Every Sunday from 9am to 2pm, the Galleria parking lot in Red Bank, NJ showcases a range of crafty artists, nurturing florists, and of course, a vibrant spectrum of reds, greens, oranges, and blues (fresh produce!). I’d like to say that the greatest thing about the market is the people who you get to meet, but that’d be a complete lie. In fact, if you ever go, avoid the stall that sells “Native-American inspired” jewelry, run by an oversized woman who wears long draping dresses reminiscent of a tie-dye experiment gone wrong. Don’t let her fool you- despite her long dirty blonde hair and green eyes, she’s married to a ‘full blooded’ Native American who will give you a good whipping if you take any pictures without permission. Oh, and she’ll read you like a ‘Sears catalog.’

Have I lost you? Only Suki and Jaime could possibly understand what I’m talking about. But nothing in those quotes are fabricated and if you dare find out for yourself, casually take a picture by her booth and you’ll feel her wrath.

Getting back to the market itself, grab yourself a cup of coffee at Red House Roaster. They sell a mean $2 iced coffee and coffee by the pound (Jersey Devil blend- $10, Mexican Fair Trade Organic- $11, El Salvador Santa Rita Natural- $15). The guy was even kind enough to pull out a bucket of their beans, so that we could get a waft of that wonderful aroma.

Then, make your way to Papa Ganache, a bakery known for their biscotti and all things sweet. We sample the Chocolate Macadamia and gosh, it just makes me want to bake in 90 degree weather.

And buy some muffin tins, some walnuts, and heat up some sugar for glaze.

And those cookies… they were going fast!

I definitely would have gotten one of those had I gotten a hot coffee. But at that point, we were all ready for brunch.

You must also visit Papa Gino. He puts together a mean roasted red pepper and mozz sandwich right in front of you. Then he offers a piece to everyone- even if you’re not interested. That happened when he startled this lady, who had no idea he was offering her free food.

His stand also sells artichokes, olives, sundried tomatoes, and roasted peppers, all for $5. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy, you know, a true Italian.

After the market, we headed downtown. It was a tad bit of a trek, and besides Jaime’s blistering feet, I’d say it was pleasant. Well, as pleasant as it gets walking down a lazy street of cars passing by.

The three of us wanted a traditional American brunch. Eggs, toast, pancakes- that kind of stuff. We walked around and really couldn’t find any other place other than River’s Edge Cafe. We were really surprised at how quiet it was on a Sunday morning. We imagined the streets would be bustling with families and kids.

River’s Edge Cafe reminded me of a little bed and breakfast. Inside, white picket fences adorned the wall and crisp white tableclothes rubbed against your legs like worn sandpaper. We felt a tiny bit out of place (though the three of us, we’d always be out of place). The crowd seemed to be a bit ‘older.’

Top Gun: Spinach, sun dried tomatoes, & 3 cheeses omelet ($9)

Jaime’s options were limited as she’s a vegetarian and isn’t that fond of cheese. We picked the Top Gun for her and although it offered three cheese, Jaime only wanted Swiss. It looked pretty average for an omelet, but it didn’t hurt that it was served with home fries.

Mmm, yeah. Swiss!

Cinnamon Raisin or Thick Sliced Egg Bread, served with home fries ($6)

Suki and I knew right off that we wanted to split brunch. You know how if you crave something sweet and order pancakes or french toast, halfway through the meal you crave something savory? We anticipated that so she ordered the French toast and I the Sundance Eggs.

We thought the description for the french toast read “Cinnamon Raisin WITH Thick Sliced Egg Bread,” but nope. When the plate came out, the toast was sliced in the normal width and both of us were a bit disappointed. Now looking back on the menu, that was a lapse on our part.

The french toast was still pretty good though. It was slightly crunchy on the edges and soft in the middle. It’s impressive how the whole thing didn’t get that soggy considering how thin the bread was. It would have been a better idea to serve a side of fruit instead of home fries, considering syrup doesn’t go well with potatoes.

Sundance Eggs: Potato skins filled with scrambled eggs, peppers, onions, & bacon, topped with our three cheeses, served with toast and home fries or fruit ($9.50)

This, I thought, was the highlight of the three. First off, any dish that has the two words “potato skins,” is an automatic win. Top that off with eggs, BACON, and not one, but THREE types of cheeses and, holy smokes. Do I even need to describe to you how it tasted? And they give you a full potato so you get two open faced skins loaded with all those toppings.

