Rachel Perlow

I've seen it but never been inside. Third hand advice was that it is unremarkable. Has anyone actually eaten there?

Our best friends just moved out of NYC into a new townhouse in Nutley, near the border of Clifton by Rt. 3. This is an area with which we are almost entirely unfamiliar (the only place we know about in Nutley is the Vietnamese restaurant, Little Saigon, on Franklin). In fact last night we drove about a half-hour away to Hunan Cottage because we didn't know where else to go with six adults and a baby! Recommendations for or warnings against restaurants in any type of cuisine welcome! (Edited by RPerlow at 9:30 am on Jan. 2, 2002)

We're up to 12 confirmed participants. Although we could have more, 18 would be an optimum number to have attend because that would be an entire long table. Jason and I went back there last night. Fun time as always. To be honest I got a little drunk - we got the larger pitcher of sangria rather than the half size we usually get when it's just the two of us, and I drank about 2/3 of it myself! To address Rosie's concern from the discussion thread: yes, the rodizio was a little salty. If that is an issue I'd suggest ordering one of the other options on the menu. But the quality of the meat is much better than any other rodizio place we've been to before. A nice touch is that they finish the rodizio with a slice of pineapple, grilled with ground cinnimon sprinkled all around it, warm and juicy, yum.

Yes, there was a very nice city view from the front of the dining room. The bar was not smoky, and there was definitely a party going on upstairs.

That's what I said!!

2-6 eggs depending on who's eating, beaten with a fork, a few grinds of pepper. Butter (or Olive Oil, depending on mood) in small non-stick skillet, medium-high heat. After butter stops foaming, beat a little salt into eggs and pour into pan. Using heat-proof rubber spatula, draw cooked egg to center of skillet all around the pan, allowing uncooked to get to the sides. Turn off heat while eggs are still a little runny. Turn over eggs to finish if still too wet. This produces nice large curds. I like to grind on a little more pepper at the end.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think they have a liquor license because there is a bar towards the front. Obviously, we didn't drink any alcohol when we were there, but the Thai Iced Tea was good.

Casa Del Faro* Restaurant 759 Farragut Pl West New York, NJ (201) 854-1004 We went to this restaurant, at the former location of The Lighthouse restaurant by The Galaxy condos off of River Road (near Edgewater, just north of the Lincoln Tunnel), on Thursday night. I was unsure whether to post on eGullet yet because the food was excellent but we ordered wrong and had a bad experience start out the night, too. This being that the parking was a real hassle. They have a lot, but there was a wedding in their upstairs room and there were no spots and the valets didn't seem to be in the mood to park for us! Because of the way the restaurant is situated, there really is no place to park except in their lot. It was ridiculous, but we eventually parked and went in. I was glad we put up with the hassle as we entered the warm, nicely decorated, comfortable dining rooms. Live music in the bar area was good but too loud. Anyway the food. The owner and the chef are both Dominican, and the menu reflects this type of spanish food. We ordered Arroz con Mariscaras (sp? mixed seafood), which is their version of paella, and Asopado de Camarones ("shrimp with fluffy rice", a stewy soup). Both were excellent, but the problem was with the timing. The cooked-to-order paella took about 45 minutes, and we didn't order any appetizers, and we were hungry, big mistake. We should have ordered soup and/or salad and/or appetizers and split the paella. It would have made more sense by giving us courses, and the paella was big enough to split if we weren't completely starving by the time it came. I wish our waiter would have advised us better on this. Anyway enough complaints. The paella may have been one of the best versions we've ever had. Really. It was an incredible mixture of seafood consisting of the expected: shrimp, clams, squid rings, mussels, lobster, scallops and the unexpected: crab and the squid legs. In addition to the seafood, there were also slices of sausage, which was very complimentary to the seafood; usually a seafood paella doesn't have the sausage. Anyway, all the seafood was excellently cooked, the mussels seemed to be the larger New Zealand variety, the squid was tender, the lobster was a whole tail, and the crab was a surprising and welcome addition. What was also welcome was the fact that there was actually very little rice for a paella, it kind of clung to the seafood along with a handful of olives and some slices of red pepper, but there was no layer of rice and peas underneath all the fish like most paellas. The price for the paella at first seemed high (ฮ), but the quality made it worth it. The assopado (ย) was good too, very comforting (as I'm still trying to get over a cold), but not what I remember as assopao from Puerto Rico. We left some of that over rather than have the paella suffer the indignity of being reheated. It featured very large shrimp, but in addition to them there were smaller shrimp which hid in the broth to be discovered later. We finished all the larger shrimp and some of the soup, but took the ricey broth & small shrimp that was left home. (The leftovers were delicious with some leftover chicken added.) * The waiter told us the name means lighthouse in Spanish.

