Silver Oak Bistro in Ridgewood

Saturday night was our second visit to the Silver Oak Bistro in Ridgewood. We ate outside both times, unable to resist the call of a comfortable summer night meal under the stars, even in the decidedly unromantic lighting of the Exxon station sign across the street. It's never good to have a reminder of how much your ride home will cost!

I took a quick peek inside and found it to be charming, yet small. However, there's nothing small about Executive Chef Gary Needham's cuisine. Silver Oak dishes up inventive Southern fare beginning with homemade potato chips with a choice of two perfectly-paired dips: a smoky and sweet barbecue sauce with a hint of heat and a cool sour cream parsley lemon dip. These types of chips are so often too greasy, but these were perfect and addictive. Our basket was emptied in seconds. Unfortunately, we came to regret our haste in devouring the chips when we waited forty minutes for our appetizers to arrive.

Our waitress couldn't have been lovelier and apologized repeatedly for the back-up in the kitchen. Once our apps arrived, any annoyance we were experiencing was soon replaced by delight as we tucked into an extraordinary pasta dish called Rags and Fungus, a homemade large ribbon pasta swimming in a rich white truffle cream broth with a generous selection of sauteed wild mushrooms. Our other appetizer was hushpuppies with a jalapeno center. They were served on a bed of collard greens which stole the show. The greens were studded with bacon chunks and butternut squash pieces, everything pickled in a caramelized vinegar sauce. I never thought it would be possible to like collard greens, but I now crave them and my mouth is watering as I write.

We didn't have to wait as long for our main courses and I was soon digging into more inventive Southern fare. My pulled pork was tender yet the chunks were larger than you often see, allowing me to really appreciate its milky flavor combined with more of that delicious barbecue. The pork was served with more of those incredible collard greens and one of the Silver Oak signature dishes: the omelette-style macaroni and cheese. The cheesy noodles were wrapped in a thick casing of crusty melted cheese. I couldn't have more than a few bites of this cholesterol-courting concoction, but they were memorable. My husband ordered the steak which was a disappointment. The steak itself was fine, but the barley risotto it rested on was unpleasantly crunchy and the creamed spinach was overly salty. He consoled himself by helping me eat my generous portion and we still had plenty to take home.

We were much too full for dessert, although we were sorely tempted to see what Chef Gary would do to jazz up lemon meringue pie. I will go back to Silver Oak, very soon, and I won't stray from the Southern cooking he's known for. There were tons of seafood options on the menu that are calling my name.

Silver Oak Bistro
26 Wilsey Square
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
201-444-4744
Appetizers: $8 to $12, Main Courses: $19 to $25.
Open Tuesday - Friday 5PM to 10PM, Saturday 4PM to 10PM, Sunday 4PM to 9PM.
Dress: casual elegant.Credit Cards: Visa, Mastercard, Discover.

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Vanessa Druckman aka Chefdruck, is not a chef, as her online name suggests, just a huge food aficionado. She loves to cook and to eat out, and then to write about her experiences. Vanessa is a transplant from the big city and now resides in Northern NJ. She is half-French and spent a big part of her childhood in France, so as a result, there's no fear of cream and butter for Chefdruck. Read more from Vanessa at: http://www.chefdruck.blogspot.com/ http://www.chefdruckwrites.blogspot.com/

The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken

The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken by Laura Schenone

If you're a food enthusiast (and you must be if you’re stopping by here from time to time) you need to get yourself a nice glass of wine, tea, whatever your fancy and a copy of Laura Schenone’s The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken, A search for food and family. This family saga takes you on a trip back in time and across the Atlantic as the author sets out on her quest to find the true, authentic recipes of her Northern Italian great grandmother. This is a woman obsessed, and I can totally relate. She brings to life both turn of the century Italy and Hoboken as well as the sounds, smells and tastes of old world kitchens where pasta is hand rolled by Italian nonnas into paper thin “gossamer dough.” Trust me, you are going to salivate through the entire book.

