prichwich

Again, this hasn't been my experience at all. Every time I've dined at a quality NJ restaurant (and by "quality" I don't mean expensive, but just any place that strives to produce good, creative food), the servers (and frequently the chef when s/he makes the rounds) have been delighted to see us bring good glasses and good wine - it's a sign that we take the restaurant seriously, and we want to have a wine experience that matches what comes from the kitchen. As far as transportation and cleaning, there's no perfect solution, but I have something that works fairly well. We wrap each glass in a (relatively lint-free) kitchen towel and lay them snugly, end-to-end in a narrow, tote bag. This, and a bit of caution, provide enough stability and strength to weather the trip. At the end of the meal, I rinse the glass out with the water from my water glass. I then re-wrap the glasses in the kitchen towels, which now aren't just protecting the stemware, but also absorbing whatever water remains. So far we haven't had a single glass fatality.

Rereading my post I can understand your response. The point I was trying to make, but not very well, is not that people have poor taste, but rather that restaurants, like all market-driven businesses, respond to the expectations of their customers. Other than e-gulleters, most people don't realize that stemware is important. To the point, I see people all the time bring in fabulous bottles of wine, and they don't give a second thought to pouring it into the house's clunky goblets.

Orbis in Montclair has a special stash (including some Burgundy stems, I believe) for those who request them. On the other side of the ledger: the glasses need some work at Jocelyne's in Maplewood (easily the best food in Essex county, apologies to all you Fascino devotees - but that's a different post for a different time). They're not as bad as those at Latour or Epernay, but they need help. Two tangents: Tangent one: Do you notice the kinds of horrible wines people bring, even to serious restaurants? When I do a survey of the dining room, I find most of the wines patrons bring to be only marginally better than Two Buck Chuck. Given this, I can understand why restaurants are reluctant to invest in good stems: if the majority of patrons are bringing bad wine, then the restaurant is inclined to provide glasses of equal quality. Tangent two: I still bring my own glasses (and, if the wine needs it, a decanter) to every restaurant in NJ (even those that aren't BYOB - Ryland Inn being the only exception). I hope this doesn't sound too snobby, but for those who truly care about their wine experience, the Riedel Vinum series (or, if money is no object, the Sommelier series) is the only way to go. I've conducted many taste tests side by side with Spiegelau and other decent glasses, and Riedel wins out every time. One last thought. Bringing my own glasses has never been a source of embarrassment or awkwardness. Rather just the opposite. In my experience, all our servers have loved the beauty and elegance that the Riedel glasses bring to the table; and most fellow diners give approving looks

My question seems more like a tangent than a new topic, so I thought it best to put here. My wife and I will be staying at the Inn at Millrace Pond in a few weeks. On Saturday we'll dine at the Ryland Inn (first time, VERY excited ). But for Friday I'm deciding between Andre's and staying at Millrace Pond to dine (Zoe's seems just a little too far for this trip.) I've been to neither, but at first glance Andre's seems the better choice (at least food/chef wise). The Inn, on the other hand, does appear to be good, and, no small factor, our warm room will be waiting for us just a few steps away. Any thoughts? Other suggestions? Thanks.

Great topic! The only good Whole Foods, imho, is the one in Manhattan (I have not, however, been to the one in Edgewater). The Whole Foods in Montlcair, and other Whole Foods that were formerly Fresh Fields, seem unable to complete the formula. It seems many of the Jersey Whole Foods fall into this category. This being said, I'm still not in love with the Manhattan Whole Foods. Even if you look past the inflated prices, still the produce, meat, and fish--while, in general, better than what you'll find in most stores--is rarely of gourmet quality. And how could it be otherwise? Whole Foods has grown into a huge national company. The only way to insure uniform quality is to offer a good, but not exceptional, stock. As a newly-minted New Jerseyian, I'd be interested to hear what people's opinions are about the best large and small markets in Northern and Central New Jersey. I've only found one so far: Market Basket (www.marketbasket.com) in Franklin Lakes. They have a very good butcher, who stocks great prime beef, including kobe, which he'll cut to order. The rest of the store is smallish, with decent quality, but a limited selection. It's 35 mins. away for me, so it's really only worth the trip for the meat. One tip: good wine store/wine bar next door. Kings is fine, others are passable, but rarely of the highest quality (esp. fish). Right now, since I work in Manhattan, I schlepp bags home during the week (mostly Fairways, Citarella, Murray's Cheese, Whole Foods, some local butchers). Is Wegmans worth the hour drive from Montclair? Does anyone have a favorite butcher? Fish monger? I've looked at previous threads on this topic. Most of them are old, and few in depth. I love New Jersey, I just need to find some better food. Thanks in advance.

There are some reasons to be disappointed with Nouveau Sushi (but they're all common to the better Montclair restaurants: too little parking, screaming kids before 8 PM, no concept of how to dampen the noise level), but the food is not one of them. I've been there 5 times now (including last night), and the more adventurous you are, the better your evening will be. Remember, Nouveau is associated, however loosely, with Nobu, and the spirit of that restaurant definitely finds itself in the preparations. At most Japanese restaurants, I almost never order the "assorted sushi" entree because this is usually synonymous with "give me the safest, most innocuous offerings you have." Not here. If you order the "Assorted Sushi alla Nouveau" ($30), you will be given one or two rolls and the rest pieces (about 6 or so). The pieces are the most interesting, as they all have a sauce or some other unusual accompaniment (e.g. tuna with a creamy tofu sauce, yellow tail with serrano peppers, and, my personal favorite, hijiki with aioli). If you're not familiar with the Nobu style, this is a great introduction, and while expensive, it's a fraction of the price of the real thing. For the traditionalists, Nouveau does offer all the usual suspects and does an admirable job. Is the traditional sushi anything special? No, not really, but it's still quite good - at these prices, however, you can easily find comparable sushi for less. The cost of the food is quite expensive (for Japanese that is, but no more than Fascino or other "good" Montclair restaurants), and a couple will probably spend $75 to $100 by ordering two cold appetizers, one hot appetizer, and the assorted sushi. But again, this isn't a "typical" Japanese restaurant. Let the chefs create a "nouveau" dinner for you, and begin an exploration into a whole new way of thinking about sushi. One final note. I didn't read the Times review, but its impact was definitely felt. It was packed last night at 7:30 (we got the last table). I would recommend coming either after 8:30 on a weekday or very early on a weekend to avoid the deafening decibel levels. Also, if you go any other time, a reservation is definitely in order.