On The Bone, Princeton

Matt sometimes gets a craving for a giant slab of red meat, and really, who could blame him. My friend Bim gets the same hankering at times, and since it seemed that the stars were alligned on this particular night we decided to all meet at On The Bone in Princeton to satiate their craving. Elegantly and somewhat modernly decorated On The Bone is located inside of the DoubleTree hotel on Route 1 South. I find that hotel restaurants are usually pretty consistant food and service wise because... well... they kind of have to be.

We were all crazy hungry so we decided to order appetizers in addition to our meals. Matt and Bim chose to share the chicken quesadilla, and this bad boy was monsterous. Seriously, half of it was seriously like a meal, let alone an app. It was stuffed to bursting with chicken, peppers, onion, and cheese then topped with roasted corn, salsa, and sour cream and THEEENNN drizzled with a chipotle sauce. Sooooo much quesadilla. And it was good! With all of those ingredients it sounds like it would be flavor overload, too much nonsense, but surprisingly it worked well.Bim was crazy hungry so he also ordered the onion soup. When you order onion soup you expect a mini crock (usually those brown ones? you know what I mean). Soooo not the case here. What was placed in front of him was nothing short of absurd. I mean, look at it. It's fair to say it was a practical volcano of soup. What was really impresive, though, was that the soup was real, honest to goodness onion soup... not that light brown watery nonsense. This had a crazy deep dark color which means that the onions must have been cooked wayyyy down, the fond scraped, the cheese bruleed. Presentation of this dish was also fun. Yay.

I started my meal with one of the items off of the 'small plates' menu. It was listed as Manchego cheese with fig puree, and I figured since it was indeed a 'small plate' there would just be a tiny taste, enough for me to enjoy, but still have plenty of room left for my meal. I was instead presented with 6 crostini with 6 large wedges of cheese and a baseball sized dome of fig puree. I'd hate to see what their big plates look like....Long story short I'd probably order differently the next time as A) this was a lot of cheese for a small plate and B) the crostini were not done particularly well. Bim ordered the full rack of Saint Louis style ribs for dinner. These were delicious! The meat literally fell off of the bone, and the sauce was awesome... dare I say it was saucesome. Bahaha. Hysterical. But seriously, it was the exact kind of sauce that I adore and associate with barbeque. Thick and sweet, with a heavy hit of smoke and dare I say a bit of spiciness. I loved these (stole two from him over the course of the night) and so did he... Matt's a fan of sauceless ribs, but what does he know? Even with Matt and I helping him out, Bim was still able to take home an entire half rack. Portions = HUGE

Matt ordered the bone- in New York strip. It was cooked exactly right (as you would hope from a steakhouse, afterall). The sear on the meat left it with a nice, seasoned crust and the inside was pink but not dripping blood, a perfect medium. The cool thing about On The Bone is that every single piece of steak that comes out of their kitchen is aged for at least 21 days. Also fun to note, every piece of steak that comes out is bone- in, including the filet mignon. Fun, right? Anyway, Matt's steak was served with a trio of sauces... a bleu cheese sauce, a bernaise, and a glace de viande. These were all eh. They didn't add a lot of flavor, they were totally unnecessary to the meat eating experience, and they weren't particularly good. Luckily they were on the side and easy to ignore. The onion rings were exceptional.... crunchy, salty, not greasy just freaking perfect.

I ordered a burger, which is odd for me, but hey, it's what I was craving. Another bonus about On The Bone? You can pile your burger high with bonus toppings (mushrrom, bacon, sauteed onions, fancy cheeses) for not extra cost. Bonus! I decided to top my angus beef bad boy with smoked gouda cheese, mushrooms and onions. The burger was good... really beefy and flavorful, but not too fatty and greasy. The gouda (which I have never before used on a burger) was a treat... the smoke brought serious flavor. It was great. It was also huge. I ate about 1/3 of it and packed the rest in to come home. Who can eat this much!? Sad note about the fries, though. They were too greasy, big bummer.