I met the author at the Ocean County Library’s cookbook event last fall. She is a James Beard Award winner for her book A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove; A History of American Women Told Through Food, Recipes and Remembrances. Laura lives in Montclair with her family and was gracious enough to allow me to reprint one of her recipes. This is a family recipe that has been "Americanized." The true Italian recipe, a version of which is also included in the book, calls for Italian bietole and a yogurt like cheese called prescinseua.

There are many more recipes provided at the end of the book which of course thrills the obsessive cook side of me to no end. It’s such a treat to actually get the recipes for the dishes that Laura lovingly describes throughout this beautifully written book. (Oh, and she provides supplier names and contact information for the hard to find ingredients like Chestnut flour and cookware. Love her.) She also provides pictures to accompany all the step by step instructions for pasta making, rolling, filling, cutting, etc. (What I’d really love is to get Ms. Schenone to come do a pasta making class in my kitchen. I’m sure some of the Jersey Biters would be all over that. I don't know, sounds like a press opportunity to me and a fun party. ;)

Spinach Torta via Hoboken

Yield: serves 10 to 12 as an appetizer or side dish
4 packages frozen chopped spinach
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
8 eggs, beaten
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
salt and pepper, to taste
parsley, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Brush about 2 tablespoons of olive oil on the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9 x 11 inch pan or Pyrex-type dish.

3. Begin with three mixing bowls; large, medium, and small. In the largest bowl, defrost the spinach very well. Expedite this with heat or the microwave if you wish. Place the cream cheese (or other fresh cheese) in the medium bowl. Beat the eggs in the small bowl.

4. Cream the cream cheese, using a handheld electric mixer. Add the beaten eggs to it, then the Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper, and parsley. Mix well, then pour half this mixture in to the spinach. Evenly spread the spinach mixture into the oiled pan. Cover the spinach with the remaining half of the lizuid egg mixture.

5. Bake about 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top is golden.

Corn, Blackbean and Avocado Salad

Hello Everyone,

Sorry for the brief hiatus in postings. We took a little trip (long drive) to Maine this past week to visit my boyfriend's family. Yes, this Jersey Girl was communing with wild turkeys, and, well, not a whole heck of a lot else. It rained for most of our stay. Sweet. Let's just say, it's good to be back. We did manage to have a nice, dry day in Portland. What a great little city. If you get up there definitely hit Bull Feeney's on Fore Street. The most amazing sweet potato fries with horseradish mayo and curry mayo. Last time I was there I had the lamb chili which was fabulous. I so wanted to have their lamb burger this time around, but we were having lamb for dinner and I thought that twice in one day was a bit indulgent. Hey, I can show restraint now and then.

So, after putting on about 5 pounds in 4 days (did someone say restraint?) it's time to trek my growing butt back to the lighter side. This is one of those recipes that just says summer to me. I make it over and over when Jersey corn is in season. You can serve this as a side dish or as a salsa with chips, even over fish would be delish. Add crab or shrimp and it makes a great lunch. You can also omit the Avocado if you plan to have left overs since the Avocado will eventually turn brown even with the lime juice. If you are making this a day ahead, wait to add the Avocado until just before serving. This is one of those recipes where you really need to taste as you go and adjust the ingredients accordingly. Sometimes you may need more lime juice, more tomatoes, salt, you get the picture. You can also add some chili powder or cumin to up the spice factor.

INGREDIENTS

1 (15 oz) can black beans (You can use dried if you prefer. I'm too lazy.)
1 - 2 Red Ripe Jersey Tomatoes, your choice or 4 plum tomatoes.
2 cups fresh corn kernels or frozen (but not nearly as good)
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1 Avocado, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 - 2 limes depending on your taste
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne

In a serving bowl toss tomatoes with salt and set aside for 10 - 15 minutes to bring out juices. Add beans, corn, avocado and onion and mix well. Add cilantro, lime juice and oil. Stir to coat. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Serve immediately, or set aside for 30 minutes for flavors to intensify.

Waterfront Dining in New Jersey

As many of you know, I live "down the shore" here in beautiful New Jersey. You might say that the beach is in my blood. My Grandfather was one of the founders of Surfrider Beach Club and the original owner of the Tradewinds in Sea Bright.

