Curlz

The (Turkish) recipe that I use contains both garlic and onions, but uses walnut oil in addition to toasted ground walnuts and I think it's fantastic...happy to share, 'tho I can't tell you where I got it from... ETA: And toasted/ground cumin seeds.

I love lime honey with jalapeno cornbread!!

The force, indeed! Imo, Tony has that certain je ne sais quoi (sp?) factor; a genuine voice. Not self-serving. Adventurous. Knowledgeable. FUN. In short, he's THE REAL DEAL. And no, I haven't had the pleasure of hanging out with him. At least, not yet.

I have Rosie's full report if anyone wants it...just PM me. I don't want to print it here without knowing if it's okay with her. (Thanks, Coughy!)

Rosie to the white courtesy phone...ROSIE, to the white courtesy phone... (credit: ejebud)

Full report and info from a VERY trusted source is here! And despite WTC's experience, it sounds to me like A mano is making VERY legit Neopolitan pizza. Can't wait to get over there!

Congratulations again to Eric and Matt!! AHD was voted as having the Best Hot Dogs in Northern NJ (with Rutt's Hutt at #2) on the AOL CityGuide poll... Of course, WE already knew this.

Here are some of my standard dishes to throw out to newbies in Indian restaurants...all are fairly straightforward, not crazy spicy, and hopefully won't scare them too much. I'm sure that Saffron offers them in some form or another! Samosas (be sure to encourage splitting them and adding some tamarind sauce) Mulligatawny soup (lentils and a tomato base) Naan and some of the Paratha (stuffed naan)...they usually have onion paratha, and I'm a fan of Keema (lamb) ones as well Chicken Tikka Masala is a great 'exotic' dish and a classic for newbies to try--Saffron does it well, so order it! Tandoori chicken or lamb or shrimp or fish may be playing it safe, but it sure is YUMMY A vegetable Korma (usually a creamy sauce of cashews and almonds) is tasty and rich Saag is essentially creamed spinach Aloo Chole (chick peas) Dal (lentils) in whatever sauce sounds good to you/them vegetable Biriyani is the Indian version of veg fried rice Make sure you get some raita, the yogurt 'sauce' for cooling Whatever you do, let them play it as safe as they'd like, but be sure to encourage them to taste whatever you get! And remember: if you can order a Thali, you/they can also get many tastes of different dishes--all on one plate! ENJOY! Now I'm craving Indian food. Thanks a LOT!

Assaggini Di Roma 134 Clifford Street Newark 973-466-3344

HYSTERICAL. I (obviously) had no idea, as I've never been!

I had a piece of the whole wheat pizza a week or so ago, and while it was tasty, I actually thought the dough was too thick for what it was. It LOOKS delicious, but after the second bite, I felt like they're just selling heavy brick oven pizzas to make $$...not great pizza. And for $3.85 for what's essentially a slice, well, now I've tried it.

There are two places in Lyndhurst that I like...not sure if that's too far. Turano's on Stuyvesant or Bella Vita (slightly thicker crust--great eggplant pie) on Ridge Road (intersection of Kingsland Ave). Not sure how well they'll travel to Clifton proper, but there's my two cents!

Interesting. Although I didn't dine there (we just had the cheese plate), I just loved the vibe of the place!

Uh, sure. Except that in the very first post, Peter mentioned one of my favorites...Altos Las Hormigas! I've also recently discovered Menage a Trois, a CA blend of Zin, Merlot and Cab. $8.95 at Total.

I was going to suggest you contact Pam R. REALLY!!

I recently had drinks and a couple of apps at the bar at Mercy...it's a beautiful space, great bar (with hooks for my purse--a telling (good) sign, imo) with comfortable service and experienced bartenders who not only made good drinks, but were also prepared for customers to eat at the bar. Great music playing, and if you want a slightly quieter space than the 'main' room, there is another one behind the wall of the bar as well as one downstairs. Oh, and the chef has an impressive background that includes Bouley. The night we were there, the place was full of a mix of folks from the 20-something crowd right up through 50ish, so I didn't feel like I was surrounded by kids, which often happens in the mile square city. This definitely has the potential to be my new place to hang in Hoboken! I loved the mini-veggie burgers (NOT a Boca/Gardenburger-type burger), and also had some yummy shrimp/spring rolls. I'm looking forward to getting in for dinner soon. I know they're participating in Hudson Restaurant Week...

