Kim WB

If I put heart and soul into a restauraunt, and the chef was on the porch drinking beer, I would fire him immediately. There is a big difference between walking through the room, perhaps having a taste of wine if offerred...but drinking beer on the porch? What a terrible first impression! Rosie, is this a BYO? There was no mention of the wine list or selections.

If indeed you were too confused to order, and brought in a consultant, would he be considered a "mix master"?

Suvir, in all fairness I feel that Steven's review included many paragraphs substantiating his opinions on the food, and only a reference or two to the current STAR controversy surrounding the restaurant...and which is certainly relevant enough to include in the review. Steven, I really wanted to point out the simple effectiveness of being direct and upfront about Mix's flaws, and then weighing them against it's attributes...that approach endears one to the reviewer, and makes them more likely to relate and trust the reviewers opinion. It's actually out of the Sales 101 book, but is used much too infrequently by writers who are opining. It's a pretty transferable approach, for example here's part of your Mix review, translated to Real Estate Speak. " The home we're about to see meets most of the criteria you are looking for. It's in the location you want, with the acreage that's important to you. It's structurally in great shape, only the best contractors worked on this home. Of course,t he price reflects this care of construction. However, there are a few flaws which you'll need to consider when making your decision to buy. The bathrooms need renovation, and there is only a two car garage. While these can be remedied, I know not everyone wants to deal with the hassle of architects and renovations..however, if you're the type of person who can see through these minor flaws, this house can be a great value" It's the kind of home you'll look forward coming home to each and every day." The review also had great content, but I specifically wanted to point out how effective the balanced approach can be.

I had a few bad experiences with the kitchenaid ones..everything stuck to it, and boht cakes and muffins were undercooked in the center, even after "adjusting" the baking times. ( Which they tell you to do, but not in which direction, less time or more. I threw $35 worth of silicone pans away yesterday! Plus, they are very wobbly.

Conte's, Witherspoon Street, Princeton. Od time Tavern atmosphere, haven't changed a thing except the prices since the 1950's..a Princeton institutuion.

While I would never claim that Triumph has GREAT service, I'm surprised it was THIS bad..what time did you go? Was it busy, or was the waiter just a mess? I have only NOT sat at he bar once, so usually I avoid the table service. Sorry it was bad enough to make your positive food into a negative meal.

Actually, this e-gullet compilation would encourage my husband to join egullet..he'd finally have something to contribute!

Here's a golden oldie for you Kim. Glen, see, this illustrates my point..certainly gives one a good idea of the atmosphere of this particular place!

I don't think its that influential, but it can be helpful..if you're in an area that you are not familiar with, you can usually determine the "feel" of the restaurant by the descriptions...I don't put any credenc on the food ratings, but " great chocolate martiniis at the yuppie packed bar" or " peppered with ladies who lunch" descriptions can give good clues to the general atmosphere of a place. Also, it is a handy directory...last week I was meeting someone at NovaTerra for dinner, and wss able to give them a precise address. Lou's despair is warranted...I can't even imagine a plausible reason why his restaurant is not included in this book. PS, Tommy, Lou, Anthony, how about an Egullet Jersey Board guide to shaker bars? You won't need to rate the food, just the, umm.... decorations.

which date, 10/23 or 11/6? Rachel, I could use the direction, I've only been there twice. I need to find the Talbot's Women's Store..the Short Hill branch carries women's( not misses) petitie sizes. Tnx. But don't let me drink too much sake, I'll spend too much money!

Is it close to the Mall at Short HIlls? If so, and I can multi-task my commute, I'm in.

Passage to Indai has always been in my favorites..I have included it, I think, in my won end of the year lists that we do on the board in January or so. While its not expensive, it is a nice, sit down kind of place..not a shack or take out kind of place. I've been to White house Subs, very good but just like Tastee Subs in Franklin Park and Edison..I think Conte's has a lot more flavor than DeLorenzo's, for pizza in general...I've never been impressed with anything other than the iciness of their beers at the Broadway in PPB.

Yankee Doodle Tap room in the Nassau Inn will have the TV's on, so will Winberies onNassau Square. Probably get a better meal at Alchemist and Barrister, on Witherspoon, but they only have one screen, not a sports bar per say. Triumph Brew Pub on Nassau street, further NOrth, will have the game on, too. Mostly the eating clubs will have the "college feel" as there are midwest and east coast and southern houses, who will be rooting for respective area teams. In general, Princeton is not a big sports town. Feel free to PM me for directions or details.

