I attended the Farm Cooking School for a pasta making night! Overall, it was a great experience! We…read morehad the chance to make 3-4 different pastas and worked as a group through each item. However, the class was unorganized. Despite arriving on time, the class had already started. People were tasked with items to start on and no one greeted us or told us where we could help. It made the beginning of the class feel weird and made us feel not welcomed. The pasta was delicious and the overall value was great! Arrive extra early or have the potential to walk in confused!

I first met chefs Ian Knauer and Shelley Wiseman when they were the guest pizzaiolos at Liberty…read moreHall Pizza, serving up some unique and amazingly delicious pizzas. Shortly thereafter, my wife and I signed up for the Fundamentals cooking course at The Farm Cooking School - a six class series covering everything from knife skills to roasting, poaching and braising. What we experienced was far better than we expected. These are hands on classes, where we learned about the ingredients, how to utilize them and why they worked in each dish we prepared. At the end of each class, we all sit down and enjoy a delicious meal that by itself would likely cost as much as the class if we bought it at a local restaurant. What a bargain! Since that first series, I've taken over 30 other classes, and continue to take classes every week. I've made French sauces, Mexican moles, Italian pastas, Indian curries, pies, breads, and just about everything else you've seen on a plate. The variety and quality of classes and the food we've eaten has been amazing. Through these classes and the down-to-earth teaching styles of Ian and Shelley, I've learned that it's possible for amateurs like me to prepare meals that taste as good or better than those I get in restaurants. I walk away from classes thinking "Wow, that was so delicious. I can't wait to try this at home!"

The school's restaurant is aptly called Windows, since the teaching kitchen is on full display for…read moreall tables. All meals are fixed price: I visited during buffet brunch, but à la carte lunch and dinner offerings are also available based on the semester schedule. The brunch fare was solid if traditional; OTOH menu choices look more ambitious with wide range. Table service, provided by students in training, was halting yet effective. Good value and great vibe, surely one of AP's best kept secrets. Support this local gem!!

In order to dine here at the Culinary Education Center, one must have a reservation. Their dinner…read morehours are 5:15-6:15 Mon -Thurs. I heard one doesn't need a reservation for lunch. I was greeted by the host, Lucas, who promptly seated me and introduced me to my server, Ken. Keep in mind that the staff is learning their trade, so be patient. A complementary duck wing w/confit was presented. Very good & nicely spiced. The mango butter complemented the fresh rolls. What a surprise, an excellent taste. Then the escargot......primo, in a garlicky butter. The Lyonnaise salad was similar like I had in France. Superb!!! The main entree was Entrecôte Grenadin w/haricots verts and pommes frites. Look it up if desired. It was excellent. As if I really needed dessert... Vanilla ice cream ( chilled dish ) fresh fruit a la flambé As mentioned, the waitstaff made some basic errors, but my experience here was fantastic. Kudos to the Institute. There is no sales tax added to the bill. No tipping is expected but you can leave a minimal cash donation if desired.

What has happened to this restaurant? On February 19, we were really looking forward to a…read moregirlfriends' luncheon and were so happy to see one another. Unfortunately, from the moment we walked in, the experience felt off. The hostess was noticeably rude and dismissive, coming across as aloof and unnecessarily sharp, which made us feel unwelcome from the start, as though she were doing us a favor by seating us. After being seated, our coffee arrived lukewarm, and the carafe did not keep it warm. When I asked the waitress if she could refresh it, she told me she would need to charge for another coffee, though she offered to heat it in the microwave. That was disappointing. Granted, we were there about two hours, but the wait staff was a bit rude, too. The food was okay, nothing special. We truly miss the previous atmosphere and business model. I'm not sure what direction the restaurant is trying to take now, but it no longer feels warm, friendly, or hospitable.

Weekend brunch for the win! This is an adorable BYO spot that you'll drive right past if you don't…read moreknow it's there. Absolutely beautiful inside with a dining room on one side and ample space for a larger private gathering on the other. Food is delicious and Dan was a wonderful server - making good recommendations and helping us figure out what to order. We ordered a few different dishes and shared. The gnocchi with vodka sauce was my favorite. Order the carrot cake scone for dessert - you won't be disappointed!

I didn't expect a great Filipino Fine Dining in my backyard. I usually expect this type of…read moreexperience in Manhattan. The staff, host and chef were very friendly. They made sure that all our needs were met and that we had a great night. The decor was classy and very homey. One of the long benches they had reminded me of my uncle's back in his home in Laguna, Philippines. The food was exceptional. Everything was cooked perfectly. They didn't lessen the flavors to cater to the "American" palette. We were really full by the end of the night. This spot is really worth visiting. Go check them out if you're in the neighborhood.

