeks, so this was a chance to check out the establishment.

As we sat at the bar, the bartender, or should I say 'Mixologist' was shaking around a few unfamiliar cocktails. We decided to sample. Mommy Gourmet, you would have loved his truffle infused cognac martini made with their home made grape fruit bitters. What a refreshing drink that was! After more laughter and good conversations with the staff at Elements, we knew the magical midnight clock was about to strike. Off we rode in their chariot into a Sunday morning twilight; then hubby and I drifted off into a peaceful slumber. Food, fun, and good friends are a great way to end the week!

















Scallion Potato filled Pierogi

Dough

2½ cups of flour, or more if needed
1 tsp salt
1 egg
2 tbs. sour cream
½ cup lukewarm water

Sift the flour, and then mix all the other ingredients together, and knead a few minutes. The dough should not be very smooth, and it should be quite sticky. Let stand covered with an inverted bowl for 1/2 hour before using. Take a portion of the dough, and roll it out until it is 1/16" thick, using round 2" molds make about a dozen or more for filling.

Filling

2 1/2 lbs of red bliss
2 bunches of scallions, chop small to medium
salt/pepper to taste

Finely chop the onions and fry in butter until golden brown. Peel potatoes and cut them into thirds; cook until tender. Once cooked, completely drain potatoes and mash with no liquid. Add fried onions, salt and pepper to taste, and blend together.

Fill each round and then refrigerate over night covered, so filling may cool.

Isles Culinary Class- Asian Marinade/Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon lemon grass paste
1 tablespoon cilantro paste
1 teaspoon chili paste
3 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup vegetable stock, or chicken stock

In a hot saute pan, add oil and asparagus cooking for about seven minutes, or so, to brown, remove and set aside; add the remaining ingredients together in the same pan over the medium-high heat, reducing by half. When ready tuck in pierogi, and simmer for a few minutes. Serve over asparagus.





















'A squeeze of orange, and a lighter, our mixologist at Elements dazzled everyone with his magic...'

Gordon Ramsey Update: The staff working at Elements (our last stop this post) knows someone who works at 'Flamangos Roadhouse' and filled me in on the same info I had gotten last week, and confirmed the new info from my friend Robert C.- I spotted the Gordo today lacing into some people in front of the restaurant. He was dramatically leaning towards them when I snapped a phone pic- nothing. The car was going too fast. I noticed he highlights his hair. Good job though. Looks very natural. He has a good stylist. He's also remarkably fit looking- and tall.

I am hoping to go back, and between Elements staff and Robert C., I will get into that re-launch party to meet Gordo! I am enamored by his whole persona now...

Key 'Elements'- Facts, Dinner, Lessons

'Kindai Bluefin Tuna'




This information is based on facts, a dinner, and lessons learned and are here presented to you, hopefully, in an entertaining and educational way -Chef E

Kindai Fish Species- Sustainably raised in Japan- Kindai maguro/Kindai tuna stands for Kuromaguro tuna entirely fed by humans, states my friend Robert Gilles @ Shizuoka Gourmet. I had noticed he wrote about the cloned embryos hatched and raised in ocean cages off the Japanese coast, a solution we have yet begun to grasp in our country to help with over fishing, polluted waters, and millions of hungry fellow human beings around the world.

I reached out to Robert and shared with him that I was attending a Kindai Dinner at a local restaurant, Elements, here in Princeton, New Jersey- an event to highlight and raise awareness of Kindai Tuna and other cutting edge fish farmed with sustainability with the wild population in mind- . A big 'Thank You' goes out to Robert for pre-educating me on this matter, and he has since written a new post to address my comments- Tuna Species: Kindai tuna/Kindai Maguro. He also made a comment that I find to be important enough to share, "It is also a very important issue to me to. The more because Japan is being unfairly accused of all kind of evils when it comes to fishing! This is the single country most active in marine preservation development and research"!

What I want to inject now is that Robert @ Shizuoka Gourmet introduced me to something new by way of his sharing what goes on around him in Japan, and now I would like to share how it was brought to my door step by way of Scott Anderson, Executive Chef of Elements Restaurant. If you follow my blog I had already made one visit to the restaurant, and due to a mysterious disappearance of a pint of cream, an over worked cook, hungry lover, a plot thickened into a saucy tale-'Elements'...What Son?. A few friends since then have given me mixed reviews about their restaurant experience at Elements, but I will not go into minor mishaps and still feel then and after last night that we would return for future events, and see what new things Scott and the staff have added.















As you arrived, park, and enter through the glass door that bares a familiar initial 'E', a moderately filled area around the bar was buzzing with diners. Wait staff quickly greeted you with a tray of fluted sparkling sake that was nice and refreshing, not too dry, sweet, but just right to start the evening. The hostess was asked what the schedule was. Diners were informed a six thirty to seven'ish reception time was to be expected. Soon modern shaped plates of three or four appetizers began to circle the room. Kobe Tartare stuffed Shishito peppers (favorite), Foie gras torchon, Caviar and Tator Tots, as well as Peterson's Charcuterie of the evening on crostini to name a few.




















