3/4 pound of cod fillets, cut in four inch pieces, or any other white mild fish
6 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 medium carrot, peeled, small diced
1 celery stalk, small diced
1 shallot, small diced
parsley, fresh, several sprigs
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth
2 tablespoons of margarine (or butter)
14 ounces canned plum or cherry tomatoes with puree
Preheat broiler.
In a 10 inch cast iron pan heat margarine and add carrots, celery, shallot, garlic, parsley and salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat until the vegetables begin to soften, approximately 10 minutes. Stir ingredients in the pan, and if they seem to be sticking to the pan add a little of the chicken broth.
Next add the tomatoes with the puree, the chicken broth, and white wine. Stir and break up the tomatoes into bite size pieces. Cook until the sauce begins to thicken. Add fish fillets and shrimp. Cook them in the sauce for 3 minutes.
Turn the fish over and place the pan on a rack 8 inches from the broiler element. Cook for 5 minutes. Serve with a crispy French or Italian bread.
Serves 2
FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE: “The Saturday Night Fish Fry” from the original Broadway cast recording of the show Five Guys Named Moe.
Spring is bringing long awaited changes to our town. Birds, flowers, smiles, conversation and unfortunately Asbury Park bar hoppers and their cars. Free parking is a great attraction. Imagine how crowded our beach would be if there was no fee.
Here’s a few thoughts. Parking kiosks installed at “problem areas”. My thought is the first two beach blocks, the North End, Broadway and the Main St. shopping blocks. Residents will be able to buy, reasonably, a Neptune pass sticker. A second sticker would cost double.
This is an necessary evil. With more development planned for Asbury Park’s South End and our own North End, this issue will get much worse. I live in the North End; it’s bad now.
What happens when a property in Ocean Grove gets “tired beyond it’s useful life?” And how about when a property that has housed citizens of Ocean Grove for over 134 years has “outlived its economic usefulness and no longer has any historic or architectural significance?” And what about when it “contributes nothing to the historic district; has no style; is a nightmare to maintain; is broken down with sagging buckling floors and water damage; and when it has significant structural problems?”
Well, all that and more was said last night at a special Historic Preservation Commission demolition hearing regarding 18-20 Surf Avenue, aka the Whitfield Hotel, located at Surf Ave., Beach Ave.,Bath Ave., and Lonely Street.
The old 54 room hotel was diagnosed by experts as being “a very large box with no style.” Grovers in the audience could be heard murmuring, “Tear it down.'”
Yet, sitting there and thinking of the building as a home rather than a house, made it seem so sad. But clearly, it is time to sound the death knell. No one would ever buy that building and sink the amount of money into it that would be needed to preserve it for the future.
If the Whitfield were a patient, it would be a candidate for euthanasia, and that is exactly what was in the air last night at the HPC meeting held in the municipal building. Quite a few Grovers were present at the meeting.
The Ocean Grove architect who testified for the owners was Stephen Carlidge, AIA. He and historian Wayne T. Bell were in complete agreement about the insignificance of that property, and, for the most part, the HPC members seemed satisfied that the building is a useless mess.
It was acknowledged that the building is currently safe to use, but its near-future prognosis suggests a bad ending unless a major remodeling were done.
The history of the Whitfield is fascinating. There were only two pieces of actual evidence regarding that history. A Sanborn map of 1889 was reviewed and revealed three wood frame buildings on that 4 lot property. There were two small units—maybe even two tents. The other building was perhaps a two story single family Victorian house. All three structures were certainly residential. There are no old photographs.
Sanborn maps were used to assess real estate until the advent of aerial photography. This one from 1889 was used to evaluate the Hotel Whitfield property.
The next piece of evidence was a postcard from around 1930 when the big box looked as it does today. A history of Ocean Grove in 1939 listed all the hotels in town. The Whitfield was on that list. It offered an “American Plan” for dining, and the proprietor was Charles M. Herman.
Bath Avenue rear view. Historic brackets can be seen near the roof line.
The best explanation of the building’s history is that the three units gradually got larger and eventually “morphed” into one structure, sometime between 1910-1920.
Kevin Chambers, the former President of the Historical Society of Ocean Grove made a surprise appearance at the microphone. He said that he and his colleagues had been watching that property years ago as it became degraded by owners who took out original features such as windows, put in aluminum siding and left no sign of the original architecture. Only a small number of decorative brackets remain. Mr. Chambers said that the building was stripped so much that it “is no longer a contributing structure to the community. ” He recommended demolition as being the best decision for the town.
Mr. Ted Bell said that if we were to grade large historic buildings in Ocean Grove, the Aurora would get the highest rating. That building on Surf Avenue is “one of the best examples of Victorian architecture in New Jersey, and perhaps in America. But the Whitfield would get a zero.”
