So last night as I was about to drift off to sleep in front of the TV, the Boyfriend Chef shook me with a couple pressing questions, the first of which was “What’s for breakfast tomorrow?”  He requested that I make pancakes which is usually fine by me.  Later, as we were getting ready for bed, I came up with a better idea.  We could go to Tavolo Pronto.  He thought I was playing dirty to get out of cooking, but what I was really thinking was “We haven’t been there in a while and it’s been weeks since I’ve had something to write about.”

We braved the frigid temperature and took the short drive to Fair Haven.  We were warmly greeted by Arturo, the owner & longtime friend.  After getting our coffee & perusing the menu I settled on the #3 omelet (with prosciutto & mozzarella) and the BF Chef ordered his usual: bacon, egg, & cheese on a “Balthazar crunchy, chewy, fantastic, 6″ roll.”  (His description in quotes.)  I contemplated a side of bacon but I’ve been trying to rein in my gluttonous ways.

I’m glad I passed on the bacon as the prosciutto added plenty of salty porky goodness.  The three egg omelet was more than enough for me and I took about 1/3 home.  The BF Chef ate all of his sandwich & was more than full.  That didn’t stop us from taking home some of Patty Cakes’ baked goods.  We took home a couple Nutella Oatmeal Cookies, Limoncello Cookies, and a Blondie.

I just sampled a Limoncello cookie on a full stomach and have to say that this is the best lemon flavored cookie I’ve ever had.  The Nutella cookie was buttery & delicious.  The blondie has chocolate chips which in my opinion makes it not a blondie.  It doesn’t detract from the brown sugary goodness, though.

I have picked up the Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Scones for a couple of work parties and it’s now a requirement when we have a morning celebration.

610 River Road
Fair Haven, NJ 07704
(732) 741-6009

I left dinner up to the BF Chef.  I offered to make him pancakes (we have some Williams Sonoma Butter Pecan Spread to sample) but I think we were both looking forward to going out again.  There are a couple of important football games today and we wanted to find a place where we could watch the game without the boisterous bar crowd.  My first thought was the bar at Nicholas, but the BF Chef mentioned finding a BYO.  I didn’t say anything but he eventually came to the conclusion that Nicholas would work.  The menu had been updated since our last outing, including a Sunday 3 course meal with lobster as the main entree.

Breakfast was so filling that I wasn’t that hungry for dinner but I’m always up for eating (see comment above about gluttonous ways).  We had already decided that we would each have the Sunday 3 course Bar Menu but the BF Chef was hungry enough for a few small plates too.

We started with the perfectly Braised Octopus with Roasted Cashews, Blood Orange, & Caramelized Endive.  Awesome!  Next up was the Wild Mushroom Soup, Foie Gras Chantilly, & Aged Sherry (Yum!) and Seared Foie Gras, Apricots, Honey Crisp Apple Puree, & Chamomile Broth (Delish!).  My first thought upon smelling the mushroom soup was “mmm…reminds me of Mom making Campbell’s condensed cream of mushroom.”  Beyond that there is no comparison.  Nicholas’ soup is so much more wonderfully flavorful. Comparing it to Campbell’s is blasphemy.  The foie gras was just as divine.  The fruit & chamomile was the perfect balance to cut the richness and lighten the dish.

Up next was our 3 course menu.  The salad of Baby Field Greens, Caramelized Hazelnuts, & Beaufort Cheese is right up my alley.  I love fruit, cheese, and nuts in my salads, and these were just enough without being overwhelming.  The dressing was a basic oil & vinegar (we think sherry wine) and I thought mine was a bit over dressed.  The BF Chef said his was perfect, so maybe this is a matter of preference.  The Butter Poached Nova Scotia Lobster, braised leeks, black truffle mascarpone agnolotti, and brown butter buerre fondue was amazing.  For the price ($29) we weren’t expecting the whole lobster (less the knuckles) that we got.  The perfectly cooked agnolotti were so flavorful that I preferred them over the lobster.  For dessert we had Passion Fruit Custard, Yuzu Génoise, & Mint Sorbet, which was a nice light & refreshing finish to what was a phenomenal meal.

160 New Jersey 35
Red Bank, NJ 07701
(732) 345-9977
www.restaurantnicholas.com

I’m so glad we were able to get out of the house, especially with the impending possible snow storm that may or may not arrive on Wednesday.  (THINK SNOW!)