Curlz

Imho, I'd avoid the 3+ miles of stop-and-go of Bloomfield Avenue and take GSP Exit 145 to Rt. 280W to exit 8B (Prospect Avenue North--towards Verona/Montclair/the Caldwells). Go about 2 miles (you'll pass The Manor--keep going) to the intersection of Prospect and Bloomfield Avenues, turn left, and you're there! It's on the right, just after the Acura dealer. Link to directions off of the AHD site are here.

Very interesting--at 5:30 on Friday, Dave said there were only a few tables occupied and a couple of take-out orders waiting on the counter. Guess most people haven't noticed the change. As for Bensi, I went once (a few years ago) when one opened near me. I had no clue that they were a small chain, but I was completely underwhelmed.

Nope...Monday!!

One of my friends who was at the "we're charging for extra rice" dinner went back to Thai Thai for takeout last night. He called me today to ask if anyone had posted about the place recently, b/c it's the first time he has been back since that dinner. He was truly disappointed by the food, and said it's the first time ever that dinner from Thai Thai repeated on him. Not a good sign, to say the least! He and I are speculating that maybe the original chef stuck around for a while but has now left...does anyone know? Anyone been in the last month or two?

The answer is Mueller's on Central Ave in Newark, Jason! Mueller's Wholesale Florist 156 Central Ave Newark, NJ 07103 (973) 621-7555 No web site--they're old school.

YUP!!

Indigo Smoke in Montclair is the answer! K.C. 'cue and GREAT sides...

More importantly, what will we serve them on/in?!?

Thanks for the link! As for your VT mug, if I can figure out how to use ImageGullet, I'll post a pic of my favorite giant pottery mug, which I brought back from Sedona, AZ many years ago...

UM, LINK, PLEASE!!!

There's a whole thread about this very topic, 'tho I can't find it at the moment. But know that you are NOT alone, jgm! Edit: Link found. Here you go!

I stopped by and was lucky enough to have a few samples courtesy of the chef himself! I tasted: a) possibly the best fries EVER b) buffalo dogs (in buffalo wing sauce) c) egg roll dogs (?) (picture a small egg roll but w/a dog inside), served with sweet and sour dipping sauce d) "the schmear" which sounds weird but was really tasty--cream cheese and scallions alongside the dog e) the breakfast dog--wrapped in bacon, with an egg and cheese under it I suspect AHD is going to be very busy on Monday (and beyond)! Congrats to Eric and his business partner (Matt) on getting the place in great shape and for their creative and yummy menu! My niece is already asking "When can we go to the hot dog restaurant?" Really.

Absolutely! That's the one I go to when I go, but it's not exactly next door, so I have to plan to go when I'm coming up the Turnpike or GSP, which isn't all that often.

Circa in High Bridge is on my list... And on a completely different note, as of next Monday, Amazing Hot Dog in Verona!

SO...? How was it, guys?!?

What she said. Yeah, THAT.

Congrats on your no-corrected moniker, Montclairite! Glad you could see the humor that I did...

Finally got back to Zaytinya, as I was in DC for a few days for a conference. (Separate note: why do I always seem to be here right before Restaurant Week?!? ) Started out with the over-the-top-lemony lemon martini (loved it). Then, as in past visits, I found it impossible to stay away from the lamb; this time, we had the lamb 'lollipops,' which were SO tender and so perfectly rare that I considered ordering another plate of them so I could have a second one. Why must we share at Zaytinya?!? The lamb shank is another favorite of mine, and it didn't disappoint. We also had the kalamari with spinach and lemon (divine) and the carrot-apricot fritters, which we weren't nuts about. For dessert, I ordered the Namoura, a "warm semolina cake, Muscat cream, orange segments, apricot-yogurt sorbet, carmelized almonds." Steve, that is one stunning dessert!!! After my first bite of the sorbet, I declared that it was "Sunshine on a spoon!" My dining friend had to agree, once he stopped making fun of me and had a taste. The cake---YUM. And with a glass of muscat, it was a perfect ending to the meal.

For those who don't follow the DC-area food scene (I do since I have family down there), CG is known for her, um, shall we say, ATTITUDE. I've yet to eat in her restaurant because I don't like what I've read about her (i.e. many rules in her restaurant, lack of flexibility), but I've also read that her food is good. Despite all of this, she does manage to stay in business.

It's so disheartening to read your post, Daniel. While I haven't been to TF&TP in years, it comes as a shock that so much has gone downhill. It certainly has been touted as one of NJ's premier restaurants for a long time. I hope your experience was an anomaly and am curious to hear if others have had similar experiences recently. Next time you're in the mood for a great meal, give Fortunato a try. Really. The tone/decor of the place isn't as fancy as TF&TP, but the food is far better than what you've described here, the wine list is terrific, and the staff will bend over backwards to take care of you. Oh, and I don't think they have even one entree that hits the $30 mark.

Scattered discussion of questionable quality is an understatement, methinks! And I'm with Tommy--very anxious to get out there, but it isn't exactly next door. Has anyone been yet? I know that Chef is really excited about the place, and that there's a buzz about it in town (have friends who live in Califon)--a great start indeed, with Michael's talent.

In addition to the "surf 'n turf," Shola said we were to have had "bacon and eggs (the pork belly + quail eggs)"...but instead, we got a bonus course!

Great news!! And I'm hoping Jeff is happy he had a web site to include with the review...

Where to begin...where to begin? First of all, a thank you again to Andrew and Katie for coordinating the res and the vino! And to all of the Philly eG'ers and their friends for their wonderful (ahem) hospitaliano. More hours have passed since my last post, but the glow is still with me. Andrew, your pics are WONDERFUL--I'm so glad, since mine aren't as good, and I haven't attempted to use ImageGullet yet. A few additional comments: Shola's ingredients are all the best of the best (i.e. the pork belly was from a Berkshire pig). The quality is further emphasized by the oh-so-anally arranged spices, flours and other ingredients on the shelves at SK, including his little bottles of various 'essences.' Upon opening any of them and taking a snif, you know it's the freshest and highest quality ___ he can get. Shola is just so open about how and why he does things, and it's a joy to chat with him as he explains his work. To say he is passionate is a tremendous understatement. He asked each of us which course was our favorite, and it was almost impossible to choose one, but I finally went with the lamb. It was definitely the best lamb I've ever eaten. And the broth...OH, the broth. Pure genius. I was happy to hear Shola admitting that it was an experiment (the broth) and that he was thrilled with the results too. I also have to comment on the "Sholives" with the cheese course. Please believe me that the blueberries were the BEST--the most blueberriest is what I said that night--that I've ever eaten. They were just blueberries to the nth degree, as were the black grape and the cherry. Unbelieveable. The wines all worked well, but I must admit that I couldn't drink the wet dog, even when it became damp dog. Just didn't work for me, esp after the Teroldego, which I really enjoyed. I had never had that wine before, but it worked really well with the food, and the price point is also appealing! I would have to say that I loved the sherry most of all, though--it was fantastic on its own as well as with the last two courses. Finally, I would like to offer up an ode to StudioKitchen. Ahem... S is for Studio, but it's also for: Sharing Shola Spectacular Stunning S'wonderful...S'marvelous! K is for Kitchen, but it's also for: Karma (something was at work when that seat became available and my schedule worked!) Knock-you-off-the-planet food Kudos to Shola Mostly, K is for the KMost amazing meal I've had not only this year, but I do believe, EVER. (The K is silent on that last one.) Here's to at least a few SK dinners in '06!!

I don't know what to do. After last night's meal, everything else pales. I'm waiting for our official 'scribes' to post content and pics, but suffice it to say that this was a spectacular meal. Likely the best overall meal I have EVER eaten. I've been thinking about it, talking about it and showing off the few pics I took all day. SHOLA RULES.