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HO�TOBEAN
A��ENT�RO�S EATER
�ompton �lains resident �ustin Elminigrew up to be afoodie
�RITTEN �Y ESTHER �A�I�OWIT� ��OTO�RA��Y �Y MITSU YASUKAWA
�ome people eat to live . Others live to eat . Then there are those who are born the former and evolve into the latter . Consider Justin
Elmini . He is one of the most passionate , ardent , enthusiastic and avid food devotees in North Jersey . His obsession with food started in middle school . That ’ s when he happily discovered that there was “ more to life than pot roast ,” he says . His parents were good , but not particularly daring , cooks . “ We ate very basic early ’ 80s Americana food : roast beef , roast chicken , pot roast , and Friday was pizza night ,” says Elmini .
That American fare was not being dished out in the homes of his ethnically diverse friends . “ Everything was so different ,” he says . And though he was “ always hesitant to try things ” at home , at his friends ’ homes , he found himself more curious than reluctant to take a chance .
“ I started trying more and more things ,” says Elmini , a 48-year-old optician and father of one who lives in Pompton Plains . “ The more I tried things , the more things I liked .” By his 20s , he says , he was gung-ho to try anything . He also began to understand the value of food . “ Certain things cost more and are worth it .”
Some of what he ’ s tried over the years : sweetbreads , pig ’ s ears , chicken heart salad , duck hearts , kidneys , tripe , fish eyes , monkfish liver , snake , kangaroo , ostrich and elk .“ I ’ ve never hated anything ,” he says .
He loves restaurants , and eats out twice a week . Among his favorite local spots : Viaggio in Wayne , Fascino and Samba in Montclair , and Felina in Ridgewood . His favorite special-occasion spots : Restaurant Latour in Hamburg� Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills , New York� and Per Se , Eleven Madison Park , Aldea and Restaurant Daniel in Manhattan .
His favorite meal of all time ? A chef ’ s tasting at Le Bernardin , a Michelin three-star seafood restaurant in Manhattan , where he and his wife celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary . “ Everything was amazing ,” he says . “ There is nothing they could have done better . It was brilliant .” The cost : �1,000 per person . “ I don ’ t mind spending good money on good food and good service ,” he adds .
Elmini loves to cook , too .“ I like to experiment with my cooking as much as Ilove to experiment with my eating ,” he says . “ I try to make Indian and Thai dishes . Iwill try to cook duck different ways . Iwill try to make my own foie gras . It ’ s fun for me , almost like therapy .”
When the book �� �hades o� �re� came out , Elmini decided to make his wife , Suzanne , a meal based on the food and wines featured in the book , including the exact same beef Wellington and winter green salad with warm vinaigrette . “ I spent the day doing it . It was exhausting and time consuming .” But , he says , “ My wife to this day appreciates it .”
His wife is his eating buddy — most of the time .“ She ’ s not as adventuresome ,” he says . “ She doesn ’ t like surprises , and she doesn ’ t drink .”
So Elmini has put together a posse of five to eight food lovers to join him on dining adventures . He ’ s hoping they ’ ll become a less restricted North Jersey version of the Gotham Burger Social Club , a group of men in New York who get together to dine , photograph and rate burgers . Elmini ’ s group will search out restaurants that offer alot more than burgers� they ’ ll be seeking special tasting menu dinners , a collection of dishes that highlight a chef ’ s skills and are often paired with wines . “ I love tasting menus because I like to have little samples of everything ,” he says .
He would also like to chow down in different parts of the world . “ I have eaten well , but I am not welltraveled ,” he says .“ I ’ ve never been to the West Coast , to Napa . Iwant to hit some of the big guys there .” ■
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