Just noticed that the new (too small, too jammed-together, annoying parking lot, but I love cutting through to Costco) strip on Rt. 3 has added a few more signs. Joining the world's tightest Bed Bath & Beyond and an Uno's are Starbucks, Chipotle Grill and a Pollo Tropical. I've never eaten at CG or PT and am in no rush, but I'm wondering if PT is any good. Any of you ever tried it? I can't imagine their chicken being better than the $4.99 rotisserie bird from Costco...

Now you see why I said what I did about Morristown...this is not a town that WANTS people to come and stick around for fun! Of course, you can find bars that are open that late, but it's not what coughy and crew are looking for. Is there anything in Florham Park or E. Hanover that would work for you? The only place I can think of is the Ritz Diner (Livingston)--not too exciting. What's the ice cream place on S. Livingston Ave? Mark & Julie's? I'm not sure. ejebud, please pick up the white courtesy phone...ejebud...

There's an ice cream/candy shop on South Street as you head out to Rt. 287...all of about 3-4 blocks east of the theater, on the left (north) side of the street. Only problem is, the last time I went to the CT on a Saturday night (in summer, no less), the ice cream place closed at 10pm! Just Googled; the first page that came up was actually off of the CT site: South Street Creamery 146 South Street 973-267-8887 Just steps away from the theatre. Award-winning homemade ice cream, café and gourmet coffee shop. Private rooms available for parties. Cakes made to order for special occasions. One of my big complaints about Morristown is that it can't be a draw when the town closes up (except for restaurants) at 9-10pm!! You can definitely find diners open for dessert, but I don't know that many of them are great... Too far to go to Holsten's in Bloomfield, huh? Bummer. How old are these kids? ETA: Ricky's Candy Cone and Chaos 54 South St. Morristown, NJ 07960 Ph: (973) 644-9400

WOW...this is a looooooooovely addition to Hoboken! Was there last night, and was definitely impressed by the size of the place as well as the selection, esp of produce. Of course, some items (mostly pre-packaged) were overpriced (i.e. Pacific Veg Broth $3.99 a box), but I'd expect that in most markets in a town so small. Still, I'm sure it's a welcome sight for those living/working there. Lots of prepared foods (salads, sandwiches, plus self-serve salad and hot food bars), a small bakery dept, as well as seafood and deli; definitely a full service supermarket. My friend commented that it was a mix of Whole Foods and Kings; a valid observation, imo.

eGullet SO needs a headsmack icon. I'd certainly be using it right about now...of COURSE they're ham in those restaurants! I just read croquettes and that's what immediately came to mind.

Sounds to me like you need to head to the Ironbound or North Bergen! I always associate croquettes with Latin food...

That is SO true, Jim! I've never been able to figure out what it is about the place that's so unappealing. Even in the summer, sitting outside and listening to live music, I think the place is terrible. It definitely starts with the service issues, but I just can't get excited about going there, even just for coffee and dessert.

I guess I'll be the one to tell you, Rich...Newark and Elizabeth are NOT considered Central NJ! New Brunswick and below normally qualifies as Central (but those of us up north think it's all SOUTH after that!) That said, I know lots of people who love Assagini di Roma as well as Tony De Caneca's, both of which are in Newark.

I did a search and couldn't find anything about Market in the Middle, and frankly, I'm shocked that I didn't find one here! I'm also embarrassed to say that it's taken a couple of weeks for me to post about it. Here lies a spot that I would kill for in my neighborhood. Seriously. Small gourmet food and wine market attached to a lovely restaurant with a wonderful, large bar, which is where I spent a couple of lovely hours. Large, comfortable stools (with backs), good snacks, and a stunning cheese plate. Need I go on?!? Yes. We started out in the market, where I spent a bit of time chatting with the gentleman who is in charge of the wine section. When I spotted a Carmenere from across the aisle, he promptly opened a bottle and produced small plastic tumblers for tasting. Needless to say, this is what I drank at the bar, and we brought home a couple of bottles (a big $9 investment, btw). The wines are personally chosen by the owner(s), who do blind tastings and buy what they like, regardless of price. Prices range from under $10 to over $250. Again, this is a small shop, but I was hooked pretty quickly. We were headed to two other events that night, but the four of us hung out at the bar long enough to need a snack, which is where the cheese plate came in to play. I had spotted Piave in the cheese section of the market, and since it's a favorite, it was my only request--the rest of the cheeses were chosen by the chef. The large plate had 3-4 cheeses on it, along with a gorgeous (iirc) pear chutney, bread and crackers. Dining at the bar is not only doable, it's encouraged, and that's what I fully intend to do the next time I'm in AP. As I said, I'd kill for this place in my neighborhood, but at least now I have another reason to hit the shore this winter! Market in the Middle 516 Cookman Ave. Asbury Park, NJ 732-776-8886