Kim WB

Yes, but like Paul said, isn't it strange, if they are good, that they have been flyin under the radar? I mean, they are 15 miles from P'ton, and 15 mi. form Bridgewater ( hi Tommy) and DAMN how did I miss them....Truthfully, it seems like the kind of place I should have DISCOvered, NOT read about!!

I used to travel from NYC, specifically from across the street from the River Cafe. to the Pear Tree. I mean, two minutes and spitting distance from the bridge to Manhatten, and we went to the PEar Tree.

Stop and Shop had vacu-packed duck breasts on sale, so I went for it. Scored the breast fat, loaded it up with my own version of Emeril's dry rub, (which I make 4 cups of for Christmas, pack it into pretty shakers a la Martha Stewart, for my friends)..bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, then high heat broil to crisp the skin for another 10. Sliced some mushrooms, opened a can of chix broth, added a bunch of peeled sliced ginger, slow simmered the mushrooms until the broiler timer beeped...more interesting than the steak, that's for sure. Caymus Cab, 99

Has anyone ever been here? Candidly, I feel a bit silly, as it is in what I would consider "my neck of the woods"..but I've never even heard of it. Sounds like an extensive gourmet food store...produce, butcher, fish, prepared foods, and a bistro. I'll be in Hopewell tomorrow, and am hoping for an extra hour to check it out.

As close to scientific taste test as I can offer: 6 kids in the house during a recent snow day. A bag of mint, pb, and regular. Regular disappearred right after lunch, PB was gone by dinner, still 1/2 bag of the mint left.

Bringing this thread to the top , for Pete Genovese of the Star Ledger.

Awbrig, what did you think? I think Trader Joe's is a good place if you are a person with kids, looking for some interesting convenience food to supplement your cooking days..their frozen manicotti for soccer practice night, etc. And theri bottled dressings are great...I cook up Lima beans, add their wasabi or cilantro dressings, a little thinly sliced red onion, perhaps some julienned carrots...LUNCH. Teh closest TJ's is 20 miles a way, and I make the trip 1x a month, at least..oh, and their frozen string beans and endame are great!

The dining experience itself - service, et al - has improved markedly in the past few years. The staff has become much more knowledgeable about the food and wine. And the renovation has enhanced it, at least for us. I agree with you 100%...the service is much improved, and finds that saught after balance of friendly, professional and enthusiastic. And Francis has a wonderful personality for his job.

Helena, Do you feel that Stage Left has improved under the new chef..I noticed a marked difference from previous meals..do you agree? Kim

Hubby and older kids are in Ludlow, dong some skiing..no blizzards there...reported that the Hatchery is busy and thriving..despite the name, my crew ordered pancakes..Great powder at Okemo, while here in Princeton NJ we are pounded by snow..I have not been to our home in Ludlow all season...hoping the kids are making up for lost time on the mountain.

Once again, I agree with Paul...great question. I tend to decide on a main ingredient,a nd then read a series of recipes tha t include it for inspiration. Last month, I was determined to make the best brussel sprouts, determined to read every version, braised and roasted and boiled. In this insatnce, Ilet my ideas flow..but in general: Baking= always a reccipe composed, plated dish= mostly a recipe snow is falling, wanna cook+ think about what I read aboput on e-gullet and cookbooks I read = check out the market,buy what is fresh, and go for it!!!

Yes, like others, I feel the pain. I've devoted a lower cabinet, with two doors. To the left, I have a basket for the small lids, and a pot rack thingy for the med and large lids. In the middle, I have a long basket with pot holders and dishclothes. Part storage, part seperator. To the right are the containers. I don't use tupperware to freeze much anymore. I prefer the saran/ziploc method, or the disposable containers ( I am a freezer to fridge kinda gal..never had an explosion)... But regarding tupperware and my habits, ther e are a few things I have always froze in tupperware and continue to do so and they have seperate lids and containers. I have four quart containers labeled "sauce", "sauce w/meat", chix stock, and "lentil soup". These are always filled, or empty on the way to be filled...I always have these things on hand. The lids and containers are clearly marked on t he sides and tops...BUT the tupperware is so stained, it would hardly matter. The orange one is sauce, the bright orange one is sauce with meat, the chicx is brown, the lentil is dark brown. Use ziplocks, use the throw aways, and pare down t he tupperware..but if you have a lot of lid/container matches, put them in a box in the garage. Keep until baby Tommy appears. Because you need many cheerio boxes for home an d travel. Cheerios are indeed a wonderful invention. I digress.