The crowd began to displace to the dining room as one might guess many were ready to sit and relax after a long work day. Time actually slipped by as you can occupy your time people watching. Nick Sakagami was being interviewed by a familiar face from the original Iron Chef Food Network show, a local Today Show guest was encircled by friends who recognized him as they came in, the kitchen staff was full of extras from a local sushi restaurant, Shumi in Somerville, NJ, and well it was just an interesting crowd all around.



















Eventually all seated, Chef Anderson enters the room and introduces the key parties in pulling off this unique dining experience, and hence the wait staff begin their quest to serve the crowd.



















Chef Anderson was found to be equally approachable as I did the other stars of the night, so in my true form I chatted away. He has said yes to discussing to a group of inner-city culinary students coming into the restaurant for a tour and a talk from him and the staff. This would be a great opportunity to introduce young men and women to what I find to be the perfectly flowing kitchen and restaurant design in my career. The talent should be shared, so that a star in my class would also have the opportunity to shine one day.














Dinner finally begins to appear slowly but surely. A plate of Sushi and Sushimi are placed in front of each diner, Classic and Not So Classic the menu reads. Feeling there was a key element missing from this dish, several pieces of sushi were lifted to see if a hidden sauce was present once bites were taken. Fish may shine on its own at times, but possibly a little dehydrated soy-miso-hoisen sauce might have gave it a little more kick. Each dish had an addition of libation pairings to go along, and the Chokaisan, Junmai Daiginjo, Tenju Shuzo Brewery Sake was a perfect match.














The second through the fourth course slowly arrive as most of the room seem to patiently sit, conversing, having wine or cocktails that may or may not be paired with the courses. We dine on dishes of Shima Aji that had tequila vinegar, smoked maple steel head trout roe along side tiny cubed Stayman Winesap apples...













Madai in green goddess consomme with cucumber and parmigiano, Kampachi that is coffee cured along with Tokyo scallion that seemed seared and oh so yummy!














After that fifth course we were served in a more timely manner than our last five dishes, and I have to mention that Chef Anderson is from Florida, so like me I found out he likes his chicken skin. He created a dish of Mahata that was wrapped and cooked in chicken skin to absorb some of its flavor, and set atop creamed corn with a piece of dehydrated BBQ sauce off the corner. The taste was very nice I might add.














Then one of my favorite dishes of the night was sat in front of me, the Wagyu Beef ('Wa' means Japanese and 'gyu' means cattle), with white miso and yuzu reduction. Lets just say the beef with its natural flavor and marbling literally melted in your mouth.














The Bluefin (loin) Bourgogne (as in the waiters words) "What the meal was all about" was placed in front of us. The dish like most was a bowl of color (carrots), contrast (crunch of edamame and silky pearl onions), and the ever so present thick slice of loin on top of the bourgogne sauce made from a short rib base with an offset corner piece of Otoro artistically placed on the loin.

The final two courses were Fish & Chips and Chocolate Cube with cardamom sponge (looked like sponge, but it was a cake) along with a creamsicle side and crushed pistachio. The fish and chips were fun as you tasted the thinly sliced tuna tasso with the potato chip ice cream's silky smoothness and crunchy bite, and off to the corner was the cute little dab of malt vinegar caramel. This was a great ending to the wonderful education.















What Scott along with Nick Sakagami did was introduce a full house of diners to the concepts and flavors of Japanese cutting edge fish breeding by way of the Kindai Tuna (listed on Elements website), as well as new Kindai species that have not been served in the United States as of yet. He presented nine of the ten courses with grace and skill that showed off each component of the fish. I know if he is reading this (I found out he read my last piece) then I would like to share that for your first event of this proportion your team in the back and front pulled it off without the diners knowledge of any problems. We might have waited a little too long for some of the first courses, needed a few added touches here and there to the plates, but it was all worth the time and effort for the public to learn a few lessons in quality.














Nick Sakagami and I had a chance to chat after the dinner came to a close, and he touched on a note I try to emphasize in my post; fish in his country of origin is treated with respect and delicacy; once introduced to the palate it must be in perfect harmony with its surroundings, preparation, and plating to be truly appreciated. I look forward to seeing what other fantastic species of Japanese fish Nick Sakagami brings to our table!

Nick Sakagami, born and raised in Japan until he came to the US to attend University of Southern California and now works for a sushi grade seafood wholesaler (Ocean Fresh Fish and Seafood Marketing, Inc) spent most of the evening going from table to table giving each diner his time speaking about the fish and the Universities farm program, and how after 32 years of research by dedicated and talented researchers opportunities such as this night were possible, as well as answering questions. I want to personally thank Nick from my heart for introducing our country to one of my favorites, White Tuna.

Elements Restaurant
163 Bayard Lane
(Route 206)
Princeton, NJ 08540
(609) 924-0078
Executive Chef-Scott Anderson












Check out a blog couple I met last night- He helped with the dinner while she watched from the chefs tables along side the kitchen... Alexander Talbot & Aki Kamozawa

'Elemental'...What Son?

