Dispatches
Despite my best efforts, I can't eat at every eatery that sparks my interest...yet. To fill in the cracks, I've enlisted a trusted family and friends to submit food-driven Dispatches. Here are their tales.
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Santillo's |
Santillo’s – Elizabeth, NJ – July 17, 2011Reported by: James Camner We rode to Santillos a pizzeria founded in 1918 in Elizabeth, NJ after reading that it was awarded Best Pizza by The Star-Ledger with De Lorenzo’s Tomato Pie getting only the Central Jersey Best Of Award. So sniffing in skepticism, we rode there after an event in New York. It was a fifteen minute ride from the Lincoln Tunnel, we parked right in front at … |
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Nomad Pizza Company |
Nomad Pizza Company – Hopewell, NJReported by: James Camner It was the third time I’ve been to Nomad Pizza Company, a bucolic restaurant (pizza and salads, only) in Hopewell, NJ. Hopewell is most famous as the site of the notorious Lindburgh baby kidnapping and murder. Happily Hopewell at last has something much more pleasant of national interest, now with their Neapolitan style artisan pizzas steadily improving to the point that we judged the pizza … |
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Motorino |
Motorino – New York, NY – February 20, 2010Reported by: James Camner It took a bit of courage for us to decide to go to Motorino just days after the New York Times annointed it “The Best Pizza in New York.” (Well, maybe it’s true if Brooklyn is not included in that equation). We went to their Manhattan location on 12 St at 1st Ave, in the space that formerly held Una Pizza Napoletana of which more … |
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Craves Soul Food |
Craves Soul Food – Charleston, SCReported by: Robert Lurie Bailey and I tried a new soul food restaurant, Craves Soul Food, the other night–it was very good. It’s right at the end of the Cooper River Bridge on North Meeting. In talking to one of the owners, the idea grew from a huge inauguration party thrown by several families in North Charleston where everyone raved about the food, which led to … |
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Bottega |
Bottega – Yountville, CA – July 15, 2009Reported by: Robert Lurie Made it to Bottega in Yountville. Had a wonderful lunch and chatted briefly with Michael Chiarello about his interview, Bottega, and his “Top Chef Masters” experience. Loved the sardine app and the half Cornish hen. Grilled octopus was in the Top 10 of similar dishes. Pastas and fish dishes were uniformly good. Maybe the best thing we had was the molten chocolate cake-had to order 30 … |
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Company |
Company – New York, NY – July 14, 2009Reported by: James Camner Even at 5 PM, when the doors open for business, there was a lot of buzz at the sparkling pizza restaurant Co. as it quickly filled up with a trendy looking crowd. The whole place looks trendy in fact, as does the menu. But happily, Co. delivers. Is it pizza? Well sort of. We started with the pizza bianco which was a Neapolitan style … |
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De Lorenzo's Tomato Pies |
De Lorenzo’s Tomato Pies – Robbinsville, NJ – June 30, 2009Reported by: James Camner There is a special, poignant time when a child surpasses its parent. Sometimes it happens imperceptably. We had been going to the new De Lorenzo’s Tomato Pies in Robbinsville for quite some time – it’s more pleasant, bigger, faster than the Trenton original, and it has a bathroom. And Sam, the grandson of the first De Lorenzo pizzaola, always eagerly asked me, “How do they … |
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Ballpark Food in the Tri State Region |
Ballpark Food in the Tri State RegionReported by: James Camner A rambling and by no means a comprehensive look at the eats at three prominent baseball stadiuims in the tri state area – Philadelphia, (New Jersey not represented) and New York. The ballpark closest to me is Citizens Bank Park, a gem of a ballpark just on the outskirts of Philadephia. Of all the new parks I’ve been to, I think this one captures the … |
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2Amys |
2Amys – Washington, DCReported by: James Camner I’m not sure if President Obama has gone there yet, but everyone knows that the best pizza in the D.C. area is served up at 2Amys. We’ve been going there ever since my niece, who had been working in the White House for Clinton shortly before, introduced it to us. There is almost always a crowd at 2Amys, but when we went at 6 PM … |
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Bar-B-Que Ranch |
Bar-B-Que Ranch – Harrisonburg, VA – June 23, 2009Reported by: James Camner Riding through the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, we wanted Barbecue. But Virginia is known for smoked ham, not ‘que, so it’s hard to find. We set our GPS to find it for us, and in Harrisonburg, up popped the Bar-B-Que Ranch, a drive in and dining room that has been on the same spot for 63 years, with fabulous North Carolina pulled pork made in … |