Is that the American Grill on Rt 10 West in Randolph? If so, Jason and I ate there last year and enjoyed it very much!

jhlurie - are you coming? I haven't gotten an RSVP from you in my email yet. Tommy - It's not a crazy place, or even that loud, it's just that we won't feel compelled to be quiet. You liked the other place we recommended (China 46), I'm sure you'll have a good time if you come! And I promise to plan something more "sophisticated" for the next dinner. So far ten people have confirmed that they are coming, I look forward to seeing you all there.

Mark, checking your profile I see you live in the Red Bank area. There is indeed a train about once an hour on Sundays into Newark. I hope you will be joining us. Someone who doesn't eat pork or shellfish emailed me questioning their food options. I have spoken with the restaurant and we will have a vegetarian appetizer in addition to salad. There are also about 10 choices of entrees for those who can't eat pork or seafood, including three grilled fish dishes of cod, salmon or grouper.

Wow! Now that you've given that place such a rave, I think we'll have to reconsider it for a future eGullet dinner! Tommy, when you went there, was it at all busy? Too many times we've been one of only two or three occupied tables. Please people, support this place before it goes the way of other restaurants trying to produce quality in the face of overwhelming pressure to sell slop!

Ooh! We've only had the hot subs from Uncle Frank's, but they were really good. Your post reminded me to go try their pizza soon.

After reviewing the options suggested in our previous discussion we have decided to hold our first NJ eGullet Dinner at 5 PM, Sunday, January 27, 2002, at Seabra’s Restaurant at Mediterranean Manor. The address/phone is 255 Jefferson St, Newark, NJ 07105, (973) 465-1966. RSVP by January 18th in this thread and please also Email me with your name(s) and phone number. Jason and I like to go there for their Rodizio meal of an assortment of meat served off swords by the waiters, all you can eat fashion. They also offer a diverse menu of Spanish and Portuguese specialties including Paella, Mariscada, Pork and Clams, etc. For those who want something simpler, there are several choices of grilled fish, veal, chicken, or seafood. Our dinner will include several appetizers served family style (Shrimp and Garlic, Clams in Green Sauce, Grilled Portuguese Sausage and Fried Calamari), Salad (a very simple salad bar), your choice of Main Course, and Dessert. Beverages are also included (domestic beer, wine, sangria, sodas, coffee, tea, espresso – please pay cash if you order something else from the bar) in the price of ะ per person (including tax and tip), plan to pay with cash. There is plenty of parking, either in the Catering Hall’s lot around the corner, there’s a bank with a small parking across the street and a shopping center with a large lot on the lot diagonally across the corner. For driving directions, Click Here. The restaurant entrance is to the left when you enter the lobby of Mediterranean Manor. We look forward to seeing lots of you on the 27th! Rachel and Jason Perlow For those coming from NYC, there are a couple options. Two NJ Transit Train lines stop at Newark Penn Station from New York Penn Station. To see the entire schedule, go to the NJ Transit Website, but this seems to be the best options for our dinner: - Going to Newark: North Jersey Coast Line departs NYC Penn Station at 4:38 PM, arrives Newark at 4:53 PM, or Northeast Corridor Line departs NYC Penn Station at 4:32 PM, arrives Newark at 4:47 PM - Going back to New York: North Jersey Coast Line leaves on the hour (i.e. 7:00 or 8:00 PM), the Northeast Corridor Line leaves at 7:16 or 8:16. Take a taxi to the restaurant. Tell the driver you are going to Mediterranean Manor at 255 Jefferson, don’t mention Seabra’s or you’ll probably end up at the wrong place! Depending on the number of NYC attendee's, I'm sure we'll be able to get you a ride back to Penn Station.

While preparing suggestions for the NJ eGullet Dinner (on January 27th) I remembered our worst dinner of 2001. We wandered into Green Fields (Hackensack/Paramus area in a strip mall where there used to be a Bradlee's, I can't find in Yahoo Yellow Pages) hungry and not wanting to drive all the way to Newark for Brazilian Rodizio. What a mistake. They push their mega salad bar/buffet, the servers bringing the meat were few and far between, other service was equally lazy. To top it all off, there was very little variety in the meat selections. It was just awful and was about twice as expensive as the wonderful rodizio at Seabra's at Mediterranean Manor in Newark to boot.

