Flesh-Free No More! Back to Sammy's in Mendham Tonight!!

Starting on January 1st, for ten days, Rex was following a "detoxification diet" at the recommendation of his nutritionist, Corinne Bush at the Far Hills Pharmacy. Thankfully, he continued to cook for the rest of the family, so London, Maddie and I devoured steaks and lamb chops while Rex went "flesh free" and loaded his plate with salads, brussels sprouts, and broccoli. Tonight, we celebrate Rex's return to the flesh with rib eye steaks at Sammy's Ye Olde Cider Mill Restaurant in Mendham, NJ. I will try to post a few photos from tonight's festivities.

Soft Shell Crabs from Sammy's Restaurant in Mendham, NJ...Every Bite as Amazing as Expected!

Last night, Rex and the girls and I went to Sammy's for soft shell crabs...and as you might be able to see from the photo, they were every bite as perfect as we had hoped. This must be a terrible tease for all of our visitors who do not live in the Greater Roxiticus Valley, but if you are from around here, I have three words for you: Get to Sammy's!

Just before we left for 10 days at our beach house in Bay Head, New Jersey, Rex reminded me that soft shell crab season had started, and that Sammy's Restaurant in Mendham, NJ, has the biggest, tastiest soft shell crabs in the entire world. We thought we'd have to rush out to Sammy's that night in late June to be sure to enjoy our soft shells in lemon garlic butter sauce before the short season ended, but I called Sammy's (973-543-7675) and the manager assured me that the soft shell crab season runs safely through July and frequently into early August.

To give you a little background on Sammy's Ye Olde Cider Mill... Every couple of months, Rex & I will be in the mood for a steak, and we'll round up some friends and/or take the girls to Sammy's in Mendham NJ. It's a funny place with no sign to announce itself, a white building on "old" Route 24 (353 Mendham Road West) in Mendham, near Westmont Montessori School.

From Sammy's web site: Established in 1933 and now run by third generation family members, Sam, Phil and MaryAnn Fornaro, Sammy's has outlived most other restaurants and the prohibition era to become a legend in these parts because it consistently serves its clientele the best.

You'll order your food as you walk in the door. The fun starts when they send you down to the bar in the basement, where the kids can play pinball and you can get a start on one of over 120 bottles of fine wine. Sammy's is where we discovered Darioush Cabernet with our friends Susan and Mike, Lynette and Tom, back when we all had kids over at Westmont Montessori and we'd all sneak off together after back-to-school night.

For about a month when they're in season in the summer (starting right now in late June through early August), Sammy's has the most amazing, huge soft shell crabs that they serve in a lemon garlic butter sauce. The rest of the year, we'll order veal chops, steak, lobster, or a little of both. I like Sammy's surf & turf combo because they'll serve a New York strip steak with a lobster, instead of insisting that filet mignon is the only "turf" in the house. Rex and I always start with shrimp scampi Sammy's style and spaghetti with roasted garlic & oil.

There are still plenty of soft shell crabs left for you, so get to Sammy's tonight! If you need directions, you can reach Sammy's by phone: (973) 543-7675.

Tonight's the Night: Awesome Soft Shell Crabs at Sammy's Restaurant in Mendham, New Jersey

Stay away from my window,
Stay away from my back door, too
Disconnect my telephone line...

Tonight's the night...we're going to Sammy's for soft shell crabs!! I'm only disappointed that our good friends, Susan and Mike, will not be able to join us. So...a table for four with lots of garlic, please.

Just before we left for 10 days at our beach house in Bay Head, New Jersey, Rex reminded me that soft shell crab season had started, and that Sammy's Restaurant in Mendham, NJ, has the biggest, tastiest soft shell crabs in the entire world. We thought we'd have to rush out to Sammy's that night in late June to be sure to enjoy our soft shells in lemon garlic butter sauce before the short season ended, but I called Sammy's (973-543-7675) and the manager assured me that the soft shell crab season runs safely through July and frequently into early August.

