JeffWilson

Yes, and that balsamic was just amazing. A perfect complement to the pork chop. Jeff

Well, we went to Babbo Saturday night and as much as I had high expectations, they were exceeded. We got there a bit early and were able to squeeze our way to the bar and grab 1 stool. I was immediately impressed by the bartender's knowledge of the wines that were available by the quarter-liter. My wife had a Barolo that she loved and I can't remember the name of the wine that I had, but it was blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Frnac, and Nebbiolo. It was a touch lighter than I expected, but nice. When our daughter and her boyfriend arrived, we were seated at a table only about 30 feet from the bar. I had expected that this would mean a noisy night, especially given the NYT review regarding the blaring rock and roll. We did not find that to be the case at all, and had very little problem with the noise leve in the restaurant all night...even though we were there until 11:30. (I was afraid that when Michael Stipe came in and was seated nearby, we would suddenly hear REM blasting over the speakers..but, no). Another surprise, only because I do not remember hearing about the service, was how outstanding the service was. Our waiter wsa able to strongly suggest certain dishes and had a very detailed knowledge of every dish (I wish that some of his detailed descriptions were on the menu!). We started out with the prosciutto, beef cheeks, and "autumn vegetables" appetizers. Although my wife loved her vegetables and the kids loved the prsciutto, the beek cheeks were clearly the standout. What everyone here have already said does not need repeating. An amazing depth of flavor, and yet I didn't find it too filling (maybe because I hadn't eaten since breakfast?). For the main course we had the Garganelli with Funghi Trifolati, beef cheek ravilioli, goat cheese tortelloni, and the pork chop. The garganelli was very well done, but the goat cheese tortelloni was a huge hit (thanks to eGullet for this strong recommendation). And, while I am not really a pork guy, this wsa by far the best pork chop that I ever had. In fact, it was so good that I can barely remember ever EATING another pork chop! It was amazing that it could be cooked so perfectly throughout the entire piece of meat. Although it was very large, I savored every bite and finished it all. Desserts were also great although, thankfully, not nearly as filling as previous courses. The saffron panna cotta was fantastic, and the apple walnut (I think, I was delirious by now) was also delicious. I had the 3 cheese course parmiagiano reggiano, taleggio, and gorgonzola. All superb. And I was finally able to try a 1977 Smith-Woodhouse port, which is one of the few 1977 ports that I have not tried. Just like all the others, it was outstanding, as was the 40 yr old tawny that was also ordered. All in all, an amazing evening. And I cannot say enough about the waiter. He seemed to know about everything on the menu, from wines, to pasta, to mains, to cheeses. I have always know how hard it is to get reservations (it took me 40 minutes of non-stop dialing! A total of 400 phone calls!), but I never knew what a truly special experience it is. Thanks Mario!! Jeff Wilson

Thanks very much...my wife will love it. I am wondering what the "fennel pollen" adds to the dish. Does it add the normal fennel flavor? Or something different? Thanks again for all the suggestions...I can't wait for tomorrow night. Jeff

My wife and I are taking my daughter and her boyfriend to Babbo on Saturday night. We are very excited, as I have tried many times to get in but could never get a reservation except for "either 6 PM or 11PM". Although I have heard a million great things about the restuarant, I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions for "can't miss" dishes. My daughter's boyfriend and I are adventurous in our dining, while my daughter and (especially) my wife play it a lot safer. My wife is also a fish-eating vegetarian. Any guidance would be truly appreciated. Thanks! Jeff

Just to add another opinion to the Relish thread... We went on Friday night and it was very good, but certainly not "NYT excellent". I started with shrimp tempura, which was nore like small pieces of shrimp fried in tempura batter. It was nice, but very light. Although it came with 2 dipping sauces, I felt that the dish lacked some flavor. My wife started with a mesculun salad that was good but very plain. Just greens, lot of them, and nothing else. While the dressing was good, the salad needed something else to it. One of our guests had the lamb ribs. These were the clear standout and were fantastic. I would go back just to try them, as one bite wasnt nearly enough for me. Entrees were very good. The corn-encrusted salmon was delicious, but the asparagus tempura that came with it was bland and almost tasteless. The red snapper special was very good, but I was unable to get a good description of what was in it (did I mention that it was very noisy?). The chocolate bread pussing dessert was outstanding. I am a chocolate nut, and it was a wonderfully intense chocolate experiene without being so rich that it was difficult to eat. The wine list had a very large number of wines under $50 and there was something for everyone (except higher end items). Overall, it is worth trying again, but my expectations will be a bit lower than after I read the NYT review of it.

