Summer Treats

Last night I got two treats - Gary and I got to hang out with two of our favorite people in the world: Chris and Christine AND we got ice cream filled crepes from Cake, Bake and Roll on Long Branch's "boardwalk" - Pier Village.

Christine and I both got the coffee-chocolate-chunk ice cream with our crepes, and although the flavors were absolutely delicious, the ice cream melted too quickly because it was actually stuffed inside of the crepe rather than resting on top of it. Next time, I'll just have to be more "hands-on" in the assembly process.


It's a cute place; I especially liked the little bistro touches like the European lazy-susan ice cream wheel. According to the weather index, yesterday "felt like" 115 degrees, so the fact that the cool Ocean breeze made it bearable enough to eat outside made the crepes (and evening) that much sweeter.

Atlantic City Spring Break Kick-Off

Last Thursday was the first day of my spring break, and Gary and I celebrated by going to Atlantic City for some pampering. After checking into our room at Harrah's Resort, we went to White House for Italian subs.

White House Sub Shop, AC

White House subs are legendary, and the real deal. In fact, Frank Sinatra loved the subs so much - he once had them shipped from NJ to a movie location. But for "all its stardust, the White House remains a humble naugahyde-and-neon sandwich shop with a row of booths along the wall and a counter up front. The lighting is harsh, the napkins are paper, and the service is lightning fast: it would be a sin to sell subs any other way." (from roadfood.com)

Now some of you may be scratching your head, saying "I thought Gary was a vegetarian. What is he doing with that giant meat filled sub?" Well, you're right - he is a vegetarian...with rules. He will in fact eat meat if it falls into one of three exceptions: 1) if we are traveling to an exotic location, 2) if he knows the farm where the animal was raised and slaughtered, or 3) if it is a dish that a famous restaurant is known for. White House Italian subs fall into exception #3.

After White House, we wandered around the AC outlets, and I picked up an 8$ t-shirt at H&M. Next, it was over to the Tropicana for some tasty treats at Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar.

Cuba Libre

We started out with cocktails: a watermelon mojito for me and a pineapple mojito for Gary, while snacking on some Tostones (twice fried green plantains with garlic mojo dipping sauce). Then, we indulged in the siren song of the coffee world - cafe cuba libre, which is dark Cuban coffee made with steamed coconut milk.

After we finished our coffee (and practically licked our mugs) we headed over to the Borgata because we wanted to try N.O.W. Noodle Bar. I don't gamble, but we had some time to kill so Gary taught me how to play the one-armed bandits - and I had a good time trying my luck at an "Airplane" themed slot machine ... I even scored a couple bonus rounds.


Even though it was 11:30 pm by the time we got over to the noodle bar, we still had a 45 min wait for a very disappointing, bland dinner of well... you guessed it... noodles. (And I LOVE noodles, so for me not to like a noodle bar - it has to be pretty terrible.)

Then it was back to Harrah's for some sleep before our "couples massage" at Elizabeth Arden's Red Door Spa. Luckily, our spa appointment wasn't until 9 am, so we had enough time to sleep off our noodle haze.

After our blissful massages, we checked out of Harrah's and headed to the Chelsea Hotel for possibly the best thing to ever come out of an oven: sweet monkey bread.

Monkey Bread at Teplitzky's in the Chelsea Hotel

Let me explain the genius of this monkey bread. First, the bread itself is a loaf of warm, twisty knobs of delicate pastry, layered with butter and cinnamon. If that wasn't enough to knock your socks off, there are two dipping sauces to dunk your bread in: homemade strawberry jam and a rich cream anglaise. I should also mention that the monkey bread was followed by perfectly cooked eggs, fresh squeezed juice, and a pot of strong coffee ... but that monkey bread made us go ... well, bananas! (too easy of a pun?)

What a great 48-hours with the guy of my dreams.

Q: What's Good for a Sore Throat? A: Bent Spoon

My pre-Valentine's Day masterpiece from The Bent Spoon: chocolate port ice cream on the bottom and chocolate-covered-strawberry sorbet on top.

To celebrate Valentine's Day, Gary and I were supposed to go to Avenue last night - a beautiful French restaurant in Long Branch with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the ocean. Unfortunately, I've been plagued by flu-like symptoms for the last few days: sore throat, runny nose, aches, sneezing, ear infection ... the works. Gary was such a good sport though; he just canceled our reservations and instead took me -sniffles and all- for a steaming bowl of noodle soup at Rai Rai Ramen followed by ice cream at The Bent Spoon in Princeton.

TripAdvisor ranked The Bent Spoon #2 out of 68 restaurants in Princeton, and it's probably one of the few ice cream places in the world that has a line out the door in the middle of winter (with only three indoor tables). If waiting in a long line to eat ice cream outside in the freezing cold seems like a ridiculous notion - it's obvious that you have never eaten at The Bent Spoon before. Publication after publication (NY Times, NJ Best, Time Out NY, NY Post) have touted the glories of The Bent Spoon's crazy delicious treats, and I too have been known to blabber on incessantly about their legendary flavors to anyone who will listen.


Above is a picture of The Bent Spoon menu from Serious NY Eats. The flavors change all the time depending on what they can get locally, so you never know what flavors will show up on those little brown paper bags. The owners (a husband and wife team) estimate that they have about 380 flavors in their rotation - every single one using only organic, locally grown ingredients like "honey culled from Jersey bees or chocolate laced with mint grown by student farmers at a nearby Riverside Elementary School" (NY Times). Probably two of my all time favorite flavors are blueberry mascarpone (only in summer) and Guinness - Baileys cream (only around St. Patrick's Day), but the chocolate-covered-strawberry sorbet that I had yesterday is definitely in my top 10.