Janice Green, a resident of Surf Avenue, pleaded with the Commission to approve the demolition.
Mr. Carlidge said that the demo would help the “economic base” of the neighborhood and would allow “something more appropriate on the site.” He then went over the 14 criteria needed to satisfy the demolition ordinance, and this proposal satisfied all 14.
The social aspects of the situation regarding the current occupants were not discussed. That is really not the concern of the HPC, nor are the future plans for the property—at least not at this time.
The only mention of the future was to say that the building must be maintained with all systems working until such time as a demolition were to occur . The fate of the building seems clear now, although an official ruling about the demo cannot be declared until at least 90 days go by (i.e. on Dec 10, 2013) The reason for the 90 days is to give some preservationists the chance to show up and save the Whitfield. Any odds on that happening?
It seems clear as to what the fate of the Whitfield will be, and that will be a correct decision, but it is sort of sad—isn’t it?
Nichole Pichon. Fort Myers, Fla. 2014. By Paul Goldfinger
Seafood from a truck? You bet in Fort Myers, Florida Paul Goldfinger photo. 2014
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor, Blogfinger.net.
Nichole is from a family of fishermen who have worked the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, in southwest Florida, for many years. Her great uncle, the original Capt. Johnny, started a business in 1950 selling the catch-of-the-day at the side of the road on MacGregor Blvd. in Fort Myers. It’s the same location where they are doing business today.
John Lindquist’s parents came to Florida in the 1930’s, and John and his brothers became commercial fishermen, working the Punta Rassa region. Many of the commercial fish back then such as flounder and redfish are now designated game fish, so the markets in the Fort Myers area don’t carry them any longer.
Every morning, the local fishermen drop off the day’s catch at Capt. Johnny’s where we buy our fish from Nichole and her family. The catch usually consists of black or red grouper, snapper, Gulf shrimp (medium, large and jumbo) and local lobster (which is mostly tail and small claws). They also have clams, oysters and crabs . The only outliers are the scallops which come from Massachusetts. The seafood is always fresh and delicious.
A cook on the premises makes take-out food that includes some superb gumbo, fried shrimp, shrimp cocktail, and “the best key lime pie.” Captiva and Pine Islands, nearby, used to be home to key lime plantations, so they ought to know how to make key lime pies.
MARY CAREWE. From Carousel. Album: “The Very Best of Rodgers and Hammerstein.”
Paris. By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Last posted in 2013 on Blogfinger.net
The Marais District in Paris is a historic part of town. Victor Hugo used to live there, but we didn’t bump into Victor when we visited. I guess I was busy trying to figure out how to go down the stairs without having to go up the stairs. French royalty liked that neighborhood including King Charles V who built his house there in 1361. Do you think he had to submit the plans to the Paris HPC?
The Rue de Rosiers in the Marais is the Jewish district. I can imagine King Charles or Victor Hugo strolling over to that neighborhood for a superior knish. After eating there, Victor probably felt less miserable than before.
There was a deli (Goldenbergs) on the Rue de Rosiers where there were a couple of bullet holes still enshrined in the front window after some terrorists shot up the area in 1981.
We had really great falafel at the Rue de R. purchased out the window of a hole-in-the-wall eatery. Sometimes, when you travel, it is the small moments that you recall most fondly.
–Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
MARY BETH PEIL From Follies New Broadway Cast Album. By Stephen Sondheim
July is blueberry time in New Jersey. A favorite way to enjoy them is in pancakes.
You’ll need a nonstick griddle. Heat on medium.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and place two parchment lined cookie trays in the oven.
This will keep the cooked pancakes warm while you cook the remainder of the batter.
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly whisked
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted for the batter
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted for the griddle
3 cups fresh blueberries
pure maple syrup
Preheat griddle.
In a large bowl whisk together the first four ingredients.
In a medium size bowl whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and butter.
Gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and then fold in the blueberries.
Do not over mix the batter, leave it lumpy, or the pancakes will become tough.
Brush a thin layer of butter on the griddle. Drop a 1/3 of a cup of batter on the griddle.
Flip the pancakes when little bubbles begin to show on the top and the bottom begins to brown. Allow the second side to brown. Then transfer pancakes to the trays in the oven.
Add more butter to the griddle as needed. Continue making pancakes, keeping the finished ones warm in the oven.
Serve with real maple syrup.
Makes 12 pancakes.
Have a cup of Joe with your pancakes, and, at the diner, be careful how you say “I’d like a short stack ” to the waitress.
“COFFEE IN A CARDBOARD CUP.” From the Broadway show “70, Girls, 70” by Kander and Webb who wrote Cabaret.
