Curlz

Now that's some dangerous info!! Thanks...

I guess this is the best place for this post; there is a Thai Chef thread, but it's for the one at Riverside Square. I had dinner last night at Thai Chef in Montclair for the first time...and couldn't believe that I had never noticed the place! It's on an odd stretch of Bloomfield Ave b/c it's in the mix of a few car dealers, and even though it's prime real estate (near the Valley Rd intersection), I had never noticed it before--and it's not tiny! 2.5 of us arrived a solid 45 mins before the third, so we had a grazing meal of: Tom Kha Gai (sp?) soup Duck Spring Rolls Chicken Satay Seared Scallop salad Pad Thai (for the .5 in the group--she's 3 and only wants NOODLES) Ginger Beef The scallop 'salad' was our clear winner, but the ginger beef was RIGHT behind it. I say 'salad' b/c it wasn't necessarily listed as such, but it was one of 3 identical dishes--the variations being with scallops, shrimp or duck. There is a mix of lettuces, julienned carrots, cukes, peppers, lots of lime , mushrooms and probably a few other items I'm leaving out, and they plop the just-seared scallops on top of it. I was surprised by how big it was, considering it was an appetizer and not very expensive ($8-9?). The satay was tasty, and although I enjoyed the duck rolls (the sauce is terrific but a bit sweet), they were far too messy to eat by hand and didn't have enough duck in them. The ginger beef was full of zucchini and onions and the sauce was delicate but very flavorful. Service was eh, but not horrible. The weirdest thing was that after ordering the first four items, our waitress repeated our order for confirmation and then flipped over the menu she was holding and pointed to an item and asked if we wanted to order it as well. It was the Grand Marnier chocolate souffle. WHAT THE...?!? In a Thai restaurant. Go figure! The place is BYO. We drank (tap) water, but there is Evian and Pellegrino (?) on the table in case you want to buy it. When we arrived at 6:15, about 1/4 of the tables were occupied. By 7pm, the place was FULL. The bill (before tip) came to $56. Will definitely go back to try some other dishes; overall, I thought the food was good but not spectacular, and the prices were reasonable. I think the food at Thai Thai in Sterling is far superior, and their service certainly is as well, but I'm pleased to have something a little closer. Next time...Little Saigon!

Haven't been there for brunch, but Petite Cafe is a really cute spot!! But I wouldn't call it high end for brunch or lunch--just keep that in mind.

edited to delete the duplicate posting

Uhboy. This is one of my biggest pet peeves! If any of you feel the same way, pick up a copy of Eats, Shoots & Leaves and you'll see that we are not alone. In fact, we probably aren't nearly as peeved as we think we are...

Thanks a lot for torturing me here in snowy NJ, Carolyn! Seriously, those pics are stunning...thanks for sharing! I only wish someone had put a hand or utensil or something in with the photo of the bastilla; that thing is ginormous!!! I'm betting you had a great time, and I'm sufficiently jealous. Looking forward to the details. Curlz

I suspected as much when he didn't respond to the Hot Dog Run posts! GET WELL SOON, Fink!!

COMPLETELY agree! I wasn't aware of this contest, but I just watched both videos. While I don't doubt that the other guy has talent, he was just a little too "ON" for me as a potential viewer. Hans was real, and seemed so very comfortable (both at the stove and in front of the camera) that I'm sure I would enjoy watching his show. I also agree completely with his philosophy about recipes. I voted for him--hope others will as well!

If you really want high end and aren't restricted to Montclair, you should hit the Hilton Short Hills brunch. $$, but certainly high end!!

How's the food in general at Bluestone? Or for that matter, the coffee? I only recently noticed the place as I drove up Watchung...

FYI, an updated list of participating restaurants has been posted on the HRW web site.

Since I remember dining there with a certain man who I no longer live with, I can tell you that it was 5+ years ago that I ate there, Gilligans Island references and all. It had only recently opened or been reviewed, and when we went I was pleasantly surprised. Haven't been back since (for no particular reason) but I can tell you that the place is tiny, the decor was nice, it was a bit pricy for what it was, but the food was good. Parking can be tough to come by over there, and I do recall driving past it a couple of times before we realized which storefront it was. It's not too far past the Candlewyck Diner if you're coming in from Rutherford--and it's on the right side if you're heading north on Hackensack.

Frank-- You were indeed close, and it IS a very confusing area! No surprise at all that you ended up in Chatham. From the Mall, your best bet would be to get on 24 East and take the 2nd exit, which is for (I'm preeeeeeeety sure) Springfield/Millburn. The ramp loops around and you'll cross over 24 and be on a 3 lane, 1-way road. There's a huge Bed, Bath & Beyond on the left--keep going straight, stay to the right, and go through the light at Scotty's Steaks and through the next one, which is almost immediate--that's where Millburn Ave ends at Morris Ave. The WL is just past the Millburn Ave light/intersection, on the left. Going back is FAR easier--turn right out of the WL and just stay on that road, which is a 2-way that eventually runs parallel with Rt 24W, and you'll be back at the mall. Their web site, www.winelibrary.com, has directions at the bottom of the home page--but none of them bring you in this way--probably b/c it's so damn confusing!!! Trust me, though--these will get you there. If you go from home, there are lots of other ways--PM me and I'll be happy to help.

You could try Mazur's in Lyndhurst...

Resurrecting this thread b/c I was surprised that there wasn't a general Wine Library thread in the NJ forum; maybe Rosie can change the name of this one? I just wanted to report that after leaving the hot dog run in Millburn yesterday, I had to stop in to see the newly renovated Wine Library location--and it's a MAJOR improvement from the previous store! They've expanded (same bldg) in to a beautiful new space that includes an elevator to the second floor, which is where "all of our bordeaux, from $7 to $700 is...", along with Riedel and Spieglau stemware, decanters and accessories. Upstairs is full of dark wood moulding and shelving, along with a half a wall of coolers that contained some rather pricy stuff; the most expensive single bottle I spotted was a Petrus for, iirc, $459.99. They also have a 'large format' section that's just fun to browse through--magnums + of wines from all over the world. Everything is wired; I saw the staff checking inventory via Palm Pilots with a memory card/stick...pretty cool! And their staff is very helpful and from what I overheard, knowledgeable. If they don't have it, they can usually get it, and they do ship via their web site. The main floor houses the rest of the wines, along with beer, liquor and other basics. If you haven't been and are in the area, it's certainly worth a visit. It's basically on the corner of Millburn and Morris Avenues--if you're familiar with the big free-standing Bed, Bath & Beyond or Kings in Short Hills, you're within 1/2 mile. Wine Library 586 Morris Avenue Springfield, NJ 07081 www.winelibrary.com

Katie-- Blue Hill at Stone Barns is serving a Bloodless Mary, and it was made with tomato water. I am NOT a fan of tomato juice and was happily (OH so happily) enjoying my purple basil mojito (hey--it was after Noon, and even if it hadn't been, I just had to order one) but did actually taste the Mary. And it was gorgeous. If you like tomatoes/tom juice, that is... I'm sure it involves hours of straining...all that for, um, tomato juice. Water. Whatever. Ring up Dan Barber and ask how he's making them!

Since I was only on the Millburn Mall section of the run (Syd's, Sonny A's, Tabatchnick's), I hardly qualified as an official participant yesterday, but I still want to thank John for his coordination of the day! Between Syd's and the 1/2 of the (GIANT) dog I shared with John at Tabatchnick's, I'd have to say that I liked the Syd's dog the best. And yes, I grew up eating all-beef and/or kosher hot dogs, so I guess he's right about our being predisposed to what we ate as kids! Btw, I'll mention the fact that when you open the front door at Syd's, you're face-to-face with a 2003 Star Ledger article all about John and his hot-dog knowledge! So if you have questions, he is indeed the guy to query. Sounds like the rest of the day was fun...did any of you eat dinner last night?!?

Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen a seeded hot dog bun in NJ! Then again, I'm not a huge dog eater, so what do I know? I'm catching up with you all at Syd's for the trio in Millburn--looking forward to it! Curlz

Sure, Katie! As long as I get mine sans oyster... Sorry--just don't like 'em. I'll let my dad have my share when he gets in there--I'll just help deplete the wine supply!

Oh, but I hope Steven enjoys this new moniker as much as I did reading it! Fresser, with that sense of humor, you're welcome on ANY board that eG has, but certainly on the NJ one. Join us! There. Your official invite. Curlz

I'd like to think that P&O packs 'em in b/c of their wine selection--I agree that it isn't because of the food. Then again, with so many great BYO restaurants in reach of Rutherford, there are LOTS of other choices!!

I haven't been there yet, but I'm betting you'll find some good ideas via The Artisanal Cheese Center web site...they're at 500 West 37th Street and 10th Avenue. That's just a starting point; I'm sure others on the board will have reccomendations for you as well! And depending on the date of your visit, you might be able to get some bargain meals via the NY Restaurant Week promo.

As far as I'm concerned, that's a BAD thing, b/c this area just keeps getting mediocre restaurants!!

Correct on all counts, ghost!

Kudos, Wine Goddess! Great news.