Curlz

Thanks, gang! I'll certainly let you know where we end up! Curlz

Okay, last call...any other recommendations? We're heading down there tomorrow morning. Where's =Mark when Tommy says I need him?!?

I can honestly say I'm surprised to hear about your experience at Mexicali Rose! That doesn't sound like the experiences I've had there, whether there were 3 or 10 of us dining. Their food is usually very fresh! Hope that was an off night and not a change in the kitchen. Not Montclair, but for some of the best Mexican I've had in NJ, you have to try Fiesta Hut at 227 Park Ave in East Rutherford--(201) 939-4338. Don't let the name scare you off; I did for many years! One of the best moles I've had, and good maragaritas to boot.

That's a surprise to hear...I haven't been in about a year, but I've always thought their food was good! That's just my two cents. What you should know about Mexicali Rose, though, is that it's a BYO--beer, wine, or tequila! For real--if you bring the tequila, they'll make the margaritas for you! And there's a liquor store across the street, so should you need to replenish, you don't have to go far.

Great list, Glutton! I'd just add that Blue Smoke is terrific, but don't ever go if you're in a rush to get in/out. I'll also add a terrific real-deal Italian deli, Bongiovine (sp?), which is on Bloomfield Avenue across the street from Whole Foods; had a great prosciutto/fresh mozz/roasted red pepper sandwich there just yesterday! Bill70, welcome to eGullet--you'll find LOTS of help here. And if you do a search in the NJ Forum for Montclair, I know you'll find detailed discussions about many of these and other restaurants in the area. Bon Appetit!

Sounds like someone had a little too much wine last night! Also sounds like she had a great meal!

Thanks, y'all! Keep 'em coming...

I'm heading to Red Bank on Thursday with a co-worker who also enjoys a good meal...we both know that we've heard good things about restaurants in Red Bank, but neither he nor I can remember specific names! Heeeeelp?!? Any type of food, and as long as it's not crazy expensive, we'll go for it--just out of our own pockets, as we're not on a hot-shot expense account. Thanks in advance, y'all! I know I can count on you!!

Funny, I just watched it (caught it by accident), and HAD to log on to say that I was laughing my a** off!! It was the "I'm a card-carrying carnivore" retrospective, which was made in 2000. Let me just say from the outset that although I remember occasionally seeing JC's shows when I was a kid, I remember the SNL skit a lot more vividly. Now, of course, I'm going to get hooked on her classics--I can tell. Aside from the general amusement of seeing Emeril in 1993 from one of the Master Chefs shows, I just laughed REALLY HARD at the segment on roasting a chicken on a spit. It started with Julia standing behind a chorus line of chickens (from broiler on up to roaster and then down the other side to hen) all 'sitting' up, which first reminded me of the fact that my brother and I have been making whole chickens 'dance' since we were about 10 and 8 respectively. I haven't matured much--still do it every time I wash a whole bird! Anyway, Julia goes on to prep the chicken, doing crazy things like cutting off the neck and removing the wishbone, and she trusses it. I can live with that, 'tho I've never trussed, and I've been roasting whole chickens since I was about 9 years old. Then she goes on to say that she's going to cook the bird on a spit, b/c it's an ancient method, and an excellent one. She proceeds to demonstrate the method for attaching the spit, and I start to squirm, b/c I recognize an attachment that I own but have never used; it goes with a Farberware electric grill--something I grew up with! I (mistakenly) bought TWO off of Ebay a couple of years ago, and both came with the rotisserie attachment, which I still haven't tried. What really got me was the post-spit trussing. I swear, it was like watching a kid's attempt at Chicken S&M. Or so I imagine. If one wanted to get in to that sort of thing... Heehee! She trussed that thing within an inch of its life!! There was no escaping for that bird, that's for sure. I just called my mom to tell her how much I was laughing over this show (growing up, we ate a LOT of chicken--before it was 'fashionable'), and to say that it wasn't until I was watching this tonight that I realized just how much I've taken for granted in terms of cooking knowledge. And obviously, I have Julia to thank for that!!

From what I've read here, Sundays aren't an issue in terms of filling the place, but my guess is that if we get a big group there for dim sum, people will start going back during the following days/week! Maybe that would help Cecil and Company with their weekly counts!

THANKS for reviving this, Tommy! I had no clue that this place existed in NJ.

Absolutely! But I think we should go for dim sum...!

Call me crazy, but if this place is so good, why haven't people gone back? And why haven't more of us heard about it? Just b/c it's so small?

Live and learn...I had already bought a few peaches from the 'main' table behind the one with the plums on it. Spotted the plums after my purchase. Next time!!

