Hyperlocal NJ News From The New York Times

Have you heard the news? I found out about it via Springwise.com [a really fun source of new business ideas from around the world - consider subscribing to their free newsletter - here's the latest issue online.]...

The New York Times has just launched The Local. Tagline: Your town. Your neighborhood. Your block. Covered by you and for you.

Here's how Springwise describes the Local:

Hyperlocal news from The New York Times

Media & publishing

The Local, which was just launched by The New York Times, will feature posts by both NYT journalists and community members alike about day-to-day life in five neighbourhoods.

Now, it's not quite our town, our neighborhood, our block. That is, it doesn't capture Kinnelon, NJ.

However, one blog is all about Maplewood, Millburn and South Orange, NJ - which aren't too far away - and it does a wonderful job capturing the essence of what makes neighborhoods special.

It also reinforces the value that The Smoke Rise Blog - which invites you to Experience the sights, sounds, history and community of the most magical place on earth - the Land Where the Smoke Rises - around Smoke Rise and Kinnelon, NJ - offers our community.

So, go explore The Local. If it inspires stories about our community, just forward them to me at cbwhittemore [at] gmail [dot] com so we can post them to our hyperlocal blog about the area around Kinnelon, NJ.





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Dee's Thai Cuisine Update -- Spicy, Spicy, Spicy

FYI - our companions from our last visit to Dee's Thai Cuisine [see Dee’s Thai Cuisine & Diner – Fantastic Food Near Kinnelon, NJ] ordered takeout from them just recently and were disappointed that their instructions to make the dishes "very mild" were not followed.

So we warn you about a possible "disconnect" here and suggest you reinforce any instructions to the kitchen about how spicy or un-spicy you want your food.

We'll go back soon and give our own follow-up review, and we encourage you to tell us of your experiences; we'll collect them and post a mini-"Zagat" review with the consensus.

~ Ted

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Market Basket -- Local NJ High End Specialty Food

The Market Basket in Franklin Lakes, NJ is a fairly small, densely packed, nearly 50 year old gourmet and specialty food store that has some very good strengths, and a few weaknesses, that people in our area should be aware of.

According to the web site, they have recently enlarged and expanded the store, and I have not seen it in the newest incarnation. Have you?

When I first discovered it, I was quite taken with the very fresh, extensive, and pricey seafood, the nice and unusual bakery section, the range of prepared foods, and the many specialty items offered, including smoked meats from their own smokehouse, and interesting cheeses.

They do have reasonably priced specials on seafood, deli, meats and produce and you can see their ads in local papers such as the Suburban News or the Argus, which many of us get. The many items not on special will quickly carry you to another price point should they prove irresistible.

Their prepared quiches are very good, as are some (not all) of the soups. I especially like the sushi grade peppercorn tuna, seared outside and rare inside and very expensive all the way through, and the smoked pork chops and sausage are yummy.

It is often quite a crush on weekends, and god help you if you get in the way of a Franklin Lakes matron and the object of her desire; nevertheless, the many unique items and the store itself are worthy of inspection. Go during the week if you can.

The staff is pleasant and helpful, and many of the customers are unobjectionable, but I have to admit I have encountered more frayed tempers amongst the clientele here than at other local stores.

It is worth noting that The Market Basket is just around the corner (well, 5 minutes down the road with one left turn) from Zeytinia, previously described in this column, and has a substantial overlap in offerings, and which is more price friendly.

For those of us in the Kinnelon area, Zeytinia is closer, and probably a better deal most of the time, but I do recommend that you go take a look at Market Basket if you have not already, and I am sure you will be entertained.

Other posts in this series:
+ BJ’s (Cheap) Gourmet Food Store in Riverdale NJ
+ Corrado's in Wayne, NJ -- Foodie Destination
+ Zeytinia -- NY Specialty Foods in NJ

~Ted

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BJ’s (Cheap) Gourmet Food Store in Riverdale NJ

That’s right. BJ’s on Route 23 in Riverdale, NJ is a gourmet food store. Many of you may already realize this, but for those of you who do not – you should. OK, maybe it’s not strictly high end, but they have lot of stuff that you can make into high end food.

And of course, BJ’s is cheap. Best prices around on most items, by far. You have to join. 35 bucks. We save more than that every time we shop there.

You do care about saving money, right? You are worried that shopping at BJ's is declasse? No.

Let’s talk about meat.

You can buy untrimmed sides of Black Angus beef loin or rib eye for less than 5 bucks a pound, and in 10 minutes trim up 8 to 10 two inch steaks. Give them a nice dry rub and let them sit uncovered on their sides on a plate in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours to dry out the surface and you will have the best crusty sear ever. Use what you want and freeze the rest.

