Rachel Perlow
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Posts posted by Rachel Perlow
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We stopped in on a Friday evening and there were plenty of kids eating pizza & wings with their parents. When we went for (a late) lunch on a weekday there weren't any kids, mostly adult men hanging out at the bar, but it wasn't a roudy crowd. Since there's no smoking, and there are a bunch of video games in the new dining room, I'd say they're expecting kids, especially in that new room.Is it cool to bring the wee ones here?Is it open yet, Fink?
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For those who are spicey-heat sensitive, I wanted to mention that despite pulling out over a dozen chillies (see pic above) from the Tom Kha Gai soup, it was only mild-medium spicy. I'm a wimp and enjoyed it immensely. If you like it hotter, just mush up some of those chillies with your spoon, rather than pulling them out, just beware!
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JIC you're curious why we went back for lunch the next day... Last night, I was very tempted to order the duck salad, but didn't because I needed something lighter and refreshing, the crab salad was a perfect choice. But, I was thinking about the duck salad when I woke up and told Jason we had to go back for lunch! The duck salad did not disappoint. It was unlike most other Thai duck salads I've had in the past (at Wondee's mostly, and a few others), but was very good, note the slices of green apple, and enoki mushroom garnish. Highly recommended. Now that I've had that fix, we probably won't go back for a week or two, so let us know how you like it when you go.
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I'm worried that opening a Thai restaurant in the same spot that another was unsuccessful at might hurt Pawana. I had given Thai Chef a couple tries and the service was too horrendous to return (one of four orders not input, pre-ordered the chocolate souffle, that was forgotten too, disappearing waitstaff just when you need more water, etc.). The service last night was excellent. Of course, the place was mostly empty, we arrived around 9 PM on a Tuesday. I hope they keep up the level of service when busier.
The food was excellent, I loved that salad and they have a long list of salads to try. I was tempted by the duck salad, always one of my favorite Thai dishes, but I wasn't too hungry (just coming from an office event that Jason couldn't attend). Next time, we'll order more items to try. It's a convenient location with easy parking (just don't park in the 30 minute spots).
They have a long dessert list, including that chocolate Grand Marnier souffle for which Thai Chef was famous, so it would be a good place to have dessert after a night at the John Harms Theatre. Pawana (the owner), made a point to mention that if you just want to come in an order a couple of appetizers that's fine too. She's worried about having opened earlier than she wanted to (but has to pay the rent!), so I'm looking forward to seeing how the Pawana (the restaurant) progresses.
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As Jason noted above, the Englewood location of Thai Chef is closed (actually, it has been for some time), so I'm closing this thread. Please see the link above for more information on the restaurant that has taken its space, Pawana.
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We've mentioned CustardThing in Bergenfield elsewhere. Last night we tried their "Italian Ice" - not recommended. It just tasted like sweet lemonade with no tartness or bitterness to counterbalance the sweet.
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I guess it's good to hear an opinion from someone more familar with the food than we were. We liked the ceviche and the fried rice especially there. Are there any other places you would recommend? You mentioned a place Union City, is it still open? location?
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Could we get an exact address for this Clyde's in Maywood? I tried looking it up, but all I could find with Clyde in the name is a hair salon.
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I just wanted to mention, that I have thought about, and wished I could get locally, that Chicken Chow Mein dish several times since we dined at Chinatown Brasserie. When a dish is familiar, yet prepared so much better than you've ever had that familiar dish before, it really sticks with you. I mean, who would believe I've thought about driving into the city for chow mein???
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I thought to add this to RecipeGullet. Doing a brief online search, I came across this "recipe." This person insists that "Insalata Caprese should never be allowed to sit in oil for any length of time and become soggy." I like it marinated and juicy, for bread sopping. What is your opinion?
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That Caprese was so good last night, I'm tempted to do it again for lunch today. Just in case you've never made one, here's how I do it. I like it to marinate for an hour or so before service.
Take a big juicy home grown or farm stand, locally grown tomato (to be fair to those not in New Jersey). Frankly, this really isn't worth doing with store bought tomatoes unless they are really ripe and in season. For one large tomato you'll need one small (or half a large) ball of fresh mozzarella. Slice both into 1/4 inch slices. Pour some salt & grind some pepper into a small mise en place dish, taste the mozz. If it is salty, then use equal proportions of salt to pepper, if unsalted, use about 2:1 salt:pepper. You'll need about 1/3 cup of best quality EVOO and several sprigs of basil, fresh from your garden.
