CiriloE

I agree. We ate there last night. Great time as usual. Cirilo

Looking for recs for restaurants with nice ambiance and great food for dinner and another one for Sunday brunch. Hope you can help. Thank you, Cirilo

http://www.chezcatherine.com/# Chez Catherine in Westfield offers a Thanksgiving dinner. This is from their website. Mise en Bouche Crémant de Bourgogne NV *********** Foie Gras Maison “au torchon”, toasted brioche, persimmon and pecan salad *Cuvée OH, Muscat Sec, Côte de Catalanes 2005 **Carmes de Rieussec, Sauternes 2004 ********** Potage de Saison seasonal soup ********** Feuilleté de Fruits de Mer scallops, shrimp, mussels, chanterelles, crisp pastry, and lobster cream sauce *Riesling, Pierre Sparr, Alsace 2006 **Riesling “Grand Cru”, François Baur, Alsace 2000 ********** Entracte ********** Carré d’Agneau rack of lamb, flageolets, fingerling potatoes, onion confit, and roasted garlic rosemary jus or Filet de Bœuf au Poivre pan-seared filet mignon, sautéed spinach, black peppercorn cream sauce *Petite Sirah, Huntington, California 2005 **Petite Sirah, Rosenblum Heritage Clones, San Francisco Bay 2004 ********** Assortment of Four Cheeses and Fruit supplement: cheese only - $10.00 or cheese and wine - $20.00 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Château La Nerthe 2003 *** Farandole de Desserts *Muscat, Vin de Glaciére, Bonny Doon 2004 **Gewurztraminer, Hugel, Alsace 2004 *** Café et Mignardises *** Prix-Fixe: $75.00 With Wine Pairing, 3oz each: $38.00 With Premium Wine Pairing, 3oz each: $55.00 Please let us know if you have any food allergies C.J. Reycraft, Jr., Chef de Cuisine Stéphane Bocket, Maître d’Hôtel

Thank you Chris. We were were in town for parent's weekend and gave the daughter who was in a college production a treat. Chez Pascal at 5:30 out by 6:35PM and Gracie's at 9:45 after the show. We've eaten at Pascal several times and Gracie's for the first time. Both are very good restaurants and I cannot say which one I prefer after our meal. At Pascal, we informed our server of our need to leave by 6:30 and we were done with enough time for tea. Ordering from the appetizers we all had the salad special; my wife had the braised rib in peppers, daughter and I had the crispy duck leg confit. Service and food, excellent. After the show we went to Gracie's. I was hungry enough to feast but the two ladies were not. The ambiance was totally different. We were greeted by our server with champagne for my daughter's birthday. This was followed by an amuse of oysters. My daughter had the Sweet Potato Soup with cornbread crumbles, speck, celery & apple salad and she said this was the best sweet potato soup ever. This was followed by the veal sweetbreads which she consumed with the same enthusiasm. The wife was not that hungry and she had the George's Bank Scallops. I had the slow poached lobsters and scallops both of which were very yummy and perfectly presented. We stayed at the Renaissance and our package came with free breakfast at the Temple. I don't know if the problem lies with the incompetent service or the kitchen staff. There was no reason why one had to wait 35 minutes for eggs but it did the first day. Sunday I ordered pancakes but got eggs and sausages. Again, after waiting 35 minutes. We need to leave so I just accepted it. The Temple was the only down side of our stay at the Renaissance, actually of the whole weekend . I wonder what kind of a horror show it is at dinner time? We can''t wait to be back in early December for another college play and Gracie's or Chez Pascal. Really depends on where we stay, I guess. Cirilo

Caitlin, Thank you. It did not disappoint. I could have eaten a lot more but ... Cirilo

Syrah Girl, Sorry I missed your post. I passed that yesterday and we ended up eating in Pacific Seafood in Bay City. It was so-so but it was just about our budget so it was not too bad. I don't recommend this place. In Astoria we ate at T Paul's Urban Cafe which turned out quite well. We shared a Roasted Garlic Quesadillas as an appetizer, my son had the Roasted Chipotle Pesto Penne Pasta and Fresh Basil Pesto Prawn for me. With a shared dessert and the bill came to $50.00 with the tip, no sales tax. There are tons of restos in Astoria and we walked the downtown district and looked for the busiest and we did well. We plan on stopping at Lincoln City tonight and either Florence or Reedsport tomorrow depending on how well he rides. Hope I get the recs on time. Cirilo