So, since the beach is in my blood, it was only natural for me to end up living less than a mile from the sand here in Ocean County. In the summer when the tourists invade, the locals sometimes forget to treat their hometown like the vacation spot it is.

Since we are doing the "Staycation" this summer we are making every effort to "vacation" when we can. Last Saturday, Peter and I decided to take the long three minute drive to The River House in Brielle for a late lunch. This has just recently become one of our favorite waterfront restaurants. The view is spectacular as you can see and the food is excellent. It's not often that you get both in the same package and Jimmy Buffet to boot.


We started our meal with the Fried Calamari with Jalapeño Aoli. The calamari was done perfectly, lightly dusted with flour, fresh, crispy and tender. No breadcrumbs here. You can actually taste the calamari. The Aoili was a nice change of pace and was definitely favored over the traditional marinara.


After we polished off the Calamari, we saw our neighbors at the bar get their order of clams on the half shell. They looked too good to pass up, so Peter quickly placed his order. I, unfortunately, am allergic to clams so I opted for the Shrimp Cocktail. Check out the size of those shrimp. They are U8 Jumbo Shrimp. So big I actually used a knife and fork to tackle them. One of our favorite touches with both of these dishes was the extra bowl of horseradish. If you like things hot (like clear your sinuses hot) the added horseradish is a real treat.












You can find The Riverhouse's deck menu on their website. (which, eh hem, needs a little help if you're listening Riverhouse). So far we have tried their sushi and this raw bar experience. If I had to choose, I would go with the Raw Bar experience. It's more in keeping with the "vacation" vibe.







We asked some of our readers for their favorite waterfront spots up and down the coast. Jen Miller, who blogs at Down the Shore with Jen and is Author of 'The Jersey Shore. Atlantic City to Cape May" recommends Cappricio at Resorts in Atlantic City for its fabulous views. Also, the Back Bay Ale House in AC.

Dani Friend who blogs at The Average Cook loves The Pirates Cove in Belford which boasts a "spectacular view of the city."

We'd love to hear about your favorite Waterfront restaurant in New Jersey. Like I said, its not easy to find great food and a great view in one package. If you've got one to recommend, please leave a comment and share it with your fellow Jersey food lovers.

Jersey Girls have Great Tomatoes

Ah yes, great tomatoes indeed. July is the longest month of the year when you are waiting for your backyard tomatoes to ripen. I am a bit obsessed actually since we are using my father's Japanese Tomato Ring method. My son and I are out there measuring them on a weekly basis. I'm happy to say that my childhood memory served me correctly. I remembered the plants growing taller than my 6' 2" father and we have well exceeded this mark. The plants are now at 6'8". As you can see in the picture with my youngest son, these babies are huge. My research tells me that they can grow to 10 feet. My stakes are only 7 feet, so I'm in trouble if they keep at it until September and I am definitely going to need a ladder.

As we were measuring the plants today, we discovered this disgusting intruder. I know it's hard to make out, but this is a Hornworm. They are big and green and eat the crap out of your tomato plants if you don't find them and pick them off. I had never seen a hornworm wearing a coat of white rice, so I had to look this one up. As it turns out, Mr. Hornworm here is covered with pupae that are cocoons of a beneficial parasitic wasp and I am to leave him alone to be food for the wasps. Fine with me. If he was not covered with the wasp pupae, I would need to pick him off and drop him in soapy water according to the experts. I'm not sure why I couldn't just pick him off and squish him, except that I'd probably dry heave.

As you can see we are expecting a bumper crop of tomatoes this year. So much so that myself and a couple of Jersey Biters are starting work on a Jersey Tomato Cookbook. We are calling all Jersey Tomato lovers to please submit your favorite recipes to our "test kitchen" uh, that would be my kitchen, for consideration. It's about time we had a Jersey Tomato Bible, and this year I have no excuse but to get started. Send your recipes to jerseybites(at)gmail(dot)com or better yet, join us on JerseyBiters to share your recipes and gather new ones from fellow food lovers. Hope to see you there.