The final bonus to this place is that it's reasonable... beyond reasonable, in fact! We were really surprised to see that with the 4 appetizers, the 3 dinners, a dessert and a bottle of wine (and a partridge in a pear treeee) that we got out of there for about $125. They have a killer prixe fix menu that is available during the week, and specials that change daily. They are also on restaurant passion dot com, which means that they often offer deals at big discounts (buy a $50 gift certificate for $25 kind of thing).

On The Bone

http://www.ontheboneprinceton.com/

4355 Route 1

Princeton- 08540

609 514 2663

Princetonian Diner, Princeton

Soooooo my computer is FUBAR which means this will be a photo-less post. I will try to be as descriptive as possible (it will be a true test of my writing skills.... how do ya like THAT for a positive spin!)

Ok, continuing on to what really matters... the food! The Princetonian Diner is the epitome of the true Jersey diner... breakfast all day, baked goods made on site, big booths and bright colors... the real experience. We've been there several times now (it's the only 'real' diner close to us) so this is going to be my 'best of' list thus far.

First things first, no Jersey diner would be complete without offering several authentic Greek dishes... I don't know why it's true but it just is. The Princetonian is no exception, and they have a dinner special that I just adore. It's a small Greek salad with spanakopita, and it is seriously good. First of all the 'small' Greek salad is still very large. It has all of the standard Greek salad fare (lettuce, tomato, onion, feta, Kalamata olives) but is also topped with artfully arranged stuffed grape leaves, anchovy fillets, and pita wedges. The dressing is vinegar based and full of fresh herbs, and it's just a great salad. Here is where I curse my lack of photographic evidence, but the spanakopita is the real star to this combo. Typically when you order spanakopita it comes to you in a wedge (think a half of pice of toast, if the bread is cut on the diagonal) Not here. Ohhhh no. The piece that came out to me was like a big tube, about the size and shape of a really overstuffed burrito. It was filled with hot spinach and feta, with just a touch of garlic. The phyllo dough that wrapped the whole thing up was flaky and crisp and it was really outstanding. I actually laughed out loud when I saw how big the portion was... Needless to say I didn't finish it (oh but I wanted to!)

Matt once ordered something that they call the grilled chicken portabella sandwich. It was awesome, and we crave it regularly. It's a long crusty, toasted roll topped with grilled chicken, slices of grilled portabella mushroom, mozarella cheese and a garlic mayo and its crazy flavorful. Matt opted to get it without the cheese and it still managed to carry a ton of flavor and richness. It isn't that they're heavy handed with the garlic mayo, because they aren't, it's more that the mayo is so strong that a little bit goes a long way. The mushrooms were grilled to the point where they get that rich and meaty flavor and that toothsome but delightful texture. The chicken was not at all dry and was seasoned and grilled to perfection. The bread was toasted to the point where you got that loud crunch noise with every bite, but not over toasted where you get crumbs all over yourself (because NOBODY likes to be the crumby shirt guy!)

Last on the hit list (for now at least) is the portabella eggs benedict. It's the vegetarian version of the standard classic. At first I was sad, because what I was expecting (and for any future restaurantuers what would be awesome) was a full portabella cap in lieu of the english muffin and Canadian bacon. This was not the case.... the muffin was still there, we were just sans bacon AND the portabella was sliced, not a full cap. So at first I was bummed. However, once I began eating I changed my tune, big time. First of all you NEED the muffin... what else are you going to soak up hollandaise sauce and egg yolk with? The portabella made for an even meatier experience than the ham usually does... it was so much more texturally satisfying than the meat! The Canadian bacon typically adds extra saltiness, I will give it that, but with a hollandaise sauce who NEEDS more salt? That stuff's already got a ton of flavor! The portabella added a nice chew, a rich flavor and an earthiness that really pulled the whole thing together. The egg was done perfectly... a little runny (not scary posion people runny... the good kind). Hollandaise can't really ever be bad (I mean... unless you do it wrong), but this was buttery, thick, rich, dense, and decadent. The whole dish was delicious and I am looking forward to having it again.

There are a ton of things to choose from at the Princetonian Diner... so many in fact that it seems at some point they just start making it up! ME once even got a lasagna sald (yes... a green salad with lasagna noodles, fried eggplant, some roasted tomato.... please note that it is NOT on the hit list). They have your standard diner faves (ya know, burgers, tuna sammiches, disco fries, matzo ball soup) along with real dinner items(chops, steaks, pastas) and some more experimental options (allow me to again refer you to lasagna salad). Give it a try. It's totally Jersey and totally good.

