Rachel Perlow

This week, yesterday and today, new tile being installed. Tomorrow, electrical should be finished with the inspection scheduled for Friday.

I forgot about Charley's Aunt in Chatham. Great burgers and there's a cheese board (simple cheeses: cheddar, jack, gouda) near the bar for snacking. Fond memories of having lunch with my dad there on days when I went into the office with him. Fuddruckers made me ill. Twice. Never again.

When I briefly worked in a country club kitchen, it was made clear that food cost wasn't as important a consideration as it is in a normal restaurant. Hence, we were encouraged to be generous with garnish, always adapt to members' requests, etc. Is this the case in your kitchen too? Also, isn't "Boneless French Cut" chicken breast an oxymoron? I thought French cut indicated the wing bone/joint was still attached, while the rib cage was removed from the breast. I would think calling it just French Cut would be enough. Or, did the servers have to explain it too much? The menu on the whole sounds more ambitious than my parents' club, while still maintaining several dishes that will sell well to the unadventurous palate.

Shameless self-promotion is always welcome. It's shameful deceitful shilling that isn't. We welcome restauranteurs to tell us all about their places. Just be forewarned that if you do it, some of us may visit and tell the world the truth, which can be good, or not.

Some of you may know that I participate in an organic produce co-op called Purple Dragon, kind of like a CSA. Anyway last order's blueberries were so good, when we were offered extra this week we got them. We have a couple pounds of the 15# case that have not been claimed by our group's members (you have to order in advance) so if you are interested, email me at rperlow@egullet.com. Delivery is this Saturday. If you are interested in buying an entire 15# case ($45), email me ASAP, as the orders were supposed to be in yesterday. Please keep in mind I live in Bergen County and you have to pick up on Saturday between 10AM and noon.

Lou, Lou, Lou... There are many "ethnic" asian places to go to in your area. Remember we lived there until last year. The place you are thinking of on Rt. 10, is that Pearl of Siam? It is OK, but we preferred Sirin in Morristown or New Main Taste in Chatham better for Thai food. We would be interested in trying Nusantara some time when we are in the area, but, Rosie, we prefer Penang on Rt 10 to A Taste of Asia (we've only eaten at the one in Chatham), which seemed like fancy "gourmet" Chinese to us, and not worth the wait for the table. As for sushi, Lou, check out Nagano on Washington St in Morristown (upstairs across from where Cinque Figlie used to be, current landmark would be Grand Cafe I guess). As for Vietnamese, well, you'll have to drive to Nutley (Little Saigon) or Jersey City (Saigon Cafe, Miss Saigon) like we used to. If you do decide to come all the way up here (it's only about 45 minutes), we'll meet you at Saigon Republic in Englewood.

We've been eating out a lot lately due to the remodel. Finally, I'd had enough. Tonight I made grilled chicken (Bell & Evans, brined with half a bottle of Snapple with a few spoons of salt added), sauteed lambs quarters (the spinach like vegetable) with olive oil and garlic, caprese salad, corn on the cob, some leftover cottage fries from Finks (BBQ takeout, they were still good). The main reason I'm even posting about this dinner is the Snapple Brine. Drink some of the Snapple, add some salt, shake, put chicken pieces in a ziploc bag, add Snapple Brine (patent pending), squeeze out air, zip closed, put in fridge for a couple of hours, grill. Eat. Yum.

I agree with Jaymes. Coffee and cookies and cold drinks and/or wine. How about biscotti? They go well with coffee and wine, and even the dieters will have one or two.

Count me among the olive-phobic. Over the past 10 years I have at least got myself to accept a dish with olives in it and just picked them out. If they are chopped up in a dish or a tapenade, I can stand it. But I still don't eat them if they are identifiable. I've determined to try some new things I don't like whenever they are offered to see if I can get over some of my dislikes (sweetbreads, blue cheese, olives). Hey, I like olive oil now and I used to not. Can you all recommend some good "beginner" olives?