This read could prove to be more of a combination of two stolen plots, 'The Thief, a Cook, his Wife, and her Lover' and a Sherlock Holmes mystery... but its all in fun...



















Earlier in the day the errands had been run, and all were preparing for a stupendous meal of creative proportion. As dinner approached the house cook began to gather her ingredients and soon realized something was missing from the refrigerator. Has she forgotten a key element in a dish of skill and patience? Had it been intentional, or was a thief lurking in her midst. "Oh sir", she said to to the house master, "I cannot make supper...we have everything but cream".

He looked at her and with out hesitation went straight for the cold box to see for himself. Could it be he thought? Furious searching was interrupted by the ringing of the telephone, "What son", he said to the party on the other end, "Well we were trying to figure out where the cream went that was needed for making souffle, but it looks like we may have to go out". The bosses lover was disappointed that all the planning that went in tonight's meal was foiled.

Over crowded parking lots, rouge baskets hitting the automobile, and no dairy eating for the past month has caused a fog in the cooks memory process. They would have to change their dinner plans, and quickly check to see if reservations were possible at such a late notice.



















"I need a good martini" the cook said, as she suggested the restaurant 'Elements' to the boss. "You have been wanting to go their for months" she exclaimed to him as she pulled on his shirt with apologetic approval. "Yes, I checked and all they have is 8:45 reservations" he replied. Thinking on her feet his lover told him to call and ask if they have a bar. Bar seating is often a great accommodation for those last minute thoughts, and often the service is even better due to focus on fewer diners.

Ringing up the restaurant there indeed was a bar, and they would have places set-up for arrival. Never having seen the restaurant the cook suggested a quick dressing so there would be no further delays in a prompt supper.

Upon arrival they were seated and a 'Hemingway' martini was soon being devoured. The aged rum and its blend of lemon and minty additions made this better than its traditional counterpart, the 'Mojito' could ever be.














All of the characters of tonight's almost disastrous story scanned the menu and decisions were made. They would have the Market Salad, of quinoa, herbs, Shepard Valley nettlesome cheese (NJ), and tangerine; house made charcuterie of house cured meats, mustard's, and crackers; Local corn polenta, popcorn, pancetta, and black truffle (above). The boss, and suspected thief would have the tasting menu of Ostrich caparcchio, local lettuces, Parmesan, and meyer lemon...














Griggstown pheasant- 'coq au vin' (two pics below), '24 hour short ribs' (above)...















The 'Chefs Tasting Menu' came with too many wines to mention, but all were a perfect match, but after finishing the martini, the girls decided they wanted an unusual paring for the 'Local Polenta' dish and the 'Charcuterie' plate. Their server/bartender Jamie who was very knowledgeable and great at juggling our conversation and his endless pouring for the entire restaurant through out the evening suggested a 'Brown Butter' infused whiskey they had inquired about before eating began.

Over to the right of the bar a ledge of lit bottles lined the wall. A bootleggers dream of infused vodkas, rums, and whisky all ready to be tasted. Just the shear mention of something as unique as 'Brown butter' betty caused a stir and recipes began to be exchanged. This would become a 'got to try' on the cook's future creation list.














The grand daddy plates of the meal being the 'Charcuterie' (above) and the 'Griggstown Pheasant' (below) almost did in the characters of this story, but their was still a cheese course of local Parmesan, cheddar, and 'Shepard Valley Blue' to come along before a desert, 'Chocolate Tasting' of brioche, salted caramel, sable, maple, smoke that was served on a stylish black plate...















In spite of the the evenings story line of lost, forgotten, or stolen cream the night was a success. The restaurant 'Elements' is fairly new to the Princeton, NJ area and it Executive Chef, Scott Anderson has worked at several familiar well known restaurants. The characters of this dining experience have heard nothing but great things about his work, and after watching him carefully execute and expedite the beautiful plates of food as they were placed in front of him, there is no doubt that his past experience and knowledge of his ingredients would cause him to rise to star status in the culinary world.



















Chef Scott's innovative and passionate response to work with local, and the newest techniques in 'food art', as well as his bringing concepts of the Japanese Kindai dish (it is prized bluefin tuna
raised from embryo stage in Japan) and a much needed 'New York City' style eatery to this area is a welcome change to the 'blah' same ole same ole places in Princeton, NJ.

My opinion as a chef who has worked in the field for years, but more on the institutional and catering for large numbers side of the craft is that he is brilliant, and I was finally delighted to see original creations and uniquely named dishes leave the well staffed kitchen, and have some of them placed in front of me. Of course one must also recognized that it means the front of the house and the back work as a well oiled machine (clique, but true) to pull off this fantastic experience!















We plan to return and try the 'Chef's Table', and some of the 'Wine & Dinner' Tastings coming up. I am also sure I could find a willing party who would go just to sit at the bar and try some more of the infused libations along with menu items that change regularly!

All in the story returned home safely and happy...but the continuing chapter will contain the original key 'elements' of a Crab Souffle, and a cheesecake dessert of the most unique proportions...