Jade Bistro Suffern - We Return

It's been a little while since we (my co-workers and I) have been to Jade Bistro in Suffern and not only did we notice, but the staff that happily greeted us had noticed as well.  I love the feeling of being a regular someplace and having my absence noticed and the sense that I have been missed.  So, we really mixed things up by ordering completely different things.

One coworker wanted ultra traditional Chinese lunch and started with an eggroll.  How about the fancy plating?  I asked what the white squigglys tasted like and the response, "styrofoam."  I didn't try it for myself, but I did appreciate the attempt to make it interesting.

Her next course was chicken, but unfortunately I am not 100% sure if it was General Tao's or Sesame and I not only don't trust my memory.  Here's the important detail; she was quite happy.

One of the group loves the Pad Thai though she prefers hers without peanuts.  The fresh lime is not only enjoyed, but in the past, I have actually seen her clap when it arrives.

Me?  Well, I almost have the shrimp with rice noodles.  The server knows me well and brings me a spoon because I like to twirl the pasta against the spoon bowl in the Italian pasta fashion.  I am also usually brought extra napkins because...I need it.  

So, today I sort of switch it up by ordering the House Noodle Soup with rice noodles. Packed with Won Ton, chicken, pork, bok choy, shrimp and rice noodles, I am in soup heaven. The broth is so delicate, I almost wish it had a bit more flavor, but really, it was fabulous. The chunks of meat were huge and while I understand the chop stick user would be appreciative of their great size, I struggle and end up giving up trying to break them down.

Last, but not least, my vegetarian coworker selected the vegetable sushi rolls.  They made a far better presentation than the photo allows and we all "ooohed" and "aaahhed" appropriately when they were placed in front of her.  Best part, not only did they look amazing, she said they tasted just as good as they looked.

We were checked on throughout the meal.  Tea was refilled before the cup was half full and we were treated well and like old friends.  
Work talk is minimal when we are off site.  Better to chat about celebrity nonsense, movies, television and 3 day weekend plans. Ah, Fridays.  We know that when we get back to work we have less than an hour until we are dismissed for the holiday.

So, if you have a craving for Chinese food or sushi or a Bento Box and are anywhere near Suffern, Jade Bistro will leaving feeling happy, satisfied and Fed Well.

Mountain View - yes, again (and again)

When visiting a restaurant you have been to enough times to be able to recite the core menu, it can only mean a few things.  Either you have found a meal that is so wonderful you enjoy it over and over, you plan on working your way through the entire menu or it is close to home and convenient for meeting friends and family.  In the case of Mountain View, for me, it is a little bit of all of the above.

I have a few favorites that "go to" meals including the Eggplant Tower appetizer, the mussels in creamy garlic sauce and the lobster ravioli.  

On this cold January night I am meeting a friend at 6:35 sharp and the dining room is fairly busy for a week night.  In fact, the only available table is set for a large group and 2 tables are available in the bar area.  My friend also has a typical order, either the loaded nachos of the Mountain Burger. We look through the menu and specials for a few minutes anyway after I order a cosmopolitan and for her, a glass of Merlot.

Stories and thoughts are exchanged.  Vacations that are adventures versus exotic or simple beach retreats, parenting young adult children, and potential retirement and relocation ideas.

The Mountain Burger

Lobster Ravioli

If success of a meal can be gauged by the amount of food remaining on the plate, ours must have been more than just edible.  I have to say, my vegetables are prepared well beyond al dente and for some that is preferred, but I like my veggies to still have a bit of snap.  Unfortunately, I only sample them with the hope they were mildly crisp and once I confirmed they were "well done" I left them on the plate.

When I ordered my meal, I did spy the vanilla salted caramel cake. I had it on my mind during the main course and enjoyed it with a hot cup of tea.  I wasn't disappointed and love the sensation of the bits of salt with the slightest crunch through the smooth and gooey caramel.

My thoughtful friend recently gave me a book, "Eating my Words: An Appetite for Life," by Mimi Sheraton and I am thoroughly enjoying it!  Mimi has had some exciting life experiences both in and out of famous and fabulous dining rooms around the world and in New York.  

My friend and I will have dinner again.  I will certainly be eating at Mountain View again. Perhaps I will venture out and try a new item on the menu. Either way, I expect I will again feel Fed Well at Mountain View.

Last Cheeseburger in Paradise

The Mr. and I tend to avoid the chain restaurants, but once in awhile, we decide to give in and try one.  Just so happens, our local Cheeseburger in Paradise has been open 9 years and we've never been inside until we stopped in for lunch.

