ejebud

Chef salad, Unfortunatley we are no where near Trenton--yet. but who knows, someday perhaps in Central Virginia... all it takes is a dollar and a dream. Eric

Jason and all who care, We have definatley decided on Best's hot dogs, the old Don's quarter pounders. At this time we **GULP** do not have an Italian Hot dog on the menu. My thinking on this one is that there are many places including real live Italian delis that do Italian hot dogs and do them well. I do not want to throw some peppers and onions, and I certaintly refuse to toss Twice cooked, Belgium Pommes Fritte on to a hot dog on an unauthentic bread product and blaspheme(sp?) the Genuine NJ creation that IS THE Italian Hot Dog. Plenty of places will; Amazing Hot Dog WILL NOT!! My Italian hot dog is more inclined to be Marinara and Whole milk Mozzarella than the amalgamation described above. Call it a pet peeve of mine, but it's my restaurant and it's how I feel. Eric

WE HAVE A RESTAURANT PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!! We got approval by way of unanimous vote. Our perserverance has paid off and this chapter of the Amazing Hot Dog story is closed. Now we get to work our butts off and spend a whole lotta money. gOing for permits tomorrow AM and calling all our contractors and equiptment vendors who have been waiting in the wings. I am so relieved. I'll try to document as best as I can both verbally and visually ie photos. Thanks for all your support thus far and if you ever drive by and see the door open or lights on PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE stop by and say hello. Eric

Thank you, Thank You, Thank you all for your well wishes. A little nosh at Eppes Essen before the meeting and we're good to go!! I'll post here tomorrow with the latest developments. Eric

The November issue of Gourmet magazine is touting the high heat method(they use 475 degrees for the whole time) as the way to cook "the perfect turkey" No butter under the skin, no basting, no foil tent. They tried it again and again and it just kept working perfectly. Cooked a supermarket brand turkey weighing 14-16 pounds in 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 hours. I'm doing a fried and a high heat method this holiday season. Eric

Well folks, tonight's the night!! At 7:30 PM in the hallowed halls of the Verona Municipal Complex, the fate of Amazing Hot Dog will be determined. As I said in my previous post, "So one of the board members suggested that they use the monies that we deposited in escrow to present our menu and exhaust equipment proposal to an outside 3rd party expert that they would get and return with a report. We will meet again to discuss only the report and not hear or review ANY of the previous testimony. The opposing local residences will have an opportunity to address the report as well." This is end of a VERY long 2 month waiting period since our last meeting. It really has been mentally painful. I am looking forward to closing this chapter of the Amazing Hot Dog story and beginning the next. Our confidence level is high that we will be approved tonight, but you never know what bumps in the road might materialize. I will let you know tomorrow morning how it went. Please send all positive vibes to Amazing Hot Dog via the Universe. It knows how to contact me 24/7 Friday night will be a celebration dinner if we get approved, if not it will be cheer up dinner

Toques off to you and the Niagara gang Ross. BTW. They had us on and off the plane last night twice so I chose to spend a night in Buffalo and i took an AM flight this morning. What a fiasco!! Did you get the pictures? eric

What an incredible meal we had at On the Twenty last night. After breakfast, lunch, and hors d'oevres at the Hotel, we were ready for a meal like this and boy did it deliver!! There were three guys including myself, all executives of a Les Marmiton chapter in New Jersey. We started off with the Tame Game Taster for an appetizer. It was served on a three compartmentized dish. It had the following items: Wild boar in phyllo, garlic and garbanzo, Lamb and sour cherry, pine nut aioli, Duck confit and pistachio, hibiscus dressed cress and was $15 One of the guys had a special app with Fois gras. For entrees we had: Roasted veal tenderloin under béarnaise relish, sweet pea croquette and Pinot Gris~roasted tomato essence $35 Maple~ mustard crusted Australian lamb rack, smoked eggplant and a carrot~cumin coulis $40 Sterling Silver beef striploin with bone marrow brulee, potato and truffle terrine, creamed spinach and Cabernet~glazed baby vegetables $38 All the entres were superbly executed and absoluteley delicious!! For dessert, rather tha have yet another Creme Brulee, we decided to finish with a cheese course. We had all 6 cheeses that they offered. They were: Monforte Dairy – Goat Grapps Whole milk goat cheese from Niagara on the Lake, aged 3 months and bathed in grappa. Mild, sweet and beautifully balanced – a perfect accompaniment to fresh fruit ~ ~ ~ Monforte Dairy - Paradiso Buttery soft sheep milk cheese from Niagara on the Lake. Complex flavour profile with decadent mouth feel. ~~ ~ Les Dependances Du Manoir - Rougette de Brigham Pasteurized cow milk cheese from the Brigham area of Quebec. Aged for 6 months and soaked in Apple Cider: it is sweet, creamy and very fruity. ~ ~ ~ Berthaut – Epoisses Unpasteurized cow milk cheese from the Burgundy region of France. Washed daily with a locally produced Eau-de-Vie, this cheese is earthy and rich with a strong flavour. ~ ~ ~ Paron – Parmesan Locally produced cow milk cheese made in the style of Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano. Aged for twelve months with an additional year of in-house, cellar aging. ~ ~ ~ Les Dependances Du Manoir - Geai Bleu Mild Blue Cheese from Quebec with a crumbly texture and a very sweet flavour - Dry and very aromatic. All cheeses are 2 oz. Portions. We had a visit from Kevin (the chef) at our table, and VOILA!! a most memorable meal was had by all. I didn't mention wines, but I can assure you there was plenty poured. I, being the designated driver(I don't drink so It's a job I often volunteer for) allowed the others to imbibe in the grape juice at ease. Thank you, Oh Canada for a most wonderful and delicious visit. I take home (besides a bottle of wine for my wife) a real sense of the pride and friendly disposition that the people of Canada have and it has shown in the craftmanship in their winemaking, food preparations and exemplary service in the dining room.

