Go to Applegate Farms every Wednesday in May, from 4-8PM, for a free scoop! To help them celebrate their 160th anniversary, the Jersey-based ice cream shops are giving away a junior sugar/wafer cone or cup of ice cream. All you have to do is bring this coupon. Click the link for a list of locations as well.
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Having already had a lukewarm experience with fondue dining at the Magic Pot in Edgewater, I was wary of going to another similar restaurant. But I had a gift card to the Melting Pot, so I decided to give it a shot. What I found was a much more pleasant experience all around. Allow me to contrast and compare.
My date and I arrived for our reservation a little early on Sunday night, Valentine’s Day weekend. Our table wasn’t quite ready, so we had a drink at the bar while we waited. The bartender was very friendly and told us about some of the exclusive cocktails he had developed, off-menu, for the restaurant. While his offerings sounded great, we decided to keep it simple with wine and beer.
After a while, we looked around and noticed there were several tables free. We wondered why were still waiting to be seated. Just then our host came over and explained that they were clearing off a spot for us in “lovers’ lane.” When we got to our table, we found a semi-private, enclosed table for two. Happy belated Valentine’s Day to us!
The meal at the Melting Pot started off much the same as the one we had at the Magic Pot. Our server came by and took our order (we went with a fixed price selection to get the most variety). When he returned, he began mixing and melting our cheese appetizer – this was just a little awkward, since we ran out of comments as we watched him swirl the stuff around and just sat in silence. But again, the cheese was delicious, and there was a better variety of things to dip – chunks of veggies in addition to the apples and bread. We went with a classic Wisconsin blend, just one of an impressive six choices.
Our appetizer was followed by a salad, and it was a nice break to eat something cold and with a fork – an option the other restaurant didn’t offer. Just as with the appetizer, we were allowed to deviate from our fixed menu and choose from one of the other four options on the regular menu, so each of us could try something different and share a few bites with the other.
Next came the main course, and this is where the Melting Pot really took the lead versus the Magic Pot. We had a wider variety of items, including lobster, filet mignon, rigatoni, pork, and chicken (although it was more expensive - $88 versus $80 at the other place, and no drinks included), with a surprising number of different dipping sauces. But more importantly, the execution was much more streamlined. My date and I had only two skewers each, and they were color-coded. This led to far less confusion about what ingredients were in the pot and how long they had been in there. We only had to keep track of two items each at one time instead of what had seemed like dozens at the other restaurant. The broth was also nicer, with fewer herbs floating around and getting in the way at the surface of the liquid. And hats off to the person who decided to put the overhead lamp directly over the pot so I could see what the hell I was doing in there.
The service between courses was pretty slow, since they got busy just after we got there, and the presentation of each course is rather time-consuming for the server. But I was glad for it, since I really needed the time to digest and avoid that unpleasant impending-stomach-explosion feeling. Plus I didn’t mind relaxing and enjoying my surroundings.
Finally, it was time for dessert. Again, we were allowed to substitute whichever option we wanted off the regular menu. In this case, we were selecting a chocolate blend. There was a raspberry dark chocolate, milk chocolate with peanut butter, and a cookies and cream blend, among many others. But we went with the Bailey’s Irish cream mixture. I wouldn’t have minded an extra shot of the liqueur, as the flavor was very subtle. But it was tasty nonetheless. We happily dunked our pieces of Rice Krispie Treat and cut-up strawberries.
The Melting Pot seems to have a better handle on how to make fondue dining a fun and easy experience; maybe because it’s a national chain, they’ve worked out more of the kinks than the Magic Pot. (I didn’t even almost pull the cord out of the wall!) The Hoboken location has a great atmosphere, even outside of lovers’ lane, and I definitely recommend it for a date. All that steam and low lighting just lends itself to romance.
The Melting Pot
100 Sinatra Drive
Hoboken
(201) 222-1440
http://www.meltingpot.com/
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Another Reason To Go To RutherfordOnly eight ice cream companies competed in New Jersey’s Ice Cream Festival, so we can hardly scoff at the places who didn’t win. And that would definitely be a mistake with Ice Cream Charlie’s, who wasn’t even a competitor. In fact, my first experience with them definitely fared better than my first experience at Applegate’s. Not to knock the “People’s Choice” Winner, of course — everyone has an off day — but Ice Cream Charlie’s was so delicious I actually went back the next day for some more. (All in the name of accurate reviewing, of course)
The little shop featuring homemade ice cream is on the southern end of Park Ave in Rutherford - the area that isn’t overflowing with restaurants. So, you might not find it at first if you’re leaving After Athens, hoping you could walk toward the dessert shop.
While it’s on a quieter part of the street, it’s by no means a hidden find. There was a crowd both Saturday and Sunday when we went. But, thanks to the hustling of high schoolers working during their summer vacation, the line moved rather quickly. The flavors tasted in my group included pistachio, rocky road, black raspberry, and pineapple orange.
First of all, the texture really made their ice cream a winner for me. Although none of us had soft-serve, each of our servings were smooth and creamy like soft-serve. I have found that this is not always the case with homemade or hand-packed ice cream, where sometimes you can feel like you’re fighting against the dark lords of the under-cup just to get your spoon in (which was my experience at Applegate’s).
Rocky road is my favorite and I expect it to be gooey with marshmallows and crunchy with almonds (none of this peanuts or walnuts crap I’ve heard about) . The version at Ice Cream Charlie’s is not sufficiently marshmallow-y, but definitely crunchy and the chocolate was really delectable. It was very rich.
My husband, much like the mayor of Bloomfield, is not a big fan of ice cream. It’s quite sad — no romantic moments sharing ice cream sundaes or banana splits dot our history — but he truly enjoyed the black raspberry and pineapple orange. Unlike the pistachio, which had full-sized chunks of the nut throughout, the fruity flavors did not have hunks of fruit inside, from what he could tell. No matter, the flavor was not sugary or false-tasting; it was very true to the real thing.
So, while I know I ought to give Applegate’s a second chance, Ice Cream Charlie’s is my favorite at the moment.
Ice Cream Charlie’s
200 Park Avenue
Rutherford
(201) 939-8133
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