To give you a little background on Sammy's Ye Olde Cider Mill... Every couple of months, Rex & I will be in the mood for a steak, and we'll round up some friends and/or take the girls to Sammy's in Mendham NJ. It's a funny place with no sign to announce itself, a white building on "old" Route 24 (353 Mendham Road West) in Mendham, near Westmont Montessori School.

From Sammy's web site: Established in 1933 and now run by third generation family members, Sam, Phil and MaryAnn Fornaro, Sammy's has outlived most other restaurants and the prohibition era to become a legend in these parts because it consistently serves its clientele the best.

You'll order your food as you walk in the door. The fun starts when they send you down to the bar in the basement, where the kids can play pinball and you can get a start on one of over 120 bottles of fine wine. Sammy's is where we discovered Darioush Cabernet with our friends Susan and Mike, Lynette and Tom, back when we all had kids over at Westmont Montessori and we'd all sneak off together after back-to-school night.

For about a month when they're in season in the summer (starting right now in late June through early August), Sammy's has the most amazing, huge soft shell crabs that they serve in a lemon garlic butter sauce. The rest of the year, we'll order veal chops, steak, lobster, or a little of both. I like Sammy's surf & turf combo because they'll serve a New York strip steak with a lobster, instead of insisting that filet mignon is the only "turf" in the house. Rex and I always start with shrimp scampi Sammy's style and spaghetti with roasted garlic & oil.

If you need directions, you can reach Sammy's by phone: (973) 543-7675.

I'm getting hungry just thinking about those soft shell crabs, but I'm saving my appetite. Rex just made me a delicious lunch of fresh arugula from the garden, feta cheese, and cherry tomatoes. Not another bite until tonight!

Best of Mendham, NJ

My "best of" directory for the Mendham-Bernardsville-Chester-Far Hills- Peapack-Gladstone-Morris County area: http://roxiticusdh.blogspot.com/2008/01/best-of-roxiticus-valley-mendham.html

Official Mendham Township web site: http://mendhamtownship.org/ (includes important stuff like the recycling calendar: http://mendhamtownship.org/recycle.htm and the Mendham Township recreation department activities: http://mendhamtownship.org/rec.htm).

Official Mendham Borough web site: http://mendhamnj.org/mendham/

While I couldn't convince my kids to go out for basketball this year, the Mendham Patriots have an excellent program of clinics (Kindergarten through 4th Grade), recreational league and travel team (4th through 8th grade): http://www.mendhambasketball.com/

Mendham Junior Women's Club: http://www.mjwc.org/

Mendham Township schools web site: http://www.mendhamtwp.org/ -- includes important stuff like the monthly lunch menu, upcoming school events, and the awesome, school-run Pathways to Learning summer camp.

For 28 years, Chester Schools have been known for their annual science fair. This year, Mendham Township Elementary School is introducing its own Family Science Expo on May 1st. I will post a link to the school web site as soon as more information is available. For now, I have created a post on Roxiticus Desperate Housewives with all the relevant details: http://roxiticusdh.blogspot.com/2008/03/mendham-township-elementary-school.html

Mendham High School web site: http://www.wmmhs.org/

Current weather forecast for Mendham, NJ: http://www.weather.com/weather/local/07945?lswe=07945&lwsa=WeatherLocalUndeclared&from=whatwhere

Statistical information about Mendham, NJ: http://www.city-data.com/city/Mendham-New-Jersey.html


Mendham Township Education Foundation, link to web site: http://mendhamtef.org/index.html


Restaurants:

Sammy's Ye Olde Cider Mill in Mendham NJ: http://www.sammyscidermill.com/ or click here for the Roxiticus Desperate Housewives review of Sammy's.

Black Horse Tavern in Mendham NJ: http://www.blackhorsenj.com/


Kid Stuff:
There's not a lot of kid stuff right in town in Mendham, NJ, but my older daughter just had a great time with her Brownie troop at Pastime Bowling Lanes in Mendham, NJ. It is a cute little place, with only four lanes. One of our friends has planned her daughter's birthday party there in April, so I will report back on Pastime Lanes as a kid party venue.