Restaurant Week Chronicles: (the very belated) Part 2

I realize it’s been more than a week since my first Restaurant Week post. And, no, it is no longer Jersey Shore Restaurant Week–I’m belated. But, I capped off my week by going off-the-menu for Restaurant Week at Monticello’s in Red Bank.

Technically, Monticello’s did not participate in Restaurant Week.  However, it was a new restaurant during the course of that week, so I’m going to count it. Also, I needed something to make Part 1 feel complete. (This was supposed to be a three-party series, but we really wanted to go to Tre Amici in Long Branch, but it never worked out–problem after problem! Someone really didn’t want us to go there! Alas, there will be no “Mockingjay” to my “Hunger Games,” and you will have to settle for a duology.)

Anyway, I apologize now because there are no pictures from Monticello’s. Kevin and I went with a big group of friends we did theater with, so between all the catching up there was no time to stop and take photos (well, not of the food anyway.)

Monticello’s is BYOB, which is great and easy on the wallet, considering the menu’s a bit on the pricey side. The best part, though, is that if you bring in a bottle Cabernet, Rioja, Merlot, Zinfandel or Shiraz, they will make it into sangria using their special house recipe. And it is YUMMY! (We brought Shiraz for ours.)

Unfortunately, from a culinary perspective, that was the best part of the meal (aside from the bread, maybe–piping hot and soft!) Otherwise, I’d say the food was okay at best. I’ll be honest, though, I was quite jealous, because while I didn’t enjoy my food much, everyone around me seemed to love theirs. I even sampled a bit of Kevin’s Duck Breast over Papardelle with a rosemary Merlot sauce, and it was superior to mine.

To start, my friend and I split fried calamari. Now, I will preface this with the fact that I am very, very picky about fried calamari. I only recently even started eating it, and I only like it when it is cooked perfectly. Any rubberiness and I’m out. That being said, I found Monticello’s calamari to be tough to chew and a bit rubbery, though the breading and sauce were tasty. (I finished chewing off the breading before I finished the calamari itself though, which was sort of a weird sensation.) My friend, on the other hand, loved it. So, maybe I’m just picky. (Not maybe, I am picky.)

I still had faith in my entrée, though. I was in a simple mood and went for a very basic dish: gnocchi with pesto. I love both of these things, especially a good, bright, herbal pesto.  This pesto wasn’t that. It was creamy (what?) and very garlicky, but had almost none of the fresh bright crispness that I love from pesto. It felt heavy and hot, not cool and light like a pesto should, especially over something as dense as gnocchi. The gnocchi themselves weren’t great, either, and started to feel to mushy as I ate. I couldn’t finish the dish despite the fact that I was still hungry. Not at all what I was expecting.

However, the evening for me (thankfully) was not about the food, but the company. Good friends, good wine and good conversation can make up for even the worst of meals. (Still, a good meal certainly ups the ante!)

I would give Monticello’s another chance, as long as I stay far away from their pesto sauce and fried calamari. Everyone around me raved about their dishes, and they all had larger, heartier entrées. Maybe that’s the secret to Monticello’s–the Chicken Saltimboca over the pasta with sauce. I’d give it another shot, but I’d go in skeptical.

No time for pictures of food, but always time for pictures of friends--our group at Monticello's

 

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The Restaurant Week Chronicles, Part 1: Trinity and the Pope

It’s the most wonderful time of year! No, not Christmas–Jersey Shore Restaurant Week!

Seventy restaurants in the shore area are participating this season, offering prix fixe, three-course dinner menus for $20.12 or $30.12.  Needless to say, choosing which one (or ones) to try is a daunting task–I wish it was Restaurant Month!  But, for our first outing, Kevin and I settled on Trinity and the Pope in my favorite town, Asbury Park.

Trinity and the Pope participated in the last Restaurant Week and was high on our list, but we never made it in for dinner. That wasn’t happening again. It’s cuisine is unique to the area–Cajun/creole/New Orleans-inspired. I have very little experience with Cajun cuisine, and though I may have “played it safe” (I don’t like very spicy food), I still found it delicious!

Trinity and the Pope Restaurant Week menu

From the restaurant’s web site:

Trinity and the Pope refers to the common ingredients between the different cuisines of Louisiana: Creole, Cajun and the Nouvelle New Orleans Cuisines.

