Tell me more about food, less about decor

Few restaurants in North Jersey tell you where the food they serve comes from, perhaps fearing that if you knew, you'd run for the exit. Exceptions include Tasteatery in Fort Lee and Green Door Cafe in Tenafly.

That's one of the reason I almost always choose seafood, preferably wild-caught seafood, when I dine out with my wife and son. Where seafood is not available, I take a leap of faith, figuring one meal of mystery meat or poultry won't kill me and trusting that most restaurateurs put their customers first and profits second.

Now, The Record of Hackensack reports in its Starters feature, Bistro 55 has opened in Rochelle Park, in the space once occupied by South City Grill. Yes, this is part of the South City [Restaurant] Group, which has been the subject of nearly overwhelmingly positive stories in the newspaper since restaurant reviewer Elisa Ung slammed South City Prime in March 2008 for "too-rare steaks and rotten sushi."

In today's Better Living article about Bistro 55, writer Amy Kuperinsky tells us a great deal about the origin, or provenance, of some of the food served, quoting the chef: drug-free chicken from the Goffle Road Poultry Farm in Wyckoff; sea scallops from Viking Village, the fishing cooperative in Barnegat Light; and antibiotic-free veal from Vineland. Still, the restaurant serves burgers made from grain-fed -- not grass-fed -- beef.

On the very next page of the Better Living tabloid today, Ung reviews Bazzini in Ridgewood, and in typical fashion, tells us virtually nothing about the origin of the food, except to note one entree she tried was "organic or free-range chicken." The veal in the meatballs? The New York strip steak? Your guess is as good as mine.

Eating great food near and far

I enjoyed two great meals over the weekend -- dinner at Green Door Cafe in Tenafly and a sumptuous five-course affair with organic French wines served under a tent at Griggstown Quail Farm in Princeton, where the poultry is free range.

"Your doorway to real food" is the motto at the Tenafly bistro, which serves poultry and meat free of antibiotics and growth hormones and organic or locally farmed produce. My kind of place. I usually eat wild seafood when I dine out, but the entrees Saturday night included only what appeared to be farmed salmon from Scotland described as organic, though there are no standards for organic fish.

So I went with the roasted organic half-chicken, mashed potatoes and root vegetables. The chicken was well-seasoned and unlike chicken served in most restaurants, the white meat, my least favorite, was juicy. I cleaned my plate, leaving only a pile of bones. I started the meal with a thick, deep-red, cold soup of pureed beets and a slice of Eli's bread.

The meal at the farm for about 100 people benefited Slow Food Northern New Jersey programs and turned out to be a belly-buster. All of the food came from Garden State farms, but too much was served and I was pleasantly full after the second course. Still, I pressed on and it was one of the best meals I have ever eaten. I can't believe I ate the whole thing (almost).

The first course was a delicious chilled cucumber soup filled with whole peas and a mint-and-yogurt sorbet from The Bent Spoon in Princeton. The oregano-and-honey marinated Griggstown quail came next. Served rare over a cold salad of yellow beans and radicchio in a black olive vinaigrette, this was the tastiest course for me. After checking that the man next to me knew the Heimlich maneuver, I ate the small bird bones and all. Delish.

Roasted and braised Griggstown chicken was the third course, but either the burnt but still moist Frenched breast or the drumstick and thigh would have been enough. Japanese eggplant and squash were served on the side. The fourth course was my second favorite, three cheeses from Bobolink Dairy in Vernon served with bread and perfectly ripe Jersey peaches (I had two). I usually don't eat dessert, but managed to finish one of the two crepes filled with lemon verbana curd and and topped with red raspberries. I didn't touch the honey-lemon thyme ice cream. All the food was served on plates made from fallen palm leaves.

We were entertained by a jazz duo. The chefs were David Felton, formerly of the Pluckemin Inn, and Christopher Albrecht of Eno Terra. They did their magic under a tent not far from ours. The red wines that were served had lots of unpleasant tannins. I'm not sure why they weren't opened ahead of time to allow them to breathe. And I could have done without the flies. (This post was revised.)

Check out the Green Door Cafe in Tenafly

I haven't eaten there yet, but Jason Perlow, creator of the Off The Broiler blog, says Green Door Cafe in Tenafly serves only "proteins which are antibiotic- and hormone-free or organic" and produce that is "organic or locally farmed seasonally."

Take a look at the gorgeous photos on his blog:

http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2009/06/30/nj-dining-green-door-cafe/