allie

My boyfriend Chris & I used the lovely sunny day today, as a good excuse to wander down around the waterfront in JC/Hoboken/Edgewater (we love shopping at that huge Whole Foods!), and I've been dying to try Melt as well. Well, what a *fantastic* culinary experience! The ambience is great- funky artwork on the walls, good mags to read and all sorts of fun items on the menu. Chris was very excited that they served Coke in the old glass bottles (yum!), as I salivated to see so many cheese choices on the menu. Chris ordered a grilled cheese with buffalo cheddar (hot, and damn good), mozzarella & muenster with jalapeno jelly on the Balthazar multi-grain bread. I ordered a grilled cheese with muenster, feta & monterey jack with basil pesto on Balthazar levain bread. Holy cow were these good! Chris & I rarely agree on food, because our tastes are so different and both of us agreed that these were the best grilled cheeses ever. The bread is thick & crunchy (and ridged panini style- AWESOME), but the cheese is only semi-melted in the middle so you can truly taste the differences in cheese. Our total was $15.11 for 2 sandwiches and a soda, and Glenn served us- thanks Glenn! I'm always irritated when the owners of a restaurant aren't soliciting feedback from customers, and I think you have a great idea by waiting tables and introducing yourself. All in all, a fantastic lunch and I can't wait to return

I tried the Rickshaw this past Sunday, and was very disappointed. After trying Dumpling Man recently, I thought the Rickshaw would have huge dumplings heaping with filling, just with funkier ingredients. Wrong! My bf & I tried the Peking duck, pork & shrimp (both steamed & fried), and: a) the dumplings were small b) the portions of filling were tiny c) the dumpling wrapper was tasteless & flimsy d) the sauces were rather weak What a bummer!

Chris (my bf) & I have eaten at the Garlic Rose in Madison about 4-5 times. I haven't purchased a new Entertainment card (http://www.entertainment.com) this year, but in previous years the Garlic Rose offered buy one get one free entrees- I believe up to $17, and the best part? You could re-use your card all year long for this deal. This was AWESOME. If they still offer this via the Entertainment card, I would say the Garlic Rose alone is worth the purchase of the card. Anyways- I second the love on the Gilroy Potatoes. Yum! I love scalloped/au gratin style potatoes, so these are a pure slice of heaven. The Garlic Rose dip they give you with the bread is excellent- more than enough for an appetizer. For the salad, we always asked for the caesar dressing, as neither of us are big fans of vinagrette style dressings. From my memory, my favorite entrees involved pork chops or filet mignon, and I believe gorgonzola cheese on top (or stuffed)- I usually order from their specials menu too. Basically, if you love garlic, this is the place to eat!! I can't wait to go back again, but just remember not to make any *intimate* plans afterwards- you will reek of garlic for sure

I live near Just Jakes and tried their brunch once. The food was good, but the service was really bad! The gal didn't even know what a mimosa was (and it was on their menu!), and overcharged us for a side of taylor ham. When we asked to rectify this, she challenged the charges to us- It was on their menu what the charge was, and she still wouldn't change our bill. It was honestly like $.75 off or something, so we didn't even bother pressing the issue. Terrible service! However, it looked like the other servers were doing well, so hopefully this was just a fluke. I had an omelette which was nice & fluffy, and the food was good so with good service its not a bad place for brunch. They have live jazz as well, which is always nice.

Definitely Epernay!!

Yes, the gravy was so great! Its what I would expect for a Thanksgiving dinner, or even when my mom used to cook roast pork or roast beef when I was a kid. I read a post earlier to keep the mac & cheese away from you, and I can see why. Although I am normally a creamy mac & cheese fan, I thought they did a great job with this at Stickey's. And, we did do the sampler of sauces pre-meal, and I agree that the Mojo was awesome- honestly, I usually don't eat much sauce on my BBQ, so next time I would order sauce on the side for sure. Ironically, the pulled pork tastes much better the day after than it did while hot