I immediately feel a little bit like a tourist in a beach town trying to meet preconceived stereotypes about what a dive-by-the-shore should like like morphed with a sports bar complete with about a dozen flat screens tuned to various athletic events and news.  No identity crisis happening here and as long as the food is good, I can look past the decor including a sign that states, "No visitors PASSED this point."  Ugh.

Like most of the big box restaurants, a number of menus are available to choose food and drink and include table top cards calling out specials by the day.  I decide to simply ask for a margarita on the rocks (I don't like the frozen version) with a salt rim and was happy to receive this version:

Next thoughts on a cold January day in the North East are for soup.  I scanned the offerings repeatedly and could not find a soup and just when I was ready to give up, I saw gumbo and knew that would be a perfect starter.

The gumbo was both hot and warming.  The broth was thick and stocked with flavors

For the Mr. a mushroom Swiss burger.  Unfortunately, I cannot show scale well in this photo, but the burger was quite large and it took some concentrated effort for him to finish the meal.

For me, the Shrimp Po Boy.  The shrimp were battered and fried then drizzled with both tarter and cocktail sauce.  I'm not much for battering and frying, but the shrimp were fairly juicy and the fries were fabulous.  I left the roll behind and ate the contents of the sandwich with a fork.

We were checked on throughout the meal by a very smiling and polite young lady.  Hours after we left, I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed and someone posted they were at Cheeseburger in Paradise for the last time.  Yes, it's true.  We were able to get in just before the doors closed.  Rumor has it another chain will be calling the location their own, but how does this happen.  The grapevine also indicates the staff were not made aware of the closing until it was happening (likely to ensure they had staff for the finale, but it hardly seems fair).

Well, we hand a nice lunch date and the dubious honor of being among the last diners to visit the area's Cheeseburger in Paradise.  We were Fed Well and look forward to returning to the small and privately owned restaurants in the area we have come to love.

The White Wolf Restaurant & Lounge

The White Wolf Restaurant & Lounge in Napanoch was first introduced to me as the site of my sister's wedding reception and we later returned to celebrate one of her birthdays.  After receiving a Christmas gift certificate, most of the family and I returned for a post-holiday meal and armed with my cell phone camera, I prepared for a Fed Well blogger review.  

A view of the remaining to be seated area of the dining room.  By the way, on a cool winter night, the large and open area was comfortably warm and welcoming.  We also enjoyed the seasonal paintings on the windows.

I should mention we were seated promptly and the young lady who was our server was also quick to greet us and take our drink order.  Yes, a standard Cosmopolitan.  The restaurant offered a beer and wine list but I am starting to look for specialty cocktails when dining out, especially when the location offers a separate bar or lounge.

A linen wrapped bread basket was placed on the table with individually wrapped servings of butter.  I have to admit, I was skeptical.  As soon as I touched the warm and crusty seeded roll my mind started to change. The inside was soft and warm throughout so the cold butter could spread and yes, it tasted amazingly fresh. These first food impressions make all the difference.

One of the Mr.'s favorites is French Onion Soup and so far, only one Hudson Valley Restaurant's preparation was so removed from his traditional expectation that he will never order it at that particular establishment again.  However, the experience shook his faith enough to make him a bit cautious when dining in unfamiliar territory.  Luckily, the White Wolf's classic treatment of the onion, broth, bread and cheese has helped restore his faith and expectations about French Onion in a crock.  I was able to sample a spoonful as well and found it to be a rich broth and overall good representation of a standard.  

The only other soup options were a potato vegetable or a creamy tomato and since neither of these choices are a favorite of our older son, he instead had a salad which was included with his meal.

Our son's girlfriend and I order the White Wolf Burger which is of course prepared to ordered doneness as well as customized by toppings. We both agree on lettuce and tomato, but for her raw onion and for me, BACON. We also both skip the cheese. The seeded bun is toasted just crisp enough without falling apart or having the inside charred on a grill. Yum. The fries are lightly seasoned and crisp. Perfect anti-holiday, anti-fancy food (though those options are also available on the menu.  In fact, the offerings range from cuisine to pub grub.)

One of the evening specials, "Complete Dinner" including the French Onion soup and choice of an ice cream sundae or apple pie for dessert, was the Wiener Schnitzel the Mr. ordered.  I know, for those of you who have read about his dinner choices in the past they are typically a chicken dish and high on the list for him is Chicken Marsala. He felt the need to break out of his culinary comfort zone. Honestly, I was nervous until I saw the plate arrive. The portion was a healthy size and yes, I interrupted by sticking my fork in there and having a bite as well.  It was delicious. The meat was pounded thin, the breading was delicate, nothing was greasy and the sauce was flavorful.  While potato pancakes may have made him happier than the included mashed, the potatoes were good as well.