Trinity is the bell peppers, onions and celery. The Pope is garlic.

And oh yeah, they make quite the tasty combination.  But enough frivolous chatter–I know we all want to get to the food!

To start, I ordered the Wild Mushroom Short Rib Raviolis. Sounds like no big deal, right? It isn’t, until you know my secret: I hate mushrooms. I like the flavor they impart in sauces, but I can’t stand the texture. So typically, I instantly dismiss any menu item with the word “mushroom” prominently displayed in the name, but this one spoke to me. And I’m so glad I listened. I’m not going to lie, there was a big pile of chopped mushrooms left on the plate when I finished, but not all of them. Folks–I ate mushrooms! (And I didn’t hate them!)

As a matter of fact, I loved this appetizer. The raviolis were dressed in a wild mushroom brandy cream sauce that was just so rich and luscious and inviting. The raviolis themselves were filled with yummy, tender pulled short rib. There were only three raviolis in a serving, which made a perfect appetizer portion between the heavier meat and the rich sauce.  But I easily would double (or triple) the order for an entrée.

Wild Mushroom Short Rib Raviolis

Kevin ordered a little more within his comfort zone–Carolina BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders. (Though let me tell you, I was *this close* to ordering those myself, too.)  I was only allowed one bite (boo!) but it was enough to catch the tanginess of the barbecue sauce with the zest of the chipotle cole slaw. Yum! It was like a sophisticated barbecue.  You know, the knife-and-fork and glassware kind. (No red Solo cups here.)

Carolina BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders

We also got a little crazy and did the unthinkable–we ordered something that wasn’t on the Restaurant Week menu. (I know! Crazy!) We wanted a real taste of New Orleans cuisine, so we ordered a side of hush puppies to jazz up our meal. Hush puppies are essentially fried cornbread studded with vegetables–in this case, corn and peppers. Basically, it’s a whole bunch of goodness wrapped up in more goodness and then deep-fried. Oh, and then they top it with their zesty remoulade sauce and I’m left wondering where creole-New Orleans cuisine has been all my life.

Hush puppies

I went much more classical French for my entrée, though I’m fairly unfamiliar with French cuisine. However, this dish has convinced me that I should start delving my way into French food. I ordered Chicken Thigh Coq au Vin. “Coq au Vin” is French for “rooster with wine” and is a French method of braising chicken with wine, lardons, mushrooms (more of those pesky mushrooms!) and garlic. Typically coq au vin is made with Burgundy wine, but Trinity and the Pope’s version uses Pinot Noir.

The braising creates a rich, bold flavor that makes you forget you’re even eating chicken–both Kevin and my mother, when she tasted my leftovers asked, “This is chicken?” It takes on a much heartier, more robust flavor, almost like pork or even red meat. Braising the meat also keeps it super succulent and juicy–more so than most other chicken I’ve eaten in my life.  I could gush about this chicken all day, but I won’t, because it was served with a creamy, slightly spicy herb risotto and grilled asparagus. I love risotto, and this one was not exception.  I recently saw a recipe for risotto online and it seemed easier and much less intimidating than I originally thought–maybe one of these day I’ll try to make it at home.

Chicken Thigh Coq au Vin with Herb Risotto and Grilled Asparagus

Kevin had his sights set on their steak dish from the moment we saw the menu–a barbecue balsamic basil-marinated hanger steak topped with crispy shallot truffle compound butter. Again, I was lucky to get even a little taste, but that butter packed some serious flavor! I’m not a huge steak eater, but Kevin cleared his plate. The steak was served over whole-grain mustard smashed Yukon Gold potatoes with broccolini. Despite the mustard in the potatoes, they were strangely sweet. I’m a huge broccolini fan, though, and so is Kevin, so that was a welcome surprise on the plate. (It was supposed to come with grilled asparagus as well, but this opened us up to some veggie-swapping.)

Marinated Hanger Steak with Mustard-smashed potatoes, broccolini and crispy shallot truffle compound butter

Like I said, Kevin cleared his plate, but I took a good meal and half’s worth of my entrée home. Mainly because I wanted to save room for dessert–for me, bourbon bread pudding with vanilla ice cream. For Kevin, a chocolate-chip blondie with pistachio ice cream.  The bread pudding was gooey, if not borderline mushy, with a hint of that bourbon kick.  I was so full after the rich meal that I couldn’t finish it off, but the vanilla ice cream was cool light after the heavy meal. The blondie really tasted like a chewy, thick, supersized chocolate-chip cookie. I don’t care for pistachio ice cream, though (or pistachios, for that matter, even though the ice cream tastes nothing like the nut.)

