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adegiulio

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Posts posted by adegiulio

    Trattoria Fresco, Caldwell 7/16

    in New Jersey: Dining

    Posted

    Rosie, its 40 dollars before tax and tip. I don't know if they are including things like coffee, bottled water, soft drinks, and so on.

    For wines, I haven't yet figured it out, but of course we will bring some White Turley. I'll bring some Cabernet and a tasty dessert wine called Braqetto d' acqui (I thnk I am spelling that wrong)...Its a sparkling wine that goes very well with chocolate...I'm sure we will bring some other random stuff too, but we like to go overboard... :biggrin::biggrin:

    NJ, good to see you are bringing your girlfriend. I will make a point of seating you far away from Tommy. :cool::raz:

    Tommy, Chuck mentioned he might come. When you know, send me a PM or just post here...

    A

    Best way to make large quantities of green tea...

    in Coffee & Tea

    Posted

    Hi, I've just recently been turned onto green tea. I'd like to make up large quantities at a time to keep in the fridge (about a gallon at a time). Whats the best way to do this without getting the tea bitter? I was thinking about just steeping the tea in cold water for a few hours (like sun tea) but thought that might make it bitter. Heating up a gallon of water could work, but how much tea should I use, and how long to steep?

    Anyway, something tells me that somebody on eGullet does this already and could provide me with some advice.. :smile:

    Thanks in advance!

    PS...any internet resources for good green tea would be appreciated also...

    Trattoria Fresco, Caldwell 7/16

    in New Jersey: Dining

    Posted

    Why, why, WHY do I find you two so amusing?!? :laugh:

    Must be our resemblance to Laurel and Hardy...or is it Abbott and Costello.. :biggrin:

    An attendance update:

    Me and Amy

    Mr. & Mrs. Tommy

    Evie with a possible guest

    Cheryl and Rob

    Nj2FLA and maybe his girlfriend

    Rosie and Lowell

    Mike and Joanne

    Mark?? (dude, your signature line cracks me up...mmm...bacon)

    Rocca, a new restaurant in Glen Rock

    in New Jersey: Dining

    Posted · Edited by adegiulio (log)

    I don't know why, but I am always skeptical of first time posters either touting or panning a restaurant. It makes me think that the owner himself is the poster, trying to drum up some positive vibes for his new place, or a competitor trying to do the opposite. Smoramarco, I hope this isn't the case here, as we could use a good restaurant in this area.

    Either way, welcome to eGullet....I'm sure you will find it an invaluable resource on restaurant news and food trends...

    :smile:

    Blend

    in New Jersey: Dining

    Posted

    yeah, thanks for the invite. :wink:

    LOL, sorry, I'm just going to blame Amy for that. I did comment to her that a lot of the things I thought were wrong with this place, you also would be annoyed by. She thinks you and me have similar personalities when it comes to restaurant evaluation...Of course I am more handsome... :raz::biggrin:

    Blend

    in New Jersey: Dining

    Posted

    Me and Amy tried Blend tonight. Our server told us tonight was their official "grand opening". Everyone was very cheerful when we entered (a little too rehearsed in my opinion, but it's their first night...). We were presented with menus and asked if we would like a drink. I was completely starved and wanted to go a little lighter on the alcohol scale, so I suggested wine. We were brought the wine list, which was disappointing to say the least. Lousy selection, average markup, but most importantly, NO VINTAGES LISTED. I absolutely hate it when restaurants don't list vintages on their wine list. There is a huge difference between at 99 Phelps Insignia and a 2000 Insignia. While I am sure I would prefer the 99, I can guarantee they are selling the 2000. To ask the server to check each and every bottle for the vintage borders on wine geekdom, and even though I am a geek, I don't like to prove that fact to everyone. I also don't trust managers that don't list vintages, its like they are trying to pull one over on me. So, I won't order wine off a list with no years listed. So, since this place seemed to have a cocktail vibe going, we decided to ask for a cocktail menu. The server politely strolled off to get one from the bar, only to realize they didn't have them yet. OK, is there a cocktail that they recommend. Mojitos!! OK, a Mojito sounded great, and at this point, I was ready to drink some vanilla extract, just to take the edge off a rough day. The drinks arrive rather quickly. They were pretty disappointing....hardly any lime, no perceptible rum. As an alcoholic in training, I was put off...

