adegiulio
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Just an attendance update...
Anthony & Amy-2
Tommy 2
Curlz 1
Fatcat 3
Joanne 1
Anthony
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Not sure about the preparation on the crab. When in doubt, bring both
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Ok all, Linda has given me a sneak preview of the dinner, but has withheld some of the details to add to the excitement...right now we can expect...(cut and paste from email)
Chilled Gazpacho with Lobster
Soft Shell Crab
Foie Gras
Seared Duck Breast
Lamb
Dessert Sampling
We will bring some Pinot Noir and probably a merlot. And a chardonnay. And a bottle or two of white dessert wine...Some Quarts de Chaume for the foie would be nice too....
Anthony
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Joanne, that is terrific, we would love to have you....Will it just be you or will you be bringing others...Bring more!! It's going to be fun...
Curlz, no pressure, if you need till next Wednesday to decide, thats fine with me...
I'll post some details tomorrow about what kind of food to expect for wine matching...The food sounds terrific. Met the chef tonight...Art seems like a great guy...
Till tomorrow...
Anthony
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Super!, the updated list looks like
Right now, we are looking like this:
Anthony & Amy-2
Tommy 2
Curlz 1, maybe more
Fatcat 3
Still room for more...Curlz, any idea if you will be bringing people?
A
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In the words of Popeye, "Well blow me down!!" There ARE lots of posts about Epernay....I guess we should talk about it more...
Should we merge these threads?
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My comment in the Great Notch Inn thread got me thinking about this place and the fact that I never see it mentioned here on eGullet. What do people think of it? We have been there a number of times and have always had a good meal. I love a tasty hangar steak, and they are one of the few places we have been that I enjoy it.
So, do you Epernay?
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Rosie, unless you have completely fooled us all about who you are, I would avoid it. Heck, don't even drive in the right lane while passing it...
The Great Notch Inn does have some relevance to the food world. It was featured in a "Mrs. T's Peirogies" commercial...
So Rosie, forget the GNI, hop onto Valley road and head into Montclair for a Hangar steak at Epernay or some Polenta Fries at Fascino!
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No problem Lou...If you decide either way, just let me know. From Randolph, Ridgewood is a bit of a hike, but worth the trip. Take 10 to 287 north about 15 minutes to 208 south. From there its maybe 10 minutes...I'm not sure of the exact roads from 208...
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I just spoke to Linda. We thought that the best thing to do would to just have them "cook" for us. She and her chef will come up with some ideas over the next few days and get back to me with some plans. I think this is a great way to go, and I am sure they will hook us up with some terrific, seasonal items. We'll have plenty of time to plan the wine and discuss any other issues...
As a an added bonus/incentive, I've signed up a professional guitar player friend of mine to serenade us for the evening...He is an absolutely fantastic musician and a really good guy. It will be a great night...
I told Linda to keep the dinner in the same range as a normal 5 course meal, so figure around 50 dollars, plus tax and tip. The entertainment is my treat...
Anthony
PS---go to this link for more info about the music.
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I have a similar allergy Tommy. Fortunately the doctor at Village Green fixed me up with their version of Benadryl....Foie on Brioche...
I'm setting this up for selfish reasons...it starts with Pro and ends with ecco...
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I like 7:30 also...
Right now, we are looking like this:
Anthony & Amy-2
Tommy 2
Curlz 1, maybe more
Fatcat 2
Thursday May 27th...5 courses
I'll call Linda tonight to talk about the menu...If anyone has any food allergies or other food issues, or if there is something you would like to see on the menu, let me know...
A
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OK, Thursday May 27, 5 courses. Curlz, any feel for how many people you might be coming with? Lou, is this date good for you? Tommy, is Mrs. Tommy coming? FatCat, are you a definate??
I love when a plan comes together...
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Well this is a little better. The 27th is a great date for me. As for cost, I think the 4 course was 42, the 5 course was 48 and I forget what the 7 course menu was. I like the idea of a 7 course tasting, but think we should discuss that...I'd certainly go for 5 also...
So the way I see it..
Anthony & Amy-2
Tommy 1 or 2?
Curlz 1?
Fatcat, possible for 2
Lou?
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Interest seems underwhelming. Is it too soon? would we get more interest if we pushed it back into June? Right now its just me and Tommy, sitting around getting drunk, listening to moderators telling us we just dont get it (Rosie, I'm not talking about you). Let's hear some more thoughts on the subject, I really want to see at least ten people at this dinner. It is a fantastic restaurant, and it should be a fun evening, complete with a surprise...(oooooooh)
Anthony
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Dolce Bistro, 77 Walnut Street, Montclair has “Inventive Mediterranean Cuisine” written on their menu. This confused us as some of their appetizers include spicy tuna roll, Philadelphia roll, and shrimp tempura roll. We didn’t try any of these Japanese dishes but can tell you that the best thing we had was the homemade tiramisu and the coffee.
We shared an appetizer of zuppa di clams and mussels in a red sauce ($9) that contained 4 mussels and 5 clams in a ho-hum tomato sauce. The bread was not worth the carbs—disappointing since one of the best NJ Italian bakeries, Gina’s Pacificios, is two blocks away.
The tilipia oreganato was so salty that it was inedible. The waiter offered to replace it but I opted for the arugula, mozzarella, roasted pepper salad which was a cold salad served on a hot plate. The grilled boneless chicken with seasonal grilled vegetables was also salty but not as bad as the fish. In any case it was a boring dish.
As I already wrote--the best thing we had was the homemade tiramisu and the coffee.
