Curlz

Just saw that the sign is up for a new (franchised) coffee place here in Lyndhurst. It's on the Riverside Ave side of the apartment building next to the Lyndhurst Bridge, where the Riverside Farmer's Market is located. Looks like they're still a few weeks away from opening, but fixtures are in there. The Java's Brewin' website shows other locations in NJ; anyone been? Is the coffee any good? I'm just looking forward to having a new option close to home!

And/or, have lunch at Tabla...they offer a $25 (?) deal, and you'd still get to sample some of those phenomenal Indian-inspired dishes! Was there again this past week, and each time I enjoy something new.

Just read this on Serious Eats: The contestants were kept in the dark for the past month or so, in preparation for 15 minutes of live TV from a dimly lit Chicago studio, which did not compare very favorably to the scenic grandeur of Aspen. So I guess they had to wait a month, not a few days for the answer. CRUEL, imo.

How's THAT for a cross-posting?!?

Haven't checked yet, but I'm guessing that some of the buy-it-and-make-it-at-home opportunities for these will increase tenfold in the coming weeks. I'm thinking of places like Maria's (?) in Wayne, just where Rts 23 and 46 meet outside of Willowbrook Mall...it's so easy to throw 'em in w/some brown butter and sage...and oh, why did you get me thinking about these?!? Whole Foods usually sells them this time of year as well. You might check and see if Trattoria Fresco is serving them, too. Since I'm a pumpkin freak, I can tell you that the WF in W. Orange has pumpkin (Ciao Bello) gelato, Sweet Avenue Bakery in Rutherford has pumpkin spice cupcakes, and pumpkin ice cream should be out at Applegate Farms by now. And...and... Now if we could just get the temperature to match our autumnal food palates. Grrr.

My understanding is that the finale was taped in Aspen and then they were off to Chicago within a day or three. Those on the set for the Aspen taping and the 3 finalists were sworn to secrecy regarding who did what and how it turned out. LIVE judge's table with the winner being announced was last night in Chicago. The contestants likely saw the taped show yesterday before the finale went live, and/or they were referring to the fact that the contestants were able to 'catch up' and watch the series during the 1-month break. I was sorry that Dale didn't come from behind, but when Tom said the lobster dish was inedible, I knew he didn't have a shot. Still, it might be just as great/better to be the runner-up than the winner in this case. Here's to Dale's BIG future!

I'm officially gunning for DALE.

I think cooking was done in the last few days in Aspen, but the judge's table and announcement of the winner is what will take place live in Chicago tonight.

My cable system says it's 1hr 15 mins...

From Rosie's NJM blog: An Oktoberfest will be held at Circa, 37 Main St, High Bridge, featuring three live bands, traditional wood barrel tapping, six Oktoberfest beers on tap, roasted chicken, traditional wurst, roast beef, German potato salad, and sauerkraut. 1 to 7 PM; no cover charge; à la carte pricing for food and beverages. This is an outdoor event under a tent and will be held rain or shine. For information call 908-638-5560.

Ahh...something Tommy doesn't know about?!? Half the fun of Bill and Harry's is just in the name, but I recently read that Bill is William, and is somehow connected to Noodle Chu in Parsippany (a good thing). If I can figure out where I read it, I'll post it. Longtime Morris and Essex Cty folks know all about them...if I'm not mistaken, the original restaurant is the one on Rt. 10 in E. Hanover; it's on the eastbound side, IMMEDIATELY after the McDonald's. Blink and you missed the driveway (so don't blink). Classic NJ Chinese menu, but I've always found the place to be spotless, the vegetables particularly good, and service very fast. Always busy, but esp at lunch, when they offer ridiculously cheap specials. They have a takeout place in Maplewood, and also had one in Livingston, but iirc, it was lost in the fire that took out...darn...what's that chicken place? Chicken Nest? a couple of years ago. Plus, I think the Livingston one was owned by the scorned original partner (don't know if it was Bill or Harry). Someone here must know the full story--help me out, folks! B&H was the first place where I had boneless ribs (a zillion years ago), but the thing I'm thinking of now are their tiny ribs in a honey glaze... Why do I come on here? WHY?!? ETA: Why I didn't Google before I submitted the post is beyond me. According to Jason P on this very old thread, "Noodle Chu is a great place -- the owner, Harry Chu, is the original owner of Bill and Harry's in east hanover and also owns Mr. Chu, a really good but more americanized restaurant also in E. Hanover across from the novartis campus on RT10. Mr. Chu is a primarily taiwanese-style restaurant and the staff internaly speaks mandarin, very different from Noodle Chu which of course is a HK-style place. Harry is usually holding the fort at Noodle Chu on dim sum days over the weekend." So there's the intel. Not Bill. Harry. At Noodle Chu, that is.