Princetonian Diner
www.princetoniandiner.com
3509 US Highway 1
Princeton, 08540-5923
(609) 452-2272

Alchemist & Barrister, Princeton

Matt and I ventured out to Princeton the other day with KW and RW to get our eat on. Eat we did. We ended up at Alchemist and Barrister in downtown Princeton, a hip yet elegant place right in the center of all the action. They have live music three nights a week and delicious food even more regularly.

We started off our meal with the AB nachos. They were covered in grilled chicken, chunks of tomato, cheddar and jack cheese, slices of jalapeno, red beans, chickpeas, black olives and adouille sausage (side note.... if you haven't noticed from my other posts I love andouille sausage... LOVE it... it's so flavortastic it makes me smile... ok end note). I know it sounds like a lot going on, but somehow it worked. The only thing that was weird was that all of the ingredients were pretty dry... the cheese was melty (obvs) but there was no guac or salsa or sour cream, so it was a bit odd. Delicious all the same, but odd. Also the chickpeas and whole red beans added a really nice textural thing... those are not standard nacho ingredients, but hey, maybe they should be.

RW ordered the bleu cheese and mushroom burger. This was a good thing EXCEPT he ordered it well done. Hey. I am not here to tell people how to order food, but I am just syaing that I would have done it differently. I digress. the burger was delicious. It managed to stay somewhat moist despite the doneness, and the seasoning was dead on. Alchemist & Barrister are very generous with their bleu cheese, which I love to see. It was sharp and creamy and just really worked well with the meat. I will say that I would have liked to see more mushrooms on this bad boy, but maybe thats because they were so tasty. Sauteed mushrooms are really simple, but can pack so much flavor.

KW got the chili marinated grilled chicken sandwich, but this was not a hit. The chicken was super dry and between KW and myself we couldn't really find the chili marinade anywhere! The other stuff on the sandwich was good (there was some guacamole, pepper jack cheese and chipotle aioli ) but all in all it was kind of boring. Not a lot of flavor packed in to what sounded like an awesome dish.

Matt's, on the other hand, was amazing. He ordered the garden vegetable burger, which is SO out of character for him, but it was unlike anything I have ever had. When I think veggie burger I usually think dried out yucko hockey puck of grains trying to pass themselves off as something resembling meat. SO not the case here. This veggie burger was outrageous. It was like a fallafel but not fried... it tasted like a chickpea puree that has been pressed into a patty and grilled a little on each side... it was firm but soft and the flavor was exceptional. It came with tzatziki sauce, feta cheese, cucmbers, tomato, lettuce and it was all on a perfectly grilled flat bread. It was SO fresh tatsing, it was really surprising. I loved this. I miss this veggie burger. I sometimes find myself thinking about it. Seriously, this was good. It wasn't, however, the best dish of the night.

Because THAT dish was mine! I ordered the baked shepherds pie and it was awesome. The ground lamb was cooked so nicely that it basically melted away in my mouth. The gravy that surrounded the meat, carrots and peas was nothing short of succulent. It was so rich and so flavorful, I was in heaven. Everyone at the table couldn't keep their forks out of my dish. The potato top was a bit browned and crispy, but the center of each dollop was creamy and smooth. This was SO good. SO good. Hearty and homey, delicious and well executed, warm and charming... it was perfect. The texture of the creamy potato, the smooth, rich sauce, the fresh tatsting peas and tender meat made every bite a pleasure. Yum

Alchemist and Barrister was a lovely experience. Part comfort food, and part gourmet, it has something for everyone. It boasts a full bar, and is located right in the heart of Princeton, so you can start OR end your night there. Or stay the whole time. Why not!? The food was great, they have a variety of unique beer on tap, a moderately extensive wine list and there is often live entertainment. Go! eNJoy it!

