Curlz

Thanks very much. Where's my prize?!?

Have a Noon reservation today...anyone else going? If so, we need to come up with a secret signal or something so we can say hi!

Michael, What area of the country do you live in? I'm just wondering if, in addition to recommending specific wines for you to try, some folks here might be able to suggest some local wine classes. Curlz

Finally got out to Saffron yesterday; on a grey, cool middle-of-a-holiday weekend, this place was hopping--at 1pm and later! First of all, it's a truly lovely space with aforementioned tiles, Indian accents, and it was SPOTLESS, right down to the bathrooms. All of that is a welcome sign when entering any restaurant. The only quick concern that one friend had was that she was underdressed (in shorts); I told her I wasn't worried--we were still on Rt. 10, and it was the middle of the day. I turned out to be right--people came in wearing everything from jeans to what I'd call business casual to saris. When the two (of 4 1/2 of us) first arrived, there were only 4-5 tables occupied. This was just after 1pm. By the time we left around 2:15, the place was packed. Nobody had to wait for a table, but there was a constant stream coming through the door! I also noted (a good sign as far as I'm concerned) that we were the only non-Indian or non-Asian group in the room. Although I knew that I'd have the buffet, I wanted to look at a menu, but was surprised that I had to ask if one was available. Aesthetically, it's very attractive, and I'd say that there is a wide range of dishes based on my experience eating Indian food. Prices went from $4 for appetizers (i.e. samosas) to $23 for a few of the entrees. That to me seemed a tad high, but there was plenty priced in between those numbers. At $9.95pp, though, there was no doubt of what I was having. We were starving and hit the buffet because our other friends were a solid half hour behind us. The buffet is huge, and even included two desserts (Kheer + ???), although I never got to try either of them b/c I was so full. There is a full range of both vegetarian and meat dishes; we started with a cucumber/green pepper/red onion salad in a dressing that was likely made with yogurt, but it was very light, and very refreshing. Not raita--something slightly different. Then there were (room temp) fried veg fritters with another yogurt-looking sauce. Next were (warm) spongy-like pieces of small bread (about 3" round, cut in half) with a variety of sauces available, including the standard mint chutney and tamarind sauce. The surprise there was what I would call a vegetable soup, and after asking, I was told that yes, it was another 'sauce' for the spongy breads. I put some in a small dish and took it back to the table; more on that in a moment. Continuing down the line, there was wonderful Chole (chick peas) on a large flat wok-like server--can't remember what that's called. There were large pieces of a chick-pea flour bread surrounding the chole--also tasty. Then there were easily 8 more chafing dishes of everything from lamb to chicken tikka masala to tandoori chicken to peas pulao (peas in rice) and yellow dal (lentils). There was also a saag dish that I hadn't seen before--basically a creamed spinach with corn in it. We sat down to eat, and a basket of naan (unexpected, 'tho I had commented to my friend that I was surprised there wasn't any on the buffet) arrived very quickly. Our water glasses were refilled constantly throughout the meal. And when I asked if the veg 'soup' was supposed to be for the spongy bread, one of the waiters immediately ran to get me a spoon, and was mixing them together for me. For a brief moment, I thought he might actually feed it to me! Our other friends arrived with their 8 month old (who is unbelievably great in restaurants), and the staff jumped to get them up to speed. Friend's hubby is a very picky eater (but we love him anyway), and he ordered Saffron Tikka off the menu. I thought it was the restaurant's version of Chicken Tikka Masala, and told him they had it on the buffet, but since he's weird about what he'll eat, just let him do his thing. It turned out to be a sizzling platter of tandoori chicken cooked with (I'm assuming because of the color) saffron and onions and peppers along with it. My comment? "Look! Indian fajitas!" It came with rice. My other friend was stubborn and didn't listen to me when I told her to check out the buffet before ordering from the menu. She ordered yellow dal. Helllloooo? It's on the buffet!! For the same price (or darn close) she could have sampled all of the other veg dishes as well. Oh, well--her $$. She loved the dal. I finished my lunch with a terrific cup of masala chai. Overall, I liked everything I tried (almost all of the dishes), but my favorites were the chole and the dal. Without exception, ingredients were fresh, presentation was nice, and everything was constantly being replenished on the buffet table. My only real complaint is that there isn't enough spice in the buffet items!! One of the things I love about Indian food is the 'kick', esp because it's one of the few that I can tolerate while still enjoying the food. The veg 'soup' with the spongy bread had kick. The dal had some kick. Everything else was fairly mild, though very tasty. I'm wondering (as have others on this thread) if they're either toning down the spice to please the masses or, as we speculated, if the owners/chefs are from a part of India where they just don't cook with as much of it. Does anyone here know? In terms of service, the only true complaint I have is that the waiter who took my friend's dal order didn't say to her "Do you know that it is the same dish that is on the buffet?" When the dish was brought to the table, the server said it at that point, which made her feel even dumber than she already did (she had already seen it on my plate). They would have won points with me for saying something ahead of time. Other than that, they could not have been nicer, including talking to/playing with my friends' daughter, who sat in her high chair cooing at everyone around us. If anything, they hovered even a little too much. As I came back from my 2nd trip to the buffet, I had to do a little dance maneuver to get around one of the waiters who was sort of parked next to our table! The owner came by twice, once while we were eating to ask how everything was, and again to bring the check--which he promptly gave to the 8 month old. We all agreed that we will be back any time we're in the area. For $9.95 (maybe less during the week, from what I've read), you can't beat the deal!! EDIT: Rachel, is there any way to change the subtitle of this thread to mention the name of the restaurant? I had to do some digging to find it! Thanks.