So what did our son select?  A full rack of ribs.  I had told a story during dinner about a restaurant the Mr. and I went to for New Year's Eve and that I had ordered what reminded me of the Flintstones in the form of a huge bone in piece of meat I could only describe as Brontosaurus, but now wonder if maybe these ribs weren't the same ones that were placed on the tray at the Drive-in for Fred to enjoy.

He has a "grown ass" man appetite and even with leaving a few french fries and the cole slaw behind, he struggled with the last rib and a half.  My forkful sample was tender and the sauce sweet.

We were checked on throughout the meal, drinks were refilled as needed and the other diners included a few young families.  One story we shared included how the Mr. would tease our young sons about their being a restroom attendant in the men's room at some restaurants.  Though it was true once when they were small and we went some place near Disney World, if the Mr. used the restroom during a meal he would return and share his experience about having the soap dispensed for him and hands dried until one of the boys used the same facility and returned to the table to say, "No one was in there."  I told of the most elaborate restroom experience being at Le Cirque where white gloved attendants opened the door in-between users to ensure the area was in acceptable condition for the next, um, guest.

Conversations sometimes simply take on their own path and that is what makes each family meal experience as unique as the menu.  We are Fed Well and thank my Mommy for the gift certificate.

In preparing to write this post, I was happily surprised to see that Fed Well is the #1 ranked blog for the Middletown area by Urban Spoon and would like to thank every reader and supporter.  This also leaves me feeling Fed Well.

Ward's Bridge Inn

A few occasions in life simply call for going out to dinner afterward and Christmas Tree Hunting is one such time.  We opted to get this year's tree from the Montgomery Volunteer Firehouse and after a quick poll, Ward's Bridge Inn was the obvious choice for dinner.

The first sign of a good meal is a perfectly made cocktail and for me, yes, a Cosmopolitan.  It was delicious.

The discouraging aspect of food blogging lately has been dim restaurant lighting.  I try to be as discreet as possible and have implemented a "pass the phone" system at the table so my family can simply take a quick, non-flash photo of their plate and then pass it to the next person.  This method gives a varied perspective and allows us to get to our meal as quickly as possible.  However, with lighting that is too dim, I am not only slightly disappointed in the resulting photos, I can't help but feel it throws off the atmosphere just a bit as well.  I am all for mood lighting, and would balk at bright and glaring light, but like music, is a middle volume very difficult?

So, with advance apologies to photo quality, here is a peek at the food.

Soup to start for me.

The Manhattan Clam Chowder was loaded with celery, carrots and a few potatoes and clams.  The broth was flavorful and the soup was served piping hot.

The Mr. opted for a tossed salad he said was fresh and crisp (must have been great or he was starving since he only left behind a small sliver of cucumber because he does not like it).

Our young men passed on a starter course.

Main Courses/Entrees:

The Lobster Rolls were delicious.  I have to confess, I peeled the contents out of the bun and ate it with my fork.  The french fries were laced with Truffle Oil, perfectly crisp and seasoned.  I think I am still dreaming of them.

This is an example of an amazingly bad photo, low lighting, etc.  However, it was the Ward Burger platter and my older son made it disappear.

No, the Fed Well blog did not accept advertising on behalf of Heineken.  Our younger son recently turned 21 and so this was his first family dinner in a restaurant with an adult beverage.  Clinking my glass with his bottle for a symbolic "Cheers" was more than a toast, it was our family turning the corner into adulthood.

As for his dinner, the crispy onion straws were lightly crunchy and I was happy to help take a few from his plate.  The sirloin tips and potatoes were a small portion for a growing young man.

Everyone knows the Mr. enjoys chicken and his favorite is Chicken Marsala, but tonight he decided on Parmigiana.  I asked permission to sample and after I tasted both the pasta and chicken thought he would enjoy it.  He would have preferred more sauce and held further comment regarding the chicken and so we could only rate the overall dinners as 3 out of 4 forks up since he was not giving his meal an A grade and our younger son would have enjoyed a bit more food.

We bought the first Christmas Tree we saw.  We enjoyed a lovely meal together and though it took us a few days to all be together for decorating, the house and tree are ready.  We are Fed Well and I am sharing a peek at our personal life with a photo of our Maddy by the tree.  Happy Holiday, Merry Christmas and Terrific Tuesday to you and yours.

Monticello Raceway/Casino - The Terrace - a pleasant surprise.

I've been to the Monticello Racino a few times in the past but the funny thing is I have been there the last 2 Friday nights in a row.  No, I am not developing a habit.  We went as a family of 5 the first week and then my Mommy asked if I wanted to meet here this past Friday and so, I went with my younger son.  Since we had the buffet the first week, I wanted to try the restaurant this past week.  World of difference.  Still not 5 star dining, but if I have reason to visit again, I will skip the buffet.