Where else can you buy a complete Boston Butt pork shoulder for pulled pork, or complete beef brisket flat with fat cap, for BBQ? Skirt steak, boneless leg of lamb, sausages …Oh My God.
Carnivore Heaven. It’s true that you have to buy more, but I usually … mmm … want more. There, I’ve said it.

Ox tail, short ribs, pork baby backs, beef fillet (not my favorite, but they have it and it is cheap).

Now seafood.

Not the most extensive selection, but let me mention the often but not always available fresh not frozen catfish. $5 per lb. Deep fried in tempura batter with lemon and garlic aioli. Yes.

Also flounder, sole, salmon, arctic char, diver scallops, and shrimp. Not all the time, but often.

Produce.

Beautiful plum tomatoes, red bell peppers, asparagus, mushrooms, all at lower prices than those of Pathmark or Stop and Shop.

Staple foods.

Extra virgin first cold pressed olive oil at $20 for a 3 liter can. The only other place in the same league is Corrado’s in Wayne. Canned goods, bakery goods, spices.

Dairy.

Excellent house brand butter at $1.50 per lb – the best I’ve seen at Pathmark on sale is $2.50 per lb. Skim Milk is $2.24 – you save nearly $2 per gallon for Tuscan brand over the Pathmark housebrand. Tuscan is $4.69 at Pathmark, $2.45 per gal. more.

Reggiano Parmesan and Spanish Manchego are cheap.

We figure we save $50 or more per $200 food shopping, comparing BJ’s to Pathmark or Stop and Shop.

Even on weekends when the place seems very busy, we don’t wait long to get through the checkout – no bagging you know – bring your own bags – and on weekdays you often have the place to yourself.

It’s not as convenient as Pathmark of Stop and Shop, so we have a rule -- if we are coming up 23 on a weekday, we stop at BJ’s and do the grocery shopping, unless of course, we already have!

You will still have to shop at a regular grocery store for the items BJ's doesn't carry, but hey, you can stop and get those few things on the way back.

Did I mention their whole cooked Purdue Roasters at $5 each?

All right, I sound like an ad for BJ's, but ... it's a VERY good place and it's very close to us in Kinnelon, NJ!

~ Ted

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Dee’s Thai Cuisine & Diner – Fantastic Food Near Kinnelon NJ

Dee's Thai Cuisine and Diner is in Pompton Lakes, NJ - that is, only 10 minutes from Kinnelon - and offers fantastic Thai food. It does! You need to go.

Here's the view looking up -- as you enter.

I was hoping for, but not counting on, good Thai food from this restaurant in Pompton Lakes right on the main drag in a downtown location, and looking very much like the diner it was. The place is nicely decorated in the inside and quite welcoming, in contrast to the exterior.

What we got was truly great Thai food, better than any other Thai restaurant in northern NJ that I have tried, except for Wondee’s and Bangkok Garden in Hackensack.

We all know there is a shortage of good restaurants in our neck of the woods. And there aren’t very many good ethnic restaurants either.

I’ll come right out and say that the Thai restaurant in Boonton is terrible (all right that’s not nice of me, but geez, the food is awful), and we have tried Khun Thon, the Thai restaurant in West Milford recently –it’s OK, but diminished for the American palate and not too interesting.

But Dee’s Thai is the real thing, rivaling restaurants in the city for flavor and authentic preparation. We went as two couples with children, and as is the case with many Thai restaurants, the children were welcomed and had a very good time, but the adults had an even better time. Service was surprisingly quick, also kid friendly.

We ordered too much food, including most of the appetizers, some of the salads and a couple of the main courses. The flavors were bright and deep and completely in tune with the four pillars of Thai cuisine – sweet, sour, salty and hot – all in balance.

Wonderful Chicken Satay with 2 dipping sauces, was moist and sweet and good for kids and adults; Thai Steamed Dumplings were excellent, as was the Papaya Salad; the Duck Salad was satisfying with perfectly cooked duck and great citrus flavors.

Lastly and a great finale were the Pad Thai and Green Curry Pork which were both quite a bit beyond usual restaurant fare, with the tamarind flavor of the Pad Thai more developed than I had expected, and the depth of flavor of the coconut milk and kaffir lime in the Green Curry a surprise. We ordered (I ordered) an extra Green Curry to go.

Not a single dish was less than very good and most were great. Oddly, Dee's does American diner food in the AM, as well as Thai food the rest of the day.

Dee's Thai has only been open since November and needs you!

