Curlz

Thanks for the info! Think they realize that Jan 24 - Feb 4 is actually two weeks?? And do you know for sure if this means Hudson County or could it be along the Hudson? Couldn't tell from that site. Just curious as to where you found it/heard about it.

Oooooooooh, that's good. REAL good. I think I'm going to hell with you, Coop, as I was really cracking up when I read this post! Keep 'em coming, willya?

Iced Sour Cream Orange Drops? THOSE sound yummy! Care to share the recipe? If you don't have it typed up I can wait until after the holidays, but would love to know a bit more about them...I'm (gasp) not a chocolate fiend, but I love anything that involves citrus!

My friend's 1 year-old daughter has recently discovered olives (any kind), tried pepper-jack cheese (a mistake, but she didn't care), and is basically putting away anything they give her. My 3 year-old niece has been eating hummus (with her hands, no less) since she was less than a year old. My 8 yr old nephew and his sister (6) have been eating artichokes since they were each about 3--all because my folks just put them in front of them and showed them how. And the 6 yr old LOVES broccoli. Tosses it back in crazy quantities, in fact. I agree that it's only in the US that we make separate food for kids--and I think it's a shame! I'm sure it's the reason that there are so many American adults who turn up their noses at 'weird' food. But hey--more for us!

I may swoon on occasion over a man who can cook, but I don't grovel. Growl, perhaps...but only in a good way! I may also need to plant some hedges...anyone know if it's too cold yet?!? Hehe

If memory serves me right, the nostalgic place is on Bloomfield within a block or so of Indigo Smoke--but on the opposite side of the street (southern side, if you want me to be precise). Not sure what's on the menu at Diva Lounge, but it's on the corner (east of) below Indigo Smoke, and it certainly attracts crowds, so it's worth checking out. Cafe Eclectic is a given! Don't overlook areas off of Bloomfield Ave, esp on Valley Road as you get in to 'Upper' Montclair. I don't know of specific places, but there is a cluster of stores around Bellevue Ave and Valley--including a Williams Sonoma. There's also a neat little grouping of stores where Park and Watchung Avenues intersect--just look in all directions as you approach it--it's a strange intersection! Holsten's is technically in Bloomfield, and even though it's on Bloomfield Ave, it's a different Bloomfield Ave from the one that runs from Newark straight through the heart of Montclair. Trust me on this one! And check out a map. But if you take Watchung Ave back to the GSP, you'll cross over that Bloomfield Ave en route to the GSP--it's a small place next to a gas station. There is a huge list of Montclair restaurants on the food page of Baristanet.com (scroll all the way down)...perhaps that will jog your memory on the names of some other places. I'd also suggest asking some of the folks who work at places like Whole Foods and/or any of the non-food establishments on Church Street where the locals hang out. Let us know what you find that's worth checking out--it sounds like a fun expedition!

Oh, but you guys are killing me today!!

Followed by the new reality series WILL YOUR FRIENDS POKE YOU IN THE EYE FOR $100 WITH A SHARP STICK? WE THINK SO! Show!!!

That's definitely it!! And the mozz was deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelish.

While I have no recs to contribute here, I just want to give kudos to Greg for wanting to take his staff out in the first place!! In my entire career, I've yet to work for someone who really had a good idea of what to do for his/her employees at the holidays. A nice dinner out is certainly a fine choice! Enjoy!

The Manor is certainly a legit choice, albeit low-key. I guess it depends on the personality of said grown-ups. I've only been to the Stony Hill Inn once, and it was for a big cocktail party/event. VERY mature in decor, patronage and smell. OOF, did that place smell musty! Could be the patrons, of course, but I think it was also the curtains and the carpets...

Various? Not ALL?!?

I know I shouldn't be surprised b/c it is eG after all, but it's SO nice to know I'm not the only one who is dish-obsessed! I'm single and I've got 3-4 different sets of dishes + umpteen serving pieces that I just HAD to have whenever I first saw them! Granted, I do entertain, but it's a bit ridiculous for one person. My 'nice' dishes came from Bloomingdales over 10 years ago, and I'll have to look to see what they are or take a pic. I bought a 2nd set of them when they were on deep discount a few years later. For the last year, my everyday dishes have been a mix of Corsica's deep purple, light green and a great yellow/orange that I found REALLY cheap, as in under $5 each for the dinner plates and bowls. I love the shape of the bowls--that's what drew me to them in the first place. I keep them stacked in alternating colors and pick whichever one suits my mood, but most foods look pretty gorgeous on the bright yellow plates. Except for yellow/orange foods, of course... Then there's the set of 4 salad plates that my mom bought me years ago; each has an herb print on the plate, and I mix those in with the everyday dishes. I'd love to know which strand in the DNA holds the dish-loving gene...

