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This article was prepared for the May 7, 2003 edition of U.S. 1 Newspaper. All rights reserved.
Between the Lines
Hunger in the midst of plenty is an odd concept to get
one’s mind around. But it is a concept that area relief organizations
— as well as area restaurateurs — know only too well. Restaurants
are the focus of this, our annual spring dining guide. And for diners
in central New Jersey, plenty is the operative term. Copious choices
of diverse cuisines beckon us daily — as do some of those super-sized
New Jersey servings.
But even more fortunate for us is the fact that these same restaurateurs
are aware of hunger and working to help alleviate it. Some 24 restaurants
and their chefs and owners teamed up with hunger relief organizations
for Taste of the Nation, the annual gourmet food and wine tasting
event, showcasing our area’s culinary wizardry at the same time that
it raised around $60,000 in a single evening for HomeFront, Isles,
Mercer Street Friends Food Cooperative, and the Trenton Area Soup
Kitchen.
We were among 650 lucky tasters who enjoyed the hospitality of the
Doral Forrestal and its Gratella Restaurant last Monday night where
copious dining choices were fully in evidence. Our restaurants pulled
out all the stops serving their top-of-the-line items that included
oysters on the half shell, jumbo shrimp, crawfish, crab cakes, and
frog legs.
Chef Jim Weaver of Tre Piani Ristorante in Forrestal Village
served up tender slices of Pepper-Seared Tuna with Scallop Ceviche
in what seemed to be infinite supply. Familiar faces such as the Alchemist
and Barrister were joined by the new Amarone’s Windsor Inn of Windsor
making its debut appearance.
Diamond’s Riverside in West Trenton a visual feast — a table that
seemed to groan under the weight of its cornucopia of antipasto offerings
and freshly shucked oysters. Les Copains in Princeton offered its
hors d’oeuvres specialty, Cuisses de Grenouille, Frog’s Legs with
Chrysanthemum Puree. On the dessert side, guests were treated to miniature
cheesecakes from Nassau Inn, Chocolate Pots de Creme from the Brothers
Moon of Hopewell, and Creme Brulee from Princeton’s Ferry House.
Sponsored by Share Our Strength, Taste of the Nation is part of the
largest nationwide benefit to fight hunger. Major corporate sponsorship
is by American Express and Jenn-Air. Over 15 years, Share Our Strength
has raised $50 million to date. Adding to this year’s proceeds were
auction items that included a Jenn-Air dishwasher from Mrs. G’s, a
wine dinner for eight at Tre Piani, and a trip to Hawaii.
Taste of the Nation reports that 33 million Americans are threatened
by hunger today. In Mercer County, the Mercer Street Friends regional
food bank, has seen a 58 percent increase in requests for emergency
food at member agencies since 2000. And while almost half of these
hungry Americans are employed, and equal proportion of those at risk
— more than 15 million — are children.
In another important anti-hunger volunteer effort this week, on Saturday,
May 10, the National Association of Letter Carriers will collect and
deliver food to Mercer Street Friends Food Cooperative. Leave donations
of nutritious, non-perishable foods in a bag near your mailbox and
it will be picked up by your letter carrier and delivered by NALC
volunteers to the community food bank. Bon appetit!
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This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com
— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
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