Princeton Restaurant Veterans Spread Their Wings; Lillipies Opening @ Princeton Shopping Center; Update on EDDY Awards Voting

New Restaurants from Familiar Names & Faces in Union, Asbury Park, & King of Prussia Mall

Jamie Dodge, Beverage Manager at Barrio Costero, puts a finishing touch on his Hotel Nacional cocktail

Here in my June “Food for Thought” column in the Princeton Echo I have the scoop on the latest projects & whereabouts of folks like Jamie Dodge (formerly of Elements & Mistral), Derek Brousseau (One53 & Mistral), David Viana (Kitchen @ Grove Station & Battello), Carlo & Raoul Momo (Terra Momo Restaurant Group), and Scott Anderson & Steve Distler (Elements & Mistral).

Jen Carson Shares Plans for the June Opening of Lillipies, Her Bakery-Cafe on North Harrison Street

Jen Carson, Lillipies, courtesy The Princeton Echo

Besides the sweet and savory baked goods that have earned her a large following, Carson’s first brick-and-mortar spot will offer scratch-made soups, sandwiches, coffee, ice cream, and live entertainment. Details here, in my June feature story in the Echo.

There’s still time to vote for my EDDY-nominated story, “The First Ladies of Cape May!”

Dot Thompson & Lucille Burton. Photo by Aleksey Moryakov

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am honored that my story from Edible Jersey is 1 of 5 nominees in the Chef Feature category of the EDDYs: the national writing awards of the 90 Edible Communities magazines. You can cast one vote a day every day from now through Wednesday, June 8th by clicking here. (As of this writing, my story had accumulated 66% of the votes!!!)

Peacock Inn’s New Chef is AlreadyGone; Corkscrew Wine Shop Expands; Lillipies on the Move; More

Sam Byrne Summarily Departs Peacock; Lillipies Moving into Princeton Shopping Center; Turning Point Opens 11th Eatery at Mercer Mall

Princeton Echo August 2015

Details here, in my August Food for Thought column in The Princeton Echo

Princeton Corkscrew Wine Shop Expands

Princeton Corkscrew, Courtesy The Princeton Echo

Owner Laurent Chapuis tells which marketplace demands he responded to by adding more showroom space to his shop, which has been on Hulfish Street since 1997. My interview, here, also from the August issue of The Echo.

 

The Taco Truck, Meatball Mania, Dairy Home Delivery, More

My Newest Gig: Say Hello to the Princeton Echo

Princeton Echo April 2015

Princeton doesn’t lack for free newspapers, but this latest player in town, a monthly, aims to set itself apart by the stories it chooses to cover and its slant. I’m happy to announce that I will be part of that. Each month I contribute both a restaurant feature – an in-depth profile, not a review – and a newsy/gossipy column that’s a collection of happenings and interesting developments on the food and dining scene. (If you have tips, please email me at dinewithpat@gmail.com!)

Here are my entries for April:

Jason Scott & Lynh Pham, The Taco Truck
Courtesy Princeton Echo

The Taco Truck: Meet Jason Scott, who with partner Chris Viola, founded what started out as an actual truck in Hoboken and which recently opened its 4th brick-and-mortar location in NJ in the Princeton Shopping Center. How have Princetonians responded to this city slicker? And how has Princeton changed the way The Taco Truck is doing business? Find out here.

“Food for Thought.” This is the name of my new monthly column, a compilation of interesting developments on the Princeton area food, drinks, & dining scene. In the April issue these include:

Courtesy Osteria Procaccini

Meatball mania: Kingston residents have gone bonkers for the meatballs, of all things, at Osteria Procaccini, an artisan pizza spot. Insiders know to scoop them up each week before they run out. What makes them so special?

Lactoman to the rescue! If you live within a 10 mile radius of Princeton, there’s a new, easy, and inexpensive service that delivers milk, cheese, and other products from local farms and food artisans directly to your door. Check it out!

Farmers market season is fast approaching, and the first batch of changes/additions concerns the Princeton Forrestal Village Market. Think more dairy, cheese, fermented goodies, and grab-and-go lunches from the likes of Bobolink Bubbly Jen’s, and Brick Farm Market.

Pork Roll Cookbook & Signing: If you missed the details in my previous post at NJMonthly.com (which accumulated 750 likes in a matter of days), they’re all in April’s “Food for Thought.”