Drizzle a bit of oo into a tall container, I use a quart size deli/soup container. Add a small sprinkle of S&P and a basil leaf or two (tear the big ones, leave the small pretty ones whole) and lay on a slice of tomato. Sprinkle of s&p, drizzle of oil, basil, slice of mozz. Spinkle of s&p, oil, basil, tomato. Continue until you use everything up. If you have leftover oil, pour it on. Put an airtight lid on the container.
Allow to marinate while you get the rest of the meal together. Turn the container over occasionally. Serve, layering the tomatoes & mozz, pour on a little of the oil/juices, eat with a slice of crusty bread. You can sprinkle on a bit of vinegar at service, I prefer a mild one, like Sherry Vineger from Spain, or maybe a good red wine vinegar over Balsamic. Mmm, summer on a plate.
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Insalata Caprese (Tomato and Mozzarella Salad)
Serves 4 as Salad.
Make only in the summer with vine ripened, preferably home grown, tomatoes! This can be made fresh, layering it on the serving plates, as in the picture above, or prepare it 30-60 minutes ahead, allowing the juices to develop.
- 1 Large Tomato
- 8 oz Fresh Mozzarella
- 1/3 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil (best quality)
- Fresh Basil leaves
- Salt
- Pepper
- Crusty Bread (for service)
- Mild Vinegar (Sherry, Champagne, Red Wine) (optional)
Take a big juicy home grown or farm stand, locally grown tomato (to be fair to those not in New Jersey). Frankly, this really isn't worth doing with store bought tomatoes unless they are really ripe and in season. For one large tomato you'll need one small (or half a large) ball of fresh mozzarella. Slice both into 1/4 inch slices. Pour some salt & grind some pepper into a small mise en place dish, taste the mozz. If it is salty, then use equal proportions of salt to pepper, if unsalted, use about 2:1 salt:pepper. You'll need about 1/3 cup of best quality EVOO and several sprigs of basil, fresh from your garden.
Drizzle a bit of olive oil into a tall container, I use a quart size deli/soup container. Add a small sprinkle of S&P and a basil leaf or two (tear the big ones, leave the small pretty ones whole) and lay on a slice of tomato. Sprinkle of s&p, drizzle of oil, basil, slice of mozz. Spinkle of s&p, oil, basil, tomato. Continue until you use everything up. If you have leftover oil, pour it on. Put an airtight lid on the container.
Allow to marinate while you get the rest of the meal together. Turn the container over occasionally. Serve, layering the tomatoes & mozz, pour on a little of the oil/juices, eat with a slice of crusty bread. You can sprinkle on a bit of vinegar at service, I prefer a mild one, like Sherry Vineger from Spain, or maybe a good red wine vinegar over Balsamic. Mmm, summer on a plate.
Keywords: Hors d'oeuvre, Amuse, Appetizer, Salad, Side, Easy, Cheese, Vegetables, Brunch, Italian, Dinner, Snack
( RG1756 )
- 1 Large Tomato
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I've been getting a flowers on my zucchini plants, but the plants really aren't mature enough to support growing fruit, so I've been picking and discarding them. Jason thinks this is horrible, because they can be eaten. But, I didn't like them chopped up in a Caprese salad. There are only a 2 or 3 blooms at a time, not really enough to stuff and fry. Can they be saved in the fridge for a few days until I accumulate enough of them to do something with? Any other suggestions? Can they be eaten raw in a salad?
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I've got lots of small green fruit on my tomato plants, but no ripe fruit yet. But the mesclun mix lettuce patch has been busy providing salads.
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No, I just don't understand his overwhelming enthusiasm for this place. I see it everyday, there's plenty of times when it's not busy, btw.
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I posted more about my opinion regarding Cafe Angelique on its thread, but to sum up... when someone is asking specifically for a nice restaurant in Englewood, possibly Japanese, I think a sandwich/salad/iced tea cafe in the next town doesn't exactly fit the bill.
Others above have made some excellent suggestions. Wild Ginger is excellent, tradition/NYC style sushi restaurant, but its usually easier to park your car and get a table (or sushi bar seats) at Daruma (on Dean), they also have more "funky" rolls. If she doesn't want Japanese, Palisades Avenue is an international restaurant row:
- Bennies (Lebanese)
It's Greek to Me
Kratiem (Thai)
Saigon R (Vietnamese)
El Paso (not a "nice restaurant," it's a bodega with a few tables, but the best tacos and Pueblo style quesadillas)
There's a couple Colombian diners
Sangia Sake, mixes Spanish and Sushi, but I didn't really like it, go to Tapas de Espana (on Dean next to Daruma) instead
The only problem with Englewood restaurants is parking. Sometimes you just park when you find a spot and eat what's nearby.
- Bennies (Lebanese)
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I wrote this post for this thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=90142 where Lemons asked for a recommendation of a nice restaurant to have lunch at in Englewood, and Menton suggested Cafe Angelique in Tenafly. I figure a response would be more appropriate in the Cafe Angelique thread...