    OK, no sweat, lets look at the menu and order some food. The hole in my stomach was growing larger with each minute...do they serve bread here? The menu was extremely weak, though it was presented quite attractively. I wasn't impressed at all with the selection, but we narrowed it down to Tuna Ceviche for Amy and a "South American" Ceviche for me, followed by Paella for Amy's main course and lamb chops for me. The ceviches arrived within minutes. They were both served in martini glasses, a touch that I don't particularly care for. It just makes for difficult eating, not to mention a rather inelegant angle of attack with a fork. To make matters worse, the glass wasn't placed on a plate, it was placed right on the table. Any drips or miscues and there was a mess on the table, not to mention there isn't any place to rest one's fork between bites or while using a napkin. Arrgh, its annoying. The ceviches were ok, not bad, but not good either.

    Next were our main courses. Amy seemed to enjoy her paella, which seemed like average stuff. My lamb was ok, accompanied by decent horseradish mashed potatoes and my least favorite vegetable, julliene mixed veg. Not a fan of the julliene. Altogether, the mains were boring and uninspired.

    We decided to cut our loss and skip dessert. The decor was cool, kind of South City Grill-ish. I can see the bar being a hot spot to hang out and drink. The bistro and dance club aren't open yet, though I think they will be by September. There are three places within 200 feet I would rather eat at, all of which are BYOB. The service, while friendly, was clearly not up to snuff, but that is to be expected on their first night. Heck, if the kitchen made half the effort that the front of the house made, they might have a shot. As is, however, I won't be going back unless I hear about some serious improvement (probably from Tommy :biggrin: )

    I hate going to the same place over and over again, but there isn't anyone in Ridgewood that is even trying to compete with Village Green. Each time we go to another place in town, me and Amy always look at each other and say "We should have gone to Village Green"...Looks like we should just stick with a good thing. :smile:

    Trattoria Fresco, Caldwell 7/16

    in New Jersey: Dining

    Posted

    OK, some more details...Spoke to the chef/owner on Sunday about the menu. He faxed over a menu to me.

    Start with some hot apps and pizzas served family style. I like this idea...

    Second would be a nice salad

    Third would be a pasta course...he's suggesting pappardelle with porcini and arugula, finished with mascarpone and olive oil. Sounds tasty to me...

    4th would be a Tuscan Skirt Steak with accompaniments...

    then dessert, chocolate fondue and their zeppole...

    $40 per person, sounds quite reasonable...If we are all game I'll bring him the 200 dollar deposit and we are good to go....

    Ant

    Eating in Rhinebeck

    in New York: Dining

    Posted

    If you liked Cripple Creek for dinner, I would like to suggest a place that is much better...Mina in Red Hook...It has a similar style menu, but with fantastic local ingredients and very innovative cooking. Service is great, and nice atmosphere...Just take rt 9 north from Rhinebeck into Red Hook, its about 7 minutes from the center of Rhinebeck. At the light in the middle of Red Hook (Market Street), make a left. Mina is about 200 feet down on the right. It is well worth the trip. We occasionally go up there for dinner, even if we have no other reason to be in town (we live in NJ, but are building in Red Hook)

    By the way, funny story you had :biggrin: .

    Anthony

    Trattoria Fresco, Caldwell 7/16

    in New Jersey: Dining

    Posted

    OK, just as a recap, here are the facts as they stand now...

    Trattoria Fresco in Caldwell, Friday, July 16

    Attendees

    Me and Amy

    Mr. & Mrs. Tommy

    Evie

    Cheryl and Rob

    Nj2FLA and maybe his girlfriend (bring her, just don't seat her next to Tommy :biggrin: )

    Finker99, hopefully you're still interested...

    Kimmy, you posted but I didn't see you mention if you were coming or not...

    I have been jammed at workthe last two days and haven't been able to call and set up the menu yet. I'll report back on that ASAP. Are there any allergic people out there I need to worry about. Is there anything that people just don't like that I should avoid? Also, what does everyone feel comfortable spending (you can PM me with this info if you want :rolleyes::raz: )

    Cool...

    Ant

    Trattoria Fresco, Caldwell 7/16

    in New Jersey: Dining

    Posted

    We ate at Trattoria Fresco last night. Looks like a great place for some outdoor dining. I'll be calling them today to discuss menu options and other details. I'm thinking of starting with some antipasti, family style, followed by a pasta, then meat, then dessert. Any suggestions or additions?

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