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Curlz

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Everything posted by Curlz

  1. I'm DROOLING. What a wonderful love letter you've written, Steven--thank you for sharing with us! I haven't had the opportunity to dine at either restaurant, but I think I'd like to start at the beginning of the alphabet.
  2. This was something I didn't know--I didn't know if I was going to a completely casual take-out place or a full-blown restaurant that took reservations or (as it turns out to be) something in between. Again, for those who haven't been there, it's definitely casual in terms of vibe and dress--there was everything from (nice) short and tank tops to folks dressed for the theater. It's the food that's serious. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt service-wise and hoping that on a non-theater night the turnover isn't as big an issue. And I'm curious...is Chef Knowling the youthful (and, ahem--attractive) guy at the stove? I couldn't tell, but will certainly say hi and i.d. myself as an eG member next time I go. After all, I did enjoy the meal!
  3. Had a somewhat disheartening experience at Indigo Smoke tonight...it was my first visit there, and I'll preface this by saying that the kitchen is putting out some damn tasty Q and sides--the problem is with the front of the house. For those who haven't been, this is a very attractive space with 8 tables, only one of which can accommodate 6 diners. The rest are 2 and 4-tops. Having called to ask if I could make a reservation ("No ma'am"), we arrived at 6:50; there was one other couple + a group of 3 waiting. When we asked the hostess how long the wait would be b/c we had 8:00 tickets, she consulted with one of the waiters and said 15 minutes. We figured we'd be fine, and as we sat in the (very comfortable) waiting area, my friend Jim started to realize that they might have an issue with seating and service. I'll mention here that Jim spent many years waiting tables in NYC, so he does look at service issues (and freely offers kudos) with a different eye than many of us might. In a nutshell, most of the tables emptied at the same time, the staff was slow to clear, clean and reset the tables, and the result was that almost the entire place got seated in quick succession. This means long waits for everything from water to the waiter's visit to take an order. Meanwhile, while we were in the waiting area, the chef + sous were literally getting a break. I have nothing against that, but it was clearly feast or famine for them--they had 8 tables' orders, or they were hanging out. I suppose that this is fine if you do an hourly seating of the entire restaurant, but that's not what's happening here. When we placed our order at 7:15, we said we had to leave by 7:50 b/c we had tickets to a show. At 7:40 we still only had water, and after hearing the customers at the table next to us ask the same question, we asked our waiter how long it would be and were told "a few more minutes," so we did something I've never done--we said we were sorry, but we'd have to take the order to go. We apologized for tying up the table, and went back up to the register to wait for our order. Yes, I left a small tip as an apology. Jim just kept saying, "There's no sense of urgency here" and I guess that's the bottom line. We were up front about being pressed for time from the minute we put our name on the list with the hostess, and actually discussed whether or not we should either go elsewhere or at least take our food to go at that point. The wait was 20 minutes--not b/c the table wasn't free, but b/c it wasn't reset--again, b/c they were busy bringing out all of the desserts and checks that were coming out at the same time! I just wish that someone on the staff had listened to what we were saying and made the suggestion that it would be best to do take-out. That said, what we ate (in the car en route to the theater a bit further away in Montclair) was delicious, and we finished it up during intermission. Not the way I would have preferred to try it out, but that was our situation tonight. DO NOT MISS THE BISCUITS. I had the boneless beef short ribs, which were tender and very tasty, topped with a few fried Vidalia onion rings. Jim had a rack of ribs that he greatly enjoyed, and the whipped sweet potatoes were rich, creamy, and better as a dessert item than as a side, but I'd highly recommend them. The black-eyed peas were good. The cornbread was also good, but did I mention that you shouldn't miss the biscuits?!? All in all, some very good food, but the service left a LOT to be desired. I'll certainly give them another try on a night when I don't have other plans, but if they can't see the benefits of staggering the seating and doing it as tables free up, my guess is that I'll just do takeout from Indigo Smoke.
