Curlz

Yup. Edited to add Rich's question.

What she said! Meanwhile, I hear through the grapevine that reopening will likely be the first week of May. YIPPEE! Edit: Eric, I think you should use part of the photo caption as your new slogan: Amazing Hot Dog: Spreading joy and condiments

If you...arrgggh...twist....my...arm...um, SURE!! That would certainly help me avoid having to plant and grow my own stuff, wouldn't it?!? Seriously, though, I do have some good sun exposure off of my living room window, so a window box is a definite possibility! Also have a great sill over my kitchen window, but it gets indirect light.

Now that we who don't have yards are totally jealous, can you give me some suggestions for things that will grow well (preferably herbs) in SMALL pots in my apartment?!? I spend $$ at the farmer's market every week during the summer b/c I'm so taken by the fresh herbs...and veggies...and fruits...SIGH. Of course, that does offer me much more variety than I could grow in a little window box or pot on the window sill, I suppose! But I'd love a few ideas.

Interesting. Any idea where would one find a copy, Phil?

Adega Grill on Ferry Street is also good...and I'm with the majority on Casa Vasca; have always enjoyed their food.

My thoughts exactly!

I had wonderful success substituting matzoh meal for whole wheat pastry flour in this James Ormsby's Whole-Wheat carrot cake . The recipe calls for some nuts but I think you could easily leave them out. I haven't played around very much with a zucchini version but everybody at our seder really liked this one. (Works fine as a single recipe in a standard cake pan but if you try to double it, I'd recommend a tube or bundt pan so it cooks through.) I do use Passover baking powder and baking soda for this recipe. Jayne edited to add remark about baking powder/soda ← Jayne, thank you SO much for this recommendation! I made the carrot cake for our 2nd Seder (held last night--go figure) and it was a HUGE hit. It weighs a ton, though--is that from all of the ingredients, or is it because there is matzo meal in it? Either way, we all loved it, and I wanted to thank you. Curlz

He thought the sweet potato fries were LIMP?!? That's the first time I've heard that one...and unless I missed it, he didn't try the beef rib--his BIG loss, imho. But hey--congratulations to the Bruces and Phil! As long as the word is out, people will find out on their own how tasty the Q is.

I've actually had excellent luck with a group of 100 with a stand-around (some seating) tasting of this sort, but Brad is right--the key is to have enough staff or volunteers on hand to pour simultaneously. What we've done is have enough glasses for everyone to have one each for whites and reds, and once they have their glass, they hold on to it. We provide pitchers of water and dump buckets for rinsing them in between, and with some extras on hand, haven't had a problem. We also take the bottles and walk around to make the pours--much better than having 20 people attacking you at a table. Again, having a sense of what type of event you want to hold will help all of us focus on our suggestions.

You're getting great info here, but I will add my two cents about having wineries/vendors at these...personally, I think they can turn a tasting in to an impersonal event that doesn't focus on the non-profit. I also agree that it's crucial to stress that this is not a high-brow/stuffy event. A lot of people have that perception about wine tastings, and imo, those aren't the fun ones! If your goal is to have around 100 attendees, I'd far prefer a tasting led by a wine educator (the US has the Society of Wine Educators--don't know what you have up there) with food matched to the wines, and a better, imo, opportunity for your guests to really get an education--not just a ton of samples. A good caterer can work with you or the wine educator to pair the food with the wine, and in my experience, you can have a 2-3 hour event with half a dozen wines. Keep in mind that it's a tasting, not a 'drinking'!! Figure 2-3 oz. pours of each wine, and you'll see that you don't need a ton of it. The pacing of the food and tasting, along with the chance for a rep from the charity to make brief remarks, and an educator to talk about the wine(s) and answer questions can really make for a GREAT event. Your donors, prospects and friends will leave feeling good (wine's good that way ) about the charity, they will have had FUN, and they will have learned something!

Do you need a theme? I've organized Portuguese, Australian and South African wine tastings, just to name a few... How much do you want to charge attendees, and how much do you hope to raise? What's your price point? Any chance of getting the wine donated or underwritten by a sponsor? I'm an old hand at this...let me know what it is you're looking for and I'm happy to throw some ideas. Curlz

