Curlz

It is indeed Paterson Ave...near the intersection of Park, in E. Rutherford. I lived over that way in another life. If it's the place I think it is, the food is nothing to write home about; I suspect that jtphjl just needed to vent b/c of her experience. I do think you should call the restaurant and tell them that you felt threatened (if that was the case) and that you were upset that their reaction was to do nothing. Personally, I'd have walked out and not returned, but I know that those types of things can be awkward and scary. If you're really concerned, you could always call the E. Ruth police and at least report the incident so if something else happens, they have something on record--for whatever that's worth. Bummer re: your evening, but I'm with ghostrider--next time, go to Reggia Bistro! They definitely had calamari on the menu, and Chef Enzo is bound to come out and greet you warmly--a far better experience, for sure.

So now he's not allowed to complain for a full year, right?!? Sorry, Lou--gotta bust on you before I say WOW--congratulations on a VERY well-deserved award!!! I hope you're packed full of people who have never tried your restaurant before! As long as you'll still have room for the rest of us, that is... KUDOS to you and your staff!

We just had an eG dinner there last week...take a look at the thread, which is still up and fairly active. Edit: Here's the link...maybe Rosie can make it pretty? http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=45297 Beautiful patio and good food--all you need is for the weather to cooperate! Enjoy!!

I completely agree re: coupons--but sadly, some sort of 'sale'/promotion is probably what is going to draw people who aren't patronizing these places. Remember that most of us on eG don't fit in the mold of the general consumer...you have to think about why people go to the other places...easy, (in some cases) cheaper, consistent (i.e., you can always wait for 45 mins at Applebee's! bleah). I just think that if owners like Lou got someone in the door once and they saw what a real restaurant is like, they might come back. Seems to me that every local restaurateur has his/her regular customers--it's the constant flow of new folks that they need! Lou, the other thought I have is based on your location, and without knowing who your fellow drinkers er...owners are--have you done any work with local corporate entities, concierges, etc.? There is certainly a dearth of business out in Mo Co...if you can get in with some of those folks, perhaps when people are entertaining clients or employees, they'd come up to AAG instead of running to the local hotel restaurant or some other standby? I do agree with Rosie that you need some P.R. over advertising, but I think you have to keep that lowest common denominator in mind in terms of the advertising piece. Sadly, the specials are what might get you some more first-timers.

Lou, I've been to your place twice, and can honestly say that both experiences were terrific, so I'll try to speak to the topic in general. I'm also saying this without knowing what kind of marketing/advertising you and your fellow owners are doing. My experience, and that of most of my friends (single, coupled, families--the whole mix) is that when we find a place with good food, good service and reasonable prices/value, we keep going back. I know that sounds simple, and I think you're already doing it, but I don't think that all independent owners think about that combo for their patrons. I have a few friends who will go to the same restaurant once a week because they like the food/atmosphere/service so much! In your case, I'd say keep doing what you're doing. The only thing I can think of is that you all need to put the word out that you are a good value for higher quality food than these salt-filled, processed food chains. Have you considered getting a few restaurants in the same area together for a group night/coupon/special? Maybe if people hear that your places are good, that would be incentive to get them there the first time? I may be talking out my *ss...what do you think? I'm certainly going to poll my friends for other thoughts. Curlz

Can't believe I haven't mentioned it, but (Nicky's) Firehouse Pizza in Madison has GREAT pizza!!!

Then you'll enjoy the fact that WE were hysterical over his rendition of "The River"-played in an uptempo double-time!! I said "Hey, everyone! It's summer! Let's go down to the river!" Killed us. Re: pizza, I must admit that I don't eat it too often, but when I do, I like Bella Vita's veggie pie. I make a few alterations, but usually end up with eggplant, onions, mushrooms and either broccoli or spinach. Fwiw, they have a full-serve dining room as well as takeout. They're on the corner of Ridge Rd and Kingsland Ave--about another 1/4 mile or so after Mazur's as you're heading to Kearny. Haven't had Foschino's b/c I hit BV when the pizza craving hits me! Cook, where's JoJo's? I don't remember even seeing that one!

