ghostrider

For all of my fellow hobbitses - check this link - it certainly improved my life: Hitchcock Wide Shoes for Men (Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in this company. I simply have lots of their shoes because I can't find such a selection of 4E-6E sizes anywhere else.) New Balance also makes a # of styles in 6E. You can find them at places other than Hitchcock, sometimes for less $$, if you look around.

You see that everywhere, from politicians to preachers to infomercial hucksters. I guess in anybody who wants to sell you something. Being naturally cynical, whenever I see that move I immediately start questioning precisely what it is that they're trying to sell me. Back to the topic - Of course, efficient service is going to get a good tip. A genuine smile is going to get a bigger tip than a frown or a "why are you bothering me?" attitude, regardless of efficiency. The smiley face on the check may lead me to round up to the next dollar rather than down if there have been genuine smiles before that. Squatting next to me starts you off with a debit, tipwise. Trying to feel me up - well, it all depends. No, seriously, that's generally inappropriate, but not as obnoxious as doing squats.

"Most of the studies Lynn cites were all conducted in low- to mid-priced casual dining restaurants such as Applebee's, Cracker Barrel, Olive Garden and Outback Steakhouse." (Emphasis added by me.) So, which is it, most or all? If the writer were hustling for a tip, she'd have lost 50% right there for not caring about her writing. Still, not a bad little piece. I'll confess that those smiley faces have worked on me at times, if I'm already feeling pleased with the service; if I'm not, they make me even less pleased.

There's a restaurant - wish I could remember which one - somewhere in the West Village in NYC, where the man/woman iconic figures, which are the only identifying signs on the doors, are so similar, I had to look at them 4 times each before I was confident enough that I'd found the men's. Come to think of it, this scheme is pretty appropriate for the West Village.

Millie's was the best jar sauce, for years, because it was the purest. I'm an obsessive label reader, Ragu & Prego have always had too much crap in them (things like corn syrup - yuck). Then Classico came along & did a better job of what Millie's had done so well for so long. Then Newman showed up, then the imports.... Jarred sauces are handy once in a while when you're pressed for time, I see nothing wrong with that, as long as there's no corn syrup in that jar. Of course I have no credibility to start with so I can say whatever I want.

My thoughts, exactly! or the company? OK, if I could take the best group of people I've dined with, find the chef that was at a nondescript trattoria on an out-of-the-way piazza in Venice 10 yrs ago (2 years later she/she had moved on, as I expected), and put them all into that decidedly average pizza joint on the Guidecca waterfront for an evening - THAT would be nirvana!

Oh yes. We've had a couple dozen lunches like that over the years. Smells/tastes like Italy indeed. For the purpose of this thread, though, I'd have to point to a decidedly average pizza at a waterfront cafe on the Guidecca Canal in Venice at sunset. The food scarcely mattered, of course; the visuals, the boats plying back & forth, the changing sunset colors on that wonderful Palladian church across the water, the glowing clouds overhead, were everything that evening. Sustenance for the body, a feast for the soul. I still wouldn't trade that for the best meal that Harry's Bar or anyplace else there can serve. And I could talk about many better meals I've had, in terms of the food, in many places over the years. But in terms of the overall experience, sometimes the ambience carries the day.

Son of a gun! I guess nothing is too specalized these days. Nice to know that there's still some hope!

That is a very good website, with some intelligent commentary on their teas. Some of their estate teas are available from other merchants, but there are a few there that I haven't seen before. That's an accomplishment! Now, if only they'd get their "Shop" page up & running...... Thanks for the link Mr. Jones.

Brilliantly written, but those lines in particular just blew me away. "...the grease is fresh..." Priceless. Thank you.

Yes they serve them, but they haven't yet learned how to make them. I grew up on braunschweiger, always loved the stuff. But since the heart attack, it's off the menu. I'm more concerned about the sodium content than the fat BTW. There are low sodium hams & cheeses around (tolerable, but a far cry from a good black forest ham & some Emmental or prosciutto & Taleggio, sigh), wonder if there's a low sodium braunschweiger. Probably too specialized an item.

Actually you're on the southwest side of Rt. 3 from me. Montclair is so much bigger than either R'ford or L'hurst that it is unquestionably west of both of us. I realized that my confusion stems from this regional map I've had for decades which has Manhattan absolutely vertical on the page, whereas in reality the isle of Manhattan is skewed NE/SW. If you look at that map & don't look at the N/S indicator, Rt. 3 indeed appears to run straight E/W. My mental image of the area is so tied to that map, it's hopeless to change it at this point. That's my excuse & I'm sticking to it.

It's that big curve to the north that Rt. 3 makes some miles west of here. Screws up everything. Actually, you're right, Montclair really is due west. That just blew my mind. Well that's pretty easy to do these days.

Which I'm pretty sure is a concept that Gibson pilfered from something Philip K. Dick wrote 20 or 30 years earlier. Sorry I can't cite the specific reference. Gibson is great too & I'm going OT here so I'll stop.

Precisely! I was going to specify southwest, but then I realized that I do find reasons to head west of Montclair, but not south, so I decided that south was more accurate. I can usually add "except to go to concerts at PNC," but this has been a bad year for me in that regard.

My sympathies, & good luck. I've had diverticulitis for over 20 yrs, so far have been able to control it with some meds & lotsa fiber. Sorry I can't be at Bobolink to wish you well in person. Not to mention the pig!

Of course I don't know where Summit is either. I just never seem to have a reason to go further south than Montclair. Don't mind me, I'll get me map & figger it out.

Someone mentioned outdoor dining at Greek Delights in Montclair. Dunno if it's sidewalk or patio. Nor do I know where Westfield is.

but did they own and run an italian place? Yes, they did. It was called - I think - Pasta Pronto. It had "Pasta" in the name, I never did more than glance at it. I just got the vibe that the Pasta would be about as special as the Risotto House's risotto. They lasted a few months on the upper stretch of Park Ave there earlier this year.

What makes you think the place is Italian? The last "Italian" place to close in Rutherford was owned & run by Japanese folks. I wouldn't be surprised if this is their new venture.

Then there's Cafe Cafe right here in my town.....

Have you been to the Robinhood Free Meeting House, on Georgetown Island, just out from Bath? I've read many good things about Primo, but I'm wondering how the two places compare. I don't feel that I could declare Robinhood "Definitely the best... north of Portland" until I get to Primo.

We looked in on this place while strolling off our dinner at nearby Royal India. I liked the look of it, but was annoyed that they didn't have a menu posted. (They were closed at that point in the evening so I couldn't ask.) The Star Ledger critic seems to like it - Star Ledger Review - but I don't know how reliable he or she is.

We were at Taj Palace just a few weeks ago. Mulligatawny soup was very good, thick & fragrant, best rendition I've had in about a decade. Nan was smoky & delicious. The chicken biriyani was dull, way under-spiced. My chicken Pishawri ("a rare delicacy from north-west frontier capital, Peshawar, juicy pieces of chicken specially prepared with chef's sharp knife, then simmered in a light sauce with black pepper, yogurt, onions, tomatoes & mild spices"), OTOH, was excellent - aromatic, with plenty of bite from the black pepper. Service was very good. Overall, I couldn't say "stellar" either, but it was definitely enjoyable. I'd certainly go back & no doubt will in the months ahead.

I've been watching this place for months, noticed on Weds that they finally had their menu up in the window & a lot of restaurant furniture waiting to be arranged.