So we ended up going here on Friday night and we were pretty impressed. Very French, so not too imaginative or creative, but that's fine. I don't always need to be out there. My wife started with a simple green salad with a nice dressing (that I can't recall). I had the porcini ravioli. They were cooked just right and had a wonderful earthy flavor. There was some cream in the sauce, but not too much, so it was not at all overwhelmed. We both had the "Friday" special od Bouillibase. It was the best either of us have ever had. Red Snapper, halibut, monkfish, shrimp, scallops, and baby clams in a saffron broth. Outstanding. Great bread on the table to soak up that delicious broth. Our guests ordered a special salad of blueberries, goat cheese, dried cranberries over mesculun greens and loved it. The other had the traditional escargot, which was also very good. His entree was seared scallops in a veal stock over rice. I don't think I have ever had scallops in a meat stock and found it unsual. He said that it was outstanding and said the scallops were very fresh. His wife ordered a chicked dish that I can't recall and I don't think that she was wild about it. Desserts were solid, if unexceptional. A special peach tart was good, not great. And the chocolate mousse was good enough, but I am a true chocoholic and prefer a bit more dense and rich version. Service was very good, although I prefer a better answer to the question "What is your specialty?" than "It's all wonderful". The chef came out and shared a glass of ice wine with us later in the evening and he was charming and nice to talk to. He used to be chef of Claude's Ho-Ho-Kus Inn and was the personal chef to President Nixon when he lived in the area. A few MINOR points that I wasn't crazy about: - COLD butter on the table for bread (a pet peeve of mine) - Bussing took too long. We sat with empty plates for 10 minutes before they were removed (another pet peeve) - No prices on the specials when they were read (did I mention that I have a lot of pet peeves?) - Yes Tommy, although the average age was not 80, 60 is a good bet. Although many seemed to be regulars, which is a good sign. But those are pretty minor. I would recommend this place. Dinner for four was $190 before tip (remember, it's BYOB). A very fair price for fine classic French cooking and good service.

Thanks very much....my wife will be thrilled to be the youngest person there!

Tommy or Rosie, Any memory of how noisy it is? We are going with some people that we really want to be able to have a long conversation with and the last time out with them ended up in a very noisy place (i.e. just about everyplace in Ridgewood). Thanks! Jeff

We are going to Chef's Table in Franklin Lakes on Friday night and I have never been there and don't know wanyone that has even heard of it! Can anyone tell me about it and make any suggestions for dinner? Thanks very much! Jeff

I am stunned to find people that like this place. We stay at Chestnut Hill, a B&B about 100 yards away from The Ship Inn. We have been there twice and both times the food was terrible. (No complaints on the beer!). Also, both times it was empty. I don't think they do a great business. Just down the street is the Oyster House. A fantastic (mostly) seafood place. They have a dish called Crab Norfolk, basically a 1/2 lb. of crab sauteed in butter and cracked pepper and served on toast, that is one of our favorite dishes anywhere. They are moving around the corner soon and getting a liquor license. I highly suggest going there instead. Jeff

I have always found Le Bernardin to be very romantic...very French, lots of flowers, great service. Also, Cafe Des Artistes was always great, but I havent been in years. Depending on where you sit there, tables can be a bit close together. As for an earlier suggestion, I went to March once on Valentine's Day and was VERY disappointed. Everything was good, but just good. And for $300/couple I expect something more than good. I chalked it up to V-Day, but I honestly never went back. There are too many other great places for me to take 2 shots at a medium level place. Jeff

We just came back from a 3 night stay in Montreal at the Hotel Place D'Armes (which I will write about separately, but was fantastic). We had 3 wonderful dinners at "S" Restaurant (in the Hotel St. Sulpice), Nuances (in the Casino), and Les Halles. Although the other 2 were very good, Les Halles stood out. Unfortunately, I do not have time to give a full review now, but I will get back here later in the week to write one. I am curious as to why I have never seen Les Halles on this board as we always have eaten wonderfully there. Is it because it is not a "hot" restaurant, like Toque? Until I can get the full review out, I will merely highly recommend the restaurant to anyone looking for superb food and a great wine list. Jeff Wilson

