=Mark

Siam garden has an extensive menu and a beautiful dining room, but with entrees pricing close to $20, I'll split the difference for a round trip train tichet to Woodbridge and eat at Mie Thai.

They appear to be renovating the building that once housed the Cuban restaurant Havana. They claim it will be a Thai, Asian fusion place. Monmouth county needs a good Thai place, hopefully they will not follow the lead of Siam Garden in Red Bank and price the menu like they are Vong in Manhattan. The Tyvek moisture seal is still visible on the building so it looks like it will be a few months, will keep the eyebones peeled...

Don't have recipes, but for those who missed the pics of the Pig Pickin' there is a condensed collection of them here.

Vic's in Bradley Beach.

I think it's referred to as "brandy."

Menus.

Yeah, I remember mama & toilet training. She did an excellent job and I don't need help anymore...

not only that but a respite from electricity and running water. electronic musical devices are also banned. Non electric music devices like guitars and accordions are required. the only electric devices accepted are flashlights.

Yankees lost! Yaaaay!

One of my pet peeves involves kitchen staff who feel that plating horrendously bad items on customers dishes is just fine. Went to a local steakhouse once to grab me a simple burger. This place is usually pretty good, and prides itself on serving only Certified Angus Beef. Luckily I don't normally put tomato on my burgers. I prefer a slice of fresh onion, a squirt of Lea & Perrins and some Heinz catsup. Bear in mind that this was late September, and there was still a load of fresh, vine ripened Jersey tomatoes available at very good prices at any local market. Instead, somebody in the kitchen actually felt that this was perfectly good to send this out on the plate with my otherwise tasty burger. A half ripened hothouse tomato top, cut crooked so that it was like a half inch thick on one side. Bear in mind that these images were not color adjusted. Someone had actually taken a paring knife and cored out the remainder of the stem and assumed that the greenish chewy rind that was left would make a dandy addition to my meal... Top... Bottom... I suspect they had no idea that any true eGulleteer would dutifully wrap the offending slice, bring it home and photograph it so all the other eGulletroids would be equally appalled...

Is that the place that used to be Jane Street Seafood Cafe? Man, I miss that place! Another Burgr club I missed. Am at Bro Rich's place getting ready for a week in the woods of West Virginia with old college buddies...

The Dubliner across from Union Station with Powerscourt upstairs?

Was passing through Charlotte International Airporton my way to Huntsville last Monday and had time to catch a bite to eat. Was looking at the menu posted outside the "Cheers" faux pub and restaurant and saw "Authentic North Carolina Pork BBQ" as one of the offerings. Being less than 2 weeks since Varmin's Pig Pickin I figure what the heck, lets see what these folks consider to be authentic. Was actually surprised! For a chain operation the place actually turned out a passable product, which is unusual in most any type of commercial operation. It had somewhat less of the "Mr. Brown" bits of crispy smoked outer pig than I prefer, but was fairly juicy and was topped with a minimal amount of vinegary slaw. The only major departure was the addition of a little plastic container of what was closer to a Memphis style BBQ sauce than anything NC. Varmint would have been in the kitchen kicking ass & taking names...

Uh. The second looks like the inside of a handkerchef. Gah! Jinmyo! What you been blowin outta your nose lately?

I'll be headed through Staunton a week from Sunday with Bro Rich on our way to a week at Seneca State Forest in W.Va. Might have to schedule a stopover for burgers & pie...

Studying the menu, placing the order, then overhearing a waitstaff person recite specials that you were not told about to another table .

No because then men wouldn't buy it. Gotta have those buxom babes falling out of their tops on every cover of Cosmo. I've always thought it interesting that while the covers of mens magazines show photos of scantilly clad young women, in contrast, the covers of womens magazines usually feature... scantilly clad young women.

One of the best reduced hangover vodkas I've found is produced by Poland Spring.

In cases like that (especially when dining alone) I've perfected giving a "thumbs up" without missing a beat, and indicate no intention of replying verbally.

Restaurants with olive oil filled cruets with herbs steeping in them that have obviously not been cleaned out but just topped off each day. This becomes obvious when the herbs in the cruets have some sort of fuzzy non-herb stuff growing on them.

I love it! "Still Life With Cleaver"

I do have to chime in on how eGullet folks were readily willing to step up late on Saturday night to clean up and break down the site. it took about 15 minutes for eGulleteers to fold the tables and chairs, as well to bring plates, pans and utensils to be cleaned. I hoped we were able to make the thought of a repeat pig pickin' a possibility...

Not a deep thought, it just does...

To be honest Varmint was not passed out there, it was just likely the most comfortable place to hang out after a tiring few days while explaining why poking his penis feels better than poking his eye.

Well by the Jeezus, I guess you'll have to do it then. I'm not sure any one person could cover it all. During most of Saturday there were two major groups of eGulleteers, one outside by the tent, and another group occupying the kitchen. There was also a subset of eGer's hangin out by the gas grill on the upstairs porch during the afternoon. This does not even address the field trip to Varmint's outlaws for lunch on Sunday that Rich and I were were not able to attend due to a previous commitment to attend the closing day of the Tiki Bar at St. Simons Island on the Chesapeake that afternoon.