Bourbon Bread Pudding

Chocolate Chip Blondie

 

 

Of course, we had to wash it all down. Kevin went all-out for the New Orleans feeling with a Hurricane–fruity, rummy and everything a Hurricane should be.  I broke from the ordinary and ordered the Ginger Lemonade, a cocktail of Citron vodka, fresh lemon, fresh ginger puree and Angostura bitters. I love ginger, especially with lemon, so I was actually wishing for more lemon in this drink.  It was certainly ginger–at times, almost too much so.  Though, even after that big meal, my stomach felt good, so I guess the ginger did some good after all!

Trinity and the Pope was a great kick-off to restaurant week, and I can’t wait to go back to sample some of their regular menu.  They also offer happy hours, live music and other fun things during the week.  In addition to great food and hopefully great entertainment, Trinity and the Pope is housed in an old bank building from 1919 in the heart of downtown Asbury. The brightly colored Mardi-Gras inspired decor juxtaposed with the early 20th century woodwork creates a fun, inviting and unique atmosphere. Really, Trinity and the Pope is just a place you want to be.

Trinity and the Pope is owned by chef and restauranteur Marilyn Schlossbach, who, through her company Kitschens, also owns several other Asbury Park restaurants: Langosta Lounge, Dauphin Grille and Pop’s Garage. She also owns Labrador Lounge in Normandy Beach and Kitschens Catering.

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Porta Patens Esto. Nulli Claudatur Honesto. “Be the door always open. Be it not closed to any honest person.”

First off, I’d like to apologize for the lag in posting. The last couple of weeks have been utterly crazy for me; I started up working full-time again, but didn’t quit my old job, plus I’m in the rehearsal process for a show that opens in three weeks. So I’m working 6-7 days a week and going to rehearsal, which unfortunately leaves little time to cook or enjoy a nice meal out.

But Monday I had a half day at work, so Kevin and I took the opportunity–and free time–to go out for a nice, sit-down meal. He and I have this little thing we do where we try to go to a new restaurant every month. Monday was our February opportunity though, admittedly, we cheated on this one a bit. We chose to go to Porta in Asbury Park, N.J. It was brand new to him, but I had been there. Just once. And not for dinner. I just went there after work late one night with a friend and we split a pizza and a carafe of their house red wine (more on that later.) So really, I hadn’t experienced Porta to its fullest, so it was still fair.

Porta is a pizzeria by name, but it is so much more than that once you step inside its wide white doors. The building looks like a converted garage, complete with three large bay doors on one end that open up to their patio and outdoor bar (dubbed “Porta National Park”) in the warmer seasons. Inside, Porta is arranged family-style, with large picnic-style tables rather than traditional individual seats. The back wall is lined with antiqued wooden doors, and in clear view sit their wood-fired pizza ovens, imported from Italy, with the open prep and cooking space. Porta also has a large bar, complete with a great wine list and varied beer options. (“Porta” is Italian for “door,” hence the door theme.)

By night, Porta becomes a bar and nightclub complete with a DJ, live music and dancing. But by day (well, Monday evening), it had a unique, modern-classic feel, pumping standards through the sound system rather than Top 40 dance beats. It mixed sophistication with a backyard feel.

But enough of that. Really, this is about the food. And the food is no less unique than the space itself. While the menu is small by normal standards, its anything but boring. Mostly appetizers and pizza with a few pasta options, Porta keeps it simple while keeping it special.

For appetizers, we ordered two salads to share: The Winter Caprazy and the Cavolo Nero. The Winter Caprazy is exactly what it sounds like: a seasonal take on the classic Caprese salad. This one included slow roasted tomatoes, black garlic and fresh oregano.

Full disclosure: I’ve never had black garlic or fresh oregano (only dried.) I’ve been missing out. Black garlic, while it looks a bit scary, is a sweeter, richer cousin to what we know. And fresh oregano blows the dried stuff out of the water. Upon eating it, I got that distinctive bite and slight hit to the sinuses that confirmed I was indeed eating oregano, but the flavor was so much milder and fresher than its spice rack counterpart. Where has this been all my life? Needless to say, everything worked together pretty well, with the roasted tomatoes imparting a sweeter, heartier flavor than the raw version. I don’t love roasted tomatoes, but this definitely made a pretty good winter version of one of my favorite classic Italian salads.