No. it was a recited special, and one on the price card, just : Porterhouse (for two) $90.00. It was one beautiful chunk of steak. All the sides were literally sides..looked like some kind of gratin or scaplloped potatoes, and asparagus, served family style for two.

We went to the new and greatly improved Stage Left last nite. I called at 7pm for a reservation a half hour later. At arrival, the maitre'd asked if we would prefer the dining room or the library. I explained that it had been a while since we were here for dinner, everything is changed, and so were not familiar with either. He offerred the "tour", whcih we accepted. The entire front dining area has been made into a bar area..that round 6 top in the front window is now a long library table, lots of space and a great place to have a drink. The rooms are seperated by oversized walnut pocket doors, very effective. The dining room with fireplace has been painted a muted gold/yellow color, and an adjoining( but seperated by matching doors) room the same. While these rooms were pleasant, and the color was great, they seemed very sparse, and the area lacked "warmth". Through another door, and into the "Old Vines" wine shoppe, which is now a dining room. What a great idea! All the original, ceiling to floor shelving ( they use a custom version of the diamond racks here) stacked with their wine inventory. Yes, the room was COLD temperature wise, but made up for it with the warm woods, and great atmosphere. We chose this room, which is what they refer to as the "Library". Once the chivalrous husband provided his suit jacket for my shoulders, all was well. My husband was delighted to find a Barolo that he had been hunting for..in fact, I went on the Zachy's wait list for a bottle of this Ciabot Ginestra 98 at Christmas, and they still don't have it in stock...either does the Wine Library, and they usually find a way to accomodate my husband based on his buying history with them. As the captain decanted and poured, my husband expressed his pleasure about the wine list in general, and specifically that they had this hard to find selection. It was explained to us that this had been reserved, never picked up, so they were able to put a case back onto the list..and when my husband said he would like to buy whatever they had left, he said he would check. He came back a few moments later with two bottles in a bag, all ready to go. Well, at this point, you could have fed my husband canned soup and he would have LOVED this place, he was so delighted to "score" a hard to procure wine. This wine was $189 on the list, $89 retail. But, it wasn't canned soup. Yes, a few misses, but an overall significant improvement. The amuse bouche was foie gras on a nutty, whole grain sweetened bread, and I believe a pear puree dollop on the top This missed for two reasons: the bread dominated the amuse if eaten in one bite, as intended. And the foie was too cold. On the second one, ( I really have a wonderful husband, who gives up anything "foie" to me, the moment he hears it) I left the bread behind, and let the foie melt in my mouth for a while..only then, could some of the flavor come out. We both skipped bread, me because I am being virtuous, and my husband because neither of the two choices, grained nut berry combo bread or sourdough ,enticed him. I ordered the oysters, and DH had the Lamb carpaccio. I should qualify that I rarely order oysters unless I'm in an "oyster" kinda place, but DH couldn't decide between the two, and has so often ordered an app because I couldn't decide on which one, so I took the bullet this time. The Lamb was wonderful, with an excellent olive tapanade. The oyster were very fresh..Malpaque. . I prefer either lemon and coarse pepper on my oysters, or perhaps a warmed viniagrette. This was served with a champagne granite, which I did not think worked well w/ the already iced oysters. At least, I hope it was a granite, as it was ice. For mains, I ordered scallops and DH had the duck special. The carmelized scallops were a wonderful dish, witha semolina calke that was great. The Magret duck breast was rare as ordered, nice flavor. Undercooked root vegs, nice reduction sauce...not syrup as some places present it. Generous portion. SEvice throughout was great. The captain ws especially knowledgeable,a nd the waitress was excellent. Francis, who is either the owner or GM, came over during our meal, and we had a nice conversation about wines, he explained how during hte renovation, he didn't want to clsoe completely, so he used the Old Vines space,a nd it went over so well, he kept it. He discussed the situation witht he chef, and how he came to have his present chef. Very personable, and sold my husband on next weeks Spanish Wine tasting. ( DH is just getting started on Spanish Reds) Very enthusiastic and engaging person. Our waitress was a big foodie, and when DH was in the bathroom at the end of the meal, we had a nice conversation about Ryland/Nicholas/Rats...hopefully, she'll visit e-gullet soon! I told her all about it. The server recited the specials ( three entrees) w/o prices and at the same time, discretely dropped a folded card onthe table with a one word description of each choice with t he price. I know we've discussed it herebefore..I thought it was a classy way to do it. All around us, the Porterhouse special was being served. 3# of dry aged, with a selcetion of generous sides, $90 for two. They carve the filet out of it, served it to one person, and the other gets the strip with bone. At least, that how the two tables near us asked for it to be served, ( and at different temps!) I'm sure they will butcher as requested. If you recall, I was virtuous and skipped the bread. After the wine, virtue went out the window and I ordered the only thing on a not so impressive dessert list that caught my eye, a hazlenut torte. ( The cheese looked like a small, but diverse and high quality selection...but Bob wasn't interested and I passed). The torte was inedible, so cold that the cream in it was nearly frozen..I could NOT cut into the pice with the side of my spoon...So, Stage Left keeps their fridge way too cold. Even giving them the benefit of the doubt that the oysters were served with a granite, this dessert was close to frozen, no exaggeration. The waitress took it away with no problem. All in all, a very good meal in a very pretty room with excellent service . Yes, a few flaws, but certainly an upgrade from past meals, and worth return visits...hopefully soon!

