FoodSnob

Also, at the back of the Delicious Orchards parking lot you will find "The Berry Farm." You can pick raspberries and/or blackberries there - it all depends on what is available when you are there. Their phone number is 732 294 0707 and their message always gives a detailed description of what you can pick, how plentiful (or meager) the crop is, and their hours of operation. Like Delicious Orchards - they are closed on Mondays.

We finally made it back to An American Grill and I'm glad we did! We had a great meal and great service. We went with friends who live nearby and between the four of us we got to taste a wide variety of items - mostly off the specials menu. For appetizers we sampled the Ahi Tuna, the Shrimp with Green Sauce, the Mozzarella, Hot Sauce, and Wild Mushroom Puff, and the Vegetable Strudel. All four we nicely plated and tasted delicious, but the tuna was our favorite. Entrees included the Blackened Shrimps and Scallops, the Filet Mignon, and Soft Shell Crabs. Again they we all winners. The filet arrived medium-rare (as ordered) and was so tender you didn't need a knife to cut it. I loved the panko -coated soft shell crabs and I'm looking forward to having the one I took home for lunch today. We ended the evening with two orders of Tiramisu and one Creme Brulee. The guys raved about the Tiramisu which is homemade. I was too full to have desert so I ordered an Irish Coffee instead and nibbled on my friend's Creme Brulee. After dinner I stopped at the bar and met Lou. He is a delightful host and was gracious enough to chat with me after I mentioned that I enjoyed reading his egullet posts. I am sorry that we don't live closer to An American Grill (it's a long ride from the shore to Randolph) or we'd be there more often.

My daughter and I had lunch at Melt on Tuesday - we really loved it! We shared The Adriatic (feta, fontina & olive tepanade) and the French Blue, cucumber, & smoked turkey special. Both were great, but the blue cheese special was our favorite. The fresh squeezed lemonade was marvelously tart and not sweet - it hit the spot on a hot and humid day. The Cinammon Bassets Ice Cream was delicious. It is light and creamy and the flavor was subtle and not overpowering. We got to meet Glenn and must say that he is a very gracious host. While Melt is not near my home in Central Jersey, it is a stone's throw from the Holland Tunnel approach. I highly recommend that you stop at Melt on your way to or from the city! We had a morning appointment in NYC, so we got to Melt in time to have a late lunch. I would gladly go there for dinner as well.

I visited the Whole Foods in Middletown on Monday - I love it! They have a great selection of prepared foods that is more varied than what you'd find at Wegmans. I picked up some Sesame Tofu, Chilli Tofu and steamed Thai Shrimp - delicous. I liked the selection of bulk foods - various types of rice, grains, cornmeal, ...... you bag them yourself and can get whatever amount you want . I bought some short grain brown rice, but haven't had time to try it yet. The prices tend to be high - especially for the organic fruits and vegetables ($2.98 for an artichoke). They have some specials each week - I got rib steaks (tonight's dinner) at $5.99 a pound and the Whole Foods brand (365 Organic) of chocolate truffles from France for $4.99 for 8.8 oz. I sampled the truffles and they were heavenly. I won't do my every day shopping at Whole Foods but I will visit often. I am thrilled that they are within 10 minutes of my house!

Unfortunately, both Ming and Mogul are closed on Mondays. I would agree that LouCas is a good choice as well.

Lou, I usually just read other folks posts, but I have some time right now. so I am going to provide my answers - and I haven't read what others have written so as to not be influenced by them. Just curious, what night do you go out to eat and why? Mostly Friday and Saturday - I'm still working full time, as is my hubby, and I am more relaxed knowing that i don't have to go to work the next morning. Do you drink more weeknights or weekends? Definitely more on weedends! Do you prefer to dine as a couple or with others? We do both...if we don't have plans with friends, dining out as a couple is just fine. Is anymore more apt to dine at restaurant with a liquor license if they waive the corking charge? No. While I enjoy bringing my own wine to a BYOB, I am just fine ordering drinks and/or wine at an establishment (like yours) that has a liquor license. How far will you drive to a restaurant on a weeknight? 15 to 20 minutes (I don't know what that equates to in miles), although I have been known to go into the city during the week to have dinner and see a show. Weekend? Pretty far - I live in Middletown,NJ and besides NYC, we have been known to frequent restaurants in "far away" places like Summit, Frenchtown, Montclair, Whippany, Princeton, and, even, Randolph,NJ. It probably helps that I am not the one who usually drives when we go out to dinner. Needless to say, I am thrilled that Nicholas is about 10 minutes from our house! Good luck with your survey! Carol