Saigon is great, but TINY. It probably seats about 20 and is about 12' by 12'. Moon Street is about 1/4 mile walk from there and has some great mixed drinks, but only a so-so wine selection. Very good prices, too. America is a 5 minute drive and, although I haven't been yet, from what I hear I would go. I know dinner can get very expensive, but don't know if they gouge on drink prices, or if you care. I echo Rosie's Riesling suggestion. A nice crisp Riesling pairs nicely with the somewhat spicy dishes. For one more Enlewood alternative for drinks, has anyone been to 90 Grand? It's up the street and around the corner, maybe 1/3 mile from Saigon. Kinda pricey restaurant, but I think they have a nice bar. Jeff

Steven Thanks for the excellent reply. I appreciate your knowledge and helpfulness. Jeff

Actually, in general. But I didn't know which forum to put it in so I referenced BS.

Can someone please explain the difference between St Louis style and Memphis style barbeque? Is it just that St Louis is wet and Memphis dry? Is one meatier? Juicier? Thanks very much!!

OK...here is the scoop. Pacific Grill just opened on Tuesday. It is at the center entrance on the Route 17 side. I plan on going next Saturday for lunch and will report back. Jeff

Has anyone eaten here yet? It is owned by the same people that own South City Grill, and I have heard good things about that place. Can anyone speak with a voice of experience? Thanks!! Jeff

Sorry it took me a week...but here is my review of Chez Dominque We arrived 5 minutes late for a 6:15 reservation in the middle of a downpour. Be aware that there is virtually NO waiting room, but fortunately we were seated immediately by Dominque. The room is quite small with about 12 tables. I am not sure why, but it seemed like a pretty quiet restaurant even though it was small and crowded. The menu is relatively brief. It is presented on a chalkboard that is brought to your table. There is a nice mix of seafood, meat, and vegetable dishes so that most people would find something that they like. After looking over the menu for a few moments, Dominque stopped by and offered up very accurate descriptions of each dish. Our waiter was also very helpful i nhelping narrow down the choices by telling us what dishes had some left on the plate on the way back to the kitchen and which were scraped clean. We decided to start with the house smoked salmon and the grilled vegetable terrine with goat cheese. No further explanation is really needed on these, except to say that the salmon was outstanding and the terrine was pretty good. I was surprised how quickly they came, but was then surprised at the long delay for our entrees. (We were told that they cooked for 2 tables at a time, so we had to wait for the next table's orders). The entrees we had were "seafood pasta" - scallops, shrimp, mussels, and lobster in a lobster sauce over homemade fettucini, and Sole Almondine. The seafood pasta wsa wonderful and, surprisingly, not too heavy. The sole was light and fresh tasting, but more was needed on the plate. There was a few small pieces of sole but not much else. More sole and more of a side dish would help this tremendously. For dessert, I was hoping and praying for a chocolate souffle, however I was informed that they are never served during the early seating and if I wanted one in the future I should call ahead and ask if it would be possible. There was a table of 10 that has pre-ordered rasberry souffles and they looked fantastic (although not getting chocolate seems insane to me). I had to settle for a chocolate ganache tart and my wife had the tart tatin. The chocolate was very good and the tart tatin was good enough. A few other highlights of the evening: * BYOB - love this. We brought a nice 1994 Hess Select Cabernet. This would probably cost $50 in a restaurant and I have a case so it's a win on 2 counts. * Service was excellent, with a few lapses. The waiter was very knowledgeable and friendly. The only problem was the delay for entrees. The busboy needs a bit more training. * Great bread. It's amazing how hard it is to find wonderful bread like this. Nothing fancy or unusual. Just plain light, fluffy, crisp french rolls. * Domnique. A wonderful woman who is incredibly friendly and helpful. I honestly feel as though she would do anything she could to make your dining more enjoyable. (except make a last second chocolate souffle) :) That's it. Thanks for everyone's opinions on where to go, but Chez Dominque now gets added to our list of regulars. All this and only 5 minutes away! Jeff

