Curlz

There are a few threads that might be of help... this one is about bringing food to the hospital, and this one is entitled Food for Mourning; I'm betting you'll find some good ideas in there, as they cover the issue of people on medication as well as stuff that freezes well. And there's another one along similar lines, but I can't seem to find it right now. If I do, I'll edit this post, but those should get you started! Just keep in mind that freezing stuff in small portions is usually helpful to those who are recovering, esp older folks.

Since when?!? Nettie Ochs is one of the few farms that have my favorite apples in the fall (winesaps)...

Looks like Whole Foods carries it, which tells me you're not likely to find it at Costco any time soon...! I wonder if any of the big Asian markets carry it? I'll be curious to try it, as I don't like the artificially sweetened teas, and the regular ones are always way too sweet for me. Thanks for the tip!

I can't remember the name of it, but there's a big family-owned farm on Rt 202 on the southernmost end of Morristown, close to the border of Bernardsville, iirc. Not sure where you are, but they always had great peaches in the summer and tons of apples and pumpkins in the fall! I'm sure the name will come to me as soon as I log off... Edit 30 mins later: Wightman's! I knew it would pop... My bro and SIL are part of an organic CSA in Montclair and I had some spectacular peaches from them this weekend; I'll get the name of that farm for you tomorrow. I agree that there's nothing like a fresh peach, juice running down your hand/arm as you bite in to it!

I picked up a couple of eight ball zucchinis at the Montclair FM at the Walnut Street train station yesterday. For those unfamiliar with them (I was until last year), picture a zuke the size and shape of a grapefruit. I also picked up a piece of Colby with chives, some new pickles from the Pickleicious stand, and a couple of pieces of bi-color corn. Haven't tried any of it yet since I was on the run all weekend, but the stuff I tasted there was delicious. My bro and SIL are part of one of the organic CSAs in Montclair, and they had a crazy amount of peaches this week, so I didn't buy any fruit from the FM since I knew I'd be getting a bunch of them. The peaches are WONDERFUL. So fuzzy. And SO sweet! I made a peach and blueberry gallette with some of them last night...a perfect summer dessert, if I do say so myself!

I haven't been, but I know a few people who love Solar de Minho. Just curious...is Seabra's Rodizio the one on the corner of 21 and Bridge Street, diagonally opposite the Newark Bears stadium? If so, I was completely underwhelmed by it the one time I was there (for a fundraising dinner). I didn't have rodizio that night, but the buffet had the usual offerings (garlic shrimp, mussels, pork, calamari, etc.), all of which were completely mediocre.

Funny...when I think of these, I immediately think of Nasto's, which is based in Newark's (NJ) Ironbound section. I am particularly fond of the pear, although many restaurants don't carry it. I usually stop in and pick up a bunch of them to keep in my freezer.

Guess that link only worked the day the article appeared! Click here, and then on Food and Dining on the menu on the left side of the page. The first article (right now) under Food is New Jersey's Hot Dog Maven. Note: this last link is taking you right to the article--at least as of now.

How about Kyma for Greek food? It's on the corner of 46th and 8th, just one avenue over from Broadway. Beautiful space serving classic Greek dishes, and iirc, a full bar (if that matters). I've was only there once, and sadly, had been having an upset stomach that day, so I ate sparingly. My friends enjoyed grilled octopus (an entire tentacle), sausages and grilled shrimp (huge, butterflied) while I had the avgolemono (chicken soup with lemon), which really hit the spot before heading off to see a show. The few tastes I had of their dishes will definitely get me back again the next time I'm in the theater district.

No need to apologize after that post, DG! Thanks for setting the record straight. It's always great to have another feisty female around.

It's so true. This message brought to you by a non-PR gal.

Anyone who has been reading eG for a while must know that folks in the regional forums get a little leery of a first-time poster who sounds like a restaurant PR person. It's not to say that all enthusiastic first-timers are PR people; just that there is a tone in some posts that can come across that way. Phrases like Here's a sample of their menu (which can change based on availability) send up red flags. If Diner Girl was simply an enthusiastic customer, that's great--but it would probably help if she made that clear.

Perhaps this is good news for the Stagehouse; my experience there last fall was very disappointing. Edit: Does anyone know how long he was at the Lincroft Inn? Just curious.

That's great, John! Congratulations! Here's the direct link...

Is there a link for it? No luck Googling...

Black and/or raspberries are a TERRIFIC pairing with mango anything, in my book! Where's the party?

Since others are throwing higher-end dining experiences and Montclair in to the mix, I can't help but mention FASCINO.

No, and no! I thought the same thing...in fact, I thought he gave more than a little love to NJ. To wit: "...As much as I hate to leave this place, most Jerseyites have no connection at all to strip clubs and mobsters. What they do know about is going down the shore for the summer." and "...It means something being from New Jersey. It means you have a sense of humor." I thought he did a great job of acknowledging all of the usual references to NJ but also saying that's not what the state is all about. Did he wax poetic about the numerous other kinds of restaurants we have in NJ? Nope...but it also wouldn't have fit in to this piece, from what I read. My $.02. And if you don't like it, well...fuggedaboutit.