Funny you ask, Cook, b/c I did buy peaches from them...cut one up this morning, and was completely disappointed by a mealy, tasteless piece of fruit. It looked beautiful on the outside, but you just never know. After that, I sort of lost my desire to have a peach, so I grabbed one of the Santa Rosa plums--YUUUUMM!!! 3 bites and they're gone, but I highly recommend them.

Just because I'm still pleased with my 'creation' last night, I'm here to report. First of all, I had what may have been one of the best pieces of corn EVER. Just boiled; nothing in the water, nothing on the corn but my teeth. I also made myself a nice steak...a true rarity for me at home. My proud moment, however, was in the 8-Ball Zucchini dish...I stuffed the scooped-out bowls with a mix of the (raw) diced zukes, sauteed red onion and garlic, fresh basil, diced sundried tomatoes, lots of salt and pepper, and freshly grated parmesan. Then I made a no-oil "pesto" of toasted pignolis, more basil, and more parmesan--all ground in the mortar I picked up on my trip to CA last month. I filled the two zuke bowls and made two more out of foil and put them on the tray of my toaster oven, then sprinkled the (rough) pesto over the top of the each bowl and baked them for about 25 mins at 300 degrees. They came out with a crunch, almost breadcrumb-like topping. Nothing fancy, but if I do say so myself, damn good. Thanks for inspiring me to cook from the Farmer's Market!

Having read this entire thread in one sitting (including links to the Post articles), I absolutely refuse to enter the fray. But I had to tell you that Al_Dente and Hooligan's posts have me in hysterics!!! A much-needed laugh after some tense reading, indeed.

I'm certain you'd find a few spots in the Ironbound open that late...and fwiw, I also bet that if you asked a few of your chef/owner friends, THEY could tell you! They must all hang out after they close...

That's SO funny...mine are TOO!

Never heard of it--which doesn't mean it doesn't exist, of course... Do you have an address or any nearby landmarks?

Thanks, Raymond! I found the same recipe on the site mentioned in the thread posted before mine...lots of cross-posting between the two sites, from what I can tell. Much appreciated! I was thinking I might do a stuffed version, but more likely with pignoli nuts and gorgonzola, as I have both in the house. I promise to let y'all know the final result.

Just back from the Montclair FM...having been at a huge FM in Oakland (near Berkeley) all of two weeks ago, I knew I'd be at least a little disappointed, but you know what? Not so much! I was really pleased to see that there were about a dozen vendors and lots of people shopping...bought some (get this) ROUND zucchini, which I had never seen before--smack me if y'all are on to these. They're called 8-ball Zukes, range in size from a pool ball to a grapefruit, and according to the guy who sold them (no sign), there is also a French name for them--which I promptly forgot. Here's a hint for anyone reading this who works at a farm stand or FM vendor's table...the friendlier you are, the more likely we are to spend $$ at your table vs. someone else's. Also got some basil (hey--it's August in NJ--I think it's required!), a few ears of gorgeous (picked this a.m.) bi-colored corn (not that there's anything wrong with that...), white peaches, and I tasted a golden plum (Shiro?) for the first time. Too mushy in texture for me, so I bought a few of the Santa Rosa plums instead. Also picked up a small pear tart and some Colby with Basil and a piece of Sharp Cheddar from the friendly gals at the Stoney Croft Farm stand. Oh, and 2 new pickles from Pickleicious!! All this before I had finished a full cup of coffee--not bad, huh? Apologies for the parentheses-happy post, but hey--it's a humid Saturday and I'm just hanging out. Now I have to figure out what I'm going to make with some/all of this loot! Likely a quick saute using the zukes and basil as a base. Perhaps I'll see if I can't use some of the lagniappe (Mexican oregano and dried chiles) that I received from fellow eG member ranchogordo when I was in Oakland (see my Berkeley and Oakland post in the CA forum)!

Ditto on kudos to Lou + Company! I was on my way out the door, saw that my (oh-so-kind) neighbor had brought my NYT upstairs for me, and turned around to read the review before I went out. I'm with Rosie--it reads more like a Very Good, but then again, we're a bit biased.

Good call, Katie...and most appropriate. I do remember watching her on tv when I was a kid and thinking she was cool even then. A strong, progressive, pioneer woman who had a great impact on our society. I'll certainly toast her tonight.

The reason I used your salad example is precisely b/c a server can't see that a steak is over/underdone. But in many restaurants, there is someone else running plates from the kitchen to the customer; that person wouldn't know that you ordered your salad lightly dressed. We can blame the kitchen only if the wait staff puts the order in correctly at the start; hopefully that same server will say "Note to self...the guy (thankfully) wearing PANTS wanted less dressing...let me see if it came out that way." And hustle on over to check.