billpitcher
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Posts posted by billpitcher
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I spent the better part of April in Morristown while serving on a civil jury. Two places stood out to me.
Origin Thai II: It's a French-Thai restaurant that does a fantastic job of serving express lunches, yet if you want to take your time, they'll give you space and let you get work done. Nice variety on the lunch menu without it being overwhelming. We'll be going back for dinner one of these days (originthai.com/originthai2)
The Grand Cafe: This is where all of the suits from the courthouse go, and you can tell. It's upscale to a fault, with plush and polish all over the place. The food is excellent, but you'll pay for it. I remember being particularly annoyed with a $3.50 club soda. About a penny per bubble (thegrandcafe.com).
Give me a choice between the two, I'll go with Origin in a heartbeat.
The Famished Frog (famishedfrog.com) is perfectly fine, but it caters to everyone, so there are plenty of moms lunching with their kids while running from Century 21 to Baby Gap.
I wanted to check out George & Martha's but toward the end, the lunch breaks got shorter.
And if you're ever there on your own, get a glimpse of the hot dog lady on the green. Lightning fast while still following everything in the Health Code. There's also a nice new bakery in town called the Artist Baker (theartistbaker.com) with great potpies and cute cupcakes.
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There are two steakhouses I usually recommend, depending on what people are looking for.
A pure steak dinner? River Palm in Edgewater -- no question.
Steak as part of a diverse menu? The Park Steakhouse in Park Ridge.
Nobody in Bergen does the porterhouse for two better than the River Palm, and its Edgewater location is the best of the three. But I think the Park has the more appealing overall menu.
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Sorry, I should have picked my words better. The price is the same for both -- either the buffet or a la carte.
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We are going to brunch with our conservative (food-wise, not politically) parents and in-laws. We don't want to take them down financially at the Short Hills Hilton or The Manor. We enjoyed Verjus a few years ago, but it was too modern for them. Any suggestions?
South City Grill on Route 17 south in Rochelle Park just started one for $20, both for the buffet and a la carte and include unlimited mimosas and the like.
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I've been watching them renovate this space (the old Zarella) for months now. I've peeked in the windows and saw them painting murals of horses and stables. It looks like they have skewers for rodizio. I think in May they put up a sign "Coming Soon - The Stable. A Real Charcoal Grill" or something like that, and I was psyched, thinking they'd be open for the summer. Still not open. Anyone know the story? I'm looking forward to something new opening in Ridgewood, NJ. It's gotta be soon, I saw them installing lights above the outdoor signs.
The owner was hoping for a soft opening at the end of the month, permits pending.
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I don't know of those places west of the Rt. 10/46 merge (that's Ledgewood, by the way). But there is a decent BBQ place about 5 miles east of there -- Hot Rod's on Main St in Wharton, about 1 mile north of Rt 46. Everything I've had there has been pretty good. It's a definite notch below some of the bbq places in NYC, such as Dinosaur, Virgil's, RUB, etc, but it's good for NJ.
I think they consider ribs to be their specialty. The pulled pork is okay, although I found it a bit dry and without enough flavor. They've got the full complement of traditional bbq sides, like hush puppies, corn bread, baked beans, etc, and I've found those to be pretty good.
I live near Hot Rod's, and I want to like it, but I've never had an experience there that's -- what's the best word? -- complete.
The kitchen always seems to be out of something Out of ribs once. Out of the sauce I wanted. Out of pulled pork once. That kind of stuff can happen at a barbecue joint, so no big deal. But it took three visits before I got to try their hush puppies. Each time, they said they'd run out the night before.
And when I'd get takeout, I'd get home to find something missing. I started inspecting the bag before I left to save myself the return trip. Invariably, something was always forgotten by the kitchen.
But it's a cool looking place with friendly staff. (And it's one of the only North Jersey spots that sells Route 11 potato chips.)
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Ok - I know this is kinda last minute, but it is what it is!
I am headed to CarlStadt, NJ for an overnight biz trip and will be staying at the Hampton Inn (304 Paterson Plank Rd) and was wondering (as I would prefer not to eat hotel crap!) if there is any decent place to get a bite to eat for dinner?
Thanks for the help in advance!
For starters, avoid everything in that stretch of Route 17 and head inland two or three blocks.
Just a few diverse choices off the top of my head in no particular order. I don't think any of these would disappoint you.
-- After Athens and Eros Cafe (Greek), Rutherford.
-- Daruma (Japanese and Korean) in Rutherford.