Having read ghostrider's post, I decided to give La Reggia Bistro a try tonight when my friend said he needed to carbo load before a big run tomorrow. Since I'm always complaining that Lyndhurst has no great restaurants, we went all the way over to Rutherford to check out this spot. And what a lovely spot it is! Full room at 8pm tonight, too. And it's as casual as you'd like it to be; when I made the reservation, I asked if shorts were acceptable--they definitely are, but there were a few folks who were more dressed as well. Great ambiance, but the first thing that you really notice is how ridiculously loud the entertainment is. WHY? WHY, WHY, WHY? There's just no need. It's not that he's bad, just that he's too loud. We're in our late 30s, and when asked where we wanted to sit, we said in unison "Further back, so we can talk." If the hostess doesn't hear what customers are saying, that's a problem. We received bread and oil very quickly, along with our menus. The waitress had to have been about 19; this was further confirmed when, having been told by her that we needed to tell her exactly what the dish was called on the menu b/c the computer system is all in Italian, we commented that her Italian must be getting better every day. Her response was "No, my Italian sucks!!" She wasn't rude--but it surprised us nonetheless. Overall, the wait staff was very friendly and accommodating. When our waitress wasn't around, we flagged down a waiter who brought more water. The same waiter picked up our check after we had signed off on the credit card slip. The menu is very difficult--only because you'll want to order everything!! Seriously--we were laughing about how hard it was to decide what to order, and about how many times we changed our minds, because it all sounds so good and the prices are very reasonable. I was really tempted to order the dishes that ghostrider mentioned, but decided we had to know about the rest of the menu as well. We finally settled on the hot antipasto (clams oreganata, 2 ENORMOUS shrimp, mussels, fried muzz, stuffed mushrooms, zucchini and eggplant rollatini) for two ($15). The stuffed mushrooms were by far the best item on the plate, but everything else was just acceptable. Fresh, definitely, but lacking in some punch, i.e. pepper, salt or garlic. Actually, the mushrooms were a WOW. Not 100% sure, but I think there was sausage in the stuffing--definitely some meat. I don't eat clams, but Jim thoroughly enjoyed them. For dinner, Jim had pasta with shrimp, mushrooms, and sundried tomatoes. Again, the shrimp were HUGE. I tasted the dish, which was really good. I had the penne with sausage, broccoli rabe, (too few) cannellini beans and olive oil. Good stuff, and I have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow! We were full and a bit chilly (the A.C. was cranking--a good thing in general), so we decided to skip dessert. Instead, we headed over to the Lyndhurst Bake Shop for their homemade Italian ices. All in all, a good experience, and certainly a reasonably priced one--the bill came to $43 before tip! I'll definitely go back and try a few other things. Ghostrider, thanks for the tip!!! I don't think you mentioned when this place opened...do you know? Oh, and I did notice a sign outside--lunch buffet for $7.95pp Mon-Fri. I'm curious to know what's on the buffet, as that's a serious bargain for decent food.

Oh, Tommy's a ringer alright...DING DONG!!!

As already stated, your pho was delivered correctly! When I get it to go, I usually just heat up the broth on the stove before putting the meat in; that way, there are no worries!

I mentioned to westorangefrank that Master Pizza on Northfield Ave on the West Orange/Livingston border used to make a decent pizza. He encouraged me to post it on this thread, so here I am. MP is not a restaurant; they used to have 4-5 stools if you wanted to eat there. Would love to know if the pizza's still good... anyone been recently?

This should be someone's new signature!!!

Tommy, you got some 'splaining to do!!!