Wow...you're heading to sort of a culinary wasteland, from what I know! Your best bet is to search the boards for places in Denville, Parsippany, Morristown and Randolph. Parsippany has some legit Indian as well as Chinese food (Noodle Chu), Morristown has Copeland (at the Westin Hotel) for well-reviewed burgers, martinis and oysters, Denville has the Denville Fish Market (you can eat in) and Denville Dairy (great homemade ice cream), and although I've never been, friends swear that the Black River Barn in Randolph has some great food in a very casual atmosphere.

Except for the olives (bleah), I am RIGHT. THERE. with you, Christine! A Mano in Ridgewood is just touching on what I'd love to have as my go-to for Italian food. ETA: And I'm in Lyndhurst, where trust me, there is NO shortage of red-sauce places. Sigh...

Correct! I picked up their menu, which looks really interesting. If anyone has been, please start a thread and post about the place, willya?!?

Same side of the street, actually...unless CM moved, that is. Enjoy!

Some of you may remember reading a few posts on the Rutherford thread from the woman who was looking for a space in Rutherford for her new shop; yesterday I finally got a chance to stop in, and I thought the place deserved its own thread. I got the last Pumpkin Spice cupcake, which had a delicious, not-too-sweet (crucial for someone like me-my sweet tooth is minimal), cream cheese frosting. It's not yet listed on the site's menu, but you can see a pic here on their blog page. The frosting was full of spice, and the cupcake was moist and again, not overly sweet. I'd prefer even more pumpkin flavor in the cake, but I'm a pumpkin freak! Personally, I can do without the sprinkles on top, but I do understand that these are cupcakes, and if that helps sell 'em, so be it. The store itself is adorable; brightly lit, colorful, and spacious despite the fact that it's so tiny. From the moment you open the door, there's no question that this place is focused on cupcakes! You can look at their web page and see what I mean, or better yet, take a ride over there. The staff was friendly, and you can just tell that these people care about their product. Next time, I'm hoping they have the Orange Milana (far right, top row on the menu)! Sweet Avenue Bake Shop 153 Park Avenue (on the block across the street from Ice Cream Charlie's) Rutherford NJ 201.935.BAKE Mon: Closed Tue-Thu: 8am-7pm Fri-Sat: 8am-9pm Sun: 10am-6pm

I must admit that I rarely cook fish any more (no more grill...snif), but I thought some of the fish (swordfish esp) looked a little past its prime in there. Then again, the squid was gorgeous! Go figure. You're reminding me that I didn't mention the fact that there's a full sushi bar ('tho closed while I was in there -it was after 3pm) and the packaged sushi looked VERY fresh. He had containers of seaweed salad as well. I was really surprised with the overall selection in the store; the produce dept had HUGE Florida avocados, chayote (!), and a number of other unusual items that I just didn't expect to see in a place like that. There's also a wide variety of snacks, including a bunch of Japanese 'chips' that looked interesting. Rice crackers w/black sesames and the like. Definitely happy that I stopped in!

Finally stopped in here today, and WOW, was I pleasantly surprised! First of all, it's much bigger than I expected. Secondly, it's immaculate, and third, the prices were incredibly reasonable. I didn't need to much, but left with some picture-perfect baby bok choy, red potatoes, and a few other minor items. The produce was beautiful--certainly a lot nicer overall than the Shop-Rite on some days, and as I said, the prices were great (i.e., the bok choy was 1.29/lb, iirc). Glad to have it in the neighborhood, and I'm sure I'll be even happier about it when there's a good snowstorm and I can walk there!

I just got an email today from a food pal who lives in Weehawken...she wanted to be sure that I knew about the new cheese store there, as she was really impressed by it! Sounds like it needs to be checked out!

Another wrap-up number: according to Eater.com, this year's event raised $75K for the Madison Square Park Conservancy. That's a nice chunk of bacon!

The more I've thought about this review (and mentioned it to friends), the more I think Corcoran didn't fully do justice to Chengdu 1 and their menu. I know the place has zero atmosphere (except for little Miss Ivy), but it's a truly terrific menu, and one that isn't found too many places--certainly not in NJ. As an example, one omission that surprised me is that Corcoran only mentioned the peanuts that are available for the table, but neglected to talk about the thinly sliced broccoli stalks in chili (?) oil--another wonderful 'pre-app' at Chengdu 1. Bottom line is that I hope the review gets more people in there to check out the food--and not from the Americanized side of the menu!

Very happy for the folks at Chengdu 1; hopefully this will send many new customers their way! Of course, now I need that lamb dish. Sigh...

Nice article about Chef Lo Pinto here! ETA: Link fixed (I hope...it worked when I originally put it in!) Thanks rooftop!

If we're going to talk about ginORmous grammatical errors, let's start with Padma, at the judge's table (with Col Mustard, and the knife? haha), telling Dale and Sara "One of you ARE going to Aspen, and one of you ARE going home!" I actually yelled at the television at that point.

Gastrognome, do you have any connection to CC's? Just curious.