Berta's Chateau Restaurant

 

The entry door to the bar area of Berta's always brings fond memories. I have only been going here for 50 years of their 85 years in business. A truly remarkable restaurant serving many unique Piedmontese dishes from the north of Italy. Still run by the same family, serving great classics like; clams casino, frogs legs, massive antipastas, home made pastas, crispy duck, tasty veal dishes, and lots of dessert options.

We always order from the complete dinner menu, where you get a selection of appetizer, a selection of pasta, a main course, which is served with vegetables and their farina dolce ( a sweet polenta croquette), and a choice from the dessert menu.  I have never left this restaurant without being absolutely full.  They make very healthy cocktails, and have one of the best wine lists in New Jersey. They have made Wine Spectator's list of "The Best" for 24 straight years.

This is not an easy restaurant to find and you really need to get directions from their web site.

 

http://www.bertaschateau.com/index.html

 

Some of my favorite choices:

Appetizers- -  Clams Casino, Shrimp a la Berta, Antipasta, or any of their homemade soups

 

Pasta Course- - Homemade veal and porcini ravioli, eggplant parmigian.

 

Entrees---  Duck Venice Style, Chicken Pietro, Sole Santina, any veal scallopini dish

 

Dessert- - - Prune Apricot pie a al mode, Chocolate Mousse, parfait, pecan pie a la mode

 

They also include coffee or espresso, which is the real deal.

 

Expect to spend a few hours for dinner. After reviewing the menu, I will have get myself over here real soon, as the drool is running down my chin.

Columbia Inn Pizza

 

The absolute thinnest crust pizza you will ever have.

We have been going to the Columbia Inn in Montville, NJ for many years for their outstanding thin crust pizza. I typically avoid carbs and rarely eat pizza, but the carb count of these pizzas is minimal. The crust acts a conduit for the fresh tomato and fresh mozzarella and spices. I usually eat it with a knife and fork as they do in Italy, but you can fold it and eat it Jersey Style if you like. Another great selection is Pizza Amatricianna, which has Pancetta, onions, tomato sauce and mozzarella.They are small pies and make a nice appetizer for two people, or a whole one for an individual entree.

The restaurant is smart and has a nice printed daily special sheet with excellent choices. They post the daily special menu on their web site each day, so you can check it out prior to deciding on where to go for dinner. Some appetizer specials repeat often due to their popularity, and I recommend the Scallops sauteed with ginger cream sauce, and the broccoli rapa with sausage in olive oil and garlic.

The popular large circular bar offers comfortable seating and well crafted cocktails. I can attest to their: Maritnis, Manhattans, Old Fashions, and their reasonably priced wine list.  Most people at the bar will eat there as well.  Columbia Inn, 29 Main Road, Montville, NJ  web site  http://www.thecolumbiainn.com/

The Perfect Manhattan

 

It was several years ago at a restaurant in New York City, when 3 couples came in from the cold, and half of us ordered Makers Mark Old Fashions. Our waiter was sorry to inform us that they had no oranges, which are a critical component of a properly made O.F.

 My friend Ted seemed just fine enjoying his Makers Mark perfect Manhattan while we debated what to order. I took the plunge and had my first Manhattan cocktail, and I totally enjoyed it.

Flash back to the future and having enjoyed this cocktail for a few years I have tweaked it to my ideal version. Purists may not like it, but I really couldn't give a rat's ass what they think. Here is the recipe I like:

• Chill a martini glass by filling it with ice water (if you were foolish enough to not have a few glasses in the freezer for cocktail emergencies.)
• In good size cocktail shaker add ice  2/3 of the way up
• Add 3-4 ounces of Makers Mark (or another quality Bourbon or whiskey)
• Add 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
• Add 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth 
• Add several healthy dashes of Angostura Bitters
• Add teaspoon of cherry juice (this is what the purists hate)
• Shake mixture vigorously 
• Strain into chilled glass and add cherry (and optional orange peel twist) 

You don't have to use the standard maraschino cherries, although out of convenience, I usually do. When in Vegas, one of my favorite restaurants, Roy's Hawaiian Fusion, makes a killer Manhattan during their "Aloha Hour".  They use Luxardo Italian cherries, which are less sweet and very dark red. I can find them on line, but run $20.00 for a small jar. Maybe I'll treat myself and order one, since winter is almost over and Martini season is around the corner.

