john b

We did the tasting menu at Bluezoo again last week. The standout course was bacon and eggs--poached duck egg over cheese grits, with house smoked heritage pork bacon and bacon jus.

We ate at bluezoo last year and we're going back again in a few months. It's definitely not a Disney-fied restaurant. The Swan and Dolphin seem to cater to the convention crowd, and not families on vacation. The restaurant has a modern, hip vibe. Cocktail waitresses in very short skirts. I remember the food, too. We did a 5-6 course tasting menu. I have the tasting menu around here somewhere, I'll post a few of the courses if I can find it. Here's the menu, in case you haven't seen it: http://allears.net/menu/menu_bz.htm

It's been a few years since I've to Piscataway to eat, but my recollection is the same as Curlz's--chains. I don't know what's there now, but it was Bennigan's and Pizzeria Uno on Stelton Road, and that's about it.

I wonder how the restaurant would have handled the situation if you, recognizing that you were intentionally being rushed, "fought back"?? Take the wine bottle away from the waitress. Brush off the runner when he comes for your app plates. Send the main courses back when they're served on top of the apps, and take your sweet time eating each course, etc. I'm not one for confrontation in public places, but I'd be very tempted to drag my meal to two plus hours if someone tried to pull bs like this on me.

I'm getting a little tired of her beating herself up. It seems like everything she says starts with, "I wasn't happy with.." or , "I didn't like..." I wish she'd just relax and cook.

I'd love to see Colicchio on Top Chef Masters. Put him on "the other side" of the show. I think he'd be great.

But for Mike, this season's group of chefs don't have much in the way of personality. They're serious about their food, and that doesn't always make for interesting TV. So although he often comes across as an ass (wonder how much he is egged on by the producers to run his mouth??), Mike is good for the show. I'm having hard time picking a winner at this point. In prior seasons, one or two were head and shoulders above the rest. With this group, it's still a toss up between the V brothers, Jennifer and Kevin.

Answering my own question...The RP is fine with kids. We ate there last week, and it was a great meal. The kids had shrimp and grits, linguini with clams and sausage and lobster tacos. My wife and I both had the red snapper. Service was great. Nice beer and wine list. A bit of a hike from the Disney resorts (probably 35 minutes), but worth the drive.

My impression of the area around WDW and US is that unless you're eating in one of the parks or on property resorts, it's almost all chain restaurants. City Walk at US is all chains. Downtown Disney is slowly becoming less Disney owned and more chain owned places to eat.

Is the Ravenous Pig kid friendly? I don't mean "chicken fingers and mac and cheese on the menu", but would it be out of place to go with kids?

You're thinking too hard. She's there for her hotness, and nothing more. Accept it. Love it.

I'm sipping on the '08 right now. It does seem a bit less hoppy. I think I have a few '07's leftover. I'll have to do a side by side tasting.

If you're near Philly, you might want to give Chestnut Hill Coffee a try. They are serious about good coffee. ← Thanks! Philly is not far at all. What's the general consensus on La Colombe? I think I can get their stuff on my side of the river.

We're on the edge of our seats (laptops, whatever) -- what did you end up getting, or have you decided? ← Sorry, we've been too busy grinding coffee. We got the Capresso Infinity. So far so good. Now if I can find some good whole beans close to home...

We have a drip and a French press.

We're not serious coffee drinkers, but occasionally we buy whole beans. We're currently using a small blade grinder. Will a burr grinder make a difference or should we stick with the blade? Is it possible to find a decent burr grinder on a budget in the $50 range?

Criniti's is good if you want basic Italian American fare, and it's just one subway stop away from the stadiums.

The Sage, too. It seems to be packed all the time.

It may be a little out of the way, but just north of Allentown on Rt 309 there's a butcher shop called Hartman's (on the right as you're heading north, just a mile or two north of the 309/100 intersection). They have a big decorative pig out by the road and I'm pretty sure they make their own bacon, so it might be worth a call. http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Har...op.610-298-8232

Ok...before it closed, it didn't look busy like it once was.

I drive past Olga's twice every day. It never looks busy anymore, like it did years ago.

I made a summer beer run this week: Victory Whirlwind Wit--always a favorite, it's my "lawnmower beer." There seems to be a lot more "bubble gum" flavor than in previous years. I don't know if it's a new yeast or just my palate. Southern Tier Hop Sun--good stuff, just enough hops to remind you that they're there. Southern Tier is my new found fave. I really like their Phin & Matt's Ale. Anderson Valley Summer Solstice--a lighter version of their Winter Solstice. It's a bit too sweet for me.

Too late to help the OP, but my favorite diner up that way is Tom's Kitchen, in Conyngham.

I don't get that. Why not offer provolone? It seems like some weird line drawn in the sand. My preference is a pizza steak - do they pass on that as well? ← My buddy, who grew up down the street from Chink's, told me this: Chink's makes steaks like this--sliced beef, with onions and/or cheese. Nothing else. Back in the day, if someone came in and asked for a steak with sauce, or peppers, or 'shrooms, etc., Chink would stop cooking, pull the cigar out of his mouth, look at them and tell them if they wanted that sh*t on their steak they could go somewhere else. And he was dead serious. My guess is that the current owner is carrying on the tradition.

Is it true they only use American cheese? That makes me not want to go. ← It was definitely American on my steak. I don't know if they have any options.