OMG...I fall in to that age range. AM I SUPPOSED TO BE A GROWN-UP???

Chef's Catalog is having a 2-day sale on kitchen gadgets starting today...with free shipping and no minimum purchase! This thread seemed like the most appropriate place to post the info.

According to the Wegmans web site, You can purchase in person at selected Wegmans. Completely customize an assortment of Wegmans Chocolates by Pierre Hermé, by the box or container, at these Patisserie locations: New York: Pittsford New Jersey: Bridgewater, Manalapan, Princeton Guess they weren't selling enough of them in the other locations! But knowing Wegmans and their stupendous customer service, if you can't get to a store that does sell his collection, I bet you can have it sent/delivered.

As far as I'm concerned, Jamie O has NUTHIN' on Tyler. And I'll say this publicly, just in case he's lurking...Tyler, you're is welcome to show up in my kitchen ANY day!!

Ah, The Jefferson. I almost don't want to make this post for fear that my seat at the bar will be occupied by one of you the next time I go, but alas, I can't keep this a secret. Chef Coury is cooking some of the best, most consistently enjoyable food I've had in a long time. Tonight was my second visit there in less than two weeks, as I had to be certain that the first time wasn't just love at first sight--it's the real deal. Sit back...this won't be a short post. Visit #1...met one of my legit foodie friends there early--as in before 5:30. We agreed that a bunch of small plates/apps was the way to go so we could maximize the number of dishes we tasted, and after starting out with a full pour of prosecco (Zardetto) each, we were off and running. And run we did...'til almost 9pm! Pavoni Bean puree--how can I explain the beauty of this simple, simple amazing shmear?!? The beans are whipped in to a hummus-like consistency with olive oil, salt and pepper, and served with fantastic (wide) slices of country bread that is toasted just to the point of almost well-done. The combo of flavors is just pure joy. $7 for a big bowl, and if you need extra toast, it arrives quickly. A not-to-be-missed item. Salume--For $12 (iirc), a selection of salami, prosciutto and other dried meats that I can't i.d. is presented on a small board with a piece of butcher's paper. At least 3-4 slices of each of four meats--a great item to share, esp with any one of the quartinos of red...that was the first of four that we had, and I have no clue as to which wine it was, but I sure did like it. Fettucine Alfredo--We shared an order of FA, and I promise you, this is not FA as we know it in this country. There's no cream involved, folks. Lots of butter, but no cream, and no bacon or prosciutto, either. The pasta was cooked to a perfect al dente, and had tremendous flavor with just a few ingredients, including some great fresh pepper. The order of Fluke Sachimi was, I'm assured, just beautiful, but it's not my thing, so I can't speak to this dish. About an hour in to our excursion, a pair of friends who live in the Hudson Tea Bldg (1/2 block away) joined us. He's the co-worker I mentioned up-thread, and they were psyched to finally try The Jefferson, esp since they literally live half a block away. These two know their food, and certainly eat well on a regular basis. In fact, they spent a couple of weeks in Italy this summer with her family (she's 1st gen), and they both commented that the cooking was so true to form that they were really surprised to find it so close to home. Chef asked if we liked spicy food, and the three of them answered with a hearty yes while I quietly muttered something about liking it if it wasn't too spicy. He sent out a dish of fusilli that was too spicy for me just by smell, but one taste confirmed that I couldn't handle it. My friend's fiance said she knew right away which small peppers were used in the dish b/c her family uses them all the time, and Michael confirmed this when he came back out to check on our progress. My friends had some catching up to do, so they finsihed off the bean puree, shared the brajiole ($8) and gave it two thumbs up, and then dug in to a HUGE veal chop ($28) that looked incredible, but at that point, I was too full to even ask for a taste. We had a calamari dish with some greens (rabe?) and more of the beans that are used in the puree, along with a darker version of what I think was the same bean...they're flavorful and nutty and when you cut/bite in to them, it's like there are mashed potatoes inside. They ordered a hazelnut/chocolate dessert while we chose to drink ours...and proceeded to enjoy a few glasses of Muscat and some biscotti, which we requested. I had a cappucino that was just great. Four (or was it five?) quartinos (and almost 2 weeks) later, my memory is pretty good!! We spent far more on alcohol than on food--that's probably the only down side to the Jefferson, in my opinion. Visit #2... Having picked my mom up in the city, she asked where I wanted to have dinner, and I knew exactly where we were headed. She lives in Hoboken, and has told me that she has heard a lot of people in town talking about TJ (separate of my