Sights and Bites #3

Hello from the Garden State!  Currently, I'm in New Jersey for a week of business travel.  Last night, after a full day of traveling through the rain, I decided to find a place for a relaxing and refreshing dinner.  Having covered this territory for three straight years, I can confidently say that I know the lay of the land and have found my "favorites" in many categories.  I have a favorite hotel to stay at, favorite roads to take, and favorite restaurants to visit. 

One place that I found my very first year is a restaurant called Grato in Morris Plains, which is today's featured place to grab a "bite".  This restaurant has a warm atmosphere and ambiance as the stone walls are dimly lit with over hundred candles.  The white table clothes let you know that you are in for a top-notch experience, but the friendly staff keeps the place from being stuffy.   I can't figure out if Grato reminds me more of Italy or Sonoma, CA, but either way, I always have a nice time here.

When first seated, guests start their dining experience with freshly made, crusty-on-the-outside-yet-soft-on-the-inside bread and pesto ricotta spread.  After a few minutes of reading the dinner menu from my seat at the bar, I decided to order an arugula salad with ripe fig, soft Gorgonzola cheese, crispy pancetta and a lemon olive oil drizzle.  I also decided to make an easy choice and enjoy a glass of the house red wine, but they have a pretty extensive list of other wines by the glass and bottle. 

Of course, no meal for me is complete without indulging in some sweetness.  Per the recommendations of both my waiter and other nearby diners, I went ahead and ordered a desert called tartufo.  This was a large scoop of hazelnut gelato covered in a soft shell of chocolate and hazelnut crumbs.  It was plated with caramel sauce and homemade whip cream and the best part was the surprise middle!  In the middle of the scoop of gelato, I found crisp almond biscotti and candied cherries. 

As I was sitting around and taking some time to savor my desert, the bartender was describing an interesting basil lemonade that they have been serving.  From seeing that both my and fellow bar diner's curiosity was perked at hearing about such an interesting sounding drink, he barely hesitated a second before insisting that he make up a small batch of it for us to sample right then and there.  It was crisp, refreshing, just the right amount of sweet.

Overall, it was a great meal with great service in a great location.

Today, yet another drizzly, cloudy day, I was looking forward to stopping by one of my favorites places.  Now for those of you who know me, you can probably guess what I'm about to name as this post's "sight" and for those of you who don't know me as much, well, I can't wait to tell you all about this great spot.  Drumroll, please - today I spent part of my afternoon at a Wegmans grocery store!

I know, I know - when you think grocery store, you think meat, dairy, produce, freezers, check out.  This is so much more!  The variety of things to see, sample, and enjoy seem endless and the people who work here are friendly and helpful.  I enjoyed strolling up and down the aisles of Wegmans today, picking up an item or two to bring home to our pantry once I return from this trip.  I grew up in Central New York and we typically shopped at Wegmans, so visiting one of these stores while I'm traveling gives me a little taste of home and comfort.

So, that's that folks - a great place to find a tasty Italian meal and spot that can help fellow Central New Yorker's reminisce about home with a visit to our equivalent of Mecca.

Until next time, travel on...

Maggie