Curlz

Probably haven't been there in over 5 years, but it's a little local place--fine for breakfast or lunch if you're out running errands, but no--nothing impressive the last time I was there.

I'd say more than oh-oh on this one...I'd say OUCH. You can read it here.

I posted this on the NY board but will say it here as well--I'm planning to go and am trying to get a few friends to join me; if anyone wants to hang with us, just let me know! Sounds like a good cause and a good time, and I know that Anthony and Amy have been working hard on the event. Join us! Curlz

Thanks for that link, ghost! Van Saun is the park I was thinking of...fwiw, in addition to the 'usual' park items, they have pony rides and a great little zoo! Something to keep in mind if you're going to have lots of kids there. The Lyndhurst parks that I mentioned are Riverside North and South; North has an awesome (still new) dog park in it, along with walking trails, and TONS of picnic space. I believe they have grills there as well. South is a bit different, but since they're all of 1/2 mile apart, if you go look at one, you can check out the other!

I tried to have lunch at Raymond's but it was too packed and we were a party of 6, but I know for sure that it's a nice setting and without question, kid-friendly. If you're not set on brunch per se, you could go to the lunch buffet at Saffron (Indian food) in East Hanover! Definitely open for lunch on Saturday, and the buffet is 9.95pp and VERY good. And you could show them that we have good Indian food on this side of the pond, too! I've been there on more than one occasion with my friends and their 1 year-old and every staff member has fawned all over her, so the kid's okay! Here's the Saffron thread. The Hilton Short Hills brunch is definitely NOT for a two year-old--go when it's just adults, or at least kids over 8 who know how to go to a restaurant! Other thoughts: Famished Frog in Morristown is family-friendly, but I don't know how good the food is...Hoboken has the Frozen Monkey and is a fun town to walk around before/after if the weather permits. FM isn't fancy, but it's cool, and the breakfast I had there with my 3 year-old niece was both fun and tasty. I'm actually starting to wonder why you wouldn't want to give them a true NJ diner breakfast/lunch experience! I can't imagine they're finding that in the UK...

Definitely similar, 'tho the only thing I've ever had at Qdoba is their (steak) burrito in a bowl--and I get it EVERY time I go! Not often, but when I do get it, I think it's pretty tasty for what it is.

Lewis Morris Park in Morristown is definitely a good call, then...unless they have changed their regulations, you can bring alcohol in with a permit. There are also a few big parks in Bergen County...two on Riverside Ave in Lyndhurst that are constantly in use by large groups like yours. There is also one up in Paramus but the name escapes me...perhaps the Perlows or someone else can remember the name?

Is it okay to say that I love you all?!?

How about doing something up at Harriman? It's just over the border in NY state...and it's GORGEOUS up there!

auntdot (and you don't know how funny that is--I have one! But she's not on line, I assure you)--how much is a tad in this case? Latest update: Today I gave my mom, a vegetarian, a container of the soup. She requested that I not fuss with it any further, as she doesn't need everything to have 'zip' and certainly wouldn't eat it if I gave it too much 'kick.' Talked to her a little while ago and she said she didn't know what my problem was and that she thought it was wonderful. Ah, moms. I then heated up a portion for myself, added some white pepper and a smiiiiiiidge of cayenne + 1/2 a pinch more of (K) salt. DELISH. Still a mild soup, but at least now I felt like the flavor moved forward a bit, if that makes any sense. Next bowl will get some regular onions sauteed in bacon fat. Just b/c I must complete all experiments!

Would this work equally well if I made the tadka using bacon fat instead of oil or butter? Yes, I'm serious. My boring local supermarket didn't have watercress, and since I was in the city today, didn't have time to go elsewhere. I bought some bacon, some white pepper and figure I'll dice up some regular onion and saute it in bacon fat and see if I can't doctor it up that way. And fwiw, I had this thought that maybe if I stopped trying to repair the entire pot of soup and just focused on each bowl as I'm about to have it, I can likely do a better job. I'll let you know how that goes within the next hour! In general, I'm not heavy-handed when it comes to salt, but I have learned that when I'm making soup, it's a crucial element--and one that I normally 'layer' as I'm making the soup. That opportunity didn't present itself in this case. Also, a clarification--the veggies (sans potato) were all carmelized. And beautifully so! Hence the sweet but boring flavor.

This is a perfect example of why I need a digital camera...then I could prove to you that I was crying from laughing at this post!!! WELCOME indeed...I believe you've found your rightful owners!

REALLY wish I had known that sooner, GG!!! Any reason I couldn't add it tomorrow?

As usual, you guys rock! Thanks much for all of the suggestions. -I used russet potatoes, which is what the recipe called for. -Considered using some chicken stock instead of all water, but decided to do what I usually do with a new recipe, esp for soup--follow the recipe as written and then decide what I'd do differently next time. -Yes, I've added quite a bit of salt (for me) and it's still not pulling out as much flavor as I'd like it to. -AHA! re: the Vidalia, which I chose b/c I figured since I was carmelizing the vegetables it was smarter to use a sweeter onion. DUH. -Howard, your post really did make me LOL! I must say, the soup is a gorgeous color (thanks to the carmelization of the vegs) and also has a beautiful texture, which is why I don't need to bother with cream (this time). But I think cayenne may be the answer for some punch. Still considering my options since there's no bacon in the house right now, so keep those calls and letters coming!