Hello, I am driving as support for my son during his bike ride along the Pacific Coast from Centralia to San Diego. I would be with him until Klamath, CA. Then, he is on his own as his riding buddy backed out on the last minute. I am hoping you can give us some recs on affordable, good eats in/near Centralia Wa, Cathlamet, Manzanita, Pacific City, Waldport OR, Winchester Bay, Port Orford, Brookings and Klamath, CA. http://www.justgiving.com/enricoslasheric Thank you very much. Cirilo

On our return to HHI after 4 years, we planned on eating at the Old Fort Pub, Antonio's, Le Bistro Mediterranean, Red Fish, Alligator Grille, Cafe at Wexford , Charlie's L'Etoile Verte, Hudson's on the Dock or Crazy Crab based on current egullet recs and our previous experience. We visited Faisal at the Le Bistro on our first night. The place is bigger, with a completely new staff having Charles completely take over the cooking from Faisal. Somehow, we found the old reliables to be not as good as before. We promised to go back but somehow didn't in the two weeks we were there. As I write, I wish we did. The Cafe at Wexford is now Hugo's formerly of Fitzgerald's. Charlie's L'Etoile Verte still serves very good South Carolina cooking. The new location (4 years) is where Il Cappucino used to be and is much bigger and comfortable. Charlie's now has the ambiance to go with the food. Two of Faisal's wait staff who joined Charlie's four years ago remembered us and really took good care of us. Frankie Bones serves great Northern (Jersey) cooking and we enjoyed the Sunday brunch. Hudson's on the Dock. Our group of 17 on wheelchair and high chair had a great time. We came on the rainy day and were the first ones on the line coming from our day long outlet shopping. I actually enjoyed the food. Maybe my expectation was just lower not having to wait an hour to be seated or just plain famished or the food was just fresh and well prepared all along. Whatever, it was my best experience of the family style sea food restaurants in the Island. After a disappointing experience at Antonio's, poor service, so-so food, we vowed not to go to another Lowrey Group restaurant again and gave up on the Old Fort Pub which gave us more time to enjoy Red Fish and Alligator Grille. We spent our last two days having lunch and dinner in these two fine restaurants. BTW, the wines at the retail store of Red Fish are of very good quality, variety and are competitively priced. One should buy the Island wine here instead of Bi-Lo, Publix, PW or Harris Teeter. Top Recs: Red Fish Charlie's L'Etoile Verte Alligator Grille Frankie Bones

I can highly recommend two places for dinner on Hilton Head Island: Charlie's L'Etoile Verte http://www.charliesofhiltonhead.com/ New Orleans Rd., off 278 Handwritten menu changes daily. Greg ← Returning to Hilton Head after 4 years. We always liked Charlie's and Old Fort but we found Faisal's Le Bistro Mediterranean in Pineland Station to have the best food. But that was 4 years ago. Any new recommendations? Cirilo

Thank you all. I decided to have more people at the dinner table (12) over quality of food and ambiance. Spent 3.5 hours at Fox and Hound. We stayed in one of the back rooms and after 9PM we had the room for ourselves. The food was as expected. Next time we'll have a smaller party and go to Tea and Sympathy. The Village is actually only 30 min from Clark if the traffic gods are smiling at you. A recap of the recommendations: Tea & Sympathy http://www.teaandsympathynewyork.com/restaurant.php The Upper Crust (Boonton) - http://www.uppercrustnj.com/ Ship Inn (Milford) - http://britishbrewpub.com/ Triumph Brewing Co (Princeton) - www.triumphbrew.com Cirilo

Thank you for you replies. I know of the Triumph and Ship Inn but both are about 1 hour away. Also, one of the guests is coming from Succasunna and he prefers the Ship Inn, another guest from Ewing understandably prefers the Triumph. Although both are very good, I kinda made a compromise and was hoping to find some hidden gems in Central Jersey other than the chains I mentioned above. If nothing else comes up, we may head out to Milford tonight to get the British vibe. Thank you. Cirilo

Am entertaining for dinner tonight an Englishman who currently lives in the Philippines. Appreciate your help finding a resto with decent British fare. Five years in the orient made him long for well prepared fish and chips and other fare. Hoping you can give a recommendation in the Central NJ area within 30 min of Cranford. Thank you very much. Cirilo