We are going to Rats tomorrow evening as well. RockADS21 - if you are there at 9:00 PM - you will be able to recognize us because the gusys probably won't be wearing jackets! The other couple made the reservations and never mentioned anything to us about jackets being preferred. Now I'll have to call them and coordinate on "jackets or no jackets." On the occassions that we've been to Nicholas, I think those have been mainly jackets with possibly one no jacket night. The food has always been great. I am hoping that Rats measures up to what I've heard. I will try to post something next week and hope that the wine doesn't stop me from remembering the details! I just realized that "R" is going on Friday and we are going on Saturday. Perhaps he can give us a heads up on the jacket situation and, of course, the food.

Go to Sheepshead Baygels on Route 35 in Holmdel/Middletown for delicious hand rolled bagels. The bagels are just as good as the ones made originally at the family's bagel shop in, you guessed it, Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn!

Moghul on Oak Tree Road is in a different class from the other Indian restuarants that I've frequented in New Jersey. We went there last month, at the suggestion of my husband's colleague, and were very impressed with the food. The menu included items not found at other Indian restaurants and the quality was better. Additionally, in spite of the fact that the restaurant was extrmely crowded (it was the night of Rutgers graduation), we found the service to be very good - attentive, but not overpowering. I am anxious to go to Ming, which is next door, to experience Chinese food with an Indian influence. I would definitely be interested in an egullet gathering at Moghul.

The Salt Creek Grille in Rumson has a private room downstairs. I beleive it has a nice view of the river and a private bar. I was there for a business dinner that was a buffet, but I think they will do whatever you want.

Rosie Were you at Sogno on a Saturday night? We dined there about a year ago and we loved the food. However, the noise level was so high that it made having a converstion among the four of us almost impossible. Luckily we had a late reservation and by the time we were halfway through our entrees the restuarant had emptied out quite a bit and we enjoyed the rest of the evening. I wonder if they did anything to improve the acoustics. Two gentlemen who left as we were being seated complained to the hostess/owner about the noise. She got quite defensive and basically said that after all they had spent to decorate the restuarant (it does look nice) it was not worth it to invest more money to deal with the noise level. I disagree as this is the only reason we haven't returned. I was hoping to hear from someone on this board that noise is no longer a problem. Otherwise, I'll just have to try a weekday night and hope for the best.

Sorry I didn't find time to do this earlier.....THANK YOU Mark for arranging a great dinner. Bill and I enjoyed both the food and the company! I had the opportunity to return to Mei Thai on Wednesday night with my Mom. We shared the mussel appetizer and the chile duck dish - both were excellent. I had to be wimpy and order them as mild+ since Mom is 87 and wouldn't have done well with more heat. She was impressed with both the food and how clean the restaurant is. After we ordered, our waiter came back and mentioned that the owner recognized me as having been there on Sunday. I didn't get to talk to the owner, but at least he realized that our group dinner had gotten him some repeat business. I am looking forward to the next equllet dinner.

Please add 2 more to the list for dinner at Mie Thai - Carol and Bill Z. I really like Rosie's idea about doing main dishes family style as well. I've only been to Mie Thai once (we went based on postings that I read here) and was frustrated that I couldn't order and taste more things on the menu. If we do end up ordering entrees on our own, I'll be very willing to give out small tastes.

Don't worry about appropriate dress - whatever you were planning to wear to the Arts Center will be fine. The restaurant is not fancy..I would characterize it as an upscale storefront. Enjoy!

Rosie, I too went to Opah Grille and was disappointed. I had dinner there with a friend last Wednesday and was expecting to be thrilled with the food, but I wasn't. We shared a Tuna Sashimi appetizer that consisted of several slices of so-so raw tuna and slices of spring roll. We then both had the Ceasar Salad which was swimming in dressing and had too much cheese for my friend's taste. I had Grilled Tuna, which was probably the best of all our dishes. However, the salsa with black beans that it was served with and that our server had highly recommended had hardly a black bean and not much taste of anything else. My friend ordered the Laquered Sea Bass. All I can say is that it is a good thing that we had planned on splitting both main courses because neither of us ate the Sea Bass. It just didn't taste right. I don't think the fish was bad, but it may have been under-cooked. I didn't complain to anyone as I really wasn't very hungry, but I doubt that I will go back. I might have given them a second chance, but after reading about your experience I think they are having too many off nights. BTW - I really enjoy this forum, but have been hestitant to add my two cents to everyone else's.