We really want this restaurant to do well and that means people have to go there – so that’s what I encourage you to do.

BYOB. Open 7 days. No excuses, now. Go.

Now I want a really good Vietnamese reataurant ... maybe in Denville, or even Lincoln Park ...

~ Ted

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Kinnelon's Winter Festival

This past January 2, 2009, the first ever Winter Festival took place at the Kinnelon NJ library. From noon to 4pm, all kinds of activities took place at the library making for a family-friendly celebration of the New Year.

We got there late. That meant that we missed Bradley McMurray - "pianist extraordinaire and wonderful performer, attuned to the Classical repertoire as well as the American genre of stride - Jazz which he plays with a fine technique, excitement and sensitivity."

We also missed Sathya who performed a Bharatanatyam dance, "a classic dance form originating in Tamil Nadu a state in South India and known as the Indian National Dance. Bharatanatyam is usually accompanied by the classical Carnatic music," doing so in full traditional costume...

[Here is a link to a YouTube video clip of Authentic (real) Bharatanatyam Indian dance.]

However, we were in time to hear Christopher, a freshman at Kinnelon High School, present to us an overview of the various ways that cultures around the world celebrate the New Year.

+ In Mexico, make a wish as you eat twelve grapes at the stroke of midnight. And, for luck in love, wear red underwear.

+ Several countries hold Polar Bear Plunges.

+ The Chinese New Year celebration lasts 15 days.

+ Peru and Venezuela have traditions of taking one's luggage for a walk around the block at New Year's! [See Wikipedia New Year's Eve.]

Next, we took part in the world premiere of "an original creation written by a very well known member of the Smoke Rise Players!" [Note: dated information.]

Titled "The Grand Hall Character Ball" and written by LynnMarie McCullough, it is the story of Emily trying to determine her "story" so she can attend the Grand Hall Character Ball. Assisted by Coogle, the troll, the two successfully avoid the witch - intent on turning them into trees, and convince the rabbit [aka the author] to be part of their group.

The story ends with all characters attending the ball because Emily, in discovering her story, realizes that her skill is bringing out the best in others.

My daughter and I had a blast!

Several aspects of the production were particularly engaging:

+ The actors never spoke. They acted out as the narrator described events and scenes.

+ The entire room was the stage, and several members of the audience became umbrella-trees to create a forest.

+ The author performed.

The book is due out in March. We've been promised an email update. When I receive that, I'll share it here.

After the Grand Hall Character Ball performance, Corey Spies, a sophomore at Kinnelon High School and talented musician, played Rameau and Chopin on the keyboard. He also answered questions about becoming a musician: he has been playing since the age of five. He now practices approximately 45 minutes per day; he plays trumpet at the High School and is 6th chair for the area band.

Kinnelon's Winter Festival represented a marvelous community celebration of the New Year and of the talent within our community. I look forward to next year's Winter Festival.

Thank you, Kinnelon Library, and all who presented and performed and shared their talents with us.






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Save The Date: Sterling Forest Fire Tower Hike

Sterling Forest Fire Tower originally
uploaded by aptokash.
Save the date -Sunday May 17th, 2009 - for the Sterling Forest Fire Tower hike.

This is another hike that Smoke Rise's Ken Bitz is organizing with the official notice appearing in the April 1 issue of The Smoke Rise Newsletter.

The hike as Ken describes it sounds fantastic:

This hike is rated moderate and is 4 miles round trip. It features a very interesting hike around Sterling Lake, including old iron ore works. We then ascend to one of the last manned fire towers that protect our forests. We will meet with the forest ranger and have the opportunity to climb the tower.

We will meet at the Inn parking lot at 1 PM. Bring a snack or light lunch.

As always, children and dogs are welcomed.

To whet your appetite - and convince you to take part with us - I found some wonderful resources:

+ This Flickr photo stream shows some of the views you can expect when you reach the Sterling Forest Fire Tower.

+ I'm really pleased to have come across Northeast Hiking with a post about the Sterling Forest Fire Tower.

+ Here is a description of the Sterling Forest State Park hike from the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference

+ This is a link to the Best Places to Hike to a Fire Lookout from that Appalachian Mountain Club. It lists the Sterling Forest Fire Tower as well as several others.

+ Here are photos from a winter hike to the Sterling Forest Fire Tower that the Westchester Hiking Meetup Group took part in.

I'm looking forward not just to the hike, but also to learning about fire towers and the role they play. [By the way, did you know that there is a Forest Fire Lookout Association?]

For information on these hikes as well as information on our own Smoke Rise trails please contact Ken Bitz kbitz@optonline.net .

I hope to see you there!

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