It's cold and rainy here in the northeast, so I just made a big pot of potato soup...it's a very basic recipe, but the author of the article raved about it, so I decided to give it a shot. Ingredients: onion (Vidalia), leeks, celery, carrots, potatoes, water, salt and pepper. Now it's done, pureed (oh, but I do love my new stick blender!) and gorgeous to look at, but has no discernable taste other than vegetable. I'm considering cayenne or cumin...are these good or bad ideas? Thoughts on how to give it a boost are greatly appreciated! Edit: the other thought is that what it really needs is BACON, but that doesn't seem quite as healthy as the all-veg soup!

That's funny...if you give ME the components, I'll make one for you too! Seriously, though--thanks for the report, Jason! This is going on the list... can you give us the address? And would you care to make a comparison to La Isla in Hoboken? Thanks!

Folks, if you're in San Francisco and don't make the effort to get to Aziza, you're crazy!! Carolyn, thanks VERY much for bringing this restaurant to our attention! I just came back from 3 days in SF (for work) and managed to have three terrific dinners, but Aziza was truly memorable--and a great way to kick off my '05 dining! Three of us had the chef's tasting menu on Wednesday night, and that $39 is just an unbelieveable bargain! We were staying downtown, so it was a legit cab ride across town, but completely worth it. On the ride over, we were wondering aloud what we would drink, but that question was answered rather quickly; for $9 each, they have a selection of house cocktails that is well worth the read even if you don't plan on ordering one! My friends each had the champagne/pomegranate puree cocktails, and I ordered a spectacular cilantro-limeade martini that was made with a kaffir lime-infused vanilla vodka, ginger ale, and finely chopped (perhaps muddled?) mint and cilantro. UNREAL. If you like bright flavor, you really must try this drink. I'm only sorry that I didn't ask more questions about how it was made, as I'd love to replicate it. The other martini that stuck in my brain is a bloody mary made with harissa. If I liked bloody marys, I certainly would have tried it! I won't repeat Carolyn's initial report, but here's what we had: We started with the sunchoke soup, which was just stunning--don't miss it if you have the opportunity to try it! One of my friends also commented that it was served at the perfect temperature, and I'd have to agree. We then had the trio of mediterranean spreads with pita points; all three were delicious, but the eggplant was the standout. The other app was a plate with three beef kefta skewers--with grapes! That was a pleasant surprise and very tasty; we also enjoyed the piled 'salad' of cucumbers and red onion that accompanied it. The third course was the bastilla, which was ENORMOUS. Bastilla is, according to Aziza, "a baked phyllo pie with a filling of saffron braised chicken and spiced almonds, draped in powdered sugar & cinnamon. Did I mention it was huge? HUGE. And very, VERY good. The runner cut it in 3 pieces for us and all we kept saying was "There's an entree for each of us after this?!?" The 'pie' is a combo of savory and sweet, and we all loved it. The cinammon smells wonderful as soon as the pie is cut, and it was packed with flavorful shredded chicken. THEN we had dinner. One friend had the moroccan spiced prawn tagine, and she didn't even offer a bite!!! #2 had the chilean sea bass with charmoula, and he said it was wonderful. For me, the Couscous Aziza. As if 5 courses weren't enough of a taste of Aziza's menu, I got the little-bit-of-everything entree! A huge pile of couscous with their stewed lamb and amazing vegetable ragout (it's California, folks--eat your veggies!), along with a nugget of grilled chicken, a grilled prawn, and the spicy lamb sausage, which I wholeheartedly endorse as a don't-miss item. It's on the menu as an appetizer too. We only had two desserts, as one of my friends was too full to have hers; I ordered the persimmon pudding, and he had the aforementioned wild huckleberry sorbet. WOW. To both. The waitress asked what I thought of the persimmon pudding, as it's a recent addition to the menu. WOW!! Seriously...it's full of clove, cinnamon & ginger and served warm (which was a great surprise to me) over a blood orange and lemon compote. Another balance of sweet and savory, and a beautiful mix of the spices with the citrus. The only disappointment of the night was my coffee, but at that point, I was far too full to even comment on it to the waitress. But for $6 a press pot, I should have said something--definitely my bad. This decor is spectacular from the moment you open the door to when you visit the bathroom, the service was terrific, and the food is memorable. Those of you in SF are very lucky to have this gem!! Now if I could just get him to come east... Carolyn, thanks again for your report and the pictures on your initial post--food porn, indeed, and they sealed the deal for me when I was planning my dining itinerary!

