food with a view

latest posts

• a step full of surprises: the kitchen step in jersey city
  The Grove Street area of Jersey City is well into a welcome culinary renaissance.  New restaurants are arriving monthly, many rivaling the best of the New York City dining scene. Plenty are worth the trip from the city or nearby New Jersey towns, and Ryan DePersio’s The Kitchen Step is no exception. The Kitchen Step does “step” away from the elevated classic Italian of chef DePersio’s highly regarded Fascino, moving us towards a more modern eclectic menu and vibe. While the ever-present farm-to-table trend makes an appearance, chef de cuisine Robert Carnero doesn’t let the same old, same old dominate the offerings....
• inspired entertaining at home: mozza at home cookbook review
  In case you missed it, I read cookbooks like they are novels, cover to cover. When Mozza at Home by Nancy Silverton entered my view, I knew I would be spending my summer weekends at the pool immersed in stories of romantic Italian dinners al fresco. To my pleasant surprise, I also spent my summer learning a few things from a woman known as an accomplished chef and restaurateur, but loved as an entertaining master. Mozza at Home was more than just a cookbook full of delicious recipes....
• Roasted vegetable and goat cheese pasta salad
  This is my go-to recipe for fall entertaining, so it was time to share it with all of you. I am pretty sure I first found this recipe 15 years ago on the side of a Gladware storage container. My attempts to find the original source were futile, so here’s the version I keep in my Evernote recipe file. Not claiming full originality here, but hey, it’s pasta salad.  ...
• the best pizza in new jersey: our view
  Two things I cannot say no to: pizza, and a good challenge. Nothing brings them together like a New Jersey food blog that seeks to bring readers a view on the best pizza in the area. Can you say you have tried all the family-owned neighborhood institutions in operation for decades? What about all the new artisanal, gourmet varieties? Have you ever tried to choose your favorite pizza place? I mean really, just one?...
• late September gatherings
  The dilemma of planning a [northeastern] September gathering: you and your guests want to enjoy the late summer sunshine, the transition of a warm day to a cool evening, and the last vestiges of summer outdoor dining.  There remains a risk, however, that the weather will not cooperate. It could be oppressively hot and humid. A thunderstorm could strike. It could be cold and dreary. So while the deck could be the most popular spot in the house, you may also find your party guests huddled indoors, reducing the number of designated eating locations....
• we tried Terra’s Kitchen. here’s my view.
  I write a lot here about the trials and tribulations of cooking for family.  I have a love-hate relationship with weekday dinner.  On one hand, I am relaxed by the simple act of preparing a meal for myself and those I love.  I am rejuvenated after even just a few minutes of happy chatter from my children and a glance of contentment from Gary.  On the other hand, it is stressful.  The advanced planning is hard enough; after a long day, a commute, and probably arguing with those children about not ordering pizza for the third time this week, cracking a cookbook and tackling a recipe is the last thing on my mind....