Suki and I thought it’d be more prudent to go with fruit since she already had the home fries. We split the dishes equally in half and it was a great idea. Even though the potato skins were amazing, there was no way I could have stomached all of that. It would have just been too much.

For all of our dishes, we ordered pumpernickel toast. It was decent, but not great. Some of the slices were a bit burnt. Still, the best pumpernickel bread I’ve ever had is at the Cheesecake Factory.

After brunch, we wandered outside where there was a random car show. They had all these antique cars (that’s the Model-A up there), but also showcased new models like the ETV (Extra Terrestrial Vehicle) where all four doors, the hood, and the trunk opened vertically up so that it looked like a giant beetle ready for take off.

The area’s definitely worth exploring (more) on the weekends.

MENU
35 Broad Street
Red Bank, NJ 07701
Tel: 732-741-7198

This is only one of three photos pertaining to food in this post. In fact, the only reason why I’m posting this is for future reflection purposes, aka for when I get bored and like to reminisce.  I’ll try to keep it short.

So let’s rewind. Yesterday, the AVP tour stopped at Belmar Beach, which is conveniently a 30 minute drive away. It’s a beach volleyball tour that starts around in April and ends in September.  The winner of this weekend’s tournament will receive a whopping $200k. Not bad for three days of work, eh?

Victor, Wendy, and I worked as statisticians. Not only did we get to watch some free pro-beach volleyball, but we also took the stats for seven matches. It was sorta like watching a movie at the beach with unlimited water, Gatorade, Chex Mix + other random food while getting paid. It was in one word, awesome.

What was not so awesome was the sun. We sat under the sun from 8am to around 4pm ish. I think it reached the high 80’s today, so we reapplied sunblock like after every 45 minutes. Result? I escaped burn-free though totally exhausted from all that sun.

Phil Dalhausser, 2008 Gold Olympic Medalist. I have no excuse for this blurry shot.

Getting back to the awesome part- AVP is the beach volleyball tour that you want to be on. Victor says that it’s what made Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers Olympic medalists. Essentially, they set up all the competitions for these pros to practice. Unlike basketball, baseball, or football, there’s no beach volleyball league of any sort. So AVP brings its players to beaches along the East and West coast during the summer (the tour) and charges spectators admission fees to watch while finding sponsors. It’s really a win-win for everyone in the end.

While popular names such as Misty May-Treanor and Phil Dalhausser were at the venue, there were a ton of other great players. My favorite of the day had to have been Katie Jameson and Tracy Jones, formally the Lindquist Sisters. At 5′6″ they’re considered really short for the sport. They’re at a huge disadvantage because it’s almost impossible for them to block up at the net. But they’re incredibly smart strategically and communicate really well.  Their defense is impeccable and somehow find a way to go for the kill. They’re able to place their attacks exactly where there’s an empty gap. In other words, they give us short people some hope.

We were lucky enough to stat them for two games

We were assigned to a woman’s court, so the rallys were a bit longer than the men’s (although we got fairly lucky because most games only ended at two sets). Most of the players actually looked like they were in their late 20’s and 30’s, which means there’s still plenty of time for everyone to play.

And then you have the men’s games, where every other second involved a ball being pounded into someone’s face. That’s some intensity there.

Around 1:30pm, we caught a break. By that time, it was so hot, the sand was literally on fire. Players pulled on their socks and one-by-one, the courts started getting hosed down. The sand quickly dried up within minutes though. We took a dip in the ocean after every game, thereafter. How convenient.

But yeah, that’s about it. Just alot of ripped bodies and jealously during those eight hours…

Small: Strawberry, Mango, Coconut, & Blueberry ($3 [?])

Last but not least- Strollos and their homemade Italian ice. Even though Wendy had to get back early for a graduation party, she insisted that Strollos was a necessary pit-stop, if that’s any indication at how good this place is. I’m conflicted between Strollos and Ralph’s. Strollos’ flavors are really limited, at least compared to Ralph’s and some of them were just a-okay. But what I really loved was the texture of the ice. Unlike Rita’s where you’re just literally getting minutely crushed ice with sweet syrup, at Strollos, it comes out of a soft-serve machine where the consistency is icy enough to be ice, but thick enough to retain the shape of swirls.