Marlene, We are going to On the Twenty with the help of Jeebus from this forum.

Where in Niagara? Niagara on the lake? ← We COULD go to Niagara on the Lake, Yes. We had dinner at the Niagara Culinary Inst. tonight. It was a good meal. Eric

I'm in From New Jersey with a small group of guys. We are at the Holiday Inn just off the highway and are looking for an incredible meal for Saturday evening. We hava a car but would like to keep in under 30 minute drive. Show us what this part of the world is made of!! Blow my mind!! Money not an issue. What is the best of the best? Thanks in advance, Eric

OK, OK , I'll fess up to this one: As a young lad at Johnson and Wales in the mid 80's, I was doing my Practicum semester at one of the schools restaurants called The Chef and Apprentice. The chef instructor had a VERY heavy French accent that was often difficult to understand. Me and 2 other guys spent something like 6 hours deboning around 100 quail. We had them on sheet pans on a rolling rack. The chef told me to take them downstairs and put them in the WARMER. The clueless(and often hung over) budding chef that I was didn't think twice about this request. It was the next morning that the class was greeted with the thunderous question "WHO PUT THE QUAILS IN THE WARMER?" I swallowed my heart and stepped forward and said that I did. It was then that I found out that he said WALK-IN not WARMER. As I proceded to explain what I thought he said, he cut me off and said "This is my kitchen, you don't think in my kitchen. Oh well, 100 quails in the crapper. I'm sure my tuition paid for them 10 fold.

I so do appreciate EVERYONES replies to my plea for help. The past 2 months have been brutally uneventfull as we have been waiting for the next meeting with Verona. At the beginning we were driving all over God's creation that we lovingly know as New Jersey and found very little possibilities. The closer we get to November 10th, the more the focus has been on the Verona site and less on an alternative site. If things don't go the way we think they will on the 10th, you can bet the farm that we will leave no stone unturned including the 2 recomendations by ghostrider, and the stones we've turned over already. Thanks again averyone for your suggestions. I really do appreciate them. Eric

Well folks, here's what I did: We used a 3/8 inch blade in a commercial french fry cutter. I had a food grade pail with ice water and a pasta pot insert. As I cut the fries they immediateley went into the pasta insert. I moved them to the fridge where they sat overnight submerged in chilled water ( approx. 15 hours) the next morning, I pulled up the pasta insert and sat it in yet another pail to allow to drain during the drive to the test kitchen I rented for my recipe/procedures testing. When I got to theplace the oil in the fryer was black as crude. Luckily I covered all the bases and bought my own 35# jug of Creamy stuff. Drained/filled with water/scrubbed/drained again/dried/filled the fryer. Put it on to 275, allowed the water pops to stop and blanch fried the fries for 4-5 minutes. Dumped them on a paper lined sheet pan Then into the fridge for an hour or so. Cranked up the fryer to 375. We asked some friends and family to come in around lunch time to help us eat all the test subjects. We were able to cook the fries to order. They were fabulous!! They got rave reviews. Also I should mention that 2 folks took em wrapped up "to go" I checked in with them after to see how they traveled and the concensus was that they retained a fair amount of crispiness. Several of their co-workers chimed in saying that they were the best take out fries they ever had. Of course when you compare them to frozen fries they are an easy winner. Thanks for all your input here. I really appreciate it.