Ant, Nori in Caldwell on Bloomfield Ave is excellent sushi, but I don't know if that counts as seafood for you. South City Grill? I've never been, but I've know a lot of people like it...but it's not BYO. Tommy, if it's just you, the Great Notch Inn is probably open. Heehee Seriously, though--Park & Orchard? At least there, you know there's a good wine list...

She's not talking about Charlie Brown's, is she?!? Sorry. Had to ask. But seriously--I can only think of CB's and Bloomfield Steak House, which I don't think is on Bloomfield Ave.

I officially vote for this slogan. In fact, I'm gonna make bumper stickers.

You know, you could start a Jersey trend to combat Philly...call it CheeseShakes! Oh, and I loooooove Cheese Louise. Even if Louise has no connection to the place. That's funny, Blondie!

I just knew there had to be a Chef Central thread on here! But since it started before my time, I'm just reviving it without reading the 82 previous posts ('tho I did read Tommy's last trauma, and I HATE sh*t like that--whatever happened, btw?!?). ANYWAY...just wanted to let y'all know that I went up there tonight for a wander, and they have a special this week on Calphalon roasting pans with the rack for $39.99! Quite the bargain... They're also (I can't even believe I'm writing this b/c now I'll never get a seat) about to start a Certified Master Chef Series...first one is on Sept. 17th at 7pm with CIA Chef Thomas Griffiths, who runs the 'healthy' restaurant up at the CIA. The chef who was doing a demo tonight explained that CMCs are few and far between (something like 80 in the country, if I heard him correctly) and that they're fantastic instructors. The CMCS demos are FREE, but I suspect you'll have to get there early. The next few are on Oct. 8th and Nov. 8th. October's theme is Italian, November is Thanksgiving. Someone save me a seat, willya? Edit: Forgot to mention there's also some Emile Henry stuff 50% off b/c they're discontinued colors...blue and saffron. And of course, if you go, you get to walk around. One of my favorite places to just WANDER!!!

How about MeltShake? Edit: Or Melt & Shake? 'tho that could be some sort of sex shop... Melts & Shakes? JC Melts? JC Melts & Shakes? Glenn's MeltShakes? Oh, help.

I'm betting that Fink could be of some assistance here!! See if you can reach him at Fink's Catering...Phone: 201-634-1319 or Email Fink directly Hope that's a start!

Not masochistic...just budget conscious! Perhaps I'll have the 12.99/lb ones while you two indulge on the serious stuff. Beer and liquor mash...b/c it's less filling for you and Tommy to imbibe that way, right?!?

carnivoyeur? Okay, you officially are DA MAN (for the day) for that one, Tommy!!

I'm in--strictly as a voyeur.