Thanks to all again...I will report on Chez Dominque tomorrow. Jason, I have heard great things about America, but there is always the caveat of "be prepared to spend a ton". While I often spend $250 - $300 for dinner for 2 in NYC, I just don't think the ambience of being in Tenafly compares to a table at Daniel, Le Cirque, or Jean Georges. I have friends that have spent near this amount at America and loved it, but thought it wasn't worth it compared to some top-tier NYC restaurants. Your thoughts? Thanks again Jeff

Tommy and Rosie, THanks so much (I just love this site...it's almost...interactive!) I decided to try Chez Dominque. I loved Chez Madeline and the reviews for this palce sound as good. I am wondering about the noise level, but if I remember correctly, Chez Madeline was pretty quiet. Thanks again...I have been thinking of trying Latour and I am sure I will get there soon. And I have only heard raves about Chef's Table (although isnt it cramped/noisy??) Jeff

I am looking for a nice, quiet restaurant in Bergen County for a nice dinner on Saturday night. Lately, all of the restaurants that we have gone to (heavily skewed to Englewood and Ridgewood) have either been noisy or deafening. My wife and I really count on the weekends to catch up with each other and I have yet to find a nice place that is quiet and that I don't have to pay over $100 for the luxury of a bit of quiet. Can anyone give me a suggestion. It doesn't have to be library-quiet, but the quieter, the better. Thanks very much! Jeff

Laura I was planning on having my 40th birthday party there and so I went to eat a fine dinner there about 3 months ago. Just about everything I had was wonderful. I wish I had written a review, because I have been to too many places sine then to remember everything. I do remember my wife's classic Dover Sole meuniere. The best I ahve ever had. I also remember a smoked fish...I cant recall exactly what it was, but it was a specialty...and it was really not very good. It looked somewhat like jellyfish and didn't have a nice texture. The flavor was fine, but that texture turned me off. I believe I also had rack of lamb, which was excellent. They have a wonderful wine list and most of it is fairly reasonably priced. The decor is a bit old and stuffy, but I would clearly recommend most of the food there. Service was a bit spotty, but good overall. Jeff

mog You are absolutely correct about India House and the owner. If you like sole meuniere, you just must get down there. I would say that about 20% of the people that night got the sole. The prices were less than Le Bernarardin for sure. We had a half bottle of 97 Clos Du Val Cab($28...a STEAL!...made them find me one since it was no longer on the wine list!) and I had a glass of Loosen Riesling($9) before dinner and a 77 Warre's Port ($30...and worth every penny!!) after dinner. Keeping in mind that our desset was comped due to the delay, the total was $190 for 2. I added a $40 tip to bring the complete total to $230. I think Le Bernardin would have been over $300 for a comparable meal. Jeff

Just went to Bayard's down at 1 Hanover Square. I am planning on having a party there for my 40th and wanted to try it out first. The building is a nice old brownstone and there is actually on the street parking available on a Saturday night! That saved me $20-$30 alone. It is very WASP-y, even for me, a WASP! I felt like everyone there had just come frmo the country club. The chef, Ebehard Mueller spent time at both Le Bernardin and Lutece before moving downtown. I started with an appetizer that was a potential for my party. Smoked Codfish in truffle oil with arugula. I am really glad I tried this before serving it to 40 people. Although it was delicious (tasting amazingly like smoked salmon), my wife brought up the point that it LOOKED very unappetizing (her exact words were "Oh my God, it looks like you are eating a jellyfish!"). Thanks, honey. In all honesty, the fish was sliced so thin as to be translucent, which did make it look unflattering. My wife had a special appetizer of Peekytoe crab with curry and watercress. A wonderful combination of sweetness and spice that made for a phenomenal appetizer. For main courses, I had the rack of lamb and she had the house specialty, Dover Sole Meuniere. The lamb was delicious, but the Sole was outrageous. I find that this dish can vary so much in quality, but this was the best we have ever had. I wish it was available for parties, but it's not. The lamb is and was a keeper. The only service lapse came after the entree. We had pre-ordered souffles, me chocolate and her pear, but there was a long delay in them coming out. It turns out they had not put the order in and presented us with a comp dessert while we waited. Berries in a spicy red wine sauce. Nice and very light. The souffles eventually came out and they were great. And, to their credit, we were not charged for the souffles or the berries. The wine list is one of the largest in the city with great bargains and at least a dozen wines by the glass. Also, there is a large selection of after dinner wines and spirits. I highly recommend the restaurant and I recently read in the WSJ that reservations are fairly easy to get...a great last minute place!