You can get either their ice’s or hard ice cream, but I’ve heard that the best is when you mix their ice with ice cream (like orange ice and vanilla). You can actually squeeze four flavors into a small! Some of their flavors include:

• Coconut: This was the creamiest of the four flavors I got and was really good considering how tart the blueberry was. But Victor agreed with me that it had some tones of peanut butter?!
• Strawberry: Not bad, but not great. Didn’t taste that strongly of strawberry, but definitely fruity if you’re craving that
• Mango: A creamy but distinct mango flavor. Goes well with the coconut
• Blueberry: Really REALLY tart to the point where it was sour. If you combine it with a creamier ice (like coconut) or get it with ice cream, I can imagine it working out really well
• Cherry: Surprisingly really good. I’m not a big cherry flavor person, but a big cherry fruit person (cherry flavor always reminds me of Children’s Tylenol). Anyway, it sorta tasted like real cherries!
• Peanut butter

There are a few more but… I can’t remember. I really am exhausted right now. I’m quite astonished at how I’m still awake.  On a separate note, the owner of Strollos was convicted on tax evasion charges last year!

Anyway, now that I think about it, Ralph definitely has more exotic flavors (like cannoli, tiramisu, etc) and hits it right on the mark in terms of flavor, but I do love the consistency of the ice at Strollo’s. Luckily, they’re pretty far apart from each other, so it’s not as if I really need to make a decision as to where to go for ices.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to press the publish button and PASS OUT.

Strollo’s Italian Ice
500 Main St
Belmar, NJ 07719
732) 681-6147

Sometimes I am just awestruck by New Jersey. You haters can hate Jersey all you want, but you’re missing out. We have the beaches (which are alot cleaner than you’d imagine and oil-free for the time being), the elevated rock formations that we consider as “mountains” in the Northeast, blueberries, tomatoes, corn, and attendants who pump our gas. We’re also generally disaster-free from natural catastrophes. What more could you ask for in a state? Actually, lower property taxes, but since I have yet to buy property, that hasn’t affected me yet.

We also have, what I think, is the best spot for brunch, and that’s at Turning Point. A couple of weekends ago, we spent an overcast Saturday at Long Branch Beach. I’m lucky enough to live less than 30 minutes away, and I’ve been to this beach more times this summer than I have in my whole life. Turning Point sits on the edge of the boardwalk, and the sea salt lingers briefly in the air while dining al fresco. Friends may make a face when I consider this my absolute favorite spot for brunch, even considering those in NYC, but there’s something about the homeyness of the food, the consistency of the quality, and the country-house feeling ambiance. Plus, it’s also super cheap.

So what makes this spot so great? Their waffles. Their pancakes. Their crepes. Good god, their cream cheese stuffed french toast!

Cream cheese stuffed french toast: Whole grain bread stuffed with a spread of sweetened cream cheese, blueberries and mangos. Served with a side of strawberry and blueberry reduction ($8.50).

That… was taken from a prior visit like two summers ago with my point-and-shoot. DO YOU REMEMBER THIS, ALAN?! I just remember it being so rich and delicious, while introducing me to the world of cream cheese as stuffing.

Freshly squeezed OJ ($2.75)

A little bird told me that despite being labeled as “freshly” squeezed, she saw them pour orange juice from Tropicana containers?! If so, that’s terribly disappointing, especially for the price they charge. But even more disappointing is how we couldn’t taste the difference and pretended to notice the “freshness” by commenting to one another, “Oh yeah, see all that pulp?! That must be fresh.”

Now, onto the food. First the savory.

Turkey Rueben Melt: toasted sourdough with turkey breast, homemade julienned coleslaw, melted swiss and a sweet honey dijon spread ($9.25, chef recommended)

This… was totally not what I expected. I expected your traditional thinly sliced corned beef rueben stacked high on toasted rye bread (though clearly that was not the description). Despite my double-take, this was REALLY GOOD, but also really creamy. The first ten bites were just filled with awesomeness, but afterwards, all that coleslaw really gets to you. I loved the crusty edges of the bread and the dijon spread. The turkey was a bit chunky and it could have been shredded a more to better absorb some more flavor.