Fine by me. I'd rather eat a burger I can lift w/out cutting in half and spilling half of it back onto the plate anyway.

I know, I'm bad. Giving advice w/out the kids. However, I'm not talking about force feeding or calling fast-food places verbotin. However, if the parents don't ever bring them for a normal meal, as opposed to outings or parties with friends, it will only be an occasional foray, not a mainstay. I have read about it and have also seen first-hand how a parent's food issues can be passed to their kids, both good and bad and weird. Someone I know who is always dieting, won't try new things, etc., their kid will only eat very plain food, very picky, doesn't want anyone to watch him eat, won't try new things, etc. My vegetarian cousins on the other hand, their kid's will eat anything (that they are allowed), they love tofu. Our asian friends' child (our god-daughter) eats everything (if she doesn't like it you know it, but it's not from lack of her trying it). I think it is from her grandma constantly giving her bits of whatever everyone else is eating. Plus really fresh fruit. Here's a tip from her for giving a child fruit. If it is a soft fruit, like a banana, don't bother mashing the whole thing ahead of time. Just peel it down and scrap up mushy bits with the spoon you are feeding with. Also works for plums, pears, peaches, etc.

I think you shouldn't introduce them to everything. If you never introduce your kids to McDonalds in the first place then how will they ever develop a taste for it? If you make homemade pizza, they'll never want Dominos (we didn't do homemade but did order from decent places when I was growing up, I hated dominos from the first bite at college). It doesn't matter if the parents are chefs. Just cause my dad was a stockbroker didn't mean I was naturally interested in the stockmarket. If the kids are already spoiled and you want to change it, you have to just keep at it. If all that is ever offered is quality foods, the place where the battle is won is in who breaks down first. It doesn't have to be "an issue" at every meal if Mom & Dad could just stick out the whining, carrying on, crying, etc., for the first couple days, then the kids will eventually eat. They will have to, won't they? They can only go hungry for so long, no matter how stubburn they are. This is basic conditioning, Psych 101. I imagine the episode of Mad About You when Jamie and Paul were suffering through the baby's crying to get her to sleep through the night. It's the same thing. If you give in once, the child just learns where your breaking point is, and will redouble their efforts next time to get you to break down sooner. The really hard part is to never break down ever. When I'm in ethnic restaurants, like for Chinese Dim-Sum or an Indian lunch - there are mothers in there with toddlers in high chairs, and they are eating bits from the adult plates. I'm sure the mom's make sure they aren't eating the really hot stuff, but I never see them refuse a bite of jook, dumpling filling or biryani. And they probably never had to go through reconditioning the kids to accept these foods because they were offered (in mushed up forms) as soon as they were weaned.

Mark - description please. re: Fuddruckers - the danger of incurring the wrath of their lawyers prevents me from further explanation. Also, to clarify, I am not actually "in search of" these monster burgers. Just thought it would end up being an interesting and useful thread for those so inclined.

Fuddruckers sucks. IMHO.

As long as we're on the subject of fish... Which one am I supposed to be boycotting? I know it is Chilean Sea Bass, aka Patagonian Tooth fish (?), but are there any other name for it? If I see Sea Bass or just Bass on the menu is this the same or different fish? And is black bass, bass, or cod? Also swordfish. I guess I'm not officially boycotting it, as I just really don't care for it and haven't ordered it in years. However, there are two reasons to not eat this fish for those who care. 1) Overfishing and 2) huge parasites.

Actually, that sounds more like kosher slaughter, far less cruel than what I've experienced when fishing: catching fish, de-hooking, and putting in a bucket still alive and flopping, or as I've seen when bluefishing, bashing the fish on the head with a bat either till dead or till it just stops flopping.

I posted about Umeya in Cresskill, in the Bergen County sushi thread, but wanted to re-emphasize how good this place is here too.

