Curlz

If you're going to travel, there's also a new cheese shop in Hoboken called The Cheese Store. I haven't been, but have read that they have a great selection and knowledgeable staff. Another thought is Wegmans (closest is either Bridgewater or Woodbridge). And if you're going to Whole Foods, I'd definitely suggest the West Orange store over Montclair; far greater selection!

Well, YOURS certainly do! ETA: But we get the idea.

According to Baristanet "...fans of Blu will be excited to learn that the empty space next door to the restaurant (vacated by the closing of The Roost), will become a new culinary venture in 2008 from Chef Zod." YIPPEE! I've been hoping he'd take over this space. Haven't been spending much time in Montclair lately, but I'll try to stop in and see if I can get more scoop from him. Edit: Where's the little blushy smilie? Oh...HERE: Seems that Rosie broke this news in her Rosie's Food Bytes column last week. I should have known! Barista is known for pulling a lot of what they post from other sources. Sorry, Rosie!

Mea culpa on the french toast! I guess it's b/c I always feel stuffed after I have it...

HP is definitely pricy, but if RL isn't a stretch, I'm going to offer the first thought that came to mind--Trattoria Fresco in Caldwell. I've not been as thrilled by the place as I was originally (and have learned that there has been a recent change in partnership there, but can't seem to get the full scoop), BUT. For a group of 14, esp w/limited eaters in the mix, I think you'd all be pleased. It's BYO, for starters, so you can save some $ and control what you drink, so it's good (). The menu ranges from interesting and more 'standard' apps, pastas, steaks, and even wood-fired pizzas. They don't have a private room, but they can definitely accommodate larger parties. The full thread, with pics, is here. TF website And don't get me wrong; I don't think TF has taken a huge slide downhill; there's just something missing from earlier visits.

Thanks for all of the input, gang! As it turns out, I used the aforementioned plum clafoutis recipe and made a fig clafoutis, which I took with me to a Rosh Hashana dinner. It was definitely tasty, but I made three errors. imo: I didn't let the figs macerate quite as long as they c/should have (in Licor 43-didn't have brandy), and I also used slightly less sugar, because I'm not a sweet freak. HEADSMACK. I didn't think about the fact that fresh figs aren't nearly as sweet as their dried counterparts! What I should have done was caramelize them on the stovetop before pouring the batter over them, but...next time! I still prefer them in a savory prep (i.e., anything involving prosciutto, roasting, honey, cheese or all of the above).

Raymond's is definitely a good call, imo; very varied menu, so it's easy to please everyone in terms of choices. LOVE their stuffed french toast and their coffee. Keep in mind that it's BYO (as is much of Montclair), and there's a great wine shop (Amanti Vino) a few doors away. Other thoughts: Joe Bartoni's (if they're open; I was there on a Sunday in Aug and they weren't) on Valley Rd. is Italian-everything from great sandwiches to entrees, but again, I'd check to see if they're open. And if they are, sit on that lovely back patio! Amazing Hot Dog is a hop/skip/jump away in Verona. Indigo Smoke does a jazz brunch on Sunday, iirc. Little Saigon is good food, increeeeeeeeedibly slow service. But good food! I'm a fan of Bluestone (at Watchung Plaza) as well; love their coffee, and they have great zucchini bread, too! Cianci on Church Street--NOT where you want to go. Trust me. I haven't been (read that again...I HAVEN'T BEEN), but I haven't heard great stuff about Toast. Terrible service is consistently mentioned, as is bad coffee and smallish portions. Just sharing what I've heard from people who live in the neighborhood and who have been there more than once. Onward.

Me, out loud, to the tv: "Today's Quickfire challenge is...prepare a STONER breakfast!"

Ahem. 40 mins after that last post, and I have a fig clafoutis in the oven! So that crisis was averted, but for the future, I really would like to know about storage/shelf life of fresh figs!

Small bump...My landlords just gave me about a dozen figs off of the tree in the backyard. My biggest concern isn't what to do with them, so much as how long they'll last and the best way to store them. Thoughts/ideas welcomed. Thanks!

Link to the official word from Cecil is on tommy:eats

The article linked on the Shady Maple site says it seats 1200...

Rut Roh. Let's hope it's just an extended vacation.

Here's my conclusion: the show we're all hankering for is actually Iron Chef! Seriously...I caught about 20 mins of it last night (Flay vs. Florida chef Johnny Vinczencz, who I never heard of, but I loved what he did), and kept thinking that THIS is what I want Top Chef to be! No budgets--just time working against them. And wow, do you see some creativity come out of these folks, even if they don't win. The rotating group of judges keeps egos low (exception: Steingarten)and the day after it airs, nobody is discussing what Alton Brown wore, or if he and the Chairman are getting it on behind the scenes. I have it on semi-reliable authority that Iron Chef participants not only know the secret ingredient well ahead of time, but that they also have a few hours to cook their dishes, but so what? Top Chef is edited to death. I'd rather watch people actually COOK than parade around in this week's episode of "Can you produce better food than the average Bravo viewer?" And I say this all with the caveat that I think just about everything else on the Food Network has gone to hell in a breadbasket... ETA: remaining contestants are Brian, CJ, Dale, Hung, Casey and Sara