Great time had by all, as you can see. Anthony and Amy, thanks again for orchestrating the evening, including the (mostly) great weather!!! Frank, GREAT post! I have a couple of minor additions/corrections, but feel free to correct me if I'm remembering these wrong! And note that Frank posted at 1:59am...an impressive feat, indeed! First, I must elaborate on the bread basket. The presentation, in a tall wrought iron basket, is really lovely. The bread is sliced thin and stands on end with a few of the (daily) housemade breadsticks. THEY were awesome. If I'd been smart, I would have put a mess of them in my purse to take home! Seriously--great flavor, very crunchy. The the skewered cloves of roasted garlic were also delicious, and I just loved the whole look of the bread basket on the tables. Ant and I were pretty sure that there were some clams mixed in to that fritto misto. If it's possible, there were just far too many calamari! So sad to see them return to the kitchen, but come on, folks...we were just getting started! Pizzas: I believe they were officially a mushroom/white truffle oil pie, and I'm certain that what Frank identified as Bruschetta and arugula was the prosciutto and arugula one. I can honestly say that we never got the Margharita one down on our end, as I kept saying that I had tried all 3 of the pizzas. My only pizza disappointment was with the mushrooms they used; button mushrooms??? Come on, guys--far too many other options available. The pasta did disappoint many of us, but Anthony was honest with Evan and told him why. The sauce was also pretty rich, esp in comparison with the way we had been eating so far. I'd be game to try it again if the pasta was a little less gummy, as the ingredients were obviously very fresh. The only thing Frank left out about the salad was the goat cheese! One of my favorite things on the planet, for sure. And the 'carmel' was, in fact, butterscotch. But at that point in the night, we were such a happy bunch that it doesn't matter. It's GOOD. I'm not a sugar freak, but I did double-dip (the unbitten end) my zeppole. And the chocolate was also fabulous, as were the strawberries. Evan, chefs and staff, THANK YOU for dealing with us. We know we're fun, but we also know we can be a handful. You were very accommodating, and we appreciate it!! There's something SO welcoming about a group of 14 people and many (16) bottles of wine that makes everyone comfortable. I want to reiterate that for those of you who haven't already attended an eG gathering, there's no reason to be shy! Everyone is always welcoming, so you'll feel like you've been coming to these dinners for years. Curlz

Good morning! This is your wine scribe speaking... I'll add my comments about the evening on a separate post. Here is the full list from last night's dinner (in no particular order): ’02 Turley ‘The White Coat’ Viognier/Roussanne blend ’03 Viognier de Campuget, Cuvee Prestige ’02 Mitolo Shiraz G.A.M. (with…gasp…a screw top!) ’03 Alto Adige Pinot Grigio ’03 Babich Sauvignon Blanc ’99 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon ’03 Rutini Sauvignon Blanc (Argentina) ’99 Ravenswood Zinfandel ’00 Turley Atlas Peak Zinfandel ’00 Simi Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley) ’00 Turley Dogtown ’00 Villa di Vetrice Chianti Rufina Riserva ’00 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa) ’01 Trimbach Riesling Dessert wines: ’01 Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto d'Acqui AKA “sparkling deliciousness" —Evan ’02 Borgo Regalle Moscato d’Asti My personal favorites were 'The White Coat’, the Mitolo Shiraz, the Atlas Peak Zin and the Phelps Cab, but there was plenty of good juice on the table, that's for sure!Thanks again to all for their generosity.

I just love that He Who Has Bailed is still keeping track of who's going and adding his two cents!!! But I know we shouldn't be surprised by that... Getting out of the office--see y'all in Caldwell!

I'm going to bring a bottle of Moscato d'Asti, unless y'all want me to bring something else... And the sun is back out--great night for dining al fresco!

...and the STEAMED shrimp at the Provision Co. were darn tasty last week!!!

My understanding is that they own two restaurants...this one is called Mustard Seed on M____. I can't remember the name of the street, but I'm pretty certain that it's the one in Mt. Pleasant. We went to Folly's Beach after dinner to watch the sunset off of the fishing pier--great way to end the day!

Fatcat's too...!

I'm officially emotionally traumatized by Mr. & Mrs. Tommy's cancellation.

I haven't been yet, but my mom LOVES the Malaysian place. If anyone has been/goes, please do report in!!

Since it's buried early in the thread, I thought I'd repost this...the restaurant is at: 435 Bloomfield Ave Caldwell, NJ Tommy's right--Caldwell is one of those 'interior' towns--not RIGHT near any major highway, but it's not far off of Rt. 46 (Pine Brook/Fairfield) area. I'm in Lyndhurst, and usually end up going there one way and coming home another b/c I'm always sure that there's a more efficient route--but there isn't!! And fwiw, this isn't far from Nori, so for those who have been there, you know which end of Bloomfield Ave to head to--closer to Passaic Ave. Best bet is to Mapquest it, but I'm happy to help if anyone wants to PM me.

THAT'S the one I've heard about. You are correct re: IOTH and Karma--that I knew--sorry! Just didn't realize that the owners also bought a third place. But am I nuts, or is there now a restaurant called Saffron in E. Hanover? I'm pretty sure there's a separate thread about it here somewhere... As for the difference between India and Karma, I couldn't agree more. As I've mentioned before, I have an ex-bf who is Indian, and when HE told me that IOTH was as close to his mom's cooking as he had ever had, I knew that my (then-new-to-Indian-food) palette wasn't lying to me. I just love their cooking!! And of course, now I'm wishing I had some pasanda badami...and naan...or a thali...or... Re: Madison--WOW, I'm surprised to see these comments! The friends who rave are usually on the mark when it comes to restaurants. If I get there, I'll certainly let you know my thoughts.