Per Rail Paul's suggestion in the Fink's thread, here is a thread dedicated to huge hamburgers. Please post places with burgers greater than 1/2 pound. Here are my entries: Jackson Hole Diner, Englewood - I think the menu says these burgers are 7 oz, but what are they talking about? They have to be at least 10 oz with no smaller burger available. Cooked on a griddle with a multitude of toppings available. My favorite is the Western Burger with BBQ sauce, grilled onions and Jack cheese. I prefer to cut them in half for easier handling. Fink's Funky Chicken & Ribs, River Edge - 4, 8, and 12 oz burgers available. Jason's had the 12 oz and it is a big, messy monster burger. He didn't order it with cheese, but it came with cheese anyway. Fink said the grill man must have been on autopilot; if you don't want cheese emphasize that it. The bacon was thick cut and crunchy, Fink says they get their bacon in whole slabs and cut it themselves.

It was, I think an 8 oz burger is plenty. What should be the criteria for "Big Burger" more than 8 oz?

So your household doesn't get bored and in the spirit of Bubba Blue's obsession with shrimp, here are some other foods, courtesy of the iVillage Recipe Finder, you can make from carrot and potato trimmings.* Some of them call for sliced or diced products, but shavings and chunks should work just as well for family, if not school. Potato Various Potato Soups (the Zucchini Potato Soup sounds good) Various Potato Salad Potato Pancake/Latkes Mashed Potatoes/Puree Potato Dill Bread/Rolls Various Potato Gratins and Kugel Various Casseroles Gnocci Potato Florentine Pie Pierogi Potato Chive Souffle Caramelized Vidalia Onion and Potato Gratin with Fresh Sage Spanish Tortilla (potato omelet) New Orleans Green Gumbo Portobellos With Potato & Swiss Chard Carrot Various Carrot Cakes and Muffins (Soy Milk Carrot Muffins) Carrot & Raisin Salad (and many other salads) Cool Carrot Soup With Roasted Beets and Herbed Goat-Cheese Crisps (and other Carrot Soups, many soups contain carrot that don't have carrot in the name, like Mulligatawny or Black Bean) Carrot Cream in Squash Shell Carrot Puree with Mint Coconut Orange Carrot Bars Carrot Juice and Smoothies Carrot Risotto Thai Chicken Coconut Soup Chicken Carrot Pilaf, and other Pilafs Orange-Ginger Stir-Fry Vegetable Lasagna Orzo Stuffed Zucchini Boats Carrot Sea Vegetable Quenelles (vegan) Gefilte Fish or Gefilte Tofu With Horseradish Chili Non Carne Chicken Burgers Raspberry Beet & Carrots Potato and Carrot Gratins, Casseroles Various Stews, Soups and Chowders Vegetable Pate and Terrines Brussels Sprouts with Three-Root Vegetable Sauce Vegetable Pizza with Potato Crust Potato-Vegetable Latkes, Tzimmes Potato-Carrot Quesadillas Low-Fat Mashed Potatoes With Grated Carrots * Add sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnips, rutabega, celeriac, jicama, etc. to your practice veggies and the possibilities are endless.