Alchemist & Barrister

http://www.alchemistandbarrister.com/

28 Witherspoon Street
Princeton, NJ 08542

609 924 5555

Terhune Orchards, Princeton

New Jersey rules when it comes to fresh produce in the summer... tomatoes, blueberries, corn (just to name a few)... I mean, hello... we're not 'The Garden State' for nothing. Matt, my Sister and I discovered an awesome farmers market one morning, and while there were several farms displaying their goods there, we were immediately drawn to the Terhune Orchard stand. We grabbed some blueberries and some home made farm stand salsa and went merrily on our way to sample the goods at the rest of the tables. When we got home we dove into our purchases and packed half of the salsa away on the spot. It was SO fresh and SO flavorful, and it was made solely with ingredients from their farm! The bluberries barely lasted the day, too... big plump and fresh... the perfect combo of sweet and tart. YAY! FRESH PRODUCE

Matt and I could not wait until the following weekend to hope that we chanced upon this place again, so we sought out the farm itself. Terhune Orchards is beaaaaauuutiful. The grounds are so well maintained, the staff is super freindly, it's colorful and clean... it just makes you FEEL happy upon first glance!

The smell of baked goods was thick in the air... it smelled like cinnamon and butter and fried things... all good. We walked into the farm stand and were face to face with some of the most delicious looking pies, cookies and tarts I have ever seen. We turned left and were smack dab in the middle of a color explosion of fresh produce... berries, squash, greens, herbs... it smelled earthy and fresh and I loved it. We debated for a good 15 minutes before finally deciding on which sweet treat to try, and in the end, the donuts won. These Apple Cider donuts are made using their fresh pressed apple cider (from their fresh picked apples, from their on site orchards... WOO!) We grabbed one and split it, and while it was delicious, we were confused why the smell in the air was not matching the taste in our mouths. That's when the cashier (so friendly!) noticed what we were eating.

"Wait! Stop... put that down. Let me go get you some that are fresh out of the oil! They're a million times better when they're warm!" She didn't have to twist our arms! While we waited we drank a cup of cider, perused through their selection of home made soups and dips (fresh Gazpacho? Corn and tomato salsa? It all looked insanely good) She came back with the donuts (a half dozen on the house, because we were new to her farm...so generous!) and they were INSANE. They were hot and fresh and smelled like heaven. Upon first bite they literally fell apart in our mouths.. like warm puffy clouds of cinnamon happiness. Needless to say we are now lifelong fans.

The grounds are gorgeous, they have live animals that kids (or grown ups) can feed, a pond, some picnic benches, and the orchards themselves. Make a day of it! Head over to Terhune Orchards with the whole family, pick your own produce (you can see the schedule of what's available to pick on their website!), grab a healthy lunch, feed some animals, have a donut, take a walk. It's all worth it!

Terhune Orchards

http://www.terhuneorchards.com/

330 Cold Soil Road

Princeton, NJ 08540

609.924.2310

Tortuga's Mexican Village, Princeton

Oh Mexican food, how I love you so. Spicy, cheesy, meaty, carb-y... what's not to like? Cousin J (you remember her, yes?) introduced me to Tortuga's Mexican Village a few years ago when she was working in Princeton, and I have been a believer ever since. Its bright and colorful on the outside and inside, with awesome modern art on the walls (along with the necessary yet cliche sombreros and maracas), and the people are super friendly. Also they have the best salsa. Ever. Period. It's not in a swimmy puddle mess of tomato glop; it's good, honest chunks of tomato, onion, herbs and pepper in an almost vinegary base. Too yum. Craving it now... eek! It is SO good in fact that the first bowl is on the house and then they make you pony up for seconds (which I always do... it's magical.... I dream of this salsa... sad but true) Now when J first took me to this place she introduced me to the California burrito... I have since tried everything else on the (pretty extensive) menu, but I always go back to this dish. It is a grossly oversized burrito stuffed with a meat of your choice (on this day I chose beef but you can do pork, chicken, steak, chorizzo... pretty much anything they have), beans, rice, guacamole, cheese, tomato, lettuce (yes the lettuce is INSIDE), and sour cream. They they top it with red sauce and more cheese and bring it over on a burning hot plater of happiness. It's weird.. although the lettuce does get a liiiiitle wilty, it's still pretty cool and crunchy even though it's been through the salamander. Same with the sour cream... it stays cool and delish. This is my favorite item on their menu... it is sideless (the rice and beans are shoved into the burrito itself!) but super filling... I don't recall having ever finished one in a single sitting.