As promised, I'm reporting back on my trip to SC and NC...thanks again for all of your suggestions! With only 4 days and spending ALL of it with friends and family, I wasn't able to get everywhere that I wanted to, but I think I did pretty well. Dinner the first night was at King Fish on King St in Charleston. My friends who live there chose the place, as they have been there a few other times, and everything else was packed. I liked the vibe--very friendly, simple decor, and very FRESH food. Not spectacular, but certainly worth a try if you haven't been there. I had grilled tuna with a lemon/basil sauce, and it was cooked as requested. Nothing like fresh fish!! :-) My friends had wahoo and (grilled) eggplant parm, both of which looked great. Headed up to Southport the next day, and sadly, didn't time my eating too well, but I stopped at a folk art place in Pawleys Island and saw Louis', so I knew where to stop on the trip back! I did see the place with the shark sticking out of the roof, as well as the McClellanville Diner--but I'm from NJ, so diners don't really call to me when I'm out of state. First night in Southport, and a group of 26 of us went to Southport Provision Co...exactly what I want at the beach--a dive with great seafood! No pretention, order it yourself, paper plates, and cold beer. I had 1/2 lb of steamed shrimp and their house-made red skin potato salad. Many in the group had crab cakes, which looked just like hockey pucks, but without exception, I was told that they were fantastic. We all walked across the road to Flava's for ice cream. Breakfast the next morning was at PJ's, which is on West Street, iirc...good basic breakfast, including menu items like egg and crab benedict, shrimp omelettes, and of course, grits and biscuits. I had an omelette that was fine--nothing to write home about--but the grits were yummy! Heading south, I did stop at Louis', and decided that it was best to go to Louis' to Go so I didn't spend too long there. I'm betting that I was the only person on Rt. 17S that afternoon who was eating a turkey/brie/spinach/bacon panini! DELISH--thanks VERY much for that suggestion!!! Returned to Charleston, and we had a wonderful dinner at The Mustard Seed. It's a small house, and on a Tuesday night at 7, it was PACKED. I can see why--interesting, fresh food for ridiculously low prices (at least to someone from northern NJ)!!! I split a wonderful (HUGE) salad with sauteed asparagus with one friend, and then had shrimp/lemon/basil cakes, which were served with a tasty (and al dente--just as I like them) vegetable combo and rich mashed potatoes. Also on the table: a fried green tomato/crabcake napoleon that my friend loved, a sesame-crusted chicken dish, and pork loin. All good, and all of the entrees were well under $15 each. Crazy! :-) On my last night there, we had a typically un-Charleston, un-Southern dinner. And a WOW it was. Preface: it was 97 degrees with a heat index of 115, and when I say hot and humid, I can't exaggerate it enough. But as we were driving through the city, my friend said "Oh! There's the place I've been wanting to try since X told me about it!" So we went. For ITALIAN food! The restaurant is called Il Cortile Del Re, it's at 193-A King St., and it's billed as an Enoteca-Wine Bar-Trattoria. That it is! There are 2 dozen (or fewer) tables inside, and a handful outside in a patio/garden space that looked lovely, but there was no way we could have sat outside in that heat. In heat like that, I tend to eat lightly. My friends ordered the pasta bolognese and one of the specials, spinach gnocchi. Call me nuts, but that's some HEAVY food. I went with 2 appetizers--carpaccio w/arugula and shaved parmagiano, and a baked portobello with (local) goat cheese. My friends were supposed to help, but they only tried the carpaccio. I held my own. And a glass of Barbera d'Alba, because I couldn't possibly have eaten that carpaccio without red wine! Needless to say, I ate and drank with no problem, thanks to the A.C. and they somehow finished their dishes. Both of my dishes were wonderful. I'd HIGHLY recommend this place--great spot to linger over wine for lunch or dinner! I did SEE Peninsula Grill, but didn't get to go--maybe next time. Thanks again to all of you who gave me so many great ideas! And special thanks re: the Myrtle Beach bypass--I'm convinced it saved me a lot of time.