OK - So, last episode, we were expecting the electrician to come back and finish up. That didn't happen. Why? Because the electrial stuff (ceiling lights, switches, etc.) never got ordered. Oy! (to say the least) Did I ever explain that between the completion of the design part of the project and when we started actual work at the house, my designer left Expo. She apparantly had some notes in her book to order a few items last minute. This was never caught until the day the electrician was here, and we're all looking in my garage for the light fixtures & stuff. Got the super on the phone, he's walking around the warehouse looking for my order. He gets on a computer to double-check - "That was never ordered." Oh well. This past Tuesday, I went back to Expo in Union. The head whole-house designer, Patrick, has been assigned to expedite this project. We went over every last detail, checking to make sure nothing else was forgotten. Electrical now in my garage, except for a few parts on order, but they should be here by Monday; drawer handles? bought and in the garage; Instant Hot? ruled out; Garbage Disposal? bought and in the garage*; changed backsplash tile to include tiling around the window. The only thing left to do is the window sill, and that is because he want's to come to the house to measure so there won't be any additional problems, doing that on Tuesday. So, although no work was done at my house this week, I have hopefully saved any further last minute trips to Home Depot. The electrician will hopefully finish his work on Monday or Tuesday, in time for the town inspection by the end of the week. The the finishes can be started. For those freaking out for me - relax, I'm not freaked myself. Patrick even commented on how calm I am. I am so in a "whatever" mood about this whole thing. It'll be done when it's done. * Garbage Disposal - I know it was recommended here to get the batch feed type of disposal, but I opted for the continuous feed for several reasons. Primarily, that is the kind I am used to using from my mother's house. Also, because of the configuration of the J pipe (or something similar, U Pipe?), the water in the waste line would end up sitting in the batch feed disposal between uses of the sink because it sits so much lower due to the longer neck. Those concerned about children, we have none right now. Those concerned about jewelry, I usually take off my rings while cooking & washing up. I did want to get a good one, so I opted for the 7 yr warranty model vs the 5 yr, and the 1 hp vs the 3/4 hp.

Fink's update: the burger, fries (cottage fries!), catfish po boy are all good. I didn't care for the chili, Jason liked it.

I think I went there once about 3 yrs ago. Are they also known for their burgers? I believe I had either an ostrich or buffalo burger, which they were promoting as being healthier than beef.

Umeya in Cresskill, closed Tuesdays

I agree with everything jsibley said. Jason and I went to Umeya tonight. We found the price ($100 incl. tax & tip, no drinks) to be somewhat more than what we'd spend at some of the other sushi places mentioned in this thread, but certainly less than we've spent at Wild Ginger. The quality of the fish was impeccable. I asked the waitress where they got their fish and she said it was flown in from Boston and Japan. We wanted to sit at the sushi bar, especially as it was obvious the sushi chefs were actually Japanese (not usually the case in NJ sushi restaurants), but the seats were reserved. However, the banquette seating was very comfortable. The decore soothing with elements from nature, such as an irregularly hewn plank of wood (I'm sure I'm not describing it right) as a valance around the sushi bar and along the windows. I also started with the Chilean Sea Bass appetizer on the specials menu (BTW - the regular menus are charming, handwritten and bound between beautiful covers), followed by the Omakase Sushi, which consisted of unagi, toro (2), maguro, fluke, surf clam, tamago, uni, ama-ebi, and yellowtail, plus a toro/scallion maki, and included miso soup and an above average green salad. Uni and amaebi, I've had before and not liked, but these were good and fresh, so much better than previous experiences. I have to say the uni, I still didn't love, but the ama-ebi (two of the sweet shrimps on one piece of nigiri) I would order again. In fact when Jason saw them on my plate (he ordered a la carte), he ordered 2 pieces and agreed they were excellent. Jason had the seaweed salad (typical seaweed salad part, but served on top of a green salad, interesting), scallops and spinach special appetizer (delicious sauce, I wished for some rice to top so it wouldn't go to waste), and maki a la carte. I think he had Alaskan King Crab and Avocado, Spicy Tuna and a half order of Futomaki. The service was friendly, but when they got busy I had to keep waiving them down to get my water refilled (boy was it hot today). But since they accept the Discover Card I forgive them. They offer an omakase dinner (starting at $45 per person), but it must be ordered by at least two people and you have to call in advance. Since there were people waiting to be seated when we left (on a Wednesday night at 8:15), I would recommend reservations for the weekends. Umeya - Japanese Gourmet Restaurant 156 Piermont Road Cresskill, NJ 07626 201-816-0511 phone 201-894-1073 fax BYOB Lunch: weekdays only 12-2:15 Dinner: Mon-Sat 5-10; Sun 5-9; Closed Tuesday