food with a view

latest posts

• family dinner with dinner: a love story
  Family dinner. One of the great challenges of modern parenting. I imagine that caveman parents struggled to find a dinner that satisfied picky eaters and budding vegetarians. It has only gotten harder since those days. We now have dual-career families and longer commutes, and the irresistible force of easier-than-ever food delivery that goes well beyond standard pizza....
• mostly mexican: new jersey restaurant roundup
  Warm weather and sunshine calls for tacos. Guacamole, margaritas, and a laid-back vibe are key ingredients for summer dining. Head to a Mexican restaurant, add a warm summer evening, maybe a sunset.  Sounds perfect, right? Unfortunately we’re in New Jersey. The taco trend fueling foodie Instagram feeds just hasn’t made it here. It’s unclear why — what’s not to love? They can range from simple to sublime, street food to gourmet....
• summer cocktails and gardens with the drunken botanist
  When warm weather strikes, my adult beverage preferences quickly turn to cocktails. I love wine, and I have learned to enjoy beer, but sometimes there is nothing like an ice cold martini to cool you down, literally and figuratively....
• Dinner in the city
  Northern New Jersey is full of commuter towns. Communities built around trains that usher thousands to their city destinations and home again every day. There are a number of thriving examples along the Morristown, Gladstone, and Montclair lines, and many are attracting New York City caliber restaurants to please the palates of those former city residents. But if you’re like me, you still dine out in Manhattan often.  ...
• a kitchen love story: our dream kitchen renovation
  My kitchen renovation is the stuff of legend.  I planned, and planned, and fussed over every. single. decision.  I probably talked about it more than I talked about my young children. It went on for so long (nearly 2 years start to finish) that years later, people are still asking whether it is done.  ...
• summer salad with jersey tomatoes
  The Jersey tomato.  It’s the stuff of folklore and legend, and one of the few things this Jersey Girl actually appreciates about summer in New Jersey.  Growing up here, I didn’t realize how good I had it until I tried tomatoes elsewhere – bland at best, mealy at worst.  I now understand why my mom used to make us stop at the roadside stand near Grandma’s...