Finally got around to reading yesterday's paper tonight, and I was surprised that nobody here posted about the listing of top NJ restaurants for 2004! The article, which is subtitled A Roundup of the Year's Varied Culinary Standouts, isn't on line yet b/c it was in the NJ Section (started on the front page, in fact) but here's the list, which was compiled from the excellent, very good and good reviews done by Karla Cook and David Corcoran during 2004. Blurbs about each are included, and as you'll see, central and south Jersey are well represented. My biggest objection is the fact that they used up two slots for NY restaurants while leaving places like An American Grill off the list. Wazzup with THAT??? Excellent: Cucharamama (Hoboken) Relish (Sparkill, NY--um, Heloooooooo? NY) Village Green (Ridgewood) Very Good: Bula (Newton) La Campagne (Cherry Hill) Good: (at least, I think this is where the Good section starts--they left out the header but since it's alpha, I'm making the assumption that it's the final group) Chakra (Paramus) Dining Room at Anthony David's (Hoboken) Elements Cafe (Haddon Heights) Elysian Cafe (Hoboken) Frank's Waterside (North Bergen) Keum Ho Jung (Edison) Laceno's Italian Grill (Voorhees) Marsilio's (Trenton) Ming (Edison) Mosaica (Vauxhall) New China (Hamilton) Nunzio Ristorante Rustico (Collingswood) Pho an Dao (Edison) Red Hen Cafe (Medford) Sweet Vidalia (Beach Haven) Trattoria Fresco (Caldwell) Wasabi (Nyack, NY--again...NY?!?) Waswan@Santoor (West Caldwell) I think I need to add Waswan to my list of places to try in '05...sure does sound interesting every time I hear/read about it!

I'm going to SF tomorrow (!) and just found out that I am free tomorrow night for dinner. I'm staying 2 blocks from Union Square...any specific recs in that area that are participating in the DAT program? Have a (non-DAT) reservation at Aziza for Wed pm--can't wait! Any/all help is greatly appreciated, and places where I can dine in the bar area are fine too. Thanks in advance! Curlz

VERY happy to hear it, and I appreciate your quick response, Tamara!

Just plugging through my emails from the last two days (bet you can tell from all of my posts... ) and I had one from the HRW folks. I've emailed this directly to them, but wanted to make this comment more publicly--why put together a promotion like this and simply post a list of the restaurants that are participating without including the address/phone number/web site?!? If I owned one of these restaurants, I'd certainly be annoyed by this, as it's more likely that your existing customers are the ones who will take advantage of the bargain! Isn't the idea to also introduce these restaurants to potential customers? People aren't going to go too far out of their way (even for a great deal) if they aren't handed all of the details!! If there is one thing that ticks me off, it's p.r. folks who don't get that. Okay, rant over.

Thought I'd revive this thread rather than burying my comments in one of the general Montclair threads... On NY Eve, we ordered takeout from Greek Delight's and were, well, we were delighted. Sorry--couldn't resist that one! We didn't have a menu and didn't find one on line, so I called and found that the woman who answered the phone was not only pleasant, but helpful--a true service rarity! Ended up with the following (with apologies for spelling): Baba ganoush Falafel appetizer which comes with hummus Lamb kabob platters Grilled vegetable kabob platter Spanikopita Pita (in addition to those included with the platters) LOTS of tzatziki sauce Walked over to pick it up, and I was truly surprised by how tiny the place is, even though I've seen it from the street. But at 6:30pm, it was close to full and they were also busy filling takeout orders. They were very friendly, and the bill was $42, which I thought was very reasonable. Everything was fresh, flavorful and not at all greasy. The lamb was tender as can be; the spanikopita was the real deal--full of spinach, onions, and feta cheese with a hint of mint that really made it sing; the falafel was scarfed down by all of us, including my 3 year-old niece; the hummus was fresh and flavorful, and the grilled vegetables were heavenly! They had that great char on them but somehow never tasted burned. By the end of the meal, we were making mini pita-wraps with tzatziki sauce and the grilled onions. YUM! Fwiw, I don't think these were falafel as we know it, but the greek version; I'll definitely ask the next time I go back. Which I certainly will. Great spot for takeout or a simple, casual meal, and they're definitely family-friendly---there were lots of families dining when we stopped in.

Thanks for that up-to-the-minute reporting! Esp the honesty re: the service--I know how many Little Saigon fans there are (were) on this board, so it's good to know the truth--let's hope they make some positive changes quickly. Can I assume that takeout would be more than acceptable right now? If so, I'll tell my brother to hold off going there but encourage him to pick up a few dishes when he gets off the train one night. I'm curious about the decor/style of the place, esp since I was never at the previous location. Binh Duong is about as downscale as one can get; is LS going for a little more 'formality'? I can see that there are tablecloths, but I also see paper napkins. Just curious--do you think they're trying to fit in with the other Montclair restaurants in that sense?

Well, there's: FASCINO Cucharamama And also FASCINO And did I mention...heehee

Have to agree with you about the Rutherford store, Ghost...have you tried driving all the way over ( ) to the Lyndhurst one yet? Much nicer!