I had a eureka moment when I discovered Maricel's Kitchen. I immediately declared, "This is where…read morewe're celebrating our anniversary!" Cozy and unpretentious, it's a small business and a true hidden gem. The moment we set foot in the door, we were warmly greeted by Paul, the extraordinary host and husband of the chef, Maricel. Upon seeing our reservation via OpenTable, he noticed we were celebrating our wedding anniversary. He gave us the most romantic table in the house. Megan quickly came out to take our order. We were deciding, and she mentioned they have Benguet coffee. As it was freezing outside, it was perfect as we looked through the menu. The Benguet coffee came out in a French Press. Benguet coffee is a single-origin coffee that grows in the Northern part of the Philippines. We tasted notes of chocolate, berries, and nuts. Intoxicating!! Pandesal, Filipino bread with accompanying butter, came out with the coffee. These are truly melt-in-your-mouth, as when you first break it, the crispy outer layer gives way to a soft and fluffy center. Heavenly!! We decided upon their Kamayan Tower, which is a 4-tier is like a Filipino celebration of food, all brought together and giving you a tasting banquet at your table. The top tier was the appetizers, where crispy Lumpia and Siomai (Filipino version of Shumai) lay. The second tier consisted of Pork Sisig, Chicken Inasal, and Pancit Bihon. The Pork Sisig was my absolute favorite as it was a symphony of rich and savory flavors. My husband loved the Chicken Inasal, as the flavor profile is smoky, tangy, and savory-sweet. The following tier held many delights, but what stood out from that tier were Chicken Adobo, the perfect ratio of soy and vinegar marinade, and the crispy Whole Fried Tilapia. Excellent combination of crispy skin and moist and flaky inside. Last but not least, the final tier had many stars, but what stood out for us was Beef Kaldereta and Inihaw Na Liempo. The primer is a stew with vegetables, potatoes, and tender beef. Slow-braised in tomato-based sauce, giving us hearty and comfy feelings. The latter is grilled pork belly, where the smoky and sweet flavors come together. Just when we were finished, Megan brought out a plate of desserts, and Paul gave us two flutes of champagne to celebrate. The food was all phenomenal, as was the service. Chef Maricel herself came out to greet us, and we talked about how these dishes were prepared. She has a full staff prepping for the dishes and truly tries to replicate the flavors of her grandmother's cooking from Manila. Both she and Paul were in the cooking school where they first met, and we laughed at how we first met our spouses. The place is a hidden gem, and Chef Maricel wisely chose her signage to be huge black lettering on a white, lit-up background so that passing cars can see her restaurant as they drive by. Plenty of parking as they share a parking lot in the strip mall. If you are looking for great Filipino cuisine where they treat you like family, this is the place. The place is not huge, so I strongly recommend people make their reservation via OpenTable. Chef Maricel also mentioned they offer cooking lessons during the weekdays, except for Friday evening, and they also serve Classic Filipino brunch towers on weekends. Sign. Me. Up!!

My wife took me here on my birthday and what a find this was! They typically do cooking classes,…read morebut if you come for a meal, you're in for a treat. We sat at the chef's table and had a limited 4 course selection to choose from. It began with a wonderful tuna crudo that was light and almost summery with the strawberries and cucumbers that surprisingly complimented the incredibly flavorful tuna. The spinach gnudi was a small salad that also had a number of components I would have never dreamed to combine, but they all paired nicely with each other. The main course was a lamb that was perfectly cooked, and though I didn't care for the accompaniment of figs, the rest of the dish more than made up for it. To finish off, we ended with asian pear crisp. You don't often see Asian pears incorporated into cooking. However, Asian pears actually being one of my favorite fruits this was welcome surprise and fantastic way to end the evening. Or so it would be, had they not brought out an additional crem bruele for my birthday, which was also excellent. I very very much enjoyed my meal here and wouldn't hesitate in recommending it to anyone. Sitting at the chef's table is also a special treat as I thoroughly enjoyed watching that process that is traditionally kept behind closed doors. I will definitely be making a return trip whether it's for new menu offerings or to try one of their cooking classes.

