Steakhouse 85 Review; Upcoming Events

Lots to share today. First up: these 3 fun things happening in Central NJ.

Mrs. G’s – This appliance store and showroom on Route 1 in Lawrenceville now has its own in-house chef, Mary Beth Madill, a Johnson & Wales grad. It only makes sense, since the store carries many brands of high-end kitchen appliances. On Saturday the 18th, from 2 to 4, Madill is teaming up with guest chefs: three sisters who have their own catering company in Trenton called ABC Dadlites.

Debbie Schaeffer of Mrs G's, ABC Dadlites & Mary Beth Madill

They’ll be demoing and serving Southern home-cooking favorites, including mac & cheese, fried chicken wings, & bbq pork. The event is free but seating is limited, so RSVP to info@mrsgs.com or phone 609.882.1444.

Slow Food Farmers Market – The final winter market sponsored by the Central NJ chapter will have 12 vendors on hand on Sunday, the 19th, from 11 am to 3 pm at Tre Piani (pictured at right) in Plainsboro’s Forrestal Village. Besides the top-tier vendors, owner/chef Jim Weaver, who founded this Slow Food chapter back in 1999, will be on hand signing copies of his new book, Locavore Adventures. You may recall that, uh, I am the subject of Chapter 7, since I am one of the co-founders. For a list of Sunday’s vendors, click on the Central NJ Slow Food website (which I’ve also added to my blogroll).

Miele hosts acclaimed cookbook author – Are you aware that at their Michael Graves-designed showroom on Route 1 in South Brunswick  the folks at Miele hold food and wine events? Last year I attended a fascinating wine tasting conducted by Maximilian Riedel that pitted his family’s famous glassware against others. On Thursday, February 23rd from 11 am to 2 pm Miele will host Maria Speck, author of the red-hot book, Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. The NY Times rightly named it one of 2011’s most notable cookbooks. Cost to attend is $25, for which you receive an autographed copy of the book and enjoy samples from it, prepared in Miele’s Steam Oven. Spaces must be reserved in advance – and I’ve already grabbed one of them! To reserve yours, phone Vicki Robb of Miele at 800.843.7231, ext. 2515.

And finally: click to read my review of New Brunswick’s Steakhouse 85, which is in the February issue of NJ Monthly.