  4. Okay, I've got some Hedge's Columbia Valley CMS for the duck course!! DUCK!
  5. I spoke to a friend his morning who lives in Morristown; when I mentioned that OFT had opened, she said "Wow...finally!" Seems that the woman who cuts her hair (also in Morristown) had just been telling her about the very tough time the owners of OFT had in dealing with the town. Seems that the Town doesn't make it easy on new business owners, but that luckily, the owners of OFT were able to afford everything thrown their way. No wonder Morristown can't fully get over the hump... Caveat: Trust me, I know what Morristown was vs. what it is now--I grew up out there--but any time I'm there for dinner, I'm still saddened to see how dead the town is in general. I really hope OFT does well!
  6. Great. Thanks, Rosie!
  7. Can you give us a landmark/area on South Street? The address doesn't mean much... Thanks!
  8. I'm starting to doubt it, but will push for an answer...if so, I think it will only be one more.
  9. ...the bikers who are there are the most pleasant people you'll ever meet. That's something I agree with based on my experience--don't want y'all to think otherwise. And who knew they had good bands to boot?!? It sounds to me like Tommy needs to lead an outing to the GNI...then again, the place might never be the same!
  10. Having driven past the GNI for years, I don't think I've ever seen anything but motorcycles parked in their lot, so I'd have to guess is that it's a total biker bar. NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT... But unless you're willing to put on your leather chaps and hop on the back of Lowell's bike, I'd be shocked to learn that it's a Rosie kind of place!
  11. Ah, my BC library card may actually come in handy!! Thanks for the info, Menton!
  12. Lou, coming from Morris Cty, it might actually be faster to take 80 to the GSP and then you only have a short way to go before you get off the Parkway...just my two cents, but that drive up 287 and across 208 always seems long to me.
  13. Lemme tell you...good food, wine, music and fun people are one of my favorite combos in life! This sounds great, Anthony! Thanks for the great addition. As for the menu, I'm always happy to trust a great chef and fellow foodies who know a restaurant's abilities. Just let us know if there are decisions to be made and help us know what wine we'll need!
  14. Wegmans is SO worth the trip!! That, plus the fact that they're very customer service and p.r.-oriented, makes me think that they would want to help make it work for you!
  15. Mktye, you're making me drool up here in NJ...that braised lamb shank was AWESOME!! We did the same thing with the eggplant and those wonderful pitas; I'm guessing that the dishwashers thought the plate was already clean when it came back to them. So glad you enjoyed your visit--I know I can't wait to get back there. Happy Anniversary!
  16. Definitely 1 right now, and I'm going to see if I can get another...the other person I tried isn't available on the 27th. I'll keep you posted on the count if you'll keep me posted on either the menu or what wine you'd like me to bring!
  17. Personally, I'd rather do 5 courses on a 'school' night too, but let's get a vote. Curlz
  18. Count me IN for the 27th! Do we have any idea of cost yet? Knowing that might help me recruit a few more people...
  19. Definitely interested, but not sure about the date until I get back in my office, which won't happen until Wednesday.
  20. The Costco is actually in Clifton--for real! :-) Just off of Rt. 3.
  21. Snausages, I suspect that customer service-wise, you'll get the most help from Wegmans, followed by Whole Foods. Remember to point out that this is good p.r. for them, as you'll give them credit somewhere--and then do it, of course!
  22. The Whole Foods in Edgewater is also a good-sized store AND has great views of NYC and the Hudson out of their front windows...
  23. Having been there (within the last month) on a Monday night, I can tell you that by 7pm, the place was definitely full--I suspect you'll have to wait a bit around that time, but the lines certainly weren't out the door. I'd call to ask about a reservation now and see what kind of feedback you get. And if you HAVE to wait a bit and have a drink at the bar, it's a lovely space! Fwiw, it appears that in addition to the upstairs space, Z often uses the long stretch of tables for large parties downstairs, but we sat within 8' of one the night we were there (basically in the area behind the hostess' stand), and conversation between us wasn't a problem. I doubt that's the case on a Saturday night.
  24. Wegmans, Wegmans, WEGMANS! The newest store is in Woodbridge, but they're also in Bridgewater, Princeton and Manalapan...
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