CiriloE

Thank you for making it easier for all of us who will have a banquet at Sweet and Tart in the future. We always enjoyed a good meal there with groups ranging from 4-16 but we are Fiipinos of Chinese descent so they know not to presume anything. I would have opted for a free meal with my friends. Cirilo

I used my LWS for the longest time and resisted the call of WL but my LWS just can't compete with the selection and price WL offers. The advantages of buying in bulk and having the ability to move their product are our gain. Zachy's and Sokolin online prices are a tad higher than WL's. When shopping on site you have to know what you like and want. The salesmen are very knowledgeable and helpful but they will try and sway you to buy their slower moving wines that may or may not be comparable to what you want. Bring your charts, can't really fault them for doing their job. Cirilo

The Jefferson in Hoboken China 46 ← The Hoboken restaurants. Have to get the Jersey City kid out of me.

Our community donated to Catholic Online - https://www.catholic.org/ycvf/donate.php Cirilo

flinflon28, Sorry to hear about your story. My family celebrated my daughter's birthday party at Bouley with a dinner for nine last October. We were placed in a good location and everything went well. Two of the nine went a la carte instead of the tasting menu large parties like us were all supposed to get. We did not receive any grief for that and the service was well synchronized and wonderful. I admit that I am not as discriminating as tetsujustin but we all went home satisfied with the experience. Maybe Dave aka chopjwu12 had something to do with it as we communicated before going there? Dave, what say you? Was my experience the norm or just special treatment? Cirilo

My friends and I were there last Thursday. Have to make last minute arrangements to take friends from Manila to dinner. I called at 8:45PM, Cynthia and Anthony were very helpful and allowed us to come in at 9:30. Anthony even told us where to park. Chef Ryan was very gracious and accommodating and helped out with my friend's non-food questions. The food was great as usual, the service attentive and courteous. We were the last ones to leave but we never felt rushed. Thank you Fascino. Cirilo

Lacena Italian Grill - Voorhees

Can you tell us about Maynila? ← Maynila is a Filipino restaurant on Newark Avenue nearby Casa Dante. Serves Filipino food cafeteria style or "turo-turo" on the first floor and a la carte on the second floor. I prefer the "turo-turo" section and it now seems to be the standard in Filipino eateries in the Northeast. It need not be that way but that's a different thread altogether. Their offal dishes are as good as it gets especially their "bopis," a dish made of finely chopped calve's heart and tripe cooked in vinegar, garlic, bell peppers and hot pepper flakes. You will not find fusion dishes here. Some Filipinos may argue that Fiesta Grille and Philippine Bread House are better but Maynila is walking distance from my wife's office.

Marco and Pepe - Jersey City Madame Claude - Jersey City Maynila - Jersey City Chez Catherine - Westfield Daimatsu - Mountainside Cathay 22 - Union The Dining Room at Short Hills Hilton Restaurant Serenade - Chatham Taste of Asia - Chatham Fascino - Montclair An American Grill - Randolph Cirilo

I had a jacket and tie. I don't remember the other diners as I had my eyes only on my wife. You won't go wrong if you have a tie on but remember this is a casino. You may see some high rollers wearing jeans and sweater. Have a great time. Cirilo

My wife and I were there after Christmas last year and had a really good time. I had sticker shock initially but the food was prepared really well and the servings quite generous. I can't remember the details other than everything was good and we ordered a lot more than we can finish. Go in hungry. Cirilo

Thank you very much. Which are your favorites for the downmarket Pinoy places? How is old chinatown? Salamat uli, Cirilo

Commander's Place with chef's table sounds great, too. I love the CP. However, with these two you will see dress up diners that may not appreciate you having so much fun. The prices also say $$$$. If you do go, you will not be sorry. Cirilo

The Upperline can probably accomodate you. Talk to Pete and tell him your needs and maybe he can seat you in the back room. Jo Ann the owner enjoys entertaining egulletters so make sure she gets the word that you are one. Herbsaint has two dining areas and can accomodate you as well. You will not go wrong with either one but Upperline may be more fun for the size of your group unless Brooks says otherwise. Cirilo

Will be going home after four years to visit Mom and Dad. Any recommendations to high end restaurants in the area? Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Filipino food... Are the traditional Chinatown restaurants in Ongpin still any good? Have not been there in twenty six years. Still worth a visit or stick to hotel located restaurants? Thank you much for your help. Cirilo

