New Jersey Wine Restaurant and Shopping Guide - Monmouth County

Pier Village New Jersey- Pier Village is a top destination in Monmouth County for shopping, restaurants and oceanfront condominiums
Red Bank Restaurants - For a directory of all restaurants located in Red bank New Jersey, visit www.brianpasch.com.
Undici Restaurant - Undici Restaurant is located in Rumson New Jersey on River Road, serving Italian food.
Restaurant Nicholas - the best restaurant in New Jersey for five star gourmet dining. Reservations are recommended at Restaurant Nicholas in Red Bank NJ.
Monmouth County Dining - find great restaurants in Monmouth County New Jersey on www.brianpasch.com
Asbury Park Information - restaurants and retail shops in Asbury Park New Jersey.
Hall Winery California - visit the Hall Winery and experience great wines like the Diamond Mountain Cabernet.
Winery Scarecrow Cabernet - read the latest reviews including the 2005 Scarecrow Cabernet; a new California cult wine.
NJ Internet Marketing - the best agency for Internet marketing and search engine optimization in New Jersey.
Infiniti Car Dealer NJ - Circle Infiniti is New Jersey's best Infiniti car dealer, located in Monmouth County NJ.
2004 Dalla Valle Cabernet - read the latest wine review of the 2004 Dalla Valley Winery cabernet by Brian Pasch.
Sickles Wine and Cheese Classic - buy tickets for the 2008 Wine and Cheese Classic to benefit Holiday Express

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Finding a Perfect Espresso

One of my first tasks when visiting Italy is to stop at an "Auto Grille" on the Autostrade for a shot of espresso after picking up my rental car. The food in Italy is amazing, my favorite dish is a plate of "Mozzarella di Bufala" from the Campanna region, drizzled with olive oil. However, Italian coffee is equally satisfying and a few shots a day seem to keep me and the rest of the country going.

In Italy you will be hard pressed to see anyone with coffee in a "to-go" cup. People come to a local cafe or bar and get their espresso or cappuccino, drink and leave. When you get addicted to this habit, coming home to the US is a big let down.

I've tried the local coffee houses and most of them make the espresso too weak. A single shot of espresso in Italy is about 2-3 sips of coffee from a small demitasse cup. Some of the espresso machines in the US have multiple settings to control water flow per serving. Normally they are set to high. This makes the espresso watery and it lacks the "foam" or "crema" on the top.

The only two places in the area that know how to make a "short" espresso consistently are "No Ordinary Joe's" in Red Bank and Ferrucci's Gourmet in Little Silver. Now I do enjoy, from time to time, coffee from the Java Stop in Fair Haven or Zebu in Red Bank but more than half the time, the expresso volume is too great and watered down.

If you enjoy espresso, the traditional Italian preparation is to add sugar. I normally do not add sugar to anything but once you get the correct short espresso, a teaspoon of sugar makes it just right! Next time you are by these two stores, order a short espresso and make sure it has the tan "crema" foam, which is an indicator that it was prepared correctly. Sit back and think of Rome.

Brian Pasch - September 14, 2005