LITTLE SILVER: FROM FRANCE, STUFFED PRUNES

Dec 24, 2013

Sickles Market stocks these French prunes only during the holidays. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)

PieHole knows that local foraging is the best foraging. For the food lovers on your gift list we have assembled PieHole’s First Annual Shop Local Holiday Food & Drink Gift Guide. This is the 11th in the series.

Hailing from the south west of France, these are not your everyday prunes.

Similar to a regional wine, the d’Agen plum receives a geographic designation. Following a centuries-old process, these prunes are stuffed with a whipped, sweet filling and go great with a duck pâté or foie gras or as a sweet accompaniment with coffee.

Pruneaux d’Agen Fourrés go for $28.99 for a large tin at Sickles Market in Little Silver.

December 24, 2013 - 10:32 am |

RED BANK: TASTING ROOM’S WINE HARDWARE

Dec 23, 2013

A gift box of wine hardware, including an in-bottle decanter and a preserver vacuum, from The Tasting Room in Red Bank. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)

PieHole knows that local foraging is the best foraging. For the food lovers on your gift list, we have assembled PieHole’s First Annual Shop Local Holiday Food & Drink Gift Guide. This is the 10th in the series.

Decanting wine ostensibly serves two purposes: it keeps any sediment that may have developed in the wine bottle during aging from ending up in your glass, and it aerates the wine, letting it breathe a bit.

For $49.95, the Soiree Signature Series kit from Faustini Winery’s Tasting Room in Red Bank has an in-bottle decanter that you can bring along with you when heading out on the town to your favorite BYOB restaurant.

It fits in the neck of the bottle and decants as it pours. Handy. The kit also has a few other wine-related goodies, such as a preserver vacuum and a drying rack for the decanter.

December 23, 2013 - 1:17 pm |

RED BANK: EXOTIC SPICE STOCKING STUFFER

Dec 21, 2013

One of Red Bank’s newest stores is the source of today’s gift idea. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)

PieHole knows that local foraging is the best foraging. For the food lovers on your gift list we have assembled PieHole’s First Annual Shop Local Holiday Food & Drink Gift Guide. This is the 9th in the series.

The perfect stocking stuffer for the friend who fries his or her own falafel or aspires to make authentic-tasting Middle Eastern food at home, Zahtar is a must-have spice blend.

PieHole likes to use a pinch or two when mixing up an olive oil and lemon juice salad dressing. A one-ounce pack goes for $4.39 for at Red Bank’s newly-opened Spice & Tea Exchange, on Monmouth Street.

December 21, 2013 - 10:48 am |

RED BANK: A COOL COTTON KARMA CARRIER

Dec 21, 2013

Tote you veggies home from the Farmers’ Market in this cotton bag. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)

PieHole knows that local foraging is the best foraging. For the food lovers on your gift list we have assembled PieHole’s First Annual Shop Local Holiday Food & Drink Gift Guide. This is the 8th in the series.

Here’s a little something for the eaters on your list who want to show their support for Red Bank’s vegan mecca, Good Karma Café, on East Front Street.

These all-cotton tote bags (which have a pair of long handles not visible in the photo) go for $6, and could be handy when carrying home your Farmer’s Market finds.

December 21, 2013 - 10:17 am |

RED BANK: SHOP LOCAL EATERS GIFT GUIDE

Dec 20, 2013

Cheese Cave owner Steve Catania at work. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)

PieHole knows that local foraging is the best foraging. For the food lovers on your gift list we have assembled 12 Days of PieHole’s First Annual Shop Local Holiday Food & Drink Gift Guide. This is the 7th in the series.

The Cheese of the Month Club from Red Bank’s Cheese Cave costs $45 a month and comes in three-, six- or 12-month subscriptions. Each month, subscribers receive a selection of three different cheeses (approx. 1.5 pounds of cheese per month) along with a fact sheet about the cheeses and an accompaniment such as a jar of Brooklyn Jam Stand’s peach and sriracha jam or Castleton Crackers, artisanal crackers from Vermont.

December 20, 2013 - 8:57 am |

RED BANK: A NOT-TOO-ECCENTRIC CAB

Dec 19, 2013

PieHole knows that local foraging is the best foraging. So for the food lovers on your gift lis,t we have assembled 12 Days of PieHole’s First Annual Shop Local Holiday Food & Drink Gift Guide. This is the 5th in the series.

Wine preferences are notoriously subjective and personal. It can be difficult to give someone a really nice wine if you don’t know much about the drinker’s preferences.