Thank you all for your suggestions that made my recent trip a memorable one. The trip was a gastronomic delight and more than lived up to my expectations. It was my wife’s first visit and she really had a wonderful time. Herbsaint – It was a favorite of mine the last time I was here and it did not disappoint this time. Service was very attentive and friendly and the food very well prepared. We were very hungry and we both started with the arugula and endive salad. My wife, Merle, then had the Shrimp and Green Chile grits cake with tasso cream sauce, beef short rib on potato cake with Dijon-Horseradish dressing for me. The only down side for the evening was when I realized I liked Merle’s seared sea scallops with roasted butternut squash and Satsuma vinaigrette more than my Crickhollow Farms Suckling Pig au jus with bacon braised white beans. However, I don’t think the kitchen staff noticed as my plate was well cleaned by the time it went back. Restaurant August – The dark paneled walls and the big chandeliers got my attention as we were taken to our table. It was a very busy night filled with convention people but we never felt abandoned at any time. The service was brisk. We started with Salade August with candied pumpkin seeds and blue cheese, followed by gnocchi with lumps of crab and truffle oil. I never thought gnocchi can get this good. My wife had the Moroccan spiced duck with sweet corn polenta, duck foie gras and cherries for the main course. I had the rack of lamb with ragout of chanterelles with a glass of Burgundy. Both were so good and unlike the night before, I was more than happy with my choice. The chanterelles gave this favorite but rather familiar meat a new life. Merle had Dessert’s from Crescent City Farmer’s market while I had chocolate tasting with a port wine. We liked the experience so much we made reservations for lunch on the way out. Upperline – Sunday dinner brought me uptown and my taxi driver took us through the mansions on Charles Street. This may not have been the most direct route but we were thankful to see a New Orleans we otherwise would not know existed. Compared to the homes we just passed through and wished we owned we were then dropped off in front of a rather plain though not drab looking building. As we entered, we met the owner, Jo Ann Clevenger, who is always happy to see and give Egulleters a treat. Upperline has three dining areas, we went past the busy main room, past the middle room and we were seated in the back room that was understated but ever so elegant and romantic. We forgot the tired feeling that comes with a working Sunday and settled in as we were transported to a different world. Merle had the Taste of New Orleans and I had the Jefferson dinner with wine pairing. There was food aplenty, all of them memorable. On top of that, Jo Ann sent us Duck and Andouille gumbo and crispy oysters with celery root remoulade on the house. For our main course, I had Tournadoes of Beef with mushroom ragout and Merle had the roast duck with pecan sweet potatoes and peach sauce. After all that, we had to struggle and barely finished our dessert of Louisiana Pecan pie and bread pudding. What a wonderful meal. It was a great night and the total experience was exceptional. Definitely not the comfort food that somebody (not the Perlows) suggested in Rachel Perlow’s earlier thread. Thank you Jo Ann for your restaurant and may you be blessed with a good health for a very long time to feed us Northeasterners who wander down NO. More to come - Commander Palace, New Orleans Grill at Windsor Court. Cirilo

Tracey and Karl, How was dinner? Did you hit the mother lode? Cirilo

Thank you. This is my 4th visit and always loved it. I always believed one cannot have a bad meal in this town. The disappointment only comes from the heightened expectation. Cirilo

My wife and I are going to New Orleans this Friday. Following the recommendations from the previous posts I came up with this list. We can't go out for dinner M, T, W as we work until 10PM those nights. Much as we like to, we can't fit in Jacques-Imos and Brigsteins. There is a big convention so making changes in the reservations may be difficult but feel free to suggest changes. Any suggestion for lunch in the downtown - Quarter's area? Nola comes to mind as I feel like caving in to try the Emeril experience. It's OK to tell me it's a bad idea. Friday dinner - Herbsaint Sat dinner - August Sunday dinner - Upperline Monday lunch- Commander Palace Tuesday lunch - Red Fish Grill? Wednesday lunch- ? Thank you much, Cirilo

The Dynasty - 100 Rte 22W Green Brook for the best Hong Kong style Dim Sum. Better than most places Chinatown can offer. Always very crowded on weekends and the wait may get long. No longer the bargain it used to be and may now even be the priciest Dim Sum in all of NJ but the quality of the food remains very high and consistent. Definitely worth the wait and expense. Tim and his staff are very friendly and helpful. Cirilo

Had a wonderful dinner at An American Grill last Monday. When will the prix-fixe menu return? Cirilo

Thank you for your response. I will go to Ixora and give a report when I do. Oldwich and Frenchtown are a little out of the way. Cirilo

Can you recommend a good restaurant other than the Ryland Inn in this area? I may be going in this neighborhood 2x a week for the next few months and want to try something other than diner food. Thank you very much for your help. Cirilo

Ajian Rte 22W 908-353-2230 Daimatsu -Mountainside 908- 233-7888 Both are owned by the sushi chef and they know how to keep the customers happy. They serve the tastiest sushi and sashimi. Service at Daimatsu can get slow, but not sloppy, especially on weekends due to its thriving take out business. I suggest Daimatsu on weeknights, Ajian on weekends. Both are BYO. I have tried Fuji, Fujiyama Mama, Arirang and Sono in Millburn and they are not up to par. Both are BYO. Cirilo