-- Fiesta Hut (Traditional Mexican) in East Rutherford.
-- Cafe Cafe (Latin) in Rutherford.
-- Cafe Matisse (Contemporary American) in Rutherford.
-- Martini Grill (mostly Italian) in Wood-Ridge.
Note that of these, only Martini Grill serves alcohol. The rest are BYOs, although Cafe Matisse has its own liquor store.
Matisse is one of the best restaurants in Bergen County and probably your best bet if you have a big appetite, a big expense account, and time to spare.
In Carlstadt proper, the only worthwhile choices coming to mind are Tina Louise (pan Asian, downtown) and Gianna's (Italian, by the Meadowlands). I've heard good things about both, but I've never been to either.
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I'm not sure how well the outside can accommodate a group, but I like Osteria Giotto on Midland Avenue.
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The cost-cutting is explained in The Record's review, but I'd characterize it as justified.
Short version: The building's ownership abruptly changed a year ago, ultimately resulting in a big spike in the rent. Tremble chose to chose to adjust and cut the payroll rather than move out.
So Jack Mistretta, the executive chef, was replaced by Adam Weiss, the pastry chef. (Jack now goes by Giacomo and is executive chef at Napa Valley Grille in Paramus.)
Dining manager Larry Dunlap was replaced by Tremble himself. (I think Dunlap is now at the River Palm Terrace in Fair Lawn.)
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Esty Street -- yes. I haven't been in years but if nothing has changed, top notch. Excellent choice.
The people have changed -- the chef and maitre d' of a year ago were let go in a [justified] cost-cutting move -- but the quality remains. Adam Weiss, formerly the pastry chef, has a good command of the kitchen, and owner Scott Tremble, pulling double duty as a host, makes you feel welcome.
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If you're looking for something a little more refined up that way, let me add these two to the list:
|| Pourquoi Pas?, an oft-overlooked French bistro in Westwood -- pretty much the only one of its kind in that immediate area.
|| Esty Street in Park Ridge, whose food I'd put in the same league as the Saddle River Inn and Cafe Panache. (The Record's recent review is here.)
Also, the Cornerstone in Hillsdale is a decent place to grab a beer, order a greasy sandwich with fries, and watch a ballgame. They used to keep a sushi chef in-house (from Flirt in Allendale) but no longer.
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Now we know where Chef Toufayan will be .....
Amici, Too, the new restaurant from the owners of Wyckoff's Cafe Amici that's coming to what was once the original Cafe Amici location in Ho-Ho-Kus (get all that?) will be opening later than planned. Late August or early September is the new estimate, chef Arthur Toufayan said. (From Second Helpings)
In the meantime, you can find Chef Toufayan at Cafe Amici in Wyckoff (www.amicicafe.net), where he's been flying under the radar for the last couple of years. The restaurant earned an Excellent review from Rene Mack with him there, and he seems very happy and content in his role.
When Amici, Too opens, he'll be responsible for both kitchens, but I think he'll eventually spend most of his time in the Wyckoff kitchen.
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Your assignment is to buy one? You can't make one?
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My 4-year-old loves Panevino, just over the border in Livingston. Lively place with good kids meals. And the adult offerings are above average.
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there's cafe metro....
it's a vegetarian place. i've been a couple of times and enjoyed it, but i'm not sure that's what you're looking for.... it's in denville, i believe.
cheers :)
hc
Cafe Metro is not vegetarian. But the menu does steer toward healthful foods.
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Since some of NJ is closer to Newburgh than NYC is I just wanted to give them some coverage here.
Some of NJ is closer to Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore than NYC.
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I think you're probably going to be out of luck. You'll be out at what, 10? 11?
Mara's opened a new bakery in Denville, but I think they close up before then.
There's always Starbucks.
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Panevino on Route 10 east. Technically in Livingston, I guess, but it's on that East Hanover corridor.
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Around here, I love the tasting menu at The Bernards Inn, in Bernardsville. It's not a surprise -- since there are two options for each course -- but I have no doubt that if you don't look at the menu and say you'd like to be surprised, then the staff would accommodate you. It's typically a five-course menu, with salad, seafood, beef, pork, or poultry, cheese, and dessert courses.
But the best within a couple of hours here HAS to be a little place in the Catskills called the Basement Bistro. It's a nice guy named Damon Baehrel who has a great catering business but spends a few nights each week opening up his basement -- which has been converted into a small restaurant -- for tasting menus, sometimes with as many as 15 small courses. It sounds amateurish, but I assure you it's not. The restaