I’ve long enjoyed the artisanal pizza Napoletana at Osteria Procaccini, which now has three locations: Kingston, Pennington and Crosswicks. But I was surprised to learn that another menu item — meatballs in Sunday sauce — have become a cult favorite with Kingstonians.
A tipster-resident alerted me and, sure enough, John Procaccini and his brother, Tino, confirmed it.
“Insiders know to come before 7 p.m. on Friday, because we make 300 orders a week and when they’re gone, they’re gone,” John said.
Even more remarkable because these babies don’t come cheap: $13 for a pint container of three. They’re made from Mama Procaccini’s recipe, but without bread crumbs (hence, no gluten), and they’re a combination of grass-fed pork, veal and beef, including sausage from Martins Specialty Sausages in South Jersey.
Speaking of the Brothers Procaccini: Tino & John are partnering with Felipe Cruz, owner of Cox’s Market on Nassau Street, to replace that establishment with Porta Via, an all-natural take-out shop.
“This will be the child of Osteria Procaccini, offering Italian specialties (but no pizza!),” John Procaccini said.
No word yet on the changeover date, but Cruz’s Mexican restaurant at the rear of the market, Taste of Mexico, will continue on as always, although his older restaurant of the same name at the Princeton Shopping Center is scheduled to close within 30 days after 19 years in that space.
Lactoman to the rescue!
Imagine getting milk, eggs, cheese, and other products from your favorite Princeton-area farms delivered right to your door each week.
Actually, you don’t have to imagine, because this new delivery service swoops in to do just that.
Launched only two months ago by Aditi Ramesh and her husband, Karthik Naralasetty, Lactoman has already partnered with Halo Farm, Cherry Grove Farm, First Field (the Jersey ketchup & condiments folks) and Lawrenceville’s 3 Monkeys Mustard, among others.
Think of it as Peapod or Fresh Direct for farmers market denizens who want wholesome, natural, locally produced products. More vendors will be added soon, including for produce.
Delivery starts at $3.99/week, but you can get your first delivery free by entering this code when you go online to place your order: FIRSTFREE. www.lactoman.com. They currently deliver within a ten-mile radius of Princeton.
Pork roll cookbook and book signing
Jersey’s favorite sweet-and-salty processed meat, pork roll (or, if you grew up in Northern NJ as I did, “Taylor Ham”), now has a cookbook all its own.
Two reporters associated with the Times of Trenton, Jenna Pizzi and Susan Sprague Yeske, have produced The Pork Roll Cookbook (Cider Mill Press, $16.95), a fitting tribute to this porcine treat, complete with 50 recipes.
Although pork roll, which was created more than 150 years ago by John Taylor of Trenton and is still produced there, is most often devoured at diners as part of a “Jersey Breakfast” — sliced pork roll, egg, and cheese on a soft roll — Yeske compiled recipes using pork roll in everything from breakfast and brunch through dessert.
A book signing at Trenton Social Bar and Restaurant is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 11. Owner T.C. Nelson will offer a special pork roll menu that day.
New faces at Forrestal Village Farmers Market
A sure sign that the long, snowy slog that was winter 2014-2105 has ended is news trickling in like spring raindrops of changes to this coming season’s batch of outdoor farmers markets.
Early word from the folks at Princeton’s Forrestal Village Farmers Market, which opens on Friday, June 5, includes these notable additions: Bobolink Dairy’s cheese, yogurt, milk and breads; Brick Farm Market’s meats and breads; house-made fermented ginger ale, kombucha and kvass from Bubbly Jen’s Farm; and grab-and-go lunch options from Brick Farm Market and Tre Piani.
Pat Tanner blogs at www.dinewithpat.com. She is a long-time food writer and restaurant critic based in Princeton, and serves as the South Jersey editor of the Zagat New Jersey restaurant guides, including zagat.com/nj. Born and raised in Newark, she is one of seven children in a food-obsessed Italian-American family.
