INSPIRATIONThe Saturday Night GrazeBy Columnist Ellie MrozPeeps at ...COURTESY @ANDGRAINWhen I was ajunior at CornellUniversity, Istudied abroadin Barcelona.The majority ofstudents whowanted to expandtheir knowledge of the Spanish languageopted to spend their semester at theUniversity-affiliated program in Sevilla. Butnot me. I wanted Barcelona for its rumoredeasy access to the beach, the mountainsand several of my favorite brands’ flagshipstores. I also had an unexplored love forthe concept of tapas, the region’s food ofchoice. Small dishes typically served withdrinks at a bar... what’s not to like?I loved the concept of a cozy table, crowdedwith small plates shared with friends,late at night at seaside restaurants wheretables and chairs were scarce but bottles ofinexpensive cava were plentiful. So vastlydifferent from the American dinner normof ordering three individual courses justfor yourself. The weighty responsibility ofhaving to choose just one dish, with all theoptions on the Cheesecake-factory-sizedmenu, is enough to send me into an indecisivetizzy, or worse, order envy. The conceptof tapas, the permission to order half a dozenor more of the menu’s bite-sized options,was as appealing to me as an afternoonstrolling through Parque Guell.Fast forward 15 years, back here in theWestfield area, and I’m still doing my bestto carry that Catalonian pastime along withme on our lunches and date nights. No, Ihaven’t found a Spanish tapas restaurantI love (but if you have a reco for a placewith to-die-for croquettes, please send itmy way...), instead I like to partake in whatI have affectionately dubbed the SaturdayNight Graze. Three or more small courses atthree or more local restaurants in just oneevening.COURTESY @ELLIEMROZDESIGNCOURTESY @PUBLICKHOUSEWe’ll start the Graze at a favorite spot, ourgo-to if you will, Publick House in Mountainside.Here I’ll order the Tuna Crisp,which has gone through more variationsthan I can remember, but, has remained oneof my favorite appetizers, shared or otherwise,of all time. Wasabi creme, soy, spicymayo, and scallions sit atop fresh sushi tunaand pan crisped rice. Perfection in 2.5 bites.For my second course, I’d love nothingmore than a BBQ Burger from the StageHouse Tavern. I’m partial to the restaurant’scozy original location in Scotch Plains, butif you’re looking to keep the drive shortyou can hop right on Route 22 from PublickHouse (or call a car if you also indulgedin one of Publick House’s signature handcrafted cocktails) and hit up the new locationin Mountainside. Snuggle up outsideby the heat lamps and order the juicy, BBQsauce-smothered sandwich as an entree,and you won’t be disappointed. An added localbonus, the meat for their burgers comesfrom another local favorite, John’s MeatMarket! Supporting two local businesseswith one meal sounds like a win to me.For dessert, I like nothing more than acookie. Tempt me with the finest Frenchpastry or creamiest gelato, and I’m goingfor the cookie. Chocolate chip, to be exact.And no one does it better than &grain inGarwood. The perfect consistency (not toochewy, not too crispy) and somehow thechips stay perfectly melty. How DO they doit?Aside from the obvious benefit of nothaving the dreaded “which restaurant dowe choose” debate with your dinner date,you don’t have to choose! You can go tothem all! You get the added bonus of threelocales with three distinct environments. •Ellie Mroz is the columnist for Westfield Areamagazine. She and her husband are the superheroteam behind Michael Robert Constructionand Ellie Mroz Design based in Westfield.100 Steps Kitchen + Raw Bar in CranfordBoxwood Coffee in Westfield Spice Bazaar in WestfieldGinger Sushi, FanwoodFiamma, Westfield Scoops in Scotch PlainsEcho Tap in Moutainside10 westfieldarea Number 5 online at westfieldarea.com
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