Category Archives: Food

Apple Dump Cake

It’s eighty-odd degrees out, sticky and humid. Don’t ask me why, in God’s name, I’m thinking of baking. I haven’t baked in a while, come to think of it, aside from a batch of brownies over the winter, and I … Continue reading

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Dining Out: Park And Orchard

You know that old saw about not judging a book by its cover? It probably goes double for restaurants. Exhibit A could well be Park and Orchard, in East Rutherford. From the outside, it has all the charm of your … Continue reading

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Culinary Disasters

We’ve all bombed in the kitchen. If you haven’t yet, don’t worry, you will. Some of my favorite food writing of late has been other people’s kitchen mishaps; it’s not schadenfreude, so much as just being happy that I’m not … Continue reading

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Orange Julius, Anyone?

It’s one thing to have a craving for something you shouldn’t have. Bad enough, for instance, when you’re trying to lose a few pounds and a craving for fetuccine Carbonara hits.* But that’s nothing next to having a craving for … Continue reading

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Review: Steve’s Sizzling Steaks

One thing I’ve learned to appreciate is restaurants with small menus. Some restaurants will offer anything and everything short of grilled panda loin on ciabatta, but the quality tends to suffer when you try to be all things to all … Continue reading

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New, But Not Improved.

I panic when I see the words “New and Improved!” or “Great New Taste!” on my foodstuffs. And it’s not just because I find the exclamation mark vaguely offensive, as if some guy from Marketing is screaming at me. It’s … Continue reading

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Sorta Greek Dressing

This post has nothing to do with Anthony Quinn’s costume changes. Come to think of it, as food goes, it’s probably about as Greek as Anthony Quinn. But I digress. If you like bleu cheese dressing, you might like this. … Continue reading

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The World Is Andrew Zimmern’s Oyster. Or Headcheese.

Somehow I get the feeling that as a kid, Andrew Zimmern never snuck anything off his plate to the dog. The sometime restauranteur, radio personality, television host and prolific blogger, it seems, will eat anything that crosses his plate. But … Continue reading

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The Mindful Chef

Thich Nhat Hanh, in his wonderful The Miracle of Mindfulness, tells a story about eating a tangerine with a friend. To paraphrase: the friend was wolfing down the tangerine, not giving much thought to the simple act of eating a … Continue reading

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Kitchen Essentials: Potato Ricer

Okay, maybe you don’t need a potato ricer, as such. But once you have one, it’s a bit like having a microwave oven; you’re not sure what you did without it. If, when you’re mashing potatoes, you wonder how long it’s … Continue reading

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