Well, we had lunch at Cathay 22 today for a party of 13. The food and staff were wonderful. We were in there uninterrupted from 12:30-4 PM. The temperature in the room was very cool so one can have Sichuan food in the summer. For starters, we had Minced Chicken in Spicy sauce Wrapped in Lettuce followed with an off menu Spicy Beef tripe and Tendon. Main courses - Chinese Lauriat style followed: Peking Duck Black Pepper Fish/Tangerine Prawns/Crazy Beef, another off menu item Stir Fried String Beans/Sizzling Beef and Scallops/Fried Rice Chicken Lo Mein Washed down with Chandon Riche sparkling wines - corkage waived Dessert: Fried Sesame Bananas/Green Tea ice cream Food, taxes - $454.05 The guests enjoyed the food and the fellowship so it was worth it. Thank you, Cirilo

Thank you. Still open to suggestions. Cirilo ← I never had a problem with noise at the Tavern for Sat lunch since it was never busy then. I do agree it does get pretty crazy in the evening. ← I never considered lunch may not be busy at all. Classic "what have you done for me lately?" Last time we had dinner at The Tavern, we wished we were talking through noise canceling headphones. I have nothing bad to say about the food so we’ll just go to the main dining room next time we go there Cirilo

Tommy, Thank you. Will check it out this week. Though I doubt this if this group of clients will be right for this place. I have another group in mind for the Front Street Smokehouse and you are more than welcome to join when we go. Cirilo

Teresa's and Mojave Grill are way over-rated but still a town favorite. Cosimo's and Chez Catherine are my favorites in town. Aquaviva is good for large dinner groups, it is like Fiorino's in Summit. At one time Restaurant 89 (Mountainside) was very good but it is now a so-so bistro. The Tavern's food is good but its noise level is very high. The sound just bounces in that building. Will be difficult to hear each other. Cathay 22 in Springfield assured me of 2-3 hours in the back room. If they are not busy we will be placed in the main dining room. http://www.cathay22.com/index.htm Thank you. Still open to suggestions. Cirilo

Westfield has gotten weird the past few years. Parking is a nightmare. I also feel the town officials have gotten greedy and heartless. They actually handcuffed a resident for non-payment of parking tickets a year or so ago while attending a public meeting. Parking hours are changed without notice. Really messed up. I pity the merchants in town. And, Chez Catherine and Aquaviva are closed for lunch. For steak, Robert's in Garwood is comparable to Sweetwater’s without the hassle of parking but it's also closed. Thank you, Cirilo

I have a business lunch for 10 this coming Saturday and I need suggestions where to go. It has to be within 20-30 minutes from downtown Rahway. David Drake, LouCas, La Griglia are closed. Thailand is too small and noisy, 1&9 Seafood is too busy. I also want to stay away from the malls and chains. I am thinking of Cathay 22 in Springfield but it is quite a trek but manageable if I don't go through Westfield. Truly appreciate your suggestions. Cirilo

Sorry for the delayed report. Just to clarify things I had no choice of where we ate as I was a guest of my family and friends. For Filipino food we ate at Sentro in Greenbelt where we had Sinigang na Corned Beef, sisig and Rated GG. It was fun eating brisket in sinigang soup and the fillet of galung-gong completed the meal. I will eat there again even on my own if and when I go back in December. For Chinese I liked Zong at the Fort. I like this one better than Good Earth. It was relatively inexpensive, serves HK style Chinese cuisine in a clean environment. The place is small and was quite packed and I now know why. It was very good. Unlike Gloria Maris or the larger more expensive places, it is not a place to hang out. You don't want to make the people waiting outside wait longer that they should. Just enjoy your meal and then drive to Market Market and catch up on friends while eating Halo-Halo from Razon's. I am loyal to the original Digman's in Bacoor but at the Market nothing is better. I did not get a chance to go to Binondo but made up for it by eating at China Bowl on Jupiter Street near Paseo de Roxas(?). It is a storefront resto with a Binondo ambiance and the good food to match. We had the traditional Fil-Am Chinese prepared quite well and we ate until it hurt. We came late with a group of 15 after 10 PM and were accommodated quite well. We closed it down but we never felt rushed. Remembering an earlier post, I had a hard time resisting the temptation to ask my friends to eat at L' Opera instead of Le Soufflé but I was glad I resisted. I always enjoyed my meals at Le Soufflé and this time was no exception. Some friends said it had gone down in quality but I say it is still consistent. I make it a point not to order the pan-fried goose liver, Ossa Bucco, rack of lamb because the Lapu-lapu is great here. My waiter also gave me a taste of the available white wine by the glass so I can order the one I liked. Thank you. Great meal and hope to come back.. There is literally an explosion of restaurants in the Metro-Manila area. Some are better than others. The reliable ones previously noted in this thread are all good and worth trying but with only 5 days to stay there was so little time. I must go to Malate and Binondo next time. Cirilo