Menton, you are always so hearty in your recommendations of Cafe Angelique, but I have to say I disagree with you. Besides the air conditioning issues (since our posts above, I've eaten there inside and out, with my mother and Jason at different times), the outdoor seating isn't all you've made it out to be either. I mean it's nice that there are tables outside, but you aren't exactly in a park-like setting. The patio is parking lot and railroad track adjacent. Not that the train goes by that often, but I've parked in that lot, right next to the tables, and people usually look annoyed that a car is pulling up just a few feet from their table. Sure, there is a small park on the other side of the parking lot, but it's not like the seating area is in right there next to the grass.
Also, as I live and work in Tenafly, I want to love it, the food is good, although the service has been spotty on each of my visits. It's good for a quick bite, lunch, dessert, when you are in the area, but I wouldn't travel to get to it, it's hardly a destination restaurant. Come to think of it, I have even recommended it to people as a place to have lunch if they are coming to my office before or after lunchtime. But I work right across the street, they wouldn't even have to move their cars.
I just don't get why you tout the place so much? It makes me wonder if you have a stake in it or something. (Not that we care so much about shilling on eG, we'd just rather have relationships disclosed.)
Anyway, when someone is asking specifically for a nice restaurant in Englewood, possibly Japanese, I think a sandwich/salad/iced tea cafe in the next town doesn't exactly fit the bill.
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That's OK, J. Everyone deserves a day off occasionally, especially when it's a national holiday too!
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Oh, I also noticed that Jason's Off the Broiler bit was printed out and pasted on the wall near the entrance. There was some text and some of his pics but I didn't have the opportunity to really read it. I'm curious though. Did they find it themselves or were they tipped off about it?
I was craving Dim Sum Dynasty from the recent bump to this thread, so we went today. After our meal, on our way out, we chatted with the manager, Sam Zheng, for a bit. He said that a couple brought in the printout from OffTheBroiler.com. They used it as a picture menu to order, as they said they'd only had dim sum once before. Afterwards, Sam looked up the mention on Jason's blog via google. He knew us from our many visits to the restaurant, so yes, now he knows us from eGullet and OffTheBroiler too.
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Glad you enjoyed your custard, NutleyResident. I've never before seen teens playing cards in there like you described. Usually it's couples or families at the tables. Most people only go inside to get their order, then eat outside.
Curlz - Sounds like you were at the same location, like Jason said, it's been other incarnations of similar concept for the past few years. But the CustardThing! concept is one they are trying to franchise, and they really gussied the place up when they recreated the store. You used to not even go inside, just ordered at the walk up window.
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Did it really grind up the Jolly Ranchers finely? I love me some Jolly Ranchers, but too hard and sticky for my teeth now.
The chocolate with cherries is mine. I look through the whole list of flavors and go back to it time and time again.
I love the pic of the girls in the window. They were really having a hard time deciding on what to order.
Warning: the small is too big for me, and Jason (!) so don't bother with a large unless you're sharing with someone.
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Now that's some good looking eats! That fried rice looks delicious. A few months ago, I asked a local Chinese take-out place to "cook the fried rice longer in order to brown it better", and I envisioned something just like what was shown in Jason's pictures. They thought I was crazy, so I had to forget about it. Now I know where to go to get some decent fried rice and other good Chinese food!
Like Jason said, the brown is from dark soy. However, if you like the crispy bits that come from allowing the fried rice to get a crust and then get mixed in, you should try the fried rice at Don Alfonso in Hackensack. It's Peruvian, but they had some of the best fried rice we've had in a long white.
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Damn, I was really in the mood for one of those wet Italian beef sandwiches today, but it seems from their answering machine, that they're closed Tuesdays, let alone July 4th.
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There was no "grown in New Jersey" sign on the tomatoes, I needed tomatoes, I bought some.
As for all this NY farmers market discussion, there is another forum for that, please post about these markets in the NY forum. Thank you.
Uncooking
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
There are definitely foods that benefit from cooking to improve their digestibility, that is your body is able to access more of their nutrients because cooking breaks down cell walls. I can't think of specific examples off-hand, but check out Nina Planck's book, Real Food. She cites many reasons why vegan and raw food diets can be detrimental to health. Here's a link to some eGullet threads in reference to same.
Some raw foodists do eat flesh, usually fish, like sashimi. But if she went vegan then raw, she probably won't.
My opinion? To get her to read the book try this, "hey this book is by the woman who runs Real Food Greenmarkets, I thought you might like to read it." Then cook some bacon. Many a vegetarian has been lured by bacon. :evil grin: