skinsey123

Heading to Wilkes Barre for a bachelor party of sorts this weekend, with people coming in from all over the place. 10 - 12 of us. I've been trawling the web looking for a restaurant, and haven't had much luck finding something that looked interesting. And, unfortunately, the hotel had ZERO recommendations other than some new Asian restaurant attached to the hotel - Oyster's. Isabella's seemed interesting, but that was based on 1 online review and nice looking website. Any recommendations? Ideally, we'd like something on the some what higher end (Steaks, fish, etc.), american/continental, or perhaps a brew pub. Thanks in advance for the ideas!

Ben & Jerry's also recently opened up a storefront on the other side of town (Near Cosi/Famished Frog- Take Washington Street off the Green, and you'll see it on your left at the first intersection). Last Saturday, they were open around 9:45 or so. Not a whole lot of space for a crowd, but they have some chairs/tables. Their hours aren't listed on their website, but give them call - 973-998-6181. If all else fails, the Morristown Diner is right behind the theater.

I'm starting to run out of Christmas gift ideas for some friends and family, and wanted to see if there were any cooking classes/seminars in North Jersey, or perhaps NYC, that you all might recommend? I've been to the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC for various team building events, and think they have classes. I've also seen different regional county colleges and Adult Education classes that look somewhat interesting, but question their quality. I suspect there are a lot of choices out there, just don't know where to look. Any recommendations or experiences you could share?

Have you been to 973 Restaurant? Never heard of it. What kind of food/atmosphere?

Don't know if they're open on Monday's, but you can also try... Guerriero's (sp?)- relatively new Italian restaurant on South St in Morristown Andaman Sea- similar to Origin, reviewed this weekend in NYTimes, also Morristown Settebello- Italian, slightly more upscale vs Guerriero's. Prices are likely in the lower 20s. Moghul- Great Indian in Morristown Dublin Pub/Grasshopper- Irish bars with good pub grub, both in Morristown Asahi- Small sushi place off the Green in Morristown, near Morristown Diner/Burger King

Wow, glad I checked with this forum. Doesn't sound like the crowd agrees with the review. I'm trying to find the link on nj.com to post, but it's not posted yet. Regarding Morristown's food scene. Admittedly, everything is not great, but for my taste buds, there are a few places that I've enjoyed going back to time and again. I like Origin (Still prefer Somerville over Morristown), and have been to Andaman Sea a few times as well - both really good. Sebastian's is pretty pricey for the menu, but for a local steakhouse (There's not much better, that I can think of, within 20 - 30 minutes), the food and the atmosphere are good. It's not walking distance, but Copeland is certainly in Morristown, and I can't wait to go back. I like Asahi for good, simple sushi, and although I like Moghul for Indian food, Caffe India is pretty good as well (And they've recently renovated, so the interior has improved). There are certainly better choices for each of these cuisines, but for someone who lives near Morristown, many of them involve a drive 30+ minutes (I'll make the trip to Clay Oven in Ledgewood every time). All in all, not perfect, but a vast improvement from 5 years ago.

Anyone been to the new restaurant in Morristown- Ora? It received 3.5 stars from the Star Ledger today, and had what seemed to be reasonable prices for that kind of review (Entrees below $24). Perhaps its in the old South Street Trattoria building? I don't recall any other new restaurants opening on South Street, so don't know where else it could be. Morristown seems to be booming with new restaurants, and the variety is wonderful. Its great to see this wonderful town getting such a foodie scene.

It is BYO. I can't find a website, but here's the Star Ledger's review. Silk Road Review Let us know how you like it. I've been there 5 or 6 times now in the last year or 2, and we love it. Great service, very helpful with the menu, and if you want to speak to the Chef, he'll talk your ears off. Try the shir chai with desert.

There's also Silk Road in Warren. Great rice dishes, awesome kebabs (Including lamb), and the owner/chef has a tandoor oven - so he bakes his own Afghan bread, which can't be beat. Between 22 and 78, hopefully a little closer to you than NYC or Morristown. I've found the food there to be much better than Pamir in Morristown, but the place is small. Call for reservations Fridays and Saturdays.

Kebabs are a great idea. Better than burgers and easy to cook with the grill. May throw some marinaded Portabellas on too. I'll need to ask about the grill. Regarding the Hunt. You definitely should go at least once. As I've described it to friends, its a cross between the Kentucky Derby, a College Homecoming (At least the tailgate portion), and an Eddie Bauer photo shoot (Lots of corduroys and Polo shirts). The "Hunt" is actually a Steeplechase race (With one of the richest, if not the richest, purses in Steeplechase racing). Although, I would bet less than 20% of the attendees actually know there's a race going on. The other 80% are enjoying the drinks and lavish spreads set out by various people. The attendance gets close to 50,000 people, and the few times I've gone, had a blast. I've seen anything between case races and keg stands all the way up to white glove, catered service. People go all out. I'm looking forward to it. If you're interested... Far Hills Race Meeting website

I put some $$ down this year for a parking space at the Far Hills Hunt with some friends and thought I might ask to see if anybody else is (1) planning to go and (2) get some suggestions for food and drink. Plans currently are for bloody marys and mimosas to start, and then an abbreviated bar and keg to keep the crowd happy. I believe I can bring a grill, so may plan for the usual burgers and appetizers, but may try to fancy it up a little. I fear mere hamburgers won't quite fit in with the other spaces I've seen in years past. Any recommendations?

Opah Grille is another great choice. Great seafood, and excellent wine list. In Gladstone, right next to the train station.

Give Penang a shot. Noisy, lively, and fun atmosphere should be great for a 6 year old. If you're all comfortable with the food- malaysian/thai.

Or for a slightly different twist, you could also try Shanghai Jazz in Madison, NJ. I suspect there's lots of commentary about the restaurant in this forum, but decent, slightly upscale Chinese food, in a great atmosphere with live jazz. They will get a range of performers, from local musicians, to well known performers stopping over in Madison between NYC and Philly, or whatever (The higher end performers will usually coincide with a price fixe menu plus alcohol). They usually have 2 seatings per night, so you have to call ahead. We've enjoyed going there a number of times, and have always had a good time.

There's also an Afghan restaurant in South Orange called Mazar Kebab House. I ate there last year and enjoyed it. There's a review on nj.com here and here, as well as a posting on eGullet. (This is funny as the review in the Star Ledger also said Pamir was the only other Afghan restaurant in NJ, forgetting about their own review of Mazar Kebab House!) ← That I'm aware of, this restaurant (Mazar Kebab House) has closed. I drive by the restaurant fairly often, and it closed a few months ago.

This is on Mountain Boulevard, about a quarter mile east of Mt. Bethel Road. It is in a small shopping center that has all the stores facing each other instead of the main road, making it hard to know what businesses are in there as you drive by. ← Its right across the street from the library. I wonder if the reference to Mediterranean food is to provide a description that is more familiar to more people. Had I not been to Pamir, I wouldn't have had a clue as to what kind of food they were talking about. Its not as spicy as Indian, and there are less curries & stews. So, Turkish might be even more descriptive than Indian, or something else.

Read an article in the Star-Ledger on Friday about an Afghan restaurant in Warren - "Hint of spices greets Silk Road visitors" (11/5) - and thought we'd give it a shot. We had a wonderful meal and a nice, relaxed time. We've been to Pamir in Morristown (The only other Afghan restaurant in NJ I'm aware of), and enjoyed the food - so we hoping for similar food. We were definitely pleasantly surprised. I had chicken kabobs which came with a rice dish with raisins, carrots, and basmati rice, and my wife had a vegetarian dish called Ashak. We also started with an appetizer (Mantu - a meat & veggie thing), and had a side dish of spinach. We also had normal tea, along with a sweeter milk tea for dessert called shir chai. Overall the meal was wonderful. Very flavorful, and the staff (Albeit a bit harried for a Saturday night - maybe the article brought a few more people than expected) was helpful and friendly. The room is very small, maybe seating 20 - 30, with a single door to the cold outside opening to the main room. The lighting was also a touch too bright. We brought wine, and our meal came to $50 or so with tip. We definitely would recommend this place to anybody interested in a little adventure & some extremely flavorful, mediterranean fare.

In regards to Wegmans... It was in the Star Ledger in early January. But now that we're past 14 days, nj.com won't show the article without paying an archive fee. The article said something about the mayor of East Hanover wanting to make sure Wegmans made it through all the planning hurdles. The area certainly could use one.

In regards to Wegmans... apparently plans are in place for them to build a store in East Hanover on Rte 10. Any one know any more details or timing?

A little further north (Maybe 30 minutes north of Edison) is Shanghai Jazz in Madison- a great combination of live jazz and good quality Chinese food. They usually have 2 seatings Fri & Sat night, and unless they have a really good band/performer, there's no cover (They will sometimes charge a per person minimum for high-end talent - like John Pizzarelli's Trio). I've been there 4 or 5 times, and have always had a great time - good, quick, personable service. Great food, and I've gotten a couple of after dinner drinks on the house.

Its sort of Persian (Afghanistan is a little East), but Pamir in Morristown has excellent Afghan food, and is the only one in NJ. There's also Aladin's Restaurant in Somerville (Kind of Central NJ), for Middle Eastern/Lebanese food. Never been there myself, but I've heard good things and hope to go soon.

In regards to Fish Markets in Morristown... There is a fish market in town (The Fish Market), behind the Morristown Diner near the train station. They opened about a year or 2 ago, and seem to do a decent business. I've had some success with fish, clams, and lobster there, and everything was fresh. Great service too (He ordered a few lobsters for me on short notice). Kings Supermarket (South St) has also never disappointed me in terms of fish. Great selection and decent turnover. If you're a fish fan, and are starting to get comfortable with driving everywhere... give Opah Grille in Gladstone (NJ Monthly Review) a shot. About a 30 minute drive southwest. Great fish!

The Famished Frog gets a great bar crowd Thurs & Fri evening, and often has live music. They also have an attached and more upscale (As in dress code), cigar bar - The Sidebar. Jimmy's American Grill (Probably the Joe's the first reply-er was thinking of) is a big bar/dance club that tends to get a big college & 20-something crowd most nights. They get decent local bands and has-been bands (The Nerds, Vanilla Ice, Big Orange Cone, and others). Dublin Pub - great Irish pub that gets a good, consistent sized crowd. It can get a little crowded, but has a great fish & chips dish and great soups. The Office - Morristown's version of Bennigan's. Decent bar and happy hour crowd. You can't go wrong with Moghul's - 1 of 2 Indian restaurants in town, and some would argue amongst the best in Jersey. You've got New Main Taste in Chatham (Good Thai, albeit a bit pricey). Penang in East Hanover (Good, cheap, Malaysian/Thai food - cash only) and Cosi in Morristown (A nice fast casual kind of place with great sandwiches and soups), both related to their NYC cousins. Asahi Sushi is my favorite in Morristown, but Nagano has been around for a longer time and still packs 'em in. Oh, and there's also South Street Trattoria in Morristown- good casual pasta & flat-bread pizza, also BYO. You can't wrong around here. Don't limit yourself to the same restaurant too many times. I've begun to hear comments of Morristown becoming Hoboken East for its variety and quantity of restaurants. Enjoy!

Are there any other Jamaican restaurants you would recommend in North Jersey?

I haven't been there in a while either. But they do have a great outdoor patio. They may have shut it down by this point. Its probably worth the trip just to walk through the quaint little main street and check out all the history and Victorian homes. I do know the General Store next door (Oldwick General Store) is wonderful and serves great grill food, soups, and sandwiches. The place is quite crowded on Sunday mornings with families, bikers, and just about everybody. A great NJ experience. And, thankfully, one of Western NJ's many great general stores with lots of charm and history.