Okay, so we've established where he'll be...the hotel is basically at the intersection of Rts 46 and 202 in Parsippany. Definitely not far from the Pine Brook or Denville suggestions, but also still accessible to all of the other places mentioned on Rt 10. Personally, if I knew that Lou was going to be at AAG that night, I'd go there--a friendly(?) eG face to welcome you after a long flight sounds good to me! And it's a given that he'll eat well there.

Okay, if he does go to Montclair, I have some other recs to throw in the mix: Indigo Smoke for Q (on Bloomfield Ave) Greek Delights for, well, delightful Greek (on Park St) Egan & Sons for a great pub atmosphere and decent pub food (on Walnut St) Little Saigon for great Vietnamese with mediocre service (on Elm St, just off Bloomfield) If I wasn't feeling so lazy, I'd create links to discussions about all of these spots...

Believe me when I say that's not the route I'd take, Hitmanoo--I just think it's a direct shot from EWR for someone who doesn't know the area! Trust me...I'm known for my back routes, great directions and short cuts! All without the aid of GPS, btw.

I grew up in Parsippany, so please trust me that the most direct route from EWR to Parsip is (now) 78W to 24W to 287N to Rts 80/46. Agreed that if we knew exactly where he's staying, it would help, but I'll offer some ideas anyway, and I'll start by saying that if he doesn't want to go too far out of his way, Essex County spots don't make sense. He can easily hop on Rt 10 off of 287 and head up to Lou's place in 10 minutes; he can drive less than that and hit Il Villagio on Rt 10 in Powder Mill Plaza for Italian food; he can go in the other direction on Rt 10 and go to Saffron for excellent Indian food. On Rt 46E in Parsippany, there's the diner at the intersection of Baldwin Road and 46--right near Smith Field...used to be called the Empire, iirc. Nothing phenomenal, but he could eat at a real NJ diner that way. Further up 46 (Eastbound) on the Pine Brook border is Marakesh, for Moroccan food, and then he's up towards the Chinese places that Rachel mentioned. On the Westbound side of 46 in Pine Brook is Tiffany's, which has ribs, bar food, and a sports bar--he could certainly eat that late with no problem there. On the Westbound lanes of 46, he can head towards Denville, for a GREAT ice cream place on Main St--Denville Dairy; swamped 'til at least 11pm every night. For eats around there, I have no idea if the Firehouse is still open or any good, but it's definitely a place for bar food/burgers. Every place I've named is within a 10 mile radius of the Parsippany hotels, and most are even closer than that.

Finally made it back to The Jefferson this week, and was quickly reminded that it had been too long since my last visit. Despite the humidity, we opted to sit on the back patio, which is really lovely...small trees, white lights and a few market umbrellas really give the space a nice feel. There's also music playing (at an unobtrusive volume, I might add), and a fan/a.c. unit over the door to the restaurant helps keep the air moving out back. Little touches like brightly colored glass tiles used as coasters for the water bottles just added to the atmosphere of being on someone's back patio--something I miss a lot this time of year, thanks to (grrr) apartment living. I had completely forgotten about the early bird special--3 courses for $18.01, which is a great deal, imo. I went for it, and chose the artichoke app that I've had before, the goat cheese and spinach ravioli with pine nuts in a sage and brown butter sauce, and vanilla gelato. My mom is a vegetarian, and she lit up when our server mentioned the day's pasta special: strozapretti (sp?) with grilled eggplant, asparagus, tomatoes and other veggies. She also managed to 'help' with my artichokes. Chef stopped by to say hi just as we were finishing the app and upon hearing that Mom was excited about the forthcoming pasta, he told us to sit tight, as he wanted to send something out for us. A little while later, our server brought us the pizza of the day, which was wonderful--a thin, oblong crust that had been grilled and topped with the lightest tomato puree, sea salt and arugula, and just enough mozzarella di bufala (mentioned during specials as buffalo mutz by our waiter, which I loved b/c it was so Hoboken) to remind you that it's not always all about the cheese. Suffice it to say that we loved it. The rest of the meal was also terrific; the thing I love about Michael's food is that it's such simple combinations that result in such wonderful flavors. I don't leave there feeling like I can't move or eat the next day--if anything, I leave thinking about when I can get back there to try something else on the menu! Great news, btw--Michael said that the revised web site is now up and running...you can check it out here. He also said that they'll be hosting another wine dinner in August, as the last one was so well-received. I was really thrilled to see how busy the restaurant was as we left around 8:30pm; every space (the back patio, main room, bar area and the tables out on Washington Street) was hopping, even though there was still room for a few more people. One of the things I love about this place (IN ADDITION TO THE FOOD, OF COURSE) is that you can pop in wearing jeans or nice shorts, or you can go dressed for a night out--either way, it's comfortable and welcoming at The Jefferson. I'll remind everyone that you really don't have the "parking in Hoboken sucks" excuse here--they validate for a few hours at the big lot at the top of Washington Street, a half a block away.

Thanks mucho, Nizza!

Can either of you tell us about the type of restaurant, location, etc.? Thanks!