I happen to know that one of the places in northern NJ (not so far east, just north)that Tracey has been frequenting is Chengdu 1 in Cedar Grove, right around the corner from another favorite haunt of hers (and her friends, as you'll see in the pics-about 2/3 of the way down the page), Amazing Hot Dog in Verona. So make all the detours you want to our part of the world--just come hungry! How long are you blogging, Tracey? There aren't enough hours in the week for us to pitch in and lend a hand... And I'm assuming that AAA was there for THE truck? Ooooof.

actually, it read well to me. looks fine. That's because I fixed the spacing. The other items are b/c I'm picky. My last two cents... While I agree with all of the above (particularly about "drop the beet" b/c it made me laugh), I still say that 'kids' are always going to do dumb things (see: graffiti, mailbox bashing, etc.), but adults don't need to slap lawsuits on them when (as you pointed out) said kids don't have the $ to pay them, and the business in question hasn't been harmed. If the video had led us to believe that we were seeing undercover shots of actual A&P employees doing stuff to the produce, that might be a different story. This is obviously kids thinking they were funny. But they're not. And neither is the corporation. One thing this did remind me of was that my friend Jim W. used to refer to the A&P near our campus as (ready?) the Aim & Pee. It was funny then, and it's even funnier now!

He had me at Foie gras, chocolate, peanut butter, pear. SWOON!

Ahh, but that 2006 video IS funny, Tommy! I just took a few minutes to scan the site these kids have (FakeLaugh.com, as posted above), and they confirmed what I thought while watching their video--that the flyer they used was from Shop-Rite, not A&P. That, coupled with the fact that I never spotted anything in the vid that said the name of the store, just re-confirms my feelings about the folks at A&P. You have to fire them? Fine. But I seriously doubt that the video is doing anywhere near the damage that they're doing on their own, so drop that libelous b.s. and go back to being the corporate bigshots you think you are. Or maybe put a banana in your pants if that makes you feel better... (see the video and you'll get it) Since a few of you asked, here's the text of their email response: “A&P management’s position on this matter should be self explanatory. Producing a video that intentionally and unjustly depicts our company in a negative light, and utilizing company facilities without management knowledge of the specific content involved, is obviously a blatant violation of our policy. Accordingly, the company has dismissed both employees, and is exploring legal avenues for the recovery of damages, and the removal of any and all videos about the Company from the website where it has been posted by the individuals. We will continue to work through our store management, labor union and legal process to bring this unfortunate series of events to an appropriate conclusion, and will have no further public comment while that process continues. Richard De Santa, Senior Director, Corporate Affairs Oh, and A&P, since you're firing these two, maybe you can hire an editor to teach you about closing quotations, strange use of commas, and heinous multispacing? Maybe I'm just picky. And I'll pick my produce elsewhere, thankyouverymuch. Decide for yourselves...I certainly have.

I got the same (I'm assuming) reply...happy to post it here if people really want to see the attitude that comes through. Hint: they're not too bright in the p.r. department. Firing these kids is one thing, but suing for damages is just complete idiocy, imo. And I told them so. I'm happy to shop elsewhere, esp since the A&Ps in my area are such shabby excuses for a supermarket!

handmc, you answered your own question! They dump talent for drama. The equation is really simple: drama = viewership = $$$. Talent may = viewership for those of us who read/post on food sites, but not to the masses watching TC. We may have been screaming at the screen while Casey was cutting onions, but I'm betting that the majority of the viewers were feeling bad for her b/c she was falling behind.

You poor thing, you definitely didn't get enough to eat! Maybe we should have let you guys order just a Few. More. Dishes.

We shared a bunch of piccolini at Centro Vinoteca last night; sat at the bar, and although the service wasn't all it could have been (despite being a nice guy), we thoroughly enjoyed everything we tasted. Mushrooms stuffed w/pork AND pancetta* Roasted corn, pancetta and cherry tomato crostini Truffled deviled eggs* Rock shrimp in white wine/lemon/garlic Corn and scallion fritters (we had ordered the zucchini/parmigiano fritters but received these, and since there are only a few on the plate, after we each had one it wasn't like we were sending them back) A quartino of Toscana, and I was a very happy camper. Everything was delicious, the prices on these was ridiculously low, and I'll definitely go back to try more of the apps/piccolini--I'd rather dine that way than have a full meal anyway. *Fantastic

Crystal Plaza in Livingston does fantastic work--esp if you have $$ to spend!!

I had swoonable squash blossom pakoras (stuffed with the house-made paneer) at Bread Bar a couple of weeks ago. Fascino? David Drake? David Burke? Stage Left? Just a few thoughts, and I'd call first if you have your heart set on them. Kudos to you for making them at home; talk about something I'd never attempt...!

I'm guessing you're talking about the Reading Terminal Market? If so, it's DEFINITELY worth a 90-min ride to Philadelphia from northern NJ! Huge thread on the RTM is here on the PA board. There is a section at the RTM that's all Amish, so you can get your Lancaster 'hit' at the same time you get a pork and broccoli rabe sub at DiNic's!!!