Is is because they gave you a paper crown? I never liked their food much, but there was a period of time, during my princess phase, that I was enamored of their paper crowns.

They could get Ducasse as theier spokesperson and their fries would still not come close to McD's

Rosie, my husband was there and mentioned that he saw my "tiny little restaurant friend that we see at Rat's every year". Don't be offended by the "tiny"..his mother is under 5 foot...he secretly loves short women! I gave him hell for not saying howdy ..he enjoyed it too.* *edited to clarify that he enjoyed the wine tasting, not that I gave him hell for not saying hi.

I would say that these are at least 20 miles away, and once you get into the New Brunswick area, there is more traffic...at tleast a 40 minute drive apart.

Diet Coke! Diet Coke! All day long, way too much of it..about 6 cans a day! I LOVE the taste. I'm addicted.

How about International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF)? They have numerous facilities in NJ and I believe that (one of?) their primary R&D lab(s) is in NJ. Yeah, as I understand, they have the secret formula for Pepsi (or was it Coke?) and many of the Snapples, that and among a million other things. I was there about 10 years ago and installed one of their first multi-processor NCR SQL servers for storing the formulaes. I'm pretty sure the lab is in Plainsboro, right? Because it always smells in that area..sometimes vanilla, sometimes floral,sometimes fake- buttery like microwave popcorn! * edited to add that aas I read the rest of the thread, I saw the reference to Dayton, NJ..whcih is the next town over from Plainsboro, so I guess that's the lab I'm thinking of!

please leave enough time for this..I'd hate to see you miss your flight!

Small World Coffee is a lovely little gem on Witherspoon Street...sandwiches, salads, coofee house type place, very comfortable and local. In his/her origianl post, M(a)ce mentioned a "biased" opinion about Small World, which is why I suspect he might work there!

I'm going to guess that Mace is employed at Small World? If he/she confirms this, I will be sure to say hello..I'm there at least twice a week!

Almost any fast food can be made healthier and cheaper at home. Tonight, kids off from school, we tackled the garage and did what I hope was the final grass cutting, covered the grill, somewhat winterized the outside...tired, dirty, not into cooking. Poached three boneless breasts. Kids had them on toast, with mayo. Nuked a sweet potato, mashed with butter, salt and a little maple syrup. I wanted spicy, so I chopped the breast up and sauteed them quickly in some butter and hot sauce...then topped with blue cheese and had it on a kaiser roll with a green salad. I can't quite compute the cost, but I'm pretty certain it was cheaper than a BK spicy chicken sand and fries.

This is a really good point, ChocoKitty--though it's also sad, probably, to most of us. We're here on egullet precisely because taste does matter to us, when the truth is, for a lot of people, it isn't that big of a deal. These are excellent points. My husband really likes leg of lamb. So do I. I made a spectacualr one yesterday. When we sat down to eat, I was so excited, so happy, just reveling in the deliciousness of the lamb. He, on the other hand, as one who does not obsess about food, was simply eating and saying it tastes good. No joy, no wanting to get up from the table and do a "happy dance" when the meat touches your taste buds..just eating. And this is a food that he declares his FAVORITE. on the other hand, we have been at symphonies whre his entire body is tense with joy and energy..and I'm thinking.."it's just music".

Everyone gets the same amount of minutes in a day, and it's up to them how they spend it. I have a friend who cooks three squares a day, in drudgery. Doesn't enjoy cooking, or eating.( And she's an above average cook) This women would do herself a favor if she cut back and served some pop up rolls and store bought cookies...she'd be happier to be around. There are also only so many cents in a dollar...and its up to each person how they spend it. I have another friend who serves everything from the jar, and only buys cheap cuts of meat to dump in the crock pot with her jarred sauces... but takes her kids hiking and camping all the time. She's never spent $7 for the first soft shell crabs of the season, but she must have $1000 worth of hiking boots on hers kids feet. There are alos only so many things that you can teach your children to prioritize, and each person gets to make that choice. While sharing an appreciation for a meal or cooking together is important , in my family its more important to read a newspaper and discuss a situation. I've only cooked a dozen times with my kids..but my 16 year old reads the NYTimes every day, and has opinions and thoughts on many current events. It's more important for me to raise politically involved and engaged children, then children that love to cook. I'f rather they have a stance on gun control than cake mix vs. scratch. I think its ok to judge Sandra Lee's book, but I get a little uncomfortable when we start to judge the parenting skills of people who don't cook or have a Leave-it-to-Beaver lifestyle