That was only like a quarter way through and I was getting stuffed! The worst thing about eating outside is that you can’t enjoy melted cheese because it cools too quickly.

Grande Huevos Rancheros: diced potatoes, chipotle peppers, chorizo sausage, onions, black beans, cilantro and avocado loaded on a toasted tortilla topped with melted mixed cheeses, salsa, and sour cream. Your choice of 3 eggs ($9.25, chef recommended)

Jungyon ordered the Grande Huevos Rancheros and it looked like a burrito that was too bloated to be wrapped. Three eggs is ALOT and by the end of the meal, it looked like she barely made a dent. She assured us of otherwise. I’ve had this dish before and I can affirm that it’s a hearty meal and perfect if you’re in the mood for the savory side of breakfast.

Now onto the sweet side.

Berry Chocolaty: chocolate chip pancakes topped with fresh strawberries and a fudge drizzle ($7.25)

Angela ordered what seemed like fluffy patches of goodness, drizzled with melted chocolate, and carelessly topped with sliced strawberries. In other words, it looked absolutely divine. She commented that it could not compare to Pancake on the Rocks, this pancake house in Sydney as that was an epic fail and this an epic success.

You probably can’t tell, but three pancakes is a bit too much to handle. Angela couldn’t finish it so I had to help her. She ought to be ashamed. I was, of course, was very happy to lend a helping hand to a friend in need.

O’Pear pecan: cinnamon oatmeal pancakes, sliced pears, and toasted pecans served with a side of Bartlett pear reduction ($7.50, chef recommended)

Those are also some darn good pancakes, ordered from that brunch I had with Alan awhile back. I can’t believe I still have these pictures. I can’t tell you must about the pancakes, except that I just remember the meal being exceptionally good.

Tropical Crunch Waffles: sliced bananas, fresh strawberries, ripe mango, crunchy granola, and a side of natural strawberry reduction ($8.50)

And now, the very photogenic waffle. Jenny’s reaction was anything but- “Wait, why does it look like I have the least amount of food?” I predicted that even though it looked small, the waffle’s density would make up for it. Of course, I was right. Jenny was the only person able to finish her whole meal but she was stuffed. It may look small, but it’s loaded.

The waffle innards look messy. It’s your traditional American waffle. Airy but crunchy. The granola and the strawberries seal the deal.

Turning Point has yet to disappoint, and I plan on going back whenever I go to the beach. In fact, I already know what I’m going to order next- their seasonal Cubano French Toast! The service is always really friendly but the wait can get a bit long if you don’t manage to snag a seat before 10:30am on a Saturday. Make that 9:30-10am during the busy summer season. They do have several other locations, but this is the only one at the beach.

A word of advice: brunch often works this way, but I think this applies to Turning Point even more. If you’re with a group of friends, you should order the same amount of sweet and savory dishes. They tend to overdo it on each end and you need the other to balance it out. So if it weren’t for Angela’s un-persevering stomach, I probably would have gotten really sick of my Rueben Melt by the third bite.

MENU
92 Ocean Ave
Long Branch, NJ 07740
732-923-1104
Fax: 732-923-1106

(Dang it! My ISO was accidentally set to 800 because of the lighting at The Spotted Pig. Hence the noise in the photographs)

Each week, several people walk in and ask Dale, the co-owner of Angelato, when this gelateria opened. She’ll answer that it’s been open for a year, all four seasons, all seven days. Pay attention- future restaurateurs- because being located in a prime shopping strip isn’t enough. It depends on where you’re located within the strip. As in, if you’re nestled in between a bank and some other shop, disconnected from the more popular shops, chances are your flow of traffic is going to suffer. It’s a terrible shame because Angelato really does offer some quality gelato.

Last Friday, while most of my co-workers where either a) watching the world cup; b) grabbing lunch at the deli or c) taking their kids to Hershey Park, I d) decided to skip lunch all together and grab some gelato with Peter. Peter comes to Angelato just about everyday for either gelato or some afternoon coffee. Needless to say, he knows Dale and her brother, Todd, quite well. For the past several months, he’s been constantly reminding me about taking a trip to the gelateria. I held it off because of the weather and when that was no longer a plausible excuse, Peter actually scheduled it on my calender. As if I needed prompting to grab gelato!