The Wine Cellar on Monmouth Street in Red Bank carries Duckhorn Cabernet from California. PieHole‘s opinion is that this wine has a bit of the personality and complexity you’d expect in a pricier red without being too eccentric. A very tasty safe bet if you’re looking to gift a bottle of wine. $66.99.

December 19, 2013 - 11:34 am |

RED BANK: SHOP LOCAL EATERS GIFT GUIDE

Dec 18, 2013

PieHole knows that local foraging is the best foraging. For the food lovers on your gift list we have assembled 12 Days of PieHole’s First Annual Shop Local Holiday Food & Drink Gift Guide. This is the 4th in the series.

Red Bank Chocolate Shoppe on White Street makes its own chocolate. While a box of homemade chocolates might make a good gift, this dipped bottle caught our eye.

“Our chocolate-dipped wine or champagne bottle makes a great host gift,” says Jackie Cherko. “When you open it up, the chocolate breaks around the bottle and makes a great centerpiece. ”

Bring in your own bottle. It costs $23.95 to have it dipped.

December 18, 2013 - 8:55 am |

RED BANK: SHOP LOCAL EATERS GIFT GUIDE

Dec 17, 2013

PieHole knows that local foraging is the best foraging. For the food lovers on your gift list we have assembled 12 Days of PieHole’s First Annual Shop Local Holiday Food & Drink Gift Guide. This is the 4th in the series.

Back in the day, when it was on Monmouth Street in Red Bank, Readie’s was a German butcher. Though it’s now a deli on Broad Street, the shop still has some old-time customers who like the German flavorings, and these German cocoa biscuits remain popular, says owner Tom Fishkin. And they fit in well with his gift-basket business. $3.50.

December 17, 2013 - 10:54 am |

RED BANK: SHOP LOCAL EATERS GIFT GUIDE

Dec 16, 2013

PieHole knows that local foraging is the best foraging. For the food lovers on your gift list we have assembled 12 Days of PieHole’s First Annual Shop Local Holiday Food & Drink Gift Guide. This is the 3rd in the series.

Zaitooni Deli on Mechanic Street in Red Bank has a rackful of Middle Eastern foods, including pistachio halawa (or halva, as the Israelis call it). It’s a sweet treat mixture of tahini and pistachio that Zaitooni owner Jamil Hage says he eats right out of the container with a spoon. $5.75

December 16, 2013 - 1:45 pm |

FAIR HAVEN: SHOP LOCAL EATERS GIFT GUIDE

Dec 14, 2013

PieHole knows that local foraging is the best foraging. For the food lovers on your gift list we have assembled 12 Days of PieHole’s First Annual Shop Local Holiday Food & Drink Gift Guide. This is the 2nd in the series.

For the coffee AND diner lover in your life, ten bucks will get you a 12-ounce bag of fresh-ground “Jersey Diner” coffee at Booskerdoo on River Road in Fair Haven. “It’s a blend of Colombian and Brazilian beans that are typical of American diners,” says the company’s Mike Teti. “It’s like the classic coffee taste.”

December 14, 2013 - 11:57 am |

RED BANK: SHOP LOCAL EATERS GIFT GUIDE

Dec 13, 2013

PieHole knows that local foraging is the best foraging. For the food lovers on your gift list we have assembled 12 Days of PieHole’s First Annual Shop Local Holiday Food & Drink Gift Guide. This is the 1st in the series.

We stumbled upon this dynamite stocking-stuffer at the olive oil purveyor, Carter & Cavero on Monmouth Street. It’s a hot and spicy Calabrese vegetable spread that you could also use as a marinade. $9.95

December 13, 2013 - 9:53 am |

Red Bank Green

Serving Red Bank and Greater Red Bank, NJ

LITTLE SILVER: FROM FRANCE, STUFFED PRUNES

RED BANK: TASTING ROOM’S WINE HARDWARE

RED BANK: EXOTIC SPICE STOCKING STUFFER

RED BANK: A COOL COTTON KARMA CARRIER

RED BANK: SHOP LOCAL EATERS GIFT GUIDE

RED BANK: A NOT-TOO-ECCENTRIC CAB

RED BANK: SHOP LOCAL EATERS GIFT GUIDE

RED BANK: SHOP LOCAL EATERS GIFT GUIDE

RED BANK: SHOP LOCAL EATERS GIFT GUIDE

FAIR HAVEN: SHOP LOCAL EATERS GIFT GUIDE

RED BANK: SHOP LOCAL EATERS GIFT GUIDE