I had been to Heirloom Kitchen years ago, but apparently had not written a review. Regardless, I…read moreremembered absolutely adoring that meal, which had driven me to their sister restaurant, Judy's, earlier this year for another phenomenal experience. So, when I was looking for a place to take my brother for his birthday, a second visit to Heirloom seemed like a fantastic option. I examined the current menus to discover that their Sunday evening menu-of-the-month was "Friendsgiving" themed, meaning it was full of holiday cheer and the Fall flavors both my brother and I adored. I was completely sold on the idea and went to secure a reservation. Unfortunately, seats at the Chef's counter had been booked, but they did offer a second row "back counter", which was a bit higher to enable guests to see over the front row and into the kitchen action. I figured those seats would be more exciting than the regular dining room, so I set us up in that area. I also noted in the reservation that we would be celebrating a birthday during our visit. When we arrived, we were taken to our seats where a "Happy Birthday" postcard and message were waiting for us, which was such a gracious sentiment! We were also quickly greeted by Mike, who watched over our meal in conjunction with Kristin, and they were both beyond lovely and engaging. In addition to our delightful interactions with them, we adored that members of the kitchen staff took turns introducing each course to us; this allowed us to feel like we were truly welcome, breaking the invisible barrier between the back and front of the house. From a beverage perspective, the restaurant offered several bottles of local Alba Vineyards wine and four crafted mocktails. Since I had a decent drive home, I decided to stick with the non-alcoholic selections, trying both of the Palapas, which were their interpretations of sangria. The white version used chamomile tea, peach, spice, and citrus. It was light and fruity with surprising notes of pineapple. The red version utilized mint tea, apple, spice, and citrus. The peppermint went surprisingly well with the apple and spice. Both drinks were delicious and just sweet enough, though I found the white variety more refreshing. I also took a sip of my brother's La Morenita, which contained tamarind, winter spices, and pineapple. I did not love the particular spices used in that mocktail, but found the base otherwise enjoyable. Neither of us tried the remaining spiced cranberry beverage, since it seemed to be the least complex. The Friendsgiving six-course tasting menu blew us away with its creativity and bold flavors. We left full, satisfied, and simply in awe. Our meal included the following items (had to shorten my comments to fit): AMUSE: Apple fritter topped with Comte cheese and shaved truffles --Resembled a cider donut. Super soft and fluffy on the inside with perfect slight crunch on the outside. Aromatic toppings added a complexity that paired well with the sweet bite. FIRST: Roasted Carrot Tartare served on toasted sourdough and topped with pickled grapes, herb aioli, and shaved cured egg yolk--Delicious, but the aioli overpowered the thin layer of carrots. SECOND: Pave (like a less heavy potato gratin that was flash-fried) over butternut squash puree, paired with a smoked turkey rillette and covered with a horseradish foam.--Rich and delicious. Turkey rillette was like a mind game, because it tasted like you were eating real sliced turkey, rather than a thick pate of the meat. THIRD: Cannelloni wrapped around sweet fennel sausage with a creamy pot pie sauce, topped with crispy sage, and drizzled with brown butter.--The dish I thought that I would like the least, as I was not a sausage fan, but it was actually one of my favorites. FOURTH: Cornbread stuffing with cranberry butter--Another unique and heavenly creation. Slices of the bread contained bits of cornbread, carrot cake, and stuffing in the perfect ratios. The smooth, creamy cranberry butter was topped with dried cranberry crumbles for texture and was delicious enough to enjoy on its own. FIFTH: Short Rib with chanterelle duxelle over a parsnip and sunchoke puree, jus, and crispy sunchoke chips--Meat was tender and had notes of cumin. The seasonal Fall vegetables added layers of flavor and texture. It was hearty and comforting. SIXTH: Nutella Mousse pie--WOW! Base of the "pie" was more like a soft chocolate cake topped with a thick layer of decadent Nutella mousse and pieces of coffee-dusted meringue. Served with a creme fraiche ice cream and hazelnut brittle. BONUSES: Pear jelly candies and an insanely good Caramel Apple dessert from the kitchen that included a small cake, burnt cinnamon ice cream, caramelized puff pastry crumble, and miso butterscotch caramel. On top of these tidbits, the staff took a Polaroid of us, which they gave us on the way out, along with a signed copy of the special menu. It was one of the best experiences we had had in a while!

Had the pleasure of doing a coooking class at Little Fox Kitchen with my hubby and it was such a…read morefun experience. It's BYOB (huge win), the group was small so it felt super personal, and we actually got to know everyone. I learned some new cooking techniques and the food turned out amazing. Honestly a perfect date night dinner and a show lol! 10/10 recommend!

What a fun time!! Not only do you learn a lot and have a lot of fun, but you get to enjoy delicious…read morefood and time with loved ones while you cook! The chef was so helpful and knowledgeable and was able to make the most complex steps simple and approachable. Definitely want to come back for a lovely date night!

I spent Sunday afternoon attending a cooking class with a few of my friends and had an amazing…read moretime. The food was delicious, the owner super charming and the experience overall was fantastic! Highly recommend going with some friends or even a mother/daughter outing.