Upon walking in, it’s difficult to take everything in. Mirrors align the right side wall and the interior maintains this homey yet classic feel. Containers and containers of gelato are on display, arranged in a perfect arch. There must have been like 40 flavors out there and because I was the food blogging girl, I got to try a good chunk of them!

My all time favorite flavor- mint chocolate chip- really hit the spot, but I wasn’t going to walk into a gelateria with so many exotic flavors and get my usual flavor. Here are some of the flavors that I tried (and still remember; there were just so many!)

• Pistachio: This is truly a premium flavor in both taste and cost. Todd explained how they use real pistachios to make this flavor. Do you realize how many pistachios it must take to crush and churn into gelato? It’s alot. This would be the bang-for-your-buck gelato and irresistible for pistachio lovers. It’s very concentrated in pistachio flavor, obviously, which can be a bit much if you order more than one scoop.
• NSA Strawberry: Holy heck, I didn’t know that strawberry could be so concentrated in gelato. That one spoonful was bursting of complete strawberry. Perfect if you’re looking for something fruity.
• Almond: I really love this. You could taste hints of almond here and there, but it wasn’t overly powering. I thought of this as a “neutral” gelato, one that you could order with a stronger gelato to balance the flavors out.
• Peanut butter chocolate chip: Think Reeses + Peanut butter = Peanut butter heaven
• Espresso: Really, really strong in espresso flavor, almost to the point of bitterness. But it’s great, even if you’re just into coffee and I suppose a better alternative if you’re watching your sugar intake.
• Coconut: This was one of my least favorite, but that’s because I’m not the biggest fan of coconut. It did remind me of that brief moment when you taste pure coconut in pina colada.
• Mango: A bit creamier than I had expected, but in a good way. Like all the other fruit flavors, the mango is really concentrated. Don’t expect your usual sorbet mango, which is usually loaded with sugar. This is smooth and silky, almost like mango lassi.

Okay, I’m positive that I had more flavors to test, but… I honestly can’t remember. I just remember them all being super delicious and having such a difficult time to decide. That’s when you know that life is good.

My favorite part of the trip was when Todd was telling me about all these flavors that he experiments- like basil or other savory flavors. Then I asked him if he’s heard about salted butter caramel, to which he replied no. When he realized that it was essentially dulce de leche + salt, he literally got out a scoop of dulce de leche gelato and cracked some sea salt over it. Of course, Peter and I also got to try it. Although it came close to the salted butter caramel ice cream that I had churned, it still wasn’t the same. But it was the gesture that cracked me up.

But in the end, I settled on the Almond and Peanut butter chip. The two scoop (medium) came out to around $4.50 which is alot cheaper than I’m used to in the city. It’s a bit pricey if you consider that it’s in New Jersey, but so few places offer gelato and it really is a treat to have. Anyway, how could you just possibly resist?

Todd was also gracious enough to give me a mini tour of the back where they make the gelato! It was so exciting! I couldn’t believe how this one tiny (okay, maybe it’s not so tiny) machine cranks out all that gelato on display! It’s sort of like an ice cream maker where you have a base custard and then add flavor to it. As you can tell, the gelato comes out really creamy and smooth.

And then, for certain flavors (this one was Cherry), you drip syrup over the base! This is only for a few of their flavors. For the Peanut butter chip, they actually incorporate Skippy’s peanut butter into the custard and then swirl some chips in. I told Todd that he took Skippy to a whole new level. Other flavors may require a different custard base, but it’s usually the same. Base custard + flavor.

But now that you’ve seen just how the gelato is made, you might ask (like I did), “What exactly is the difference between gelato and ice cream?” Well young padawan…

• The cream content: Ice cream has significantly more cream than gelato. In fact, the main ingredient in gelato is whole milk. I believe Todd said that the milk-fat content is under 10% in gelato. Ice cream is by definition 10%+ of milk-fat, and believe me, it exceeds it by plenty.
• Amount of air: Gelato is denser than ice cream because it holds less air. I asked Todd whether I could churn my own gelato at home with an ice cream maker and the answer was yes! BUT, you need a machine that can control the airflow. #fail. But now we know that alot of the weight in ice cream is just air…
• Temperature: Ice cream is generally kept at a much lower temperature than gelato. Hence why gelato is easier to handle and velvety rich.