However, I don’t think the Winter Caprazy can hold a candle in creativity next to the Cavolo Nero. Tuscan kale, shaved sunchoke and watermelon radish with garlic crostini and parmigiano reggiano in a lemon-garlic dressing. This was my first introduction to kale, and what a way to start! This definitely makes me want to eat kale more often. My only complaint about this salad would be that the toppings (sunchoke, watermelon radish, garlic croutons) were a bit too scarce. As good as the kale was, it was a bit boring without the accouterments and we left some on the plate once we finished everything else. But it was delicious. I love radishes, so this was a treat to me, especially with how beautiful shaved watermelon radishes are.

Sliced watermelon radish. Photo via SmartSeeds

I need to find some watermelon radishes and use them in everything I make. Everything. They taste great, and they’re gorgeous! (New goal.)

Moving on…

Kevin, being the pizza-lover that he is, obviously could not resist the major part of Porta’s menu: the pizza. He ordered an Italian Stallion with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, Gorgonzola, sweet Italian sausage and long hots. (I could insert a joke here about him being an Italian stallion, but I’ll pass for his sake.)

As much as he loves pizza, Kevin hates blue cheese, but he bit the bullet and tried it on this pizza. And he didn’t hate it. Overall, he thought the pizza tasted great, but the generous drizzle of olive oil (and probably the grease from the sausage) made it a little soggy for his liking. He boxed half up to take home and said he’ll try to crisp it up in the oven before eating the leftovers.

I was in a pasta kind of mood that night, so I went ahead and ordered off their small, but not limited pasta menu. I went a little off the beaten path with a wild boar ragu with rosemary papardelle, rosemary, sage, red wine and parmigiano reggiano. If you hadn’t told me this was wild boar, I wouldn’t have known. But I’m so glad I tried it. It’s, unsurprisingly, very similar to pork, but a bit heartier and beefier. Sort of like a delicious pork-beef hybrid all stewed up and served over pasta.

Oh right, the pasta. Between the rosemary papardelle and the rosemary in the sauce, I expected a double whammy of in-your-face rosemary. But instead, it was subtle and underlying and I had to really look for it at times. Still, I ate almost the whole thing. Hearty, warm and inviting. It almost made me forget it was nearly 60 degrees that afternoon.

Not the Italian Stallion, but another one of Porta'a pizzas. Photo courtesy of Porta Pizza.

And of course, what better to complement a great meal than some house red wine? Porta has a nice Italian wine list, but the standout is their house-made red and white wines, which can be ordered by the glass or the carafe. I’ve been here twice and only ever had one wine–the house red, a Cabernet. I thought about switching it up at dinner, but I figured, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Next time I’ll have to try their house white and eventually branch out to their other wine selections.

Kevin went a more traditionally American route–pizza and beer. Porta seems like the kind of place that would have tons of local and craft beers on hand, but most of their beer list is surprisingly generic. They have a few crafts, including three varieties of Six Point. Kevin had the “Bengali Tiger,” which he said was very pine-y with a citrus finish. He equated it to Pine Sol at one point, which I assumed was a bad thing, but he seemed to enjoy it. I picked up on the pineyness but not as much on the citrus. However, the back of the can did quote William Blake’s “The Tyger.” (Plus one for Six Point.)

Porta’s minimalistic atmosphere and inspired take on locally-sourced ingredients may be far too hip and trendy for some, but I actually found it a relaxing and enjoyable Monday evening. Is Porta a bit hipster? Yes. Are the food, drinks and service worth it despite that? Absolutely. It’s nestled on an obscure little corner of Asbury Park, right between the bustling downtown and the boardwalk and offers a casual retreat that’s still leaps beyond traditional pizzeria fare. So, if you’re looking for an original, quality meal in a quaint, casual environment, head for Porta.

Porta also runs several specials throughout the week, like gluten-free pizza every Tuesday and a 4-course family dinner every Sunday night. They weekend brunch every Saturday and Sunday and, of course, the club/bar scene at night.

I’ll have to check out the nightlife sometime and see if it lives up to the weekday fare. Come summertime I’ll have to give this another go too, of course.

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