What a funny post..which brought up a "More recent than I would like to admit memory". I am on a perpetual diet...fighting the bulge, tapdancing on the fine line between fine food and fat thighs...and only eat sweets at high end dinners. After an especially decadent weekend, I skipped dessert at one of my favorite restaurants...and totally obsessed about my missed treat on the entire ride home. I walked in the door determiined to have a sweet. Now, I have purchased small dormitory size fridges for my teen's recreation room, so that sweets are not in my main kitchen. Brownie Bites, kit kats, chocolate drinks...out of my sight, out of my mind. ( They have rubbermaid bins for chips, cookies, etc, too) So, in my kitchen, there were a few leftoover tins and boxes from some "gourmet" baskets my husband rec'd from business associates..some Ghiradelli choc mints, small boxes of Walker's shortbread. In the fridge, some Stoneyfield Vanilla non fat yogurt, that I usually have with fruit for breakfast...So, into the food processor: mints, shortbread, yougurt, ice, and chocolate sauce. It would have been much better in a blender...The blender is in the pantry, and needs to be hauled in and plugged in..the processor is always on the counter..so the mix went into that..it was liquid with shortbread and ice chunks, far from the milkshake consistancy I envisioned..to compensate, I added the contents of one of those airplane sized bottles of godiva liquer, which neither my husband nor I have any recollection at all how it got into the bar. ( I will mention there are three more bottle sin there...???) I do recall, however, that this was a really good after dinner drink.

I really enjoyed Morimoto, and thought it was a better overall experience than the NY highly regarded places.. And I know the old regulars on this board are tired of my unpopular opinion..My husband and I try to avoid BYO's. We drink Maihime Sake, which is nearly impossible to find in a liquor store. When you do, its maybe $65....its maybe $85 at a well stocked sushi bar. And, I love when the chef suggests a similiar or different sake..to me, its an important part of the dining expereince.. but trust me, you'll be at home on the nj boards..they all love BYO's! Thanks for your help.

Thanks Katie and Tom, I guess I was confused, I thought there was a Morimoto like place in that general area. Fugi, however, sounds like its worth the trip. Does it have a liquor license? And a sushi bar. or just table service? Thanks for your quick responses.

Hi, need a helpful reminder of the name of a well known, well regarded high end sushi place in Cherry Hill. Begins with an "F", I think.

I love ya', kid, but sometimes you are painful. duck, duck...goose!

interesting comment. I thought I invented it... wow, thought I dreamed this... Woah....can't be that i dreamed this whole thing up, did I???

interesting comment. I thought I invented it... wow, thought I dreamed this...

interesting comment. I thought I invented it...

I was in Kohl's , a discount department store, and saw the Pata Pot for 19.95. My son cooks pasta a lot, and I thought this could save me on dishwasher space. Plus, I saw it here and was intrigued. The issue is, you need to line up the "safety lock" on the lid and pot, all while the steam is rising and your pasta is cooking. Even if you were to turn the heat off,and move the pot to a board, you would still need one hand to steady the pot, andanother to line up the lids...its not an easy task. All being done over steaming water and rapidly overcooking pasta. I didn't actually use it..olnce I realized how tricky ( an unsafe) it would be, I returned it.

Ha, she is so scared of me!!!

Ditto. Sounding very, very good. Ditto,