National Banana Split Day

It is National Banana Split Day so be sure to visit Ice Cream Charlie's or Dairy Queen on Park Ave in Rutherford.

Risotto House

When I first moved to Rutherford friends who knew I was a "foodie" congratulated me on my choice from a culinary perspective. They were thrilled to come out and eat their way through town. One exception, Risotto House on Park Ave. Everyone told me to stay away. Now I hear they've a new(ish) chef, co-owner Luis Tito. Tito used to work for the Bastianich family at Felidia and Becco. That sounds like street cred to me. I say its time to try Risotto House.

Risotto House
88 Park Avenue
Rutherford, NJ 07070
(201) 438-5344
http://www.rutherfordmenus.com/restaurantmenus/risottohouse.php

Cupcakes Galore

I bought 3 cupcakes to try tonight after dinner at Daruma (review to come)...

Earl Grey Blueberry:

1. As with many of their cupcakes, the overall feel of this one is a little heavy and the cake is slightly greasy.
2. Smell is wonderful - strong bergamot mixed with blueberry pie. A good combo.
3. My sweetie thinks the icing is a little grainy bUt I like it. Not too sweet but rich and tasty. How can vegan buttercream frosting taste rich and buttery?
4. The cake is dense but not too firm. A scent of Early Grey tea but not a strong taste of it.
5. Filling classic blueberry pie. Fresh taste and fresh blueberry on top.
6. Of the Sweet Ave cupcakes I've tried, I'd put this in the top 5. (#1 of the 3 tried tonight)

Thai Coconut Curry:

1. Cake is a little drier than their usual; more like a muffin. My sweetie likes this density particularly.
2. Smells like coconut curry
3. Light on the frosting, which is nice. Toasted coconut is a good addition in my opinion but my sweetie would prefer un-toasted.
4. As with the bergamot, more of a smell of curry than a taste.
5. A little too sweet. I'm a big fan of chili in chocolate and I think this needs a similar balancing factor.
6. Less successful than many of their cupcakes but I appreciate the effort. #2 of 3.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:

1. Not much smell. A little vanilla smell, a little mass-market cookie dough (there's actually cookie dough in the middle!).
2. Comparatively bland.
3. The cake is nice, classic.
4. Frosting is too sweet and grainy.
5. Good concept (the stuffing with dough).
6. #3 of 3. Not really successful.

Sweets to Come

I'm planning on walking over to Sweet Avenue today to buy some cupcakes, specifically the Thai Curry which I've been wanting to try. I'll let you know how they are.

Sweeeeet!

Today is Wednesday and we all know what that means: tomorrow is the day for my favorite flavors at Sweet Avenue Bake Shop! I've not tried them all, but check out this selection:

Black & White
Dark Side of the Moon
Jet Black
Sexy Sadie
Snowball
White Room
Blueberry Earl Grey
Chocolate Sundae
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Fluffernutter
Thai Coconut Curry
Old Skool

Awesome, right!?!?

In case you don't know about Sweet Avenue, here's a little blurb from their (great) web site:
"Everything we make at Sweet Avenue is totally vegan. That means that all of our cupcakes, cookies, and everything else are all dairy- and egg-free. They're also 100% cholesterol-free, completely cruelty-free, better for the environment, and 156% awesomer than non-vegan desserts. Seriously. You can take that to the bank."

If that sounds gross, just wait until you taste. I actually did not know the cupcakes were vegan until a vegetarian friend told me and I'd been eating and enjoying them for months. And, NO, I don't have some sort of strange taste disorder. I'm a very good cook and sweet stuff connoisseur. Try it, you'll like it.

Sweet Avenue Bake Shop
153 Park Ave.
Rutherford, NJ 07070
201.935.BAKE (2253)
Mon — Closed
Tue-Sat — 11am-7pm
Sun — 11am-5pm

Outlet Style

When I go to Maine I always stop at the LL Bean headquarters in Freeport. I also like to explore the other shops there and the outlets. That is another thing I can ABSOLUTELY do here in NJ. Secaucus is under 6 miles from Rutherford is the original outlet center. When I was a kid the stores were actual warehouse shops, selling off seconds and last seasons stored goods. Now things are more upscale, which is both good and bad. There's a heck of a lot of shopping there:

Yum-tastic

Today's post is going to be short because we bought a Wii and because my sweetie is on the way back to the house with RockBand 2. Also on the way to the house is a pizza from Josie's in Lyndhurst. There is a LOT of good pizza around Rutherford but Josie's is one of my favorites. The two best things, IMHO, are the pizza with pear-tomatoes & portabello mushrooms and the Chicken Scarpiello Sandwich. Check it out yourself and let me know what you think!

Josie's Pizzeria
228 Stuyvesant Ave.
Lyndhurst, NJ 07071
http://www.josiespizzeria.com

Antiques

There are a couple of really cool antiques shops in Rutherford. I love one in particular but I'm not giving away the location here, at least not now. I will say that they have particularly lovely waterfall deco, so when I saw this post on craigslist.com (also from Rutherford) it made me smile. Another reason to live in Rutherford – antiques.

Books In R'ford

Since Rutherford Book Exchange moved to North Arlington, there are no general bookstores in Rutherford. Yes, there is a bookstore, Resurrection Books on Glenn Ave, but it is a specialty Christian bookstore. Since I'm an avid reader this makes me sad and I daydream about opening a bookstore/cafe downtown. Until that happens, there is a saving grace: the Rutherford Public Library.

The Rutherford Public Library (RPL) has an excellent selection of books, DVDs and CDs. The collection is ably curated by Director, Jane Fisher. If you can't find it within the walls of the RPL you are likely to find it at one of their “sister” libraries within the Bergen County Library System (BCCLS). Place your request in person or online at http://www.bccls.org and the item is delivered directly to the RPL for you. I highly recommended the “Book Bag” feature (like the Amazon wish list). I even keep it open while reading book reviews so add items in which I'm interested to my Bag. Oh, did I mention that you can download free audio books too? Nice!

RPL also has children's programs, book discussion groups, ESL discussion programs and much more. Are you a budding poet? Check out the new poetry programs “second wednesdays” on the terrace of the William's Center and the free drop-in poetry workshops in the RPL's glass room. More information is available on their website.

Rutherford Public Library

150 Park Avenue, Rutherford, NJ

http://www.rutherfordlibrary.org/