My boyfriend Chris & I finally had a chance to try Stickey's tonight, so I wanted to post a little ditty (although most of you had almost *exact* reactions to some of the food as we did) about our experience. First off, I give these guys an A+ for atmosphere; our server not only knew *everything* about the food on the menu, but he was very excited about the food- you could tell he was really psyched to work there AND eat there, always a good sign. On top of this, the restaurant is bright, they have a fireplace and all sorts of cute little pig trinkets all over the place. The sign is so cute too! On appearance/atmosphere alone, I'd go back in a heartbeat. There weren't that many people there, although when I mentioned I'd read about Stickey's on eGullet, they mentioned Jason was in there this week and an article was soon to follow, which they hoped would bring in more business. Now, onto the food! Chris is a BBQ connisseur, he's tried it from many different regions in the country, so I knew I could count on him for "brutal honesty" as he puts it. He was actually a bit bummed to find out that Stickey's focused on Texas/KC BBQ, as these are his 2 least favorite styles. We ordered the "Texas combo", which was 3 different meats and 3 large sides. I'll rank them as follows: Beef ribs: we both agreed that these would be EPIC if they cooked these for longer, but apparently Texas/KC BBQ is more about the sauce than the uber slow cook? (help me out here BBQ freaks ) Big portion though, I would order these again, but I don't think Chris would. Rating: B+ Pork ribs: a little tough, they reminded Chris of the ribs from Pearson's BBQ in the city, focusing more on the sauce than the taste of the meat. Rating: B- Pulled pork: As others have stated previously, too much sauce and not enough smoky flavor. Chris was almost convinced they used a meat slicer rather than pulling the pork! Please somebody confirm this is not true! Rating: C Mashed potatoes & gravy: UNBELIEVABLE mashed potatoes. I am a mashers/gravy freak, so I am very picky and I was blown away. They were creamy, and the gravy wasn't your standard watery brown gravy. They actually use a few herbs, and it resembled almost a holiday gravy due to the thickness! Rating: A+ Mac & Cheese: Definitely on the drier side, but the cheese flavor was very pronounced, so I didn't mind the absence of cream. Rating: A- Baked Beans: These highly resembled Bush's baked beans and didn't have much flavor. As stated before, they could throw in some pork or bacon chunks to add some flavor. Definitely my least favorite item. Rating: D Last but not least, Tammie insisted we try their batter dipped, deep fried oreos on the house and I couldn't resist, even though I was stuffed!! These were FANTASTIC! I'd seriously go back just for these. Rating: A+ The total of our meal was just under $35 including 2 sodas, so a ton of food for a decent price. Like I said above, the atmosphere & service were fantastic. I will definitely return, to try different items. I think I'll try their Texas wings & chili next time, and will absolutely save room for the Oreos

While I would never claim that Triumph has GREAT service, I'm surprised it was THIS bad..what time did you go? Was it busy, or was the waiter just a mess? I have only NOT sat at he bar once, so usually I avoid the table service. Sorry it was bad enough to make your positive food into a negative meal. That's okay!! I used to wait tables, so I know when someone is having a bad night, etc.. but the funniest thing was, the 2 times we asked other wait staff for help because our guy was so bad, they were slackers too! We met there around 7:30; it was pretty busy, but no wait & not super packed by any means. We did sit in the bar area, but at a booth. The food was good though... mmmmm that chipoltle mayo :)

Well, we ended up at the Triumph Brewing Company, and I really liked the setup of the restaurant. It is like they built this in an alley way between/behind 2 buildings, and had a multilevel seating arrangement that was really cool. My boyfriend & I both went for the cheeseburger, and boy this was good! A little too much bun for me, but I can live with that. The chipoltle mayo that comes on the side was yummy too. My dad went for the fish & chips, and he was a huge fan (although they seemed a bit pricey @ $13.95 for a brewery, but what can ya do?). The one part of dinner we didn't enjoy was the service! Our waiter was awful, and he forgot my boyfriend's soup 3 times, and then forgot my dad's glass of wine twice, and never bothered to clean off our table fully... all in all, I don't think I"ll be back, even though the cheeseburger was awesome..

Thanks to both of you for the recs. Considering the Cubbies just lost last night, my dad may not be *as* gung ho now to watch the game, but I have good suggestions to work with. I found a map of the Palmer Square area, so I should be good on directions, but I'll let you know how it goes next week!

Hi everyone- I just found out that my dad is flying in for a day or two next week to Philly, and we have decided to meet halfway in Princeton (I live in Northern NJ). Considering the fact that the World Series will *most likely* be on, I'd love to find a good place to eat that has that college town feel, hopefully with a tv or two for the game if it is on? Obviously I'm not looking for upscale here Any suggestions?

I've surfed through many posts discussing farmers markets in this area, but I haven't seen any discussing produce stores. Where does everyone shop for the best produce in this area? If I see another wilted mango at Shop Rite, I'm going to scream!!