I know, buffets have their purpose and I'm not putting this one down, but if all I want is soup and a little something, why pay for the full line of items I am not likely to eat.

Funny, now when I see "soup du jour" on a menu I can't help thinking of the clip from Dumb and Dumber. In the scene Jim Carrey asks the waitress, "What's the soup du jour?"  She responds, "It's the soup of the day." He then says, "That sounds good. I'll have that."  Ah the sophisticated humor of Jim Carrey.

The soup of the day at The Terrace happened to be one of my favorites - New England Clam Chowder. But, do I dare try it at the racino?  Yes!

Packed with potatoes, clams, veggies and with a broth that was perfect even for Goldilocks - not too thick, not too thin.  The temperature of every bite was steamy hot!  I ate the entire crock and loved it.

Soup for my son as well, but he instead shares a passion for his father's favorite soup, the French Onion. They both favor this soup in it's most classic form and do not want any modern twists.  This version was no disappointment.

Main courses.  For my Mommy, a steak sandwich which she enjoyed:

We watched the line for the buffet grow and grow.  Some had coupons for a free dinner and while no one can argue with the value of a free meal, I equally support the right to choose and have what you want!

My son and I order quesadillas that were listed as appetizers but we thought in combination with our soup they would be more than enough food.  See what you think of the serving size:

It was about the size of a pizza folded in half.  I ate one section and was completely stuffed!

As far as cost, it was a little bit more than the buffet, but not enough to worry about spending.

We returned to our games and an announcement came over the speakers, "Will the following two people please report to the Player's Club for Turkey Bowling..." and guess who was called.  Yes, this gal.

I was nervously excited and hopeful.  I was handed a hollow turkey of undetermined material to slide down a bowling lane and had 2 chances to knock down all the pins and win a coupon voucher for slots.  What do you think happened?

I needed both tries, but yes, I won!

The winning did not influence my opinion of the meal, but it is altogether a great memory. Try The Terrace and if nothing else, maybe you'll just have a good time and feel Fed Well.

http://www.monticellocasinoandraceway.com/pdf/The_Terrace_Menu.pdf

Sunday Morning at the Cup and Saucer in Pine Bush, NY

A good meal to catch up over is breakfast and so I summoned available family members and headed out to the Cup and Saucer Diner in Pine Bush.  For me, it is almost like going to a friend's house; it is in a family friendly neighborhood, comfortable and casual.

After all, the food is important, but if the atmosphere is all wrong, I would never return.  I am always happy to see my friend, Marlene and am sure to run into others I know and care about. 

We talk about current events.  Our town has received some recent negative press and since we have lived in the area for 3 generations now, we try to envision the place that was written about compared to the hometown we see day after day.  The stories don't quite match and we wonder if we simply are not aware, if something was blown out of proportion, or if maybe the conspiracy theories are true and the horror stories were brought to light to portray the citizens in a bad light.

Breakfast.  The reason, or the excuse, for our gathering.  Here's a look at the food:

Fruit Cup

Though I'm not a grapefruit fan, the rest of the fruit is sweet and refreshing.  A great start to the meal.

2 poached eggs with wheat toast and potatoes

My breakfast.  I love eggs and have yet to meet a way to prepare them that doesn't make me happy.  The poached egg yields to gentle pressure from the toast and my taste buds smile at the warm gooey yolk.

Sunny Side Up with Bacon*

Silver Dollar Pancakes with Chocolate Chips

I enjoy watching Catherine as she dips each forkful of pancake very carefully into the container of syrup.

French Toast with Bacon

My Mommy knew exactly what she wanted without a menu and was happy with her choice.

*The photo of the eggs and bacon includes an extra side of bacon that came with the silver dollar pancakes. Serving size not typical :)

We talk.  We talk about family, aging, work and holidays.  Venting. Yes, that happens.  After all, if you can't talk it over with your family, who can you talk to?

The check is quietly place on the table and we continue to talk. The time passes quickly and people have come and gone. The day is dreary, rainy and cool, but I'm feeling Fed Well for having spent some time with my Mommy, and part of my little family. Before leaving, I run into a friend that is fairly new to my life but it feels like she has always been there. Cup and Saucer (though my mother-in-law has taken to calling it the Tea Cup) is simply one of my favorites. Time to part ways, but with a craving for something warm and sweet, I make a quick stop at the drive through for a pick me up.

An after breakfast treat - hot French Vanilla Latte!

Though the Fed Well blog may not have a particular rhythm, neither does life as it ebbs and flows, sometimes gently or with pounding fury. The grey rainy days serve their purpose as well, for without them, the continuous sun would make life a desert.