Mr. B's New Orleans Barbequed Shrimp

 

These delicious morsels are in no way barbequed as we know it. Instead they are cooked whole in a rich spicy sauce comprised of 80% butter. Everyone in New Orleans has an opinion on what restaurant  in the Big Easy makes the best. I'll take the ones pictured above at Mr. B's Bistro, a Brennan family place in the French Quarter for 20 years and still packs them in each night. It is wise to accept the bib when offered as mine took some serious collateral damage. A close runner up is Deanies Seafood, which has been making them for many years at their suburban restaurant and opened a place in the Quarter about 5 years ago. Here's what a small portion of theirs look like:

 

As you can see the Deanies sauce looks more  buttery and maybe it is, but the spices used at B's  make it a lot richer. Mr. B's is a much more formal restaurant with far better ambiance, but it's worth trying both if you find yourself in NOLA (New Orleans, LA)

Speaking of Nola, I visited the Emeril restaurant by that name when I was there. I never could stand watching his show and he annoyed me terribly, you know, "BAM". I must say the service and food there were excellent, and the place is very nice inside. Of course I also went to K Paul's Lousiana Kitchen, where blackened fish was created. The big man, Paul Proudhomme was not in the house that night, which was too bad, but the food is to die for. Outside of a surly nasty waitress the meal was perfect. New Orleans is a true dining Mecca, and every foodie should go there regularly.

Frankie's Tiki Room

 





 Only in Vegas would you find Frankie's Tiki Room. Tacky as could be, but loaded with unique decor, music, and vintage video loop. We arrived in the afternoon and it took a good 3 minutes before you could see inside the dark room. They have a great menu of tropical drinks which are loaded with booze. My buddy Steve and I opted for the "Thurston Howell", describes as: A powerful explosion of rum, brandy, gin and papaya nectar. A couple of these and Lovey Howell will look like Ginger Grant. Naturally we ordered the drinks with our best Thurston Howell accents, which the barmaid admitted were as good as she has heard. We bought a souvenier tiki mug, and had trouble picking from the 8 styles offered, but decided on this one:
 

Frankie's was the highlight of a fun week in Vegas, and I highly recommend it.

Grilled Hangar Steak with Chimichurri sauce

I have had hangar steak at restaurants before and found them to be very tender, juicy and tasty. They are tricky to find in a supermarket's meat case, and a trip to the butcher is usually required. I am fortunate to have Coraddo's Market in Wayne, NJ, which in addition to having wonderful Italian specialties, they also have a great butcher counter. Twice in the past two weeks I purchased a Prime hangar steak for the incredibly low price of 5.99 per pound. This "prime" with great marbling. There is only one hangar steak in an entire steer, so it is not an item sold in  many places. When you buy the hangar steak, it has to be trimmed out, and by following the center sinew that runs down the middle you end up with 2 long strips

In the following photo the whole hangar is in the middle and the two strips you end up with are on either side.

 

 After trimming you really want to marinate prior to grilling. I use a basic beef marinade consisting of:

3 Tablespoons of soy sauce

Juice from half of a lime

3 garlic cloves minced

3-4 ounces good olive oil

1 Tbsp. dijon mustard

fresh ground pepper and ground himalayan pink salt

I put the meat in a zip lock bag for minimum of 2 hours. Meanwhile I make the Chimichuri sauce. I admit that my son makes a better "Chimi" than I do, but mine is OK. This sauce is on every restaurant table in Argentina like ketchup in the U.S.A.  It is great on all meats, chicken, fish, but especially good on skirt steak and hangar steak. It's good to make this ahead, as the flavors really come together in time. Here's the recipe:

• 2 cups fresh parsley and/or cilantro, firmly packed
• 3-6 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (optional)
• 1 tablespoon lime juice (optional)
• Kosher salt and red pepper flakes to taste

I like to use a very hot grill for all steaks, so I can get a char on the outside and still have it somewhat rare on the inside. The larger strip should be put on the grill prior to the skinnier one, so they are both done at the same time. Make sure you let the steaks sit for 5 minutes prior to slicing so you don't lose all the delicious juices. I know it's hard to not slice into right away, but you are definitely rewarded by waiting. After slicing 3/4" slices, drizzle the chimichurri across the meat. It literally melts in your mouth, and the flavors added from marinating and the chimi, bring it to life.


Enjoy!!