Rats, at The Grounds for Sculpture

Try not to work up an appetite after touring the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, one of my favorite places to spend a day. The food at Rats is superb, and expensive. We'd lunched there before and never had to wait, but this time it was crowded with businessmen, ladies who lunch, and tourists. We made a reservation, and waited about half an hour for a call on our mobile phone. Unfortunately, the only table available was outdoors, in full sun, no umbrella. We took it, I put on my baseball cap (so fashionable) and hoped I'd used enough sunblock. The waiter brought fresh bread and herb butter, then seemed to disappear, which he did on and off while we were there. The meal more than made up for the bad location and poor service. Joel had Bronzini and salad with green beans, frisée and potatoes, with a light vinaigrette dressing. The fish was excellent. I had generous chicken Cobb Salad, with bite size pieces od grilled chicken, tidbits of real bacon, avocado, chunks of Bleu Cheese, minced boiled eggs on a bed of crisp Romaine lettuce. pedestrian, it wasn't. Joel had a tasty Claufouti tart with mango, and hazelnut ice cream and a Cappuchino. I had a cup of very good regular coffee. The sun got to Joel, and he waited in the shade for the bill, which took a long time coming.

El Oaxaqueno 2 Restaurant

If you want authentic Mexican food, go no further than the City of New Brunswick, where there are many Mexican family restaurants that serve real food, not Tex-Mex, at affordable prices. We usually get lunch at a favorite taqueria with a limited menu but decided to try El Oaxaqueno 2 at 260 Drift Street. The open kitchen takes up part of the relatively small room, and there was a steady stream of local families and workmen, so you know the food is authentic. Ah, the food. Choose from a diner size menu for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Our server brought gratis taco chips and three wonderfully spicy hot dips while Joel studied the menu. I'm easy, ordering Enchiladas Rojas Asada, five enchiladas filled with bite size just right beef morsels swimming in an absolutely delicious hot and spicy red gravy, topped with sliced tomato, lettuce and avocado. A party in my mouth. Joel had Conejo (rabbit) a la Mexicano in a fresh tomato sauce with the absolute best corn tortillas I've ever eaten. No, There is no way I will ever eat a bunny, but Joel enjoyed it, along with a big glass of Tamarind juice. I loved the ambiance, felt like I was in Oaxaca. Service was excellent. We took home our desserts, creamy Mexican style Flan. The restaurant is open daily, from 9 A.M. to 1 A.M., closing later on weekends.

Sally Lunn

Lunch at Sally Lunn Tea Shop and Restaurant in Chester Borough. We usually have lunch here after the semi annual crafts show. It's a small faux Victorian room, crowded, with small lace covered tables and early attic chairs. Lunch was so so. I had a cheddar and plum tomato sandwich on whole wheat bread with a side of crisp greens and raspberry vinaigrette dressing (probably bottled). The thickly sliced cheese tasted like it came from a supermarket deli counter. Joel's sandwich was much tastier, thickly sliced ham and Brie, with a side salad and decent Stilton dressing. I had a pot of my favorite Sally Lunn tea, Windsor Castle, and bought a bag of loose tea, along with two scones and, for Joel, a cherry trifle. You can't go wring with Sally Lunn scones.

Boom Boom Chicken

Boom Boom Chicken is located in the old Tops Plaza mall on Route 27 North in Edison. In a few words, The very best Korean chicken wings I've ever eaten, hot spicy and crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. I had this with a green salad of fresh greens, seaweed and a light lemony dressing. Joel had Donkat, a custy breaded pork cutlet. There is no comparison with the Kono Korean wings that we used to buy in the fast food mall inside the big Korean market, also in the old Tops Plaza mall.

Eno Terra

We celebrated my birthday at Eno Terra, a farm to table restaurant on Route 27 in Kingston, NJ. Yes, even this early in the growing season, everything is fresh. Also, the meat and poultry are from local farms, according to our very attentive server. We started with gnocchi, which were actually Lion's Mane mushrooms, tasty tidbits indeed. we also shared a salad of baby greens with a light vinaigrette dressing. I had Free Range Lamb shanks over Faro as my entree. It was tender and delicious, but I still prefer the traditional veal Osso Bucco. Joel had seafood stew (forgot the name) over pasta. It was very tasty and different in that it was prepared a la Bolognese. Gor dessert I had a deconstructed carrot cake, a tiny bundt cake in the middle of the plate with a schmear of ricotta cream on one side and a tiny scoop of tart lemon sorbet on the other. The cake was, bland. Joel had bread pudding. I had a glass of red wine, but forgot to note the source. We had cappuccino after dinner. How do I rate this lovely little restaurant? Not bad. We ordered a la carte, the portions were just right (no doggy box) and the prices in line with most good eateries.

Introduction

This is where I rate restaurants, diners, miscellaneous eateries and take out. And, where I babble about my creative endeavors. Until now, I've kept everything in journals, yes, on paper, hand written, for nobody to read except me. Today, a foodie review, a diner (my favorite type of eatery, next to take out, or as the Aussies say, take away). It is the Brookside Diner-Restaurant on Route 10 East in Whippany, a prototypical Greek owned place. We had lunch there on Sunday morning, along with more than a few church lady patrons. I had a fluffy country omelette filled with bite size veggies and (my choice) cheddar cheese, with the usual oversized side of crunch home fries, wheat toast and coffee. The omelette was OK, just the right portion (no doggie bag). Ordinarily, I ask for salad as a substitute for the home fries, but I forgot. The home fries were crispy good, but I ate little. The toast came pre-buttered, but not slathered, so I ate one slice. The coffee wasn't bad, for diner coffee. On the whole, this place pales in comparison to my favorites near home, but we were up north in Morris County visiting Joel's mother.
Artsy comments? just that I've been successful at avoiding yarn stores, since I have a yarn store in my basement.