A Nice Restaurant - Lincoln Inn in Jersey City

The Lincoln Inn - Jersey City, NJ 

13 Lincoln St Jersey City, NJ 07307
(201) 659-8686

This was such a beautiful Saturday morning that I decided to visit my friend in Jersey City just to see how she was doing.

We spent a wonderful afternoon catching up and then we got hungry.  I did not think it was fair to have her cook and no take-outs.  We were both a bit tired so we did not want to go too far for dinner.

Luckily, a new restaurant had opened up and it was not too far so we decided to give it a try.

The atmosphere was a friendly one.  The waitress helped us immediately.  The menu was simple and the food centered on seafood.

We both ordered stuffed mushrooms, which were stuffed with crabmeat as the appetizers.  The sauce gave it an extra kick.

For the main course, I wanted to try the stuffed pork chops, which were also stuffed with crabmeat.  The pork chops came with an order of soup or salad and choice of a side of vegetables or pasta.  I selected the barley soup, which was quite good, along with mashed potatoes and spinach.  The pork chops was really good and juicy, but there was barely any crabmeet stuffed in the meat.  It was better to just have a choice to eat it plain without any of the stuffing.

The meal was finally topped off with some good American coffee and tiramisu.  The tiramisu was a good portion side and so heavenly.  It will have us visiting it again in the future - just for the dessert.

It is a convenient place to go for dinner and just hang out at the bar if you don't want to sit at a table.

Remember to always make room for dessert so don't overstuff yourself on any of the other "stuff".

Rodney Strong Spring Wine Dinner

Held at the Palm Restaurant on Friday, April 19, 2013

Address:

250 W. 50th Street

New York, NY 10019

www.thepalm.com/Palm-West

Lovely event held in a private back room of the Palm (in Midtown West) by the Rodney Strong winery.

Organizers went out of their way to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable. I arrived a bit earlier than my sister, and after checking in was immediately offered a glass of either red or white wine. I chose the Davis Bynum Pinot Noir 2010.

I was then escorted to an assigned table (though thank heavens no assigned seating!).

At each plate, was a detailed menu outlining the evening’s offerings:

Rodney Strong Spring Wine Dinner Menu

My sister showed up in time to enjoy some of the chef’s selection of hors d’oeuvres. They were serving grilled chicken brochettes on skewers and I believe some minced shrimp salad on a toasted cracker. It was supposed to have been paired with a sauvignon blanc, but both my sister and I had chosen to start out our evening with a glass of red wine. My sister critiqued that we should not have been offered a choice, but merely given the wine that had been selected to be paired with the hors d’oeuvres.

No matter, our glasses were never allowed to be empty. Wine was freely flowing throughout the entire dinner.

First Course

Mint Gremolata Crusted Spring Colorado Lamb Chop

prosciutto and fontina potato au gratin

paired with Davis Bynum Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2010

Absolutely delicious! Favorite dish of the evening. The meat was soft and easily fell off the bone. The pinot noir and the lamb were a perfect pairing. The potato au gratin worked well to lessen the pungency of the meat.

Second Course

Tender Bibb Lettuce

Danish blue cheese, cucumber, radish, grape tomatoes, and white balsamic vinaigrette

paired with Rodney Strong Chalk Hill Estate Chardonnay 2011

One of our dinner companions actually had the absolutely brilliant idea to order a side of blue cheese dressing. It was all about that dressing. Without it, it would have been just a course of eating roughage. I also found the chardonnay to be a bit too bold and heavy for the salad.

Third Course (2 options)

35 Day Aged USDA Prime NY Strip (14 oz.)

oven roasted golden Yukon fingerling potatoes and roasted shallot cabernet pepper-corn demi-glace

paired with Rodney Strong Alexander Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

I of course ordered the steak, prepared medium. How could I not order the steak? I was at the Palm—what else would I order? It wasn’t the best steak I ever had, but it was hardy and with the side of garlicky broccolini it was truly yummy. Also, I left more than enough on the plate to request a take-home bag that I was able to eat for lunch the next day.

Best of all, though was the pairing with the cabernet. Favorite wine of the evening! It was also beautifully served. The pourers had decanted the wine and poured it from a lovely decanter as opposed to the bottle. Allowing the wine to breathe assured that the taste would be rich and aromatic. It was bold and smooth, without any oaky aftertaste.

Second third course option was:

Prosciutto Wrapped Chilean Sea Bass Fillet

shaved fennel and asparagus salad

paired with same chardonnay from second course

My sister ordered the fish. Her comment was that she should have ordered the steak. I had a bite of the sea bass and it was meaty, but rather tasteless. And she also requested the cabernet for her wine pairing.

Fourth Course

Panna Cotta

fresh strawberries and aged balsamic vinegar

paired with Rodney Strong True Gentleman’s Port 2007

The hostess of the event was also seated at our table and kindly ordered a serving of donuts for the table as that happened to be her favorite dessert from the Palm. What a treat! I had one and it was good, but I LOVED the panna cotta. Sweet and smooth and quite refreshing. It was a wonderful palate cleanser from the hearty meal that was just enjoyed. The port pairing was a lovely finishing touch.

Overall comment: A truly special night that I will never forget as it was also the night that the Boston Marathon Bomber suspect was captured. So it seemed like the right moment to celebrate!

Brief Bio information: Rodney Strong was a professional dancer who after retiring decided to buy a winery.  He was also somehow was involved in helping Morgan Freeman begin his acting career. He either paid for his union dues or acting classes. Can’t quite recall after having had so many glasses of wine.

