=Mark

If eGullet had existed at the time we had what would have been a Proto egullet meal there in the spring of 01. There were half a dozen folks attending who would several months later join the forum in August.

I use Weatsworth crackers when preparing my Piquant Salmon Rolls. Firm enough to hold up but not overpower the toppings in texture or flavor.

Hell, once you get the cash from STELLA KYARI ZANNA you could buy the place and go naked if you felt like it...

There's also a Website.

Actually there are tables and chairs at the Belmar festival, they are over by the gazebo where the bands play. Problem is there are never enough of them and they fill up quickly. The same advice to show up early applies here too, not only for the crowds but to be able to park within a mile of the place. You can come say hi to me at the NPR booth at the Belmar Festival and the Clearwater festival in August too. Don't know what times I'll be there yet...

Red Bank Food and Jazz Festival Get there early because it gets crowded. Come say hi to me at the NPR booth.

Yowsah! Another task for the Microplane!

Schaller & Weber Double Smoked Slab Bacon. Homer Simpsonesque groan & drool....

Buzz up a couple cups of cubed root with a quarter cup of cold water and the same amount of white vinegar in food processor. (Beet juice for added flavor & color optional). As above, beware when opening lid as it will mimic a tear gas grenade going off. Granted it is easier to just buy storebought, but I guarantee that the homemade stuff makes storebought taste and feel like damp sawdust in comparison.

Yup, you get frozen dead bug. Much better to use fresh, so you can enjoy frisky, live bugs!

I like cottage cheese with pink grapefruit, has that creamy/tart thing going on...

My problem with it is that local supermarkets tend to sell it in like one pound shrink wrapped packages. I get to use a half ounce or so and the rest turns black and gloppy in my fridge.

I love cilantro because it is a major ingredient in Larb.

One of my pet peeves is the folk who insist on going through the check like a tax accountant, itemizing and looking for items that can be "deducted" from the tip.

Water's Edge 410 Bank St.

Cooking bacon for a fast BLT. Only 3.5 months to good fresh tomatoes and BLTs!

I would suggest that it's probably not a problem for good Italian food to travel domestically, but international travel would be difficult as even great Italian food would have difficulties in obtaining a passport.

Dave Barry on France, including food...

I'm so glad I'm not alone! Another advantage of doing the phone book scan is that when I'm in a unfamiliar area I can call the establishment and ask "Hello? I'm here. How do I get there?"

I'm forgetting the obvious here... I'll often go on this forum and some of my food related email lists and mention that I'll be going to Such & Such place and does anyone have any recommendations. Often if there's not someone who lives in the area being asked about there is likely someone who is more familiar with it than I am. I've had some really good experiences from such recommendations, notably on my trip to Arizona last year.

The place is pretty amazing at the moment, driving down Cookman Ave there are dumpsters like every hundred feet as buildings are being renovated. there is Sonny's Southern cuisine and Harry's Road House on Cookman. A new Portugese place, Bistro Olé is opening this month, and a classic New Orleans style bistro, Clementines is set to open in May. Also scheduled to open soon is Insano, an Italian place (Just what the Jersey shore needs ) Folks have been awaiting the beachfront redevelopment for 25 years to drive the rennaissance of AP, but business folks eventually said WTF and started on the downtown about 3 years ago. Now large tracts between the downtown and the beach are being flattened and the developers have mega $$$ in their eyes. Many other little coffee shops, delis, galleries and antique stores are springing up, driven in large part to the influx of a large contingent of the Manhattan gay community buying up and renovating residential property. A similar situation though not as stark a contrast is happening in Long Branch.

Usually when I land in an unknown location my first thing on the "To Do" list after checking in is to break out the yellow pages and peruse the restaurant listings. I generally avoid the places that seem to be spending way too much $$$ on big, gaudy listings (Proudly serving Anytown since 1997!) and go for the second string places that are one or two steps above a one line tiny print listing. Depending on the size of the town I usually look for a small to medium place that either showcases the local specialties (I don't look for seafood in Colorado) or local ethnic fare. If I do hit on a decent eatery I often ask the staff what other local places they enjoy. This is no guarantee, but it seems to be a better bet than the places "Reviewed" in the glossy brochure provided in the hotel room.

I had heard mixed reviews about the service but these comments were within a few weeks of the opening. Was wondering if things had gotten smoothed out in the intervening months.

I know I should have checked the place out as it's been open almost a year now, but I confess I've been a cheap, lazy sack and have not. So, that being said, has anyone else here dined there? Comments?

That make for 1000 barely covered nipples?