Cheech, if you're going the fine dining route, my question is, do you want our thoughts on a restaurant that we would go to on a very regular basis, or one for special occasions? I don't know many people who, even if they can afford it, are at 'fine dining' establishments 4x a week, or even 4x a month. To me, fine dining means that there is a full experience of great food, equally great service, stylish decor, etc. Sometimes that translates to a special occasion restaurant, sometimes it's a local spot--but either way, it's not likely that it's a place I'm going to every week. Maybe it's the phrasing, but when I hear the term fine dining, I'm wary that the place may be a bit too stuffy or too formal for me. Personally, I'd much prefer someplace comfortable, a little more casual, with excellent food, great service, and BYO is definitely a plus. Something like An American Grill or Rocca, for instance. I would never classify C46 as fine dining, but it's damn good food (and as you can see from the C46 thread, service too), and if it was just a tad closer to where I live I suspect I'd have dinner from there a few times a week. Without putting you in a corner, could you give us an example (or 3)--just for the sake of comparison--of the type of restaurant you'd like to have? Atmosphere? The type of customer you want to attract (business people, couples out for romance, etc.)? Pricing? That might help us understand what you mean by fine dining.

AMEN!!! (see my earlier post)

Since my day ended in the Wayne/Totowa area today, I decided to stop at River Kwai to pick up dinner. First of all, they've made a very pretty space, esp when you consider what a true strip mall it is. There is seating for about 3 dozen people; the decor is calm, with lots of copper wall hangings, candles and elephants (I'm guessing that as in India, they are good luck). When I walked in at about 5:30, the place was empty, save for two staffers. While I was trying to decide, though, she took two calls and someone came in to pick up an order, so they're obviously getting some business. It took me a while to decide what to get, and when I finally put my order in, I had a chance to ask about their affiliation with Tuptim. The woman I spoke with is the co-owner of River Kwai, along with her husband. Her brother is the chef at Tuptim, and their uncle used to run it, but he has recently retired. Her brother is making some changes at Tuptim, and is now open for dinner, but will eventually be open for lunch as well. She then noted that she is open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week, and said that she can do this because they have 3 chefs in rotation (though she commented that means that she and her husband are there all day/every day). I asked if she was starting to see a lot of business for both meals, and she said yes, and that she is one of the only ones in the area who is open for lunch on Sundays. She also commented that considering that most residents of the area tend to be away until Labor Day, that she had been pretty busy today. My guess is that many people felt like I did today; it was too damn hot to cook and the idea of some spicy food was a good one! Little did I know... I ordered the red curry with green beans and kaffir leaves, and chose to have it with chicken. When she asked how spicy I wanted it, she said my choices were no spice, mild, medium or hot. I know that I enjoy the heat in Thai food, but I also know what a low tolerance I have for it, so I asked for mild. I am CERTAIN that what I got was medium. There's just no way this was mild! It was tasty, but almost difficult for me to eat. A cold beer helped, but honestly, I thought I might not be able to eat it. What I really needed was a Thai iced tea! That aside, it was fresh, there was a lot of chicken, and in addition to the string beans, there were also a few snow peas and sliced red pepper. I would certainly say they were using good ingredients. I will definitely go back and try other dishes, hopefully when I can go with a few other people and get a better sampling! And maybe one that's not quite so hot. Thankfully I did have the foresight to bring home a small cup of Applegate Farms' sugar free raspberry/vanilla swirl--that really helped put out the fire! Interestingly enough, there were people waiting to get in to Porcini (another restaurant in the strip) when I pulled out of the parking lot. I don't know anything about that restaurant--does anyone here? I just always think it's sad to see people flocking to something ordinary when there's something so authentic in the same location. My $ .02. Btw, I don't know if it was mentioned earlier in this thread, but they are BYO. And I thought the prices looked reasonable; my dish was $8.95. And I have leftovers. Which of course, will only get spicier...

Had NO idea about the brunch--thanks for the info, Glenn! Amazing to me that they don't tag it on their menus or even in the folder when they give you a check. I'm tempted to head over there again today! Re: the beverages, I have to admit that I hadn't even looked at them; one thing I really do like is the fact that they leave a pitcher of water on the table. But I agree with you; if you can make good Q, you should offer homemade iced tea and lemonade. And obviously, my bottom line is the same as yours--the service won't keep me away; I'll just go when I'm ready to hang back and not expect much from them service-wise.