Our group selected a cooking class here which included dinner with pasta-making as the only…read morehands-on portion of the evening. We only mixed flour and water together to roll out pasta. For $125/person, I had expected better tasting food though. The small appetizers (spinach salad, prosciutto, Parmesan, olives) may have been put together from a grocery store. For the pasta that we rolled out, the staff only added a plain tomato sauce. The side of vegetables was overcooked and mushy. Tiramisu was all right. We can blame the taste and texture of the pasta on ourselves, because we made it, but I had expected the rest of the food prepared by professionals to be better. No drinks were included -- Healthy Italia is BYOB. There was a nice intro video from the owner telling us about her history and philosophy. She said that she doesn't measure ingredients, and only mixes by feel. How does one teach a cooking class like this? If someone is taking a cooking class, they are less experienced and need precise measurements and instructions. Our flour and water were measured for us, so I guess they do measure something. We were never told the measurements, so didn't have any recipe or any specific learnings to take home. I enjoyed the social time with my group, and especially the long table set out for our group in true Italian fashion. It made us feel like a big cohesive family. However, for $125/person, I felt like we could have had a true learning experience elsewhere or had a much better Italian dinner at a restaurant with drinks. In fact, on the subsequent evening, a few individuals from our group went to a restaurant and ordered similar items served at this cooking class, and the food was remarkably better. And yes, it was less than $125/person with drinks.

Recently, my Girl Scout troop participated in a baking class with Cynthia. The girls had a…read morewonderful time and learned so much about table manners, the basic principles of baking, and how to set a table properly. Plus, the cake they made was delicious. The event space was lovely too. Cynthia could not have been more accommodating. I highly recommend her to host your next event.

Daughter had her 8th birthday party with Chef Cynthia and it was fantastic. Not only was the party…read moreand the baking fun it was educational. Chef Cynthia and her assistant were great with kids, well mannered and managed the 10 youngsters easily. All the kids and parents loves the unique party idea and are still talking about it! Well worth every penny.

My daughter has been attending here since September 2021 and she enjoys her daily program…read moreimmensely. Her teachers both last year and this year are amazing. My husband and I have enjoyed seeing her learn and grow, listening to her talk about vocational school, etc. We attended last years open house, this years in person back to school night and today's competition. We look forward to our child finishing her program here in June. We also look forward to hearing more wonderful stories from her after school for the remainder of this school year.

Pop Quiz: Where can I get a three course lunch prepared by aspiring Michelin star chefs for under…read more$10? Answer: Ocean County Vocational - Technical School in Brick. Perhaps this is common knowledge in the neighboring senior communities among the early bird special crowd, but it's a new discovery for me after having lived in Brick over twelve years. There's a culinary school at OCVTS in their Brick location. During the school year, they offer lunch from 11:30 to 2:30 I believe from Wednesday to Friday. So I stopped by yesterday to check it out. Apparently each day they have a theme. Yesterday it was Southern /Cajon. For my appetizer, I ordered the a chicken and andouille sausage gumbo, which was redolent with the flavor of the dark tan roux and was well seasoned, and to my surprise, mildly (for me) spiced even before I added the Tabasco sauce. It was a well made gumbo. I initially ordered the fried chicken entre, which came with collard greens and mac and cheese. I love collard greens and these were well prepared, as was the mac and cheese (To be honest, mac and cheese is a dish that you have to go out of your way to screw up.). However, the fried chicken was not as deftly prepared. Granted, it was three huge pieces of chicken, the size of my head (I can see why this place is popular with the senior crowd). First, it was was smothered in gravy. Now, that's not really a critism in itself, but I don't like anything on the chicken after it's fried so it stays crispy. But as soon as I put the fork into the thigh piece the entire breading seemed to slide off. Apparently they have to revisit frying 101, as do ssooo many commercial cooks. Realizing that this is a school, I felt bad sending it back, but I really wanted to enjoy the meal. So ignoring the Italian tradition of not eating fish with cheese, I ordered the blackened catfish with a Parmesan breading crust. The fish was well cooked, but the crust was overly salty. The meal was rounded out with chocolate rice pudding (now that's thinking out of the box!) that was very good. All through the meal I had unlimited refills of their excellent home brewed ice tea and some good coffee at the end Total tab $ 7.00, not including tip. How can you beat that? There were a few hiccups as I've pointed out. I wasn't pulling my punches because it's a school. But, for around the price of a happy meal you get great quality freshly prepared food served with cloth napkins. Next time I'm doing errands in Brick and want a bite for lunch, it's not gonna be pizza.

Betty is fab! I took her intro to sewing class and she walked me through all the steps for…read morethreading the needle and filling the bobbin and the parts of the machine and what they do. I feel less scared now to use my machine. Reading a manual and trying to watch you tube did not work....every machine a bit different. This was hands on one on one instruction.

From the owner: Creative sewing classes for kids, teens and adults…read more Birthday sewing parties and private sewing lessons. Alterations on specialty dresses (prom, bridesmaid and evening wear )