Quick Bite: IT'S ALL GOOD by Gwyneth Paltrow (Book Signing & Book Review)

Subtitle: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great

Book Signing
Arrived at the William Sonoma on 59th Street and Lexington Avenue in NYC on Tuesday, April 9. Scheduled start time for the signing was 5 p.m. and the line was around the block when I arrived at 4:30 p.m. Gwyneth (I feel like I have the right to call her "Gwyneth" now seeing as I stood on a line for over an hour) arrived only 15 minutes late, which was pretty remarkable, all things being considered.

Line moved remarkably quickly. I was very impressed with how streamlined the process was. Ever seen cattle being herded? If yes, then you can visualize the experience I underwent. No pushing or shoving though. The crowd was very polite and gentile--but seriously could one expect anything else considering we are talking about fans of the GOOP here.

Upon being herded through and entering the store, we were instructed that no photos could be taken when we were waiting for our books to be signed. Photos could only be taken on the sideline AFTER your book had been signed.

My rather sad photo of Gwyneth signing someone else's book?!?




So, it was no wonder that the line moved so quickly. Gwyneth probably spent no more than 2 seconds with each person. No personal interaction, and her people certainly kept that line moving. Though she does take the effort to draw a heart around her name on the title page. So there's proof. Gwyneth does "heart" her fans.

Book Review

Considering the scathing reviews that both the book and the author have been receiving, it might have helped for her to deign to speak with us regular folk. She is accused of being elitist and out-of-touch, and her recipes are viewed as a joke. One Amazon reviewer noted her incredulity on a recipe being included for boiling an egg. Most damning of all is the review she received from the NYT, which focused on the astronomical cost of actually making some of her recipes.

Now, I am a foodie, but I'm an "eater," and not a "cook-er," so hard for me to review a cookbook. (I picked up the book as a favor for my sister.) The recipes and accompanying instructions were scant to say the least. Also, confusing to know what actual recipes are in the book. There should have been a recipe list in the back of the book if the editors didn't wish to clutter up the aura of minimalism on the Contents page. Book design as inspired by Calvin Klein--but that would be so Gwyneth.

The "star" of the book, in my opinion, are the photographs. Absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, even a lot of the photos are simply filler--mostly of Gwyneth in contemplative poses, and oddly on a Vespa.

Final thought: spend the $35.00 on purchasing the classic The Joy of Cooking.

IPPUDO NY: PART II

65 Fourth Avenue
New York, NY 10003
www.ippudony.com

After going to a weekday lunch, decided that I had to give an UPDATED review as I have even MORE reasons to be in love with this restaurant.

First, my lunch companion was absolutely flabbergasted at the line that grew as we waited for the place to open at 11 a.m. We arrived at about 10:50 a.m. (on a Tuesday) and were second in line.

Food
Hirata chicken buns: Even better than the pork buns. Hard to believe but true. The chicken seemed to be lightly fried as it had a crispy taste to it. With the sweet white bun and light cream secret mayo sauce absolutely delish!!

Akamaru Mondern Ramen: Had to share the experience of this ramen noodle dish with my friend, but we literally were able to share a bowl!! My friend normally does not ever complete a full meal, so this was perfect. Plus, as I had noted in my previous review the restaurant does not allow take-out--not even a doggie bag for leftovers!! The soup though proved to be sooo good, that we finished it up to the very last drop.

Lady M. Mille Crepe Cake: Had such good memories of it from my previous meal, that I had to order again. This time though was a bit disappointed that the chefs did not write out the restaurant's name in Japanese pink frosting on the plate.

                            

Again, the restaurant did not rush us out in any way and let us chat and have a nice, leisurely lunch. And best of all, no leftovers!

Sen NYC

12 West 21st Street
New York, NY 10010
www.senrestaurant.com/nyc/

Went to this new-ish Japanese restaurant when it first opened a few months ago. So perhaps they were still working out the kinks.

Uber-hipster wannabe vibe. Lounge out front, with formal dining further back.

First off, the restaurant may have hired too much wait-staff. Or perhaps the Saturday dinner rush comes later in the evening? I have never been waited on by so many people, so poorly. Was met at the door by at least three "hosts".

Was early for my dinner reservation and my dinner date had yet to arrive. They suggested that I sit at the bar to wait for my dinner companion as opposed to seating me at my table even though the restaurant was nearly empty. I was escorted to the bar by two (2 ?!?) hosts. When my dinner date did arrive, there was a bit of confusion as to whom should escort us to our table. By this point, there must have been at least five "hosts" wandering around clueless and just waiting expectantly at the entrance for I guess the rush that never did come--at least not while I was there. (I left at around 9:30 p.m.)

We finally got seated and we must have been waited on by at least five other wait staff. Ridiculous and confusing.

Food
King California sushi roll (Alaskan snow crab, avocado, and cucumber) was okay. Have had wayyy better rolls at Asuka (see previous posts).

Vegetable tempura was really good. Very lightly fried, and not greasy at all. The fine sea salt gave it a very nice crunch! Ponzu sauce was light and tasty.

Main entree, which was touted as being the most popular dish at the restaurant was the Mero--Japanese sea bass with crisp puffed rice and black goma ponzu sauce. It was not plated in the most appealing manner. It seemed like a big round, mound of fish. Found it rather tasteless.

Drink
Unmemorable. Think we ordered a bottle of some kind of riesling.


Pros: Large space with a cool, dark vibe. Vegetable tempura.
Cons: Too try-hard feel for the expense. And the food was mostly mediocre at best.