This is an interesting topic, because Whole Foods has gotten *so* big over the last 5 years or so, alot of folks call it the "Wal-Mart of health food stores". I seem to remember a bunch of folks even protesting the opening of the Whole Foods in Boulder, CO a few years back because they didn't want their independent stores going out of business.. (Whole Foods still opened of course! I have no idea how the other stores are doing now). Personally, I like Trader Joes alot better than Whole Foods for groceries you won't find in your normal supermarket, BUT you're not always getting the healthiest foods, and this is probably why it is alot cheaper...

hee hee. i like you. you know, there's a crepe place across the street from Raymond's called Suzette that i have come to love for late breakfast. i'm so in love with one of their savory crepes that i get it every time i go and i haven't really tried too much else on the menu, but i am pretty sure that they have a buncha interesting omelets and breakfast-y crepes, along with really good fresh juices and good cappucino, muffins, pastries, etc. it's a cool mellow place to hang out on a weekend (late) morning. Another late breakfast connisseur? Awesome! Hey, so I had some extra time on lunch today & decided to take a drive to Montclair to check out Suzette . This is exactly what I'm looking for! This reminds me of alot of my old faves in San Francisco, such as Squat & Gobble. First of all, the atmosphere is great.... comfy seating, funky colors etc, plus for food they have tons of smoothies, sandwiches, salads, breakfast items and of course crepes crepes crepes!! I will definitely go back ASAP to try their breakfast, but today some of their sandwiches really caught my eye so I decided to go for a Friz. This was proscuitto, fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, pesto sauce on rosemary ciabatta bread. Plus, you get a nice salad on the side which is always welcome! What a great sandwich.. fresh ingredients and great flavor... I can't wait to try their breakfast now. I think my next choice will be an Apples & Brie crepe- what is your favorite savory crepe that you mentioned above?

Hi- Its so nice that you understand what I'm talking about. Honestly, I've lived in about 4 different states plus Canada and I've never lived in an area so lacking in good breakfast! My co-workers think its hysterical that I would want anything for breakfast besides bacon & eggs, and I've asked so many folks in this area for recommendations, and have not received one good one in the almost 3 years I've lived in Northern NJ So I actually trekked over to Raymond's this past Saturday with my boyfriend, and was kind of excited when they said they were only open until 3:40 PM (on the phone). Traditionally, most really good breakfast joints aren't open for dinner, so I thought this meant good grubbins were on the way! I was also excited when I saw the crowd sitting outside... well, imagine my dismay when I found out they only served breakfast until 11:15 AM (it was 2:30 PM at this point). For someone like me who doesn't even get up before 11:00 AM on a Saturday, this was a shock...their breakfast menu wasn't very big either, but I will be moving to the Montclair area in December so I will definitely give it a shot at some point. Neither of us were really in the mood for sandwiches from Raymond's lunch menu, so we decided to try Taro (eclectic Asian cuisine) right next door. Yummy yummy yummy!! I will certainly go back there again- I dug the food, and the restaurant design is awesome. I'll have to try Bluestone & Moon next.. thanks you guys for more recs! I'm majorly addicted to eGullet already...

Oh man! I have tried Le Peep actually.. there is one on Rte 10 in Randolph, and I tried it about 2 years ago. Talk about an awful breakfast.. the home fries were straight out of the freezer, and the rest of the food was completely bland. Thanks to everyone for the recs so far.. it's nice to know I have hope in the breakfast department!

Hi everyone, I stumbled upon Egullet.com last weekend when running a search for a local restaurant, and I am so ecstatic! This board is so much better than any other I've come across in terms of discussing the merits of food & restaurants. Anyways, I'll skip the babble & get straight to the point.... where can I find good breakfast in Northern NJ?? Please don't include diners.. I'm looking for breakfast joints that deviate from the norm.. eclectic, fresh ingredients preferred. I've lived in NJ for 3 years now, and to this day I have not found one place that serves what I call a "gourmet breakfast". For example, a fave breakfast joint of mine in Burlington, VT.. Smokejacks, serves a brown sugar, pecan & cream cheese stuffed sweet potato french toast with fresh whipped cream on top. The Garden Room Cafe in Grand Rapids, MI serves "Garden Blossoms", which are Phyllo Cups filled with Smoked Ham, Chives & Parmesan, topped with Poached Eggs & Hollandaise. I could go on & on, but I think you get the drift of what I'm looking for. I've been searching high & low for 3 years now, and I still find myself needing to drive into the city anytime I want a good, eclectic breakfast. Can anybody help?? Nice to meet you all!