Matt ordered the Chile Relleno, which is basically a Mexican stuffed pepper dipped in egg batter and cooked up. I think he opted to have his filled with chicken. It was done really well... the batter wasn't too thick, the filling was nice and soft with a touch of heat and loads of cheese. The platter was huge, and overflowing with rice and beans. The cheese and sauce on top made it gooey and rich... it was definetley not considered a low fat meal. While it's not very pretty to look at, it was delicious to eat!

I love this place, and I wish I was able to get there more often. Their menu has all sorts of delicious options, and no, not everything is covered in cheese and sauce (although, why shouldn't it be? SO GOOD). They have salads, soups, and house specialties, which include seafood enchillads, lime marinated catfish, and pollo mole (my Mom's favorite dish... I should take her here!) One thing to note,though... Tortuga's Mexican Village is a cash only place... no credit cards wil be accepted. It's a small inconvenience to an otherwise fantastic place. Go there! Tell me how much you love their salsa!

Tortuga's Mexican Village

http://www.tortugasmv.com/

44 Leigh Avenue

Princeton, NJ

Phone: (609) 924-5143

Kanoko, Princeton

I can't help it. I am addicted to Japanese food, ESPECIALLY sushi. Hence my love affair with Kanoko. My cousin J introduced me to the place a few years ago when she first moved to the area, and we've been going back ever since. Now that I work locally too, I may as well set a cot up in the place. Not much to look at (I actually thought it looked downright shady from the outside the first time J brought me there) it houses some delicious and very reasonably priced food within.

J and I met for lunch recently at 'our spot'. She is pretty predictable when it comes to ordering at Kanoko...she's been hooked on their Chirashi since '07. Despite their plethora (seriously! plethora!) of cheap lunch specials (2 rolls, soup, AND salad for $7.75! Chicken Tempura with Miso soup for $7.50!) I decided to order À la carte and went with the Sunomono and the 'Fancy Spider Roll'. While J sipped on her steaming Miso soup my Sunomono came out. Delicious chunks of fresh fish tossed with sesame seeds, seaweed and cucumber matchsticks. I have noticed that Sunomono is different everywhere you go but here they use crab, lightly seared tuna, yellow tail, and white tuna, and its simply awesome. The fish is cold and fresh, the seaweed is salty and has a bit of tooth to it and the cucumber is crunchy.

As I was mopping up the last bit of vinegar onto a bite of crab the rest of our meal was delivered. J's chirashi looked great. Chirashi is a bowl of rice adorned with big pieces of fish, cut Sashimi style. She orders it a lot and has let me know that it always has different fish in it, depending on what's fresh and abundant. Today it was a colorful mix of white tuna, shrimp, salmon, Tamago, tuna, and what I believe was mackrel. It's a whole lot of food and J was very pleased with it. She said everything tasted fresh and delicious, and after trying a bite of her white tuna with a bit of the perfectly seasoned sticky rice I couldn't agree more. A bit too much garnish for our liking (J always asks for a seperate plate to put the lettuce leaf, lemon, and excess ginger on) but it makes for a beautiful presentation.

My "Fancy Spider Roll' was just right, as well. It was a regular spider roll (fried soft shell crab, cucumber, avacado and a bit of sauce) mixed with spicy tuna. The crab was fried well and still warm and crunchy which complimented the cold vegetable matter and spicy tuna mixture very well. My only problem with the roll is the sheer size... the pieces are large! Too big for a mouthful but awkward to bite in half. But hey, if that's my biggest problem with the place I should consider myself lucky!

Kanoko is a great place to go for lunch. Cheap, fresh, and fast, they have lots of lunch specials and 4 pages of À la carte choices including appetizers, specialty rolls, tempura and teriyaki dishes plus more. Who knows? There's a great chance that you will see J and I there on one of our frequent lunch dates!

Kanoko

3798 Route 27

Princeton, NJ 08540

732-821-8822