raving), so she was anxious to check it out. We sat at the bar b/c I didn't want the formality of a table, but on a Monday night, I'd say that the dining room was 75% full and there were 2 different groups at the bar just having drinks--all in all a very good sign, imho. Mom is a vegetarian, so between that fact and knowing that Michael is working on a new menu starting in January, I knew I had to try some different dishes tonight. We started with the bean puree because well, you just HAVE to! She loved it. First words from her after WOW were "Just makes me realize how dull and/or bad most of the food is that I eat." I just love when people follow my teachings......but I digress. Along with the puree, we ordered the 3-mushroom app ($8)...the plate had sliced portobello over rabe pesto (read that again if you need to!) that was a nutty and earthy and bright explosion all at the same time; room temp but previously sauteed shitakes with shaved ricotta salata on top, and a few slices of the stem of another mushroom in (iirc) vinegar. All delicious, though I will say this is the only dish I've seen so far that looked a little too sparse on the plate. We then decided to continue in this sharing mode and Mom ordered the artichokes with garlic and mozzarella, along with a Tallegio salad, which includes julienned pears, pine nuts and 3-4 gorgeous fried triangles of Tallegio all over mixed greens in balsamic and oo. And I just had to order the pumpkin ravioli. And there, on one plate, was dinner and dessert. I ate one (of probably 8-9 of them) and announced "OMG, it's pumpkin pie and ravioli!" Again, this dish is done simply, in butter and sage...and wow, is that a delightful thing to eat. Did I mention that I don't like artichokes? Well, Mom was raving about them so much that I obviously appeared interested. She said "You're not even going to try them? This is one of the best orders of artichokes I've ever eaten!" Guess who helped? Moi. Go figure! We only had one quartino--of the 2000 Rosso Supertuscan from Villa Puccini--and the reason we only drank one is that after 3/4 of the glass, Mom was giving it up to the bartender (don't worry, I didn't let it go far) and announced that she was 'looped'--proof once again that my drinking genes come from Dad!! Food totalled $48, which is more than reasonable, and the quartino added another $12. $30pp for all that great food--impossible to do in almost any other legit restaurant I can think of! I actually brought home the scraps of leftovers for lunch tomorrow, b/c I just couldn't leave them there, so I have 1/4 of an artichoke, 3 ravs, and one tallegio triangle. Can't wait for the usual "Wow, what are you heating up in there?!?" question from my co-workers!! Now if I could just sneak a half bottle of red in to my office with me... As I said, this is only my second visit to The Jefferson and I chose to sit at the bar both times, so I can't comment on the wait staff when seated at a table, but I will say that the bartender (who has only been there 2 weeks--my first visit was her first night behind the bar) is very friendly, remembered me right away, and although she still needs some polishing, is doing a nice job. Michael came out to say hello and chat, but his visit was shorter tonight, as the place was far busier than on my last visit (a Wed, iirc). As nice a guy as he is, I hope to continue to see less of him in the future, only b/c this place ought to be hopping at all times!!! Parking (up to 3 hours) is free in the lot at the Hudson Tea Bldg, less than 1/2 block away, so you have NO excuses, folks!! Put this on your must-visit list ASAP!!

Thanks for the clarification, John! I knew someone here would know... And geez...sounds like a trip to the Best's warehouse should be part of our trip!!!

Just curious...is there a difference between the Best's hot dogs that you can buy in the supermarket and the ones you buy directly from them? I remember my dad going to buy them directly to stock the snack bar that was run by the Little League parents about a zillion years ago. Okay, maybe it was only 30--but still...!

WOW. Might be worth a ride down to Philly this Sunday...!

Ah, one more reminder of why I love eG...it never occured to me to post with the same issue! That's why we're here, though, isn't it? Having been the subject of a rather large article in the regional paper's food section this year, I'm constantly being hounded by my boss and co-workers. "Gee, Curlz...when are you going to make some of that for US???" I suspect that this year's pot luck-themed holiday party is supposed to excite and entice me. So far, not so much.

Thanks for suggesting yet another product I didn't KNOW I needed!!

OMG, that is EXACTLY what one of my friends does with me!! He says I'm the kitchen gadget queen b/c I always know what all of these things are. What he doesn't know is that there are many (here on this thread, for example ) who are FAR worse than I am!!!

I must sheepishly admit that although I probably live 1.5 miles from Rutt's, I've never been there! If my schedule allows, I could be convinced to go along on this one...sure is a novel idea!