OK - I wrote this whole post about how I have had to prepare lists of restaurant recommendations for executives who are NJ immigrants in both the Morristown and Bergen County areas. I created lists for both these areas, really useful lists for people who live or work in those areas. Then I starred the places that are worth a long drive. I just couldn't narrow the list any further. Then I realized I starred 9 places... so here's that list, all in the northern half of the state (in alphabetical order). After agonizing over this for more than an hour, I couldn't decide on the tenth, forgive me! - America, Tenafly (New American) - Casa Vasca, Newark (Spanish) - Cinque Figlie, Whippany (Italian) - Garlic Rose Cafe, Madison (Eclectic, for serious garlic lovers only!) - Hunan Cottage, Fairfield (Chinese, despite the name they specialize in Shanghainese cuisine, ask for the Chinese menu) - La Vecchia Napoli, Edgewater (Italian, romantic) - Moghul, Morristown (Indian) - Pierre's, Morristown (but really Harding) (French, equally fabulous for lunch buffet or dinner, converted mansion) - Rebecca's, Edgewater (Cuban/Carribean, romantic) - Tie for #10: Kinara, Edgewater (Indian); Wild Ginger, Englewood (Japanese); Nagano, Morristown (Japanese); Bennies, Englewood (Lebanese); Sapphire, Tenafly (Turkish); Hae Woon Dae, Closter (Korean); Harold's New York Deli, Parsippany (gargantuan sandwiches); and last and certainly least... White Mana, Hackensack (Greasy Spoon). OK - so none of them are the Ryland Inn, but I haven't been to the Ryland Inn! Rachel ;) Whew!

It sounds like what you got is a slow cooker, aka crock pot. It is great for braised dishes like stews and pot roast, just like you intuited. Most cooks seem to start on high to get things going, then switch down to low to keep things cooking all day. Besides the slow, even, heat it offers, it also frees up a burner which is great if you occasionally do a lot of cooking that takes up all the burners on your stove. You can start a meal in the morning, then go off to work. When you come home, dinner's done. Or vice versa, you can start something at night and in the morning it is done. This is particularly good if you are making stew or stock, because you can refridgerate the food all day and easily remove the fat before reheating. Another advantage is that most braised foods seem to benefit from the rest and reheat (my mom's brisket is always better as leftovers). For lots of recipes check out some of the YahooGroups on the subject, for example: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CROCKPOT-RECIPE/messages Some features recommended by other users of crock pots (for those looking to purchase one) are a removable liner for ease of cleanup, wrap-around heat (as opposed to the heating element only being on the bottom of the pot), and a lid to keep in the moisture.

Unless you know about certain types of restaurants that are generally open late (like Korean), most places are closed (kitchens at least) by 10 PM. I think a bar (which includes chains like TGIF or Bennigans) or diner is the best bet.

You didn't say what kind of roast it was, but I know that tenderloin roast only has to get to abotu 145 F. If you want to serve it as a whole roast at the table, just reheat at 300 for about a half-hour. Start checking its temperature at about 20 minutes, it should be perfect. Actually, you may want to at least check the doneness before reheating. If you took it out at 130 and wrapped it while hot, it may have finished cooking.

Oh, I didn't realize that part. Vote Early and Vote Often!

The duck was slices of well done breast meat with crispy skin but still had a layer of fat in between. Speaking of roast duck. We had Peking Duck at China 46 recently (not something we usually order, but another in the party wanted it), and it was excellent.

Actually, I think you are thinking of the fish I usually get at Wondee's in Hackensack (consistantly good). The night we ate at Siam I had the Duck Salad, which was excellent. Jon (jhlurie) tasted it and thought it was good too. Even though I ordered it mild, as compared to your usual incendiary, it still had a little heat to it, which was nice. I would say the salads are fine as either the only appetizer or if shared, but not as an entree unless you aren't very hungry, as was the case for me that night.

Please, he doesn't need any more hair on his chest! ;)

re: Chocolate in ice cream Having made homemade ice cream, here's a possible reason why most of the chocolate in ice cream is crappy chocolate. When you use decent chocolate in ice cream it gets really really hard when frozen and also feels a little gritty. B&J (and others) use "chocolate flavored" chips or chunks that have a high percentage of oil in them because they are softer at frozen temperatures. Any ice cream using decent chocolate tends to use the shaven form rather than chips or larger chunks. Here, I am thinking of Haagen Dazs - bought at a Haagen Dazs store, not from the supermarket. Specifically their double chocolate mint. The chocolate shavings are really small and taste much more chocolatey than other brands.

However it's spelled, I was referring to the one in Hackensack, as I've never been inside the one in Jersey City - although I have driven by there.... From the outside, it looks a little bigger and not as run down as the Hackensack joint, which makes me a little suspicious... ;)