We were at Bizou last January but the lights went out in the whole area and we ended somewhere else. Will make a point to eat next visit which is in May. We ate at Good Earth in the Greenbelt Mall but it was disappointing. Then someone said the one at the Fort is better. Is that true? I have resolved not to eat at Barrio Fiesta and keep my memory of it being the best chain of Filipino food intact. I will only stay 9 days in May but will try to get to Binondo. Cirilo

I miss the eateries of my youth. The Barrio Fiesta in Dapitan off UST, the Ongpin eateries, Dayrit's in Makati, Casa Marcos in Pasay, the noodle shops on the second floor in Cubao, pondahan in San Juan, and the original Via Mare, when the owners still did not know whether it was a continental or local fare restaurant. As far as the new eateries at the Fort, Mandaluyong, Power Plant, Greenbelt - the bigger the hype, the more expensive the price, the more disappointed I got. They just could not compare with the finer eateries in the NJ/NY areas. One thing I realized, I do not need to eat high end in Manila. I need to eat the authentic Filipino cooking. I liked Gerry' Grill I but somehow did not like Kamayan. I would like to go to Barrio Fiesta again but am afraid to burst the bubble of the memories of the great food I ate as a struggling college student in the late 60s and early 70s. In the two years I have been commuting I liked the following eateries: Gloria Maris and two other less expensive Chinese restaurants in Greenhills. Sasahana's Japanese Restaurant in Kawit, Cavite, authentic, tasty, moderately expensive. I stay away from the raw fish though Antonio's in Tagaytay, the grill off the highway is good but the one that's hard to find is exceptional. The ambiance alone is enough to knock your socks off, but the food, said to be Italian influenced is just as good. A sleepover and breakfast at Sonia's Garden will make your week-end. Cirilo

Thelma's Filipino Restaurant 808-677-0443 is already in Waipahu, Julie'z at the Marketplace at Kapolei. They both have a small turo-turo section but you can get dishes prepared well off the fairly long menu. Nothing close to what Mom used to make but then we have support the local Filipino eateries. I do agree, Barrio Fiesta or Gerry' Grill are sorely needed in the Oahu, NJ/NY/PA/CT areas. You have Barrio Fiestas in the West Coast? We have The Philippine Bread House and Maynila in Newark and Krystal's in Flushing. I miss Barrio Fiesta. I should make it a point to eat there when I go back to Manila in May. Cendrillon is a very good restaurant but don't order any of the familiar dishes as it will not be the same. Ka Romy is a very talented chef but he cooks it his way. Not like your Nanay's but still quite tasty and well prepared. Cirilo

Book early for brunch. They cannot accomodate me on the Sunday I will be in town and already 10 people deep in the waiting list. They told me people book 3-6 months in advance. Hope you can eat there. Cirilo

Erin, We drive to Providence every two months and so far have limited our dinner selections to New Rivers , Rue De L'espoir and Haruki as they have consistently given us very good dining experiences. We like Rue a lot as it is less than 5 minutes walking distance from daughter. What is your experince with Rue De L'espoir? Where is Lucky Garden? We may go there for brunch this weekend as recommended. Thank you, Cirilo

My wife and I had the same experience as Curlz when the Thai House I on Rte 22 changed owners last November. This one is 5 minutes away from my house and we ate there several times a week. We knew there are better Thai restaurants around but the regular host/waiter Prisha always knew what you liked and needed. He always made you feel so comfortable. That night in November we walked in as strangers. When we asked about Prisha they lied and said he went home to Thailand. We ordered our regulars and the food preparation was different. When I asked if Paul still owned the place, the response was "NO, but we have the same chefs." Another lie as I peeked in the kitchen and no one was recognizable. Paul later told me he sold Thai House I to concentrate on the more profitable Thai House II in Warren which he opened 7 years ago. He was also tired and regrettably said he only had his first full weekend off in seven years after he sold the Thai House I, the original restaurant he started 15 years ago. The menu in Warren is the same as we're used to. Unfortunately, Mt Bethel Road is a good 20 min. further so we only go there when I have this strong craving for the crispy duck. Thailand, in a stainless steel diner on Central Ave is very good. Their seafood dishes are excellent but they do not have my crispy duck. The staff is friendly but it gets very busy and is not the place for a slow meal and linger. You see all these hungry souls waiting to be seated and you tend to rush through your meal. I'll either have to develop a thicker skin or eat there only on weekdays to fully enjoy my meal. Prisha now works at the Thai Basil in Middlesex. My wife wants to go there one of these nights. Has anyone been there? Cirilo