Restaurants like this REALLY annoy me. Why in the world are they in business offering Mediterranean cuisine and serving sushi? Master your chosen cuisine first, then try something else. When a restaurant like this can't even make a decent Zuppa di Clams, what business do they have trying to make a sushi roll? And don't even get me started on the cold salad on a hot plate. Did the guy making the salad not feel the plate burning his hand off?? I'm sure it came down to them not caring....I got a tuna carpaccio on a warm plate once at Mignon....It took me ten minutes to find a server to send it back.
Don't these restaurants care? Is there any surprise that most restaurants fail, and fail miserably. I almost get a guilty pleasure at seeing a lousy restauranteur go out of business. If they just took a few minutes to chill their plates or be faithful to their cuisine, it probably wouldn't have happened...
Anthony
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OK, so its looking like Thursday the 27th is good with everyone who has responded...lets build on that...
Any others?
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Rosie, was it something I said??
Is there a better day or date for you?
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Amy and I have been back to Village Green several times since they re-opened, and each time was fantastic. This is simply one of the best restaurants in the area, and it is seemingly getting better. Last time we were there we discussed the idea of an e-gullet dinner with Linda, the owner. She was very receptive to the idea. So, today I'd like to put the plan in action. I would like to see something in May, preferably on a Wednesday night were we can receive the attention we might not get on a Friday or Saturday. Just to get the conversation started, I'll propose Wednesday the 19th, with the 26th as an alternate. As for food, we can go for 4, 5, or 7 courses. BYOB.
So, what do you think??
Anthony
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I'll second that Rosie. I'll be posting tomorrow for a Village Green get together...
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How old is distinctly old?
Tread lightly here Tommy...
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I love Crossroads in Wayne, right across from the Mountainview train station. Great home fries!! Terrific hash!!
I'm preparing my lawsuit over my elevated cholesterol..
Anthony
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Me and a few friends ate at a french Brasserie in Montclair one night. The three of us that ate mussells got very sick that night, probably 4-8 hours later. I called the next day and told them right off the bat that I didn't want anything, but just wanted to alert them that the mussells were bad and they should hang onto any paperwork regarding the origin, just in case there were others that complained. The owner was very gracious and apologetic, and a few days later several gift certificates arrived in my mailbox. Though we have been back several times since, we didn't use them.
That, to me, is the right way for a restaurant to handle the situation.
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Amy and I went to Village Green Restaurant late last week. Lets just say it was a fantastic meal. They now offer three tasting menus, a 4-course, 5-course, and 7-course. For the four courses, you choose from a selection of nine plates for three, then dessert. The five and seven course selections each have their own menu. We chose the seven course tasting.
An amuse of soup served in a demitasse cup was good. Don't remember what the soup was, as it was 4 days ago and my brain was quite fried that evening.
First course of Tuna Tartare with Lime scented cucumber, Tabiko, white soy and a Wasabi cracker was tasty and refreshing. Tuna was decent, fresh. Dish worked well.
The second course offered a choice of Lobster and Artichoke salad with lemon oil and 12yr old balsamic -or- Foie Gras on brioche with caramelized apples and calvados reduction. Amy had the lobster and throughly enjoyed it. I didnt try it, but it was nicely plated and looked terrific. My foiegras was one of the best I have had in the area. I'm tired of thin, barely seared slices of foie served with cloyingly sweet, syrupy sauces. This was a nice thick slick, with a nice dark sear on it. Served on a generous piece of brioche and not sweet apple. The sauce was tasty but not too sweet. The dish was perfect all around.
Next was Halibut with celery root, fingerling potatoes, leeks and Truffle cream. The fish was a tiny bit overcooked and underseasoned. The rest of the dish was super.
Next was Rabbit, braised stuffed cabbage, bacon, and nicoise olive reduction. This dish seemed straight out of the Cafe Boulud playbook. The rabbit consisted of pan roasted saddle and braised leg. Both were good, though the saddle was a tiny bit dry, something I am sure is hard to avoid with rabbit. The stuffed cabbage was stuffed with what seemed like chicken or rabbit forcemeat garnished with vegetables. Tasty. The sauce was quite good, and the dish worked well.
Last was rack of lamb with isreali cous cous, snap peas, peppers, and a Moroccan sauce. Lamb was always a strong point in the old kitchen, and it was very good here also. Two perfectly cooked chops were presented on a very tasty medley of cous cous and vegetables with a spicy (not hot) sauce. Amy ate this, but I tried some.
The other choice was Filet Mignon with potato gratin, Sauteed Vegetables and cabernet sauce. A decent dish, but the lamb was better.
For the courses where amy and I had different dishes, there was a choice of two. When we only tried one dish, there was no choice. Worked fine for us, as we ate everything on the menu.
Next was a selection of cheeses. Nice selection of four cheeses, served a bit too chilled, but since we love cheese it was a welcome addition. I wish more restaurants offered cheese courses.
Finally, we had dessert. Unfortunately I forgot what it was, but there was a nice selection, I remember that.
Service throughout the night was so-so. The girl serving us was very friendly and polite, though it seemed like her first night and she was a bit nervous and jerky in her movements. No big deal. The other servers in the room all looked like they knew what they were doing. The place was pretty empty for a Wednesday, but since they just opened two nights before, I guess the word needs to get out.
So, PLEASE go to the restaurant. People like this need our support!! Forget that boring Italian joint and go to Ridgewood, you can have chicken marsala some other night...
Anthony
Oh, by the way, its still BYOB, just in case people are not familiar with Ridgewood..
Get together at Village Green
in New Jersey: Dining
Posted
I guess this will be the last attendence update...
Anthony & Amy-2
Tommy 2
Curlz 1
Fatcat 3
Mike and Joanne -2
Unfortunately, the other Joanne decided against coming. The new Mike and Joanne are friends of mine and very fun people. It should be a great time...Looking forward to it..
A