Can I cut the potatoes and hold them overnight in the fridge submerged in water? Then drain them the next morning to do the first fry at low temperature? It would be logistically groovy if I can. Eric

Isn't there a Jimmy Buffs right next to that space? I'm pretty sure there is. It's the same strip where the Best Buys is, isn't it?

Any idea WHY they are closing? Unless the bank made them an offer they couldn't refuse, seems to me you would keep a good thing going. Although I tend to prefer Hirams(**ducks!!**), Callahans is never lacking in customers. What about their other locations? The Rt 46 store is a goldmine. For obvious reasons, I'm curious, and remember when one door closes another door opens. We're getting close to final vote at the Verona zoning board meeting on November 10th. You guys will be among the first to know the verdict. I humbly bow down to the Callahan's legacy and am humbled by the greatness they have achieved. May my product be as well recieved, and my customers be as loyal.

There's a new Mexican place. well, not new maybe, but new to me, called Los Tapatios, in West Orange on Main Street. It's fantastic - better than Mexicali Rose or Don Jose. ← Los Tapatios is perhaps my favorite restaurant in West Orange. In fact I ate there last night. We just did tacos last night-The seasoned steak, Chorizo(homemade) and the tongue tacos are killer. I don't compare LosTap to ANY TEXMEX place because they are 2 different animals. This is authentic mexican. They also make this dish called Chicken/steak/shrimp Acapulco. It's made with onions, bacon, and Meunster cheese. I usually get the shrimp. ALso, don't miss the Tres Leches cake for dessert.

Welcome to Egullet Rick!! Where else do you like to eat?

I had heard from the grapevine a while ago that the Celantano family was going to open up Italian markets. The rumors are confirmed!! They are opening a store in the group of stores where Toys R Us and the furniture store BO are in Livingston/East hanover called Lets Eat. There is a banner up naming Dominick Celantano as the owner. Click herefor their website. I'm surprised at the location, as it is kinda tucked away on the end unit with lousy visibility from the road, but I''m sure they have a loyal following from the Verona store and if their food is good, they will beat a path to their door. I wish them much success. Eric

Ok, My next suggestion is to call Lance at Indigo Smoke in Montclair. He is a really nice chap. Ask him who his supplier is. In fact call all the BBQ places in the area ans see who is using what wood and of course report back to us with your findings. You can tell Lance that Eric the guy opening the Hot dog restaurant suggested you call. Eric (the guy opening the Hot Dog restaurant)

Johnny, Check with the Hometown Hearth store across from the PC Richard and Sons on Rt 10 Westbound in Whippany. They should have or be able to get anything you need. Hometown Hearth & Grill 240 Rt. 10 West Whippany, NJ 07981 Phone: (888)298-0031 Eric

I just had an earth shattering meal at Trattoria Fresco!! I am giddy like a little schoolgirl with delight. I am SO damn happy right now. We started with the Friti Misto that had the most amazing fried lemon rind amongst the seafood offerings. I spoke to our waiter about asking Chef Lusbader to comer out to our table because I wanted to introduce him to Les Marmitons. Realizing that the chef was busy, I sent my card via the waiter to the chef. He responded by sending a Budino, which was a ball of fresh mozzarella and tomato incorporated into a bread pudding, served warm from the wood burning oven, with wild arugula and baby leaf green ensalata. We then had a short ribs with Herb Crusted Fingerlings and Roasted Beet ensalata and a pasta special that was homemade Fettucini with braised veal, wild mushrooms, arugula and finished with Mascarpone, estate olive oil and toasted garlic. For dessert we had the Zeppoles with butterscotch dipping sauce, and the chocolate tasting plate. All in all it was a phenominal meal and my new place to recomend to friends and family. Eric

Has anyone eaten here recently? Have they hammered out their reservation timing? I really don't want to wait an hour to be seated. I'm going to try and reserve a table for 2 on OpenTable.com for tonight. Eric

Gencarellis Pizza was supposed to be moving to Orange or Newark from the Freeman St West Orange location... have they moved yet, or have plans changed? How would the Gencarellis space work for you? ← Sue, I'm concerned that the area would not produce enough volume for us. There is also the ice cream place 2 doors down from them that would make a GREAT hot dog space, but again not enough volume. Too bad though, because the 2000 sq ft is available for a rediculous $1600 a month!! BTW, Gencarellis bought a larger restaurant on Bloomfield Ave in Newark-Some famously old place that I forget the name of right now. Eric