Maaaaaaaaajor BUMP. I finally had a chance to try Silk Road with friends who live in that part of the world; this restaurant is in their regular rotation thanks to a heads-up from me (I had read about it, but don't know where), and now that I've been, I can see why! As described above, it's a bit tough to find because of the way the shopping center is set up, and I certainly didn't notice the listing on the big sign out on the main road, but trust me that it's there and worth trying. The people who own/work the restaurant couldn't be nicer or more accommodating. We felt welcome from the moment we arrived, and watched as everyone who came in got the same warm greeting. I've never had Afghani food, but I knew to expect kabobs. But I didn't know about the wonderful Afghan bread (very naan-like, but oblong in shape), which arrived warm from the oven, in a 'basket' made of cloth napkins. YUM. The entrees also came with a cucumber/tomato/onion/cilantro salad that is similar to what is often served in Thai restaurants, but with a slightly lighter flavor in the 'dressing,' which appeared to be lemon and olive oil. Huge portions of it per person, too. For an app, we shared a potato and a Cadu (butternut squash) Bholani, the Afghan version of a samosa, I suppose, although these are flat. Again, YUM. What could be bad about warm, flaky pastry pockets filled with potato or butternut squash?!? For the entree, I went traditional--the lamb kabob with Naringe Palaw, a wonderful rice dish that has saffron, fresh orange peels, almonds and pistachios mixed in. My only complaint is that it was a tad sweet for me, but considering the clear plate at the end of the meal, it wasn't that big of a problem! My friends (who don't share much) had the chicken and beef kabobs and the vegetarian dumplings, which were filled with scallions and cilantro and cooked lentils. The 2.5 year-old did let me taste the sauce on her Chicken Korma, and it was very tasty. Sadly, we didn't have dessert there, as the very pregnant one in the group declared that we (SIGH) had to go to Coldstone Creamery. You just don't argue with the belly, esp within a month of the due date! Next time I'll try the baklava or the Afghan style rice pudding at Silk Road, thankyouverymuch. All in all, simple, tasty food, and the prices were very reasonable: apps were mostly $3-$5, meat entrees were all around $15-$17, with some (i.e. the Korma) far less ($7-14). Silk Road Restaurant 41 Mountain Blvd Village Square Mall Warren Twp 908-561-8288 BYO, Closed Mondays No web site from what I can see My best directions: Rt. 78 East or West to Exit 36, then go south (a right if you came off of 78 East, a left if you come off of 78 West) on the road off of the exit ramp. When you get to the light at Mountain Boulevard, there's a Kings Super Market on the left corner--turn left, and the shopping center is about 1/4 mile down on the left. This would be a fun place to go with a group!

The other Ora thread is here, for whatever it's worth... My brother went with a large group (14, iirc) and they spent the next few days talking about how mediocre the food was, how bad the service was, and the ridiculously high cost. That combo was all I needed to hear!

Ah, one of my favorite topics! We were just discussing this at lunch today...here are a few of my favorite spots for al frescO dining (can't an admin change that?!?), whether high or low(er)-brow: The Jefferson's back patio or sidewalk tables (Hoboken) Elysian Cafe (Hoboken) Margherita's (Hoboken) Trattoria Fresco's back patio (Caldwell) Raymond's (Montclair) Beyond Pita (Montclair) 27 Mix (Newark) Calcada at NJPAC (Newark) Cafe Metro's front porch (Denville) Denville Dairy's benches (Denville) Tinga Taqueria (Millburn) Shake Shack (NYC) And of course, I'm looking forward to an Amazing Hot Dog in their parking lot... I'm sure I'll think of more just as soon as I hit Add Reply. Don't forget to bring your shades!

You can also just run them under some hot water! Of course, then you have to dry them

Yes, one would think so, but sadly, that doesn't seem to be the case. I draw your attention to this thread, and thank Kim for showing me this one. Good to know I'm not alone!

Two points for clarification: we did sit at the bar, and most of the food was wonderful. Sadly, that's not what we took away from the experience.

As previously promised, I'm back to report on the name of the restaurant, because it has been over a month since I sent them a letter detailing the events of our dinner. I haven't heard a word from them. Granted, I started the letter by telling them that I did not have plans to return to Las Vegas and didn't want anything from them, but I didn't think I had to specify that a response would have been nice. The restaurant was L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon. Don't waste your money.

Sorry--I did realize that! Just still can't stop thinking about FSS' Q!!

I was waiting for the pics TOO, but since they (AHEM) don't seem to be showing up, I'll add my two cents. This was my second experience with Ethiopian food (all in the same week!), so I can now officially say that I like it. I agree that the shrimp were fishy--so much so that after the initial bite, we all left that dish behind. Other than that, though, I thought the food at Harrar was very tasty. I love the unusual blend of spices in Ethiopian dishes; any time I've mentioned it, I've told friends that if you like Indian food, you'll like Ethiopian--but they're totally different, if that makes any sense! My favorite at Harrar was definitely the lentil-filled sambousas (which came with a mint chutney that was excellent, and a sambal-ish sauce that I didn't try b/c I could see the fire in it). I also loved the lamb dish, which, iirc, was the 'special' lamb cooked in a pot. The beef was terrific as well. Portions were ample, prices low, and service very nice, but not exactly on the ball. The waiters were the chefs and vice-versa, so if they were busy doing one thing, they weren't doing the other--but don't let that stop you from going! This is definitely a great small spot, and I'll certainly be back. Now if we just had some pictures...

And the beef ribs. And the pulled pork. And...

Very interesting to hear about Stephanie's, as there has been so little mentioned about the place here on eG. Short discussion here. It's all of a mile from where I live...may have to try it, even though I'm officially spoiled by Front Street Smokehouse now.

I was wondering why I was craving red meat for the last couple of days...SIGH. And of course, now I realize that I was also eating Baked Lays yesterday, and the awesome Spinach Pie that Costco sells. You'd think after 28 years, I'd realize what's up!! Btw, sign me up for a manservant as well. ANY time of the month!

WOW, you're fast. Thanks!! Interesting that the apples are kept whole! Have you ever made it before? It sounds yummy--and worth a try. Thanks again! Curlz