I also learned that gelato was the first/precursor to ice cream. Italians would grab ice from the mountains and mix it with milk and fruit, and that was the first ice cream. By the time it got to this country, Americans somehow threw cream into it…

And now for some bit of color…

Besides gelato, Angelato also sells a mean cup of coffee. They use Morning Star coffee, which is “mountain grown and locally roasted.” Supposedly it’s really good. I wouldn’t know because I didn’t have any, but Peter seemed to enjoy it. The coffee bar reminds me of Caffè Orzo in Rome, next to the Pantheon. You literally sit/stand at the bar while drink a cup of espresso.

Or you can get that below. I have no idea what it’s called, but it was too photogenic to avoid photographing!

Last but not least, they also offer frozen yogurt, sort of like Pinkberry, but alot more tart and homemade tasting. Do you know what I mean? Like that unnatural tang you get when you eat Pinkberry? Angelato supposedly uses some of the same ingredients from the same company as Pinkberry, but makes it a different way (that uses more time and real ingredients).

Overall, Angelato is one of those gems that you rarely find in New Jersey. If you’re ever in the area, you really ought to stop by and even introduce yourself to Dale or Todd. They don’t bite and appreciate the company.

Angelato
Florham Village Shopping Center
187 Colombia Turnpike
Florham Park, New Jersey 07932
(next to the Valley National Bank)

Cali Bacon Burger- Cheese, bacon, and the whole shebang. ($5.10)

Leave it to Glen to discover the best burger in Jersey. I have to admit- at first I was skeptical. How could any burger possibly match up to Shake Shack’s? Even Alex testified that it was the best burger he’s ever had. After three months of dreaming about White Rose, we finally made it happen this weekend. It’s like 25 minutes from where I live, and I still don’t know how to get there.

I’ve always wanted to take one of these pictures (like they do in the movies when they zoom in through in the diner)

So we get to White Rose and it’s totally not what I expected. First, the place looks like some sort of converted supermarket that went cheap on the paint job (perhaps gray paint is cheap)? When you walk inside, it’s literally a rectangle, with stools that form an adjacent “L.” It’s sorta like a take-out diner, like those greasy burger joints that you see in the movie.

Initially, I wanted to get one of those combo meals to be cheap. They sell a cheeseburger, side of regular fries, and a soda or coffee for only $5.10! But Glen said that I just had to get the Cali burger with the bacon since it was my first time. So, I splurged on the extra $1.20 for the side of small fries.

Sans bacon, but with cheese + fries + soda ($5.10)

How was it? It was everything I could ever hope for in a greasy, satisfying, burger. I’ll break it down into a list because I only recently realized that as an analyst, things are easier to absorb when it’s in either a graph, chart, or list…

• I was surprised at how great the burger tasted with a kaiser roll instead of the usual potato bun.
• I really appreciated the shredded lettuce instead of the usual lump. It assures everyone of equal probability of getting some greens. With my luck, I never get the healthy, leafy greens. I always get stuck with the stalk end of the lettuce leaf.
• Bacon? SO GOOD!
• I appreciated how the burger itself was the perfect. I can already see most of my friends complaining that it’s too thin, but the burger itself is just so juicy and flavorful.
• Yes, it does come with mayo!

Small side of fries ($1.20)

I’m not sure why I didn’t take a picture of the onion rings, but they were so giant and perfectly fried. They give you a substantial amount, so order with caution. I liked how the onion rings remained crisp after 20 minutes and never got soggy. The fries are equally as delicious. When you order a combo, you get a regular side of fries, which is noticeably bigger than the small size. We were so full in the end that we had to play a game to finish up all the food because it was just that delicious (and er, we don’t like to be wasteful).

So did it beat Shake Shack? No. But I think that I’ve elevated Shake Shack to this immortal status that even if I did find a burger better than a Shack burger, I couldn’t even admit it. But White Rose is undoubtedly the best burger I’ve had in Jersey thus far (not that I’ve had many in Jersey though…).

MENU
154 Woodbridge Ave
Highland Park, NJ 08904
(732) 777-1881

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Photo du jour: People on flickr are obsessed with bokeh, those dots of bright lights that you see in this photo. They’re amazingly easy to produce on a camera, but yet, they’re also simply beautiful.