San Gennaro

It's late September and that means San Gennaro.....an 11-day festival that fills the streets of Little Italy! San Gennaro features colorful parades, free musical entertainment, and food delicacies of all kinds.

We spent Saturday night on Mulberry Street taking in all the sights and sounds. Dinner at DaNico's outdoor cafe was the perfect place for people watching. I spotted RHONYC Kelly Killoren-Bensimon in the crowd. White wine, a cold antipasto for two and some pasta entrees were just what we needed to satisfy our stomachs after the long hike to Little Italy. Mamma mia - what fun!!



P.S. - It is official. I think I need a twelve step for pasta. I'm gazing at these photos of Saturday's dinner and my mouth is watering.

Diversion From Routine

We have a standing order at Cheesecake Factory that usually involves Salmon (I've talked about it extensively here). But recently Mike tried something new for lunch....the Thai Lettuce Rolls. The platter was filled with Satay Chicken Strips, Carrots, Bean Sprouts, Coconut Curry Noodles and Lettuce Leaves with three delicious Spicy Thai Sauces – Peanut, Sweet Red Chili and Tamarind-Cashew. He was quite pleased with his menu diversion!


Note - they were an appetizer but the portion was MORE than enough for a lunch entree. I should also say I am convinced that all of Cheesecake Factory's food is engineered to taste delicious because I've never had anything I didn't like.

P.S. - Look at the Miso Salmon. I miss it.

Sloppy and Good

Here’s the deal. I love a good Sloppy Joe sandwich. I’m sure if you’re from North Jersey you know that Town Hall Deli in South Orange is the place to get one. Theirs was named to the Playboy.com Best Sandwiches in America list and they were featured on Roker on the Road on Food Network. Their Joe is perfection.

Sometimes I don’t feel like driving to South Orange for a sandwich....so I go to Fairchild’s in Roseland where they make Sloppy Joes the *same exact way* as Town Hall Deli (I think one of the guys at Fairchild’s used to work at Town Hall). Tons of turkey, or whatever meat you select, and Swiss cheese piled high on razor thin rye with homemade Russian dressing and coleslaw for a mix that is tangy and sweet. Perfectly balanced. Sandwich heaven.




Pair your sandwich with a bag of these for full out lunch time excellence.

Wedded Bliss

Ok, I’m freaking my freak over these:


Saw them on Bakerella’s blog (which is totally fab, BTW) and now I’m looking for someone to get married so I can make them. Aren’t they just the cutest thing ever? I mean why weren't wedding cake pops around in '04 when Mike and I got hitched?!

Someone get married so I can make these. Please.

Food Facts From My Father

My dad has been going to Michael Angelo’s and telling me to eat there for yearrrrrs. I should have listened earlier. Michael and I went a few weeks ago and the food was bangin’ (I mean that in a good way).


They have been in business for 28 years. The restaurant originated in Newark but moved to a new location in North Arlington about eight months ago. Michael Angelo's occupies a large space in a small strip mall. There are plenty of tables in an atmosphere that is warm, woody and homey. Once inside, you certainly wouldn’t know the restaurant is in a small strip mall!

My husband ordered the tripe and said it was pretty tasty. As for me, I can’t touch the stuff (SORRY Michael). I give him credit for being “old school” and eating authentic Italian, but I just can’t do it.


I ordered the meatballs, which weren’t as good as the ones here or here. The cavatelli with ricotta was delicious though. Plenty of white creamy ricotta, surrounded by a bright red marinara sauce. The marinara was bold, rich and zippy — certainly not shy. If they jarred the sauce, I would purchase it.



Im changing the saying “mothers always know best” to "fathers always know best" in this instance. Thanks Dad!

One of the Best Things I Ever Ate

You know that show on Food TV "The Best Thing I Ever Ate"? If not, check it out...you'll want to devour your television screen. The show inspired me to tell you about one of the best things I've ever eaten and it actually happened recently.

On our last trip to Borgata (sick of hearing about this place yet?!), we visited Fornelletto Cucina. My hubby ordered the appetizer of Chicken Liver Crostini. I'm really not a liver girl so I didn't think I would care for 'em. Turns out I was WRONG WRONG WRONG. After one bite of his, I summoned the waitress and ordered my own. They were that delicious. that creamy. that flavorful. that sumptious.


I'm a little scared they won't be on the menu next time because the waitress explained that Chef Kalt likes to change the menu, uh, frequently. "Don't get addicted because things disappear from the menu," she warned us.

Too late. I'm hooked and will be looking for those crostini on my next trip to Borgata and praying that they'll be there!!!

Savings or Cravings

On my last shopping trip to Whole Foods, I armed myself with my cell phone camera and took photos of all the items I was tempted to throw in my cart. Believe it or not, it helped me control my impulse shopping and stick to purchasing only the kale and broccolini I went in for.

The barrels and aroma of all these fresh coffee beans were so appealing I almost couldn't resist. Almost.


I wanted several bags of my favorite snack food. If you haven't tried them, please do so stat. You won't be sorry.


Exotic mushrooms make such yummy additions to pasta and steak but you always need tons because they cook down so much and it winds us being priceyyyyy.


This Green Apple soda would be delicious on its own or in a cocktail. Hmmmmm.


My fave canned tomatoes. I learned about them from Giada :-)


Lemon Geranium Body Scrub. Yes please.


I wanted to purchase and eat this gelato asap. Caribbean Coconut and Sicilian Pistachio?! I'm a sucker for marketing.


These silver canisters holding gourmet olive oils were so attractive that I wanted to fill up many empty glass bottles to the rim.


Last but not least, the hubs would have been thrilled with any wine bottle from their fantastic selection.