Rachel Perlow

Actually Unilever/Lipton/Best Foods is in Englewood Cliffs (poor fact-checking). I've worked there during one of my many temp jobs. They have a great company store. There are quite a few large companies/headquarters along Sylvan Ave/9W which parallels the Palisades.

That's exactly what I was thinking. We're mean.

No, I suppose the leaves aren't particularly huge. But the plant is. I offered to Liza cause she knows where I live - not too far away from her. I don't think sage or any leaves would survive being mailed in this heat.

I know about that end of the month thing. There's no way members at my parents' club could get away with calling last minute or just showing up without a reservation at the end of the month. The last weekend is always full. Interesting that your club allows them to bank three months of minimums, they don't do that there. You have to spend or just pay your minimum every month, and they don't get credit towards the minimum from what is spent in the lunch dining room.

No, a steakhouse is really a restaurant the specializes in prime meat. Peter Lugers, Smith & Wolensky, Assembly, River Palm Terrace, those are steakhouses (forgive me if they aren't all the best, I am not generally a steakhouse enthusiast). Outback, Charlie Brown's and Longhorn are chain restaurants that specialize in steak and call themselves steakhouses, but I'm pretty sure they aren't serving prime aged beef.

That's what I was going to say. Definitely bring the kids. Actually, you need one more person to make a reservation (they only take them for parties of 6 or more). Why don't you bring the babysitter with you! You don't want to be waiting around with the kids in tow.

OK - I'm going to get all moderator-y on you guys. The initial post specified no chains to be listed. I'm sure we can all assume that the Olive Garden, Houlihans, Bennigans and Applebees (etc.) are child-friendly. Add Pasta Pot (Hackensack, Bergen) to the list. They used to be the more upscale Capri Mia, but have toned down the menu, atmosphere and prices. We went with a 16 month old and they were very welcoming. Although I don't think they have a children's menu, the pasta prices are mostly under $10, with huge portions. Two kids could easily split one portion. ( :whisperling smilie: See, tommy, we're getting a list together of places we know to not go to!)

From the Cheesecake Factory thread: Despite ShawtyCat's request to keep it near Hackensack, let's just list places in NJ, that are not franchises or chains (everyone knows about Applebees or Bennigans), that are welcoming to families with children and/or babies in tow. Please include Restaurant Name, Town, and County and a brief description or reason why you find them child friendly. I personally have found that most Chinese restaurants are very child friendly. For example China 46 in Ridgefield Park, Bergen County, almost always has large families in attendance with children and babies as well.

no. please. Like I said "many of us frequent it without kids and don't want yours to disturb us." But, it is less busy on weeknights.

No one suggested China 46, because many of us frequent it without kids and don't want yours to disturb us. However, there are almost always large families with kids in the dining room. Bennies and It's Greek to Me in Englewood have outside seating, and I've seen strollers next to the tables. I would not recommend Saigon Republic for you, except for a weekday lunch, too small to deal with multiple kids. NJ BBQ (Korean BBQ buffet) in Ridgefield Park is family friendly, best value at lunchtime or weeknight dinner. For that matter, so is Minado (the more Japanese buffet by the Rt 46 circle). Lighthouse in Fairview is very kid friendly, stick with the cheaper menu card on the table for soups & bbq. Wondees could deal with you on a weeknight, as could Potrero Grill (not Wednesdays though, the all-you-can-eat special makes it very crowded). Both are in Hackensack.

Liza - next time your in my area, give me a call and you can have some sage from my enormous plant.

Jason and I loved Trattoria Toscana and went there several times when we lived in the area. You'll like it, Rosie.

Gee Nick, tell us how you really feel!

Sounds like your experience was not as positive as ours has been. I usually take the listing of side dishes on the menu as an indication that the entrees are without. Of course, you are also in the position of being able to compare the difference between Pasta Pot and Capri Mia, which we were not. Please tell more about B&W Bakery.

You all make me feel so much better. I've done almost all of these. I blame eGullet for many recent fuck-ups: burned rice, carbonized orange peels. You only try to catch a falling knife once (long long ago), better to let it drop and jump out of the way. Better if the blade breaks than slices your hand or goes point down into your foot. A new knife is cheaper than a trip to the emergency room. The stock thing is agony, and you always realize it just as the liquid is about 3/4 out of the pot.

You just made me remember losing my first tooth after knocking it loose on a frozen banana at Disneyworld.

Bergenfield - That's the one I posted the name above, Jamaican Delight. The one in Englewood on the circle is the Sunny Delights Bakery, 11 Tenafly Rd, Englewood, NJ 07631, (201) 871-7891

Very funny. Did this experience occur a while ago? I cannot imagine describing outdoor seating as chilly this time of year.

I would call Rebecca's cuisine Floribean. You know that Cuban/Caribbean fusion popular in Florida. It is a restaurant with a romantic feel, not a place to bring the kids. The place in Hackensack is across from Bangkok Garden. It is called Jason's Bamboo Joint (258 Main St, 201-678-2899). The exterior is kind of funky, but I've never been inside. The restaurant in Englewood I described above looked nice, not a patty take-out place. However, if you want a patty take-out place, there is one in Bergenfield called Jamaican Delight (463 S Washington Ave, the strip mall with the Eckerd and the International Buffet, 201-385-2706). We go there to stock up on Ting. Being that we have listed several Caribbean restaurants in NJ, I am changing the title of this thread from "They are NO Caribbean Restaurants in Jersey??"

I know I saw a Caribbean place that looked cute in Englewood on either Nathaniel Place or William Street, between West Englewood Ave and West Palisade Ave. Haven't been and don't know the name and not on yp.yahoo.

I was told they would only do that for a party of 6 or more.

Uh, where does your fridge get the water from which to make the ice? I understand you don't need to filter the water before it gets to the fridge, but the water needs to get into the refridgerator's filter from somewhere. That's what I'm talking about. They don't. I do.

Yes, but is it worth the jostling crowds by the bar trying to get the pagers? And they don't even work in the rest of the mall, so you have to stay close by (i.e. buy drinks), which goes against 201's theory that malls like them because the crowds wander the malls while waiting.

So many of the nicer mall restaurants have these incredible waits and don't take reservations (Cheesecake Factory, Legal Seafood), I just don't get it. Unless there is a specific reason I have to eat there (like someone else picked it and doesn't want to leave), I just take my business elsewhere.

Yes, I figured that each job has its own problems, but they all have some problems. Our super has been very good about getting things reordered without issue or restocking charges. Good point about the water line. Just in case, I'll remind them tomorrow before the cabinets between the sink and the fridge get installed. I know the Kitchen Aid fridge has a water filter built in, but it still needs to get water from somewhere! The work crew has been great. They are all really nice. In fact they are almost too polite at times. For example, there is a lockbox for the back door so they can get in even if we are not home that day. Instead of using it when they knew we were home, they would ring the doorbell and I'd have to go answer the door. I finally said, "as long as I know you're coming, just let yourselves in, maybe call out 'we're here' when you come in." I always seemed to be just getting in or out of the shower whenever they rang that darn doorbell. Tomorrow my super, Anthony, will be here. He and the contractor are going to pull everything out of the garage and make sure everything else is as it should be. They will reorder the things that need changing and will measure for the countertops. So, even though there will be some more downtime over the next couple weeks, there would have been that downtime anyway. I would hope we will be finished by the end of the month. Is that wishful thinking?