Restaurant Roundup: Skinner's Loft

Last weekend, Shaun and I ditched our plans of heading into Manhattan and instead opted for some exploring in Jersey City. Since we rarely venture into the JC outside of our small neighborhood, it was really a treat. The place? Skinner's Loft, a small two story bar and restaurant featuring exposed brick and stained glass. With eclectic dishware and pillows, it kind of felt like dining in an Anthropologie catalog-esque bar. The menu featured an array of American-style dishes with a special Small Plates menu. Well, they must've known I was coming. After all, small plates are the perfect solution for a sampler (read: one who isn't content with one big meal, but must have small bites of lots of different things), such as myself. And oh did we sample.

Dinner started out with some brioche bread and olive oil for dipping. Served on super sweet Alice in Wonderland toile bread plates, it was impossible not to enjoy.

Post bread, we ordered a handful of mouth-watering eats, albeit extremely unhealthy. Filet Mignon sliders with the most delectable shoestring fries I've ever laid eyes on...

Creamy macaroni and cheese, the single-handed culprit who made me fall asleep earlier than planned (causing an unfortunate snoozefest during a viewing of Inglorious Basterds) that night...

House cured olives...the only thing missing were the marcona almonds...See those white things? Yeah, that's whole cloves of roasted garlic, not almonds as I had hoped...

And the surprise star, cheese dip with potatoes and apples...

The small plates made Skinner's just my kind of place. A table full of eats to sample? Okay by me...But what I really want to know is, how do you like to eat? Do you like a huge plate full of the goods? Do you like to sample? Are you an appetizer-only eater?

Avid Reads: Kitchen Confidential

I'm not sure what it is, but lately food has been creeping into my reading repetoire beyond the usual food blogs that I incessantly read each day. On my vacation in Antigua, I curled up under a palm tree with Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, where not only did I read all about Tony's lifelong struggle with drugs (to me, providing some of the most interesting parts of the book) but learned all about the ways that the home cook dishonors food and all of its glory - most notably using jarred garlic, something that I do frequent in my own tiny apartment kitchen out of, really, sheer laziness. Sorry Tony. Oh, and did you know that one should never consume sushi on a Monday? I won't go into specifics, but let's just say that now I know why Hoboken's Teak offers half priced sushi Mondays. Anyhow, with his signature snark that I love so much, he details his rise to culinary glory - as a child, his first taste of oyster on a fishing boat in France, his coke-induced dishwashing days in Provincetown, all the way to heading up the culinary team at his now-famed Park Avenue restaurant, Brasserie Les Halles. Oh, and let's not forget a little show on Travel Channel called No Reservations, which just so happens to be my favorite travel show. Bottom line? I could have gone a lifetime without knowing the ins and outs of the culinary underbelly, but Tony did make it a fun ride. And my can't-get-enough-of-this-guy feeling has only gotten stronger. (Oh, and I should mention that many foodies have probably jumped on the Kitchen Confidential train long ago as this book has been out for a couple of years...I know I'm behind the curve, but what can I say? My love of all things food is still fresh...)

So what about you? What are you reading these days? Do you read food books? Food blogs? I just opened up Omnivore's Dilemma on the Kindle and something tells me I'm not going to love all of the information I get from this one...

Everyone's Irish on St. Patty's Day!

It's everyone's favorite green holiday and let's face it...even if you aren't Irish 364 days of the year, you are on St. Patty's Day! In celebration, I'm making traditional corned beef and cabbage via Real Simple, and chowing down on some baked goods that I froze last week. And just in case you missed it, be sure to check out these St. Patty's Day favorite!

Is there a more fun way to enjoy dessert than by incorporating some of the most delicious alcohol around? Guinness, Jameson and Bailey's make my Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes one for the dessert record books.

The typically dry Irish Soda Bread comes to life with this recipe via my good friend Kristen and her mom. It's Kathy's Irish Soda Bread and once you go Kathy's way, you won't go back.

So how are you celebrating St. Patty's Day? Grabbing your green Mardi Gras beads and heading out to Happy Hour? Relaxing on your couch with a six of Guinness?