Went back to IS tonight with a couple of friends, one of whom is a SERIOUS eater. Thanks to his bottomless pit, the first decision (made even before I arrived) was that we'd share the IS Sampler (of sides)--your choice of 6 for $14. We had mac 'n cheese, mashed potatoes, black-eyed peas, string beans, baked beans, and the whipped sweet potatoes. Then we ordered 2 (unreal, I know) of those enormous biscuits and 1 piece of cornbread (all $1 each), an order of fried chicken (for the almost non-carnivore at the table), the IS 'Q' Sampler of brisket, sausages, BBQ chicken, 2 kinds of ribs ($18) AND the boneless short ribs ($14, iirc). I knew we didn't need that last entree, but since I had said that it was amazing the last time, Adam had to try them. And once again, having tried all of these items, the boneless short ribs, sweet potatoes and the biscuits and cornbread were our clear favorites. The sweet potatoes really are incredible--we basically had them as the dessert course! OH...and I just remembered that he also had a bowl of the crab/corn chowder to start! I had one spoonful; very nice flavor and spice, but it was barely warm, which surprised me. Needless to say, we were all quite full when we left, and I came home with 2 pieces of chicken (1 fried, 1 bbq) + the remainder of the b-e peas and the baked beans. I never did taste the green beans, but they were so grey, I didn't care. I'm sure they were tasty (both friends said so) but I just can't eat vegetables that look like they've been killed! My only complaint about the Q sampler is that they gave us 2 BBQ chicken legs. My least favorite part of the bird; couldn't they at least spring for a thigh and a leg?!? Since my last visit there was marred by bad timing and mediocre service, I was curious to see what would transpire today. We got there just after 5pm and the place was only half full, but it quickly got packed. It was only then that they finally cranked the A/C. Let me remind y'all that it was HOT today. And humid. When we sat down and realized that there were only a few fans blowing cool air on us, we thought something must have been wrong with the A/C, esp since the one near us read 86 degrees (there was a digital gauge on it). It appears that they just waited until it was far too warm to finally give in and turn on the A/C. This didn't win points. In general, I'd still say that the service is lacking/slow and not quite as friendly as one might hope. Once it was obvious that we were finishing up, they seemed to kick in to gear, and we all felt a bit rushed (by the staff) to leave the table. They had at least a dozen people waiting at that point, so I'm sure that's why. Overall, I stick with my original assessment of Indigo Smoke...there's some great food coming out of the kitchen, but they don't seem to have the service end of things down 100%. Go when you have time, and you'll enjoy your meal--we certainly did tonight! And be smarter than I was--when you're leaving with leftovers, get a biscuit to go too! I'm sure I'll be wishing that I had when I have lunch tomorrow... The bill after all of that, with tip, was $80. We brought beer, drank water, and didn't order any dessert.

Clarification... Lyndhurst (where I am) is on the SOUTH side of Rt. 3 from where Ghostrider is (Rutherford). Montclair is unquestionably WEST of both of us. I was busting him b/c he said south, so I assumed that was because to get to Montclair, he'd have to cross Rt.3. Everyone with me now? --Lewis. or Clark. P.S. Moral of the story? One can dine outdoors when you have a decent compass. Or Mapquest.

Is it in Livingston? If so, it's Nettie Ochs, and an ex-bf of mine used to LOVE those donuts. I, on the other hand, would get one of their freshly made individual apple pies-YUM!! I still drive out there to buy Winesaps when they come in late in the fall. And their cider ROCKS. If this isn't the place you're talking about, tell us where 'yours' is!! And although I respect those who love donuts, I have to share something a friend once said: "When have you EVER eaten a donut and thought, 'Gee, I'm glad I ate that!' ???" I must admit that I concur--donuts just don't do it for me. Go ahead, adegiulio...tell me I'm a freak. Again.

We gotta get you a new compass, ghost--Montclair is WEST of you, not south!! Edit: It's only south in that it's ACROSS Route 3. Heehee

I believe the saying goes something like The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. In this case, it might be the reverse, but it certainly applies!!! Fink, our good thoughts are with you for a speedy recovery! We're all looking forward to the Bobolink outing, and to the PIG.

Westfield is in Union Cty, across Rt. 22. A lovely town with plenty of decent restaurants, but for them to go further than Summit, it's more than 30 minutes.

Nice outdoor patio at the Stirling Inn/Hotel (?)--food isn't necessarily over the top, but it was tasty, and it's a really nice setting...