The sweetest thing about the afternoon, however, wasn't the velvety perfection in that little black plastic cup... it was the fact that I was with Gary, and thanks to my doctors I hopefully will get to spend many more Valentine's Days with the love of my life.

Pastina, Ramen, and Falafel: Jersey Comfort Food

This Christmas break, I was sick; really sick. (Luckily my body had the good sense to wait to completely fall apart until I had some time off from teaching. It's hard enough to function when you're feeling lousy - try being "on stage" in front of a 140+ teenagers while feeling lousy.) To help lift my spirits, periodically throughout the week-long holiday, Gary would make my favorite childhood comfort food: Pastina.


When I moved to California, Pastina was next to impossible to find outside of an Italian specialty store. Here in New Jersey, boxes of Pastina line the shelves of every grocery store. Growing up, I was plagued by severe ear infections, and my Sicilian mother would make me heaping bowls full of these little pasta stars, mixed with butter and salt, whenever my ears would ring and bleed; for me, Pastina remains the epitome of comfort food.

But not even Pastina sounded good last week, during our second snow day of the season. Usually teachers love snow days as much as the kids, but I woke up with nausia, a fever, and a soar throat. So Gary, our friend Chaya and I sought out some relief from the cold at the bottom of a steaming bowl of hot ramen soup at Rai Rai Ramen in New Brunswick, NJ.

Magnet from Rai Rai Ramen - Permanently Stuck On Our Fridge.

Pictures from Rai Rai Ramen by Amnet NY Times

It was so delicious - salty and sweet, with hot steaming noodles to slurp up.

And wouldn't you know it - this Martin Luther King Jr. long weekend, I once again came down with a fever, soar throat and joint pain - and once again, Gary and I went in search of some comforting food. This time, we found ourselves at a vegetarian mecca: Maoz Vegetarian - which is a "fast food" chain specializing in authentic falafel and vegetarian food.

The restaurant chain has not only gotten some major press, but it is also pretty easy to spot - it's floor to ceiling green tile with a couple of wooden benches. In addition to six US locations, there are Maoz Vegetarian franchise restaurants in The Netherlands, UK, France and Spain.

Gary Checking Out Menu at Maoz in New Brunswick, NJ

Maoz's "Meal Deal" - Picture from Maoz USA Website

I ordered a falafel and Belgian fries, and loved every bite. Perhaps you are noticing a trend? While all of my comfort food is delicious, for the most part it's also simply prepared and vegetarian.

Gary and I are both trying to eat more organic food, and be socially responsible in our food choices. What does this mean? Basically, it means that we are trying to eat real food instead of "edible foodlike substances", and we won't eat meat unless it comes from an organic farm that raises and slaughters its own meat, such as Griggstown Farm or Simply Grazin (both in Princeton, NJ). Our general lifestyle change has been inspired by Michael Pollan's books (In Defense of Food, Omnivore's Dilemma, Food Rules), Foer's book Eating Animals, and food documentaries including Food Inc. and Fresh.

As a cancer survivor, it's important to limit any exposure to harmful carcinogens, and controlling what I put into my body is a critical step in my ongoing fight against a recurrence of carcinoid cancer. Now, if I drink milk - it's whole milk from grass-fed, hormone-free cows; if I eat a granola bar - it has only a handful of organic, easily-recognizable ingredients... I check labels, I do research, I make sure I know what I'm digesting. I think that every cancer patient should read and watch the above resources, so that they can learn what to eat in order to increase their (and the planet's) chances of survival. If you don't have time to read a book or watch a documentary, try using a mobile-tool such as "fooducate" (for the iphone) to help make healthier choices in the grocery store.

Halloween Treat: Dinner at Elements

Elements, Princeton NJ

Gary and I love amazing food, and have flown everywhere in search of it; from celebrity-chef-owned restaurants like Moto in Chicago that use molecular gastronomy to create avante-garde cuisine, to historical restaurants like The Olde Pink House in Savannah that improve upon quintessential comfort food. For obvious reasons, we haven't indulged in such gastric delights in a long time.

One of our favorite restaurants in New Jersey is Elements in Princeton. When we learned that they had a tasting menu during the month of October to celebrate their 2-year anniversary, we decided to take the dive back into fine dining.

If you've never eaten at Elements and you live anywhere near New Jersey - go. Firstly, the space is unbelievable; they actually transformed part of a garage into an architectural marvel. Secondly, the food is incredible. Dinner was perfect, and I've done my best to remember all seven courses, listed below.

Amuse Bouche - Champagne, Coconut-Broccoli Cream Soup, Winter Barley Salad
First Course - Hamachi Tartare with Cilantro
Second Course - Squash Soup with Corned Beef and Cabbage, and Caraway Ice Cream
Third Course - Pacific Halibut with Chopped Geoduck, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds, Broccoli, and Pumpkin Puree
Fourth Course - Wild New Jersey Mushroom Risotto with Mushroom Froth
Fifth Course - 48-hour Short Ribs with Red Potatoes and Kale
Sixth Course - MY FAVORITE - Bacon and Eggs
Seventh Course - Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingerbread Sorbet
Complimentary Dessert - Chocolate Plate (6 homemade chocolates...the best being caramel peanut-butter filled dark chocolate truffle)

"Bacon and Eggs" at Elements

Ok - that sixth course deserves a pause and further description. It is the chef's signature dish that serves as a bridge between the savory and sweet courses. On one side of the plate is a hollowed out eggshell with three layers of gooey goodness inside: the bottom is brioche French toast, the middle is bacon custard, the top is maple foam with smoked sea salt. On the other side of the plate is a mini French toast with homemade bacon and bourbon maple syrup. It's insane.

Although my appetite is much smaller than it used to be, I took my time and managed to at least savor a little of everything. It was an absolutely wonderful night.