Roy's

Apparently it was the last day of Philadelphia Restaurant Week...didn't know about it until we saw the menu there. Even though the posted restaurant hours were from 5:30pm-10:00pm, the reservation was at 10pm, but we didn't get there until almost 11! There were still other tables in the restaurant when we sat down, but we were probably the last to order.


Edamame - lightly seasoned with sea salt and other seasonings


Appetizer: Maine Lobster Dimsum with white truffle foam - this was just as good as I remembered it to be!


Appetizer: Kimchi and kobe beef gyoza - the sauce was spicier than the kimchi filling!


Entree: Roy's Classic Trio - Hibachi Grilled Salmon, Roy's Original Blackened Island Ahi, and Hawaiian Style Misoyaki Butterfish. The salmon was still orange in the middle, not sure if that's what's supposed to happen, but nonetheless it tasted fresh. I was skeptical about the blackened ahi since blackened most usually means it's crusted with black pepper, but it was tasty! And the butterfish was silky, just like the waitress said, very similar to Chilean Sea Bass.


Entree: forgot what fish this was...hahaha.


Entree: Tiger shrimp with Lo Mein


Dessert: Raspberry pannacotta and Roy's Signature Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle. Not usually a chocolate lover, but this souffle was awesome. Crispy and crusty outside, with chocolate oozing out the center!

Montclair Restaurant Week - CulinAriane

Second place for Montclair's Restaurant Week was CulinAriane. Been wanting to go to this restaurant ever since last winter...but it was too late and it was fully booked! Why did I want to go? Coz Ariane was a contestant on TopChef a few seasons ago!


Menu cover


Restaurant Week menu...not too too great, so we ordered a la carte, and one 1 prix-fixe.


Picture of the table setting


Pretty daisies!!!


Mini croissants with butter. Super flaky and fluffy croissants!


First Course: Endive, grapefruit, orange, red onion with tangerine honey vinegrette with pecan pieces. First time I had endive! They look like a version of Chinese Nappa Cabbage...the nut clusters were tasty though.


Appetizer: Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with Citrus Remoulade - okay, so this pic is a close-up, but the crabcake was still pretty big! There wasn't much flour, mostly crab cake! Yumm~


Second Course: Sauteed Shrimp, Penne, Pancetta - had to ask them to leave out the peas...that's why there's not much "green" in this dish.


Entree: Brook Trout, Roasted Sweet Potato, Smoked Pork Belly, Brussel Sprouts in sage brown butter - Every component of this dish was awesome, how could it go wrong?


Fork for dessert...thought it was defective or something since one side is thicker than the other.


Third Course: Almond Cake, Spiced Poached Pear, Mascapone Cheese - Mascapone Cheese is the same that's used in tiramisu...not cheesy at all!

I would probably go back to CulinAriane again, but it seems like the a la carte menu is a lot better than the prix-fixe menu.

Montclair Restaurant Week - Aozora

The week after Easton's Restaurant Week was Montclair's! First place was Aozora. Name of the restaurant literally means "blue sky". A Japanese and French fusion restaurant.




The prix-fixe menu. Donations would be made to local food charities! Good food, and good deed!


Absolutely loved this little fish that was on the sushi menu!!!


First course: Trio appetizers - Filet mignon on the left, tuna on the right...forgot what was in the middle.


Main entree: Omakase sushi - the pieces of fish were enormous, with only a tiny bed of rice. The roll was made with salmon, tuna, and other fish...I think this might've been the best sushi I've ever eaten!


Dessert: Creme Caramel - the presentation isn't the best since it was taken home. It wasn't as good as the sushi...it kind of ended on a low note. The strings of sugar tasted better than the creme caramel itself...can I just have the sugar?

Nonetheless, I'd definitely go back for the awesome fish! It was so fresh that it was sweet!!!

Easton Restaurant Week - Widow's Tavern

Second restaurant for Easton Restaurant Week was to Widow's Tavern. It wasn't exactly in Easton, but I think it was 10-15minutes away. The menu of the place had a story about a ghost that some patrons and employees see or felt. That was kind of creepy...but by the time I read that we had already ordered.


Bread with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and chili peppers.


House salad with honey mustard dressing. The ruffle-cut carrots were awesome!


First Course: Crab and Shrimp Spring Rolls - Crab and shrimp with sweet peppers, carrots, scallions served with sweet chili sauce. I wish the skin of the rolls were crispier. But the crab meat + shrimp filling was good.


First Course: Crab Puffs - Tempura dipped crab balls deep fried with saffron aioli.


Second Course: Crab cake - blend of jumbo lump crab, mayo, secret seasonings, touch of bread crumbs and a pinch of old bay. I don't know why, was in a very "crabby" mood that week...the crab cake from Vintage, crab+shrimp spring rolls, crab puffs, and another crab cake for main course. Out of all, I think the crab cake appetizer was the best. Is crab cake supposed to be served with mashed potatoes and black beans with white corn? It might've been better if it came with some different kind of vegetable; something less heavy.


Main Course: Osso Bucco - slow roasted veal shank with vegetables.


Third Course: Creme Brulee


Third Course: Chocolate Chip Cheese Cake - creaminess!

Easton Restaurant Week - Vintage

Found out about the Restaurant week in Easton from January 24 - 28, first stop was the Vintage restaurant located at the Club at Morgan Hill.


Bread...the one with nuts and raisins were good, just way too crispy. It got messy...


Fresh orchids on the table!!!


Amuse bouche: pickled vegetables on a biscuit. Loved the pickled taste of the carrots and red onions, it wasn't too sour and slightly sweet.


First course: Pan Seared Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes - the dips are caper, garlic, bacon malt vinegar aioli trio with spicy red carrot relish. I preferred garlic aioli the most; the bacon one tasted a bit too heavy, and caper didn't really taste like anything.


Main Course: Grilled Atlantic Salmon - served with Chorizo sausage, swiss chard, potato, whole grain mustard beurre blanc. Not exactly sure how whole-grain mustard differs from regular mustard.


Main Course: Chicken Under a Brick - served with country fried potatoes, baby carrots, white wine sage pan sauce. These were the real baby carrots! Not like the "bootleg" ones they sell in bags in supermarkets. Anyways, there's also pieces of (roasted?) garlic that went very well with the chicken and sauce. At first I had trouble picking between Pappardelle Bolognese and this chicken, and since the waitress said the people would go crazy if this was taken off the menu...it was a dish that needs to be tried! Besides, the name of the dish is funky!


Third Course + coffee : Cranberry Blood Orange Crisp served with vanilla ice cream


Third course: Bread pudding with white chocolate sauce and Jack Daniel's Whiskey - this serving was huge...even though the alcohol should've evaporated (right? otherwise kids can't eat the dessert!) I think I still got a little..."under the influence".

Bravo Italiano Cucina

Bravo! is a chain Italian restaurant, with most locations very far from here. Just found out there's actually one in Palisades mall! Definitely need to go to that one and see if it's the same as the one in Lehigh Valley mall.


Grilled scallops with Gnocchi - The potato gnocchi were served over roasted sweet potatoes and sauteed spinach with sherry-lobster sauce. Absolutely loved the spinach! The grilled scallops tasted like wood-grilled. Maybe I prefer pan-seared because of the caramelization.


Grilled Salmon - came with pan-roasted green beans, crispy potatoes, lemon caper butter sauce and pesto crumbs. The crispy potatoes were made from red skinned potatoes, it was definitely a new way to have potatoes!

The Frog and the Peach

Side note...yes, it's been a while...but better late than never, right? Updates are coming more frequently!

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We rang in 2010 at The Frog and the Peach in New Brunswick! Love the little frog on top of the plate and the confetti on the table!

The 3-course Prix Fixe dinner started off with:
Chef's Amuse: Pickled Crimini Mushroom Skewer with Gribiche Sauce - The mushrooms and chick peas were slightly sour and salty. Can't remember how the Gribiche sauce tasted...it's been over 2 months...memory's getting fuzzy.


First Course: Black Truffle Ricotta Gnocchi Spicy Tomato Confit, Shaved Caciocavallo Provolone - the gnocchi were very soft! While I'm not a big fan of spicy food, but the spice level in the tomato confit was just right. For those who didn't know, confit (for meats at least) means the meat was cooked in its own fat, for tomatoes, pretty much means it's been preserved or cooked in a sauce. The strips of Provolone were delicious, not too cheesy, but just enough to taste the cheese.


First Course: Jumbo Lump Blue Crab Celery Root, Black Truffle, Parsley, Spicy Brown Butter Hollandaise - See the giant pieces of crab meat? Nothing else need be said! Juicy, plump, sweet crab meat.


First course: Braised Short Ribs Smoked Chili Glaze, Cipollini Onion, Shoe String Potatoes - Short ribs is usually a main entree, but this was a first course! The picture doesn't do the short ribs justice.


Main course: Long Island Duck Breast Mango, Scallion, French Red Rice, Spicy Duck Sausage, Dried Cherry Duck Jus - The duck may have been a bit too rare, but the mango and dried cherry duck jus was good! Funny thing, the sausage fell into my glass of water...that became duck jus too.


Main course: Classic Lobster Newburg Puff Pastry, Root Vegetables, Sherry Cream Sauce - The puff pastry was great! Root vegetables include carrots, turnip, potatoes. Sherry cream sauce was a bit heavy with pepper. I wonder if it'd be any better if they served the lobster/vegetables within the puff pastry, instead of just putting the pastry on the side like it's some sort of biscuit.


Main course: Braised Lamb Shank Goat Cheese Ravioli, Rosemary Lamb Jus - If you know me, you know I stay away from eating lamb or its cousins (aka goat), I can't really comment much on this entree, since I'm not a fan of lamb, goat cheese, or rosemary. But the verdict is that it's good.


Dessert: Molten Valrhona Chocolate Cake Frozen Vanilla Soufflé, Dried Cherry-Red Wine Reduction - Valrhona is a French chocolate manufacturer, supposedly one of the best in the world today! This cake definitely tasted amazing.


Dessert: Chocolate Praline Napoleon Chocolate Ganache, Praline Puffed Rice, Caramel Ice Cream - Caramel ice cream isn't something you can get everywhere, and pralines just go so well with chocolate. The napoleon looks kind of like a sandwich, not the napoleon I've been so used to from Taipan Bakery...expected to see more layers, but then again, it's not like it's a mille feuille.


Dessert: Blood Orange Semifreddo Coconut Chiffon Cake, White Chocolate Foam Mousse - Surprisingly, the "blood orange" didn't make the chiffon cake look "bloody"! The citrus taste was pretty strong in the syrup though, might've overpowered the coconut flavor just a bit. The white chocolate foam mousse was so light it was almost like eating air.

Not pictured: Caramel Apple cocktail - Calvados, Van Gogh Caramel Vodka, Lime, Champagne Float. We also got a glass of champagne, and the complimentary champagne toast. Even though I only finished the first 2 drinks, it still took me a while to become well enough to drive home. Lightweight? Maybe. But the Caramel Apple cocktail was strong!

One thing to note about The Frog and the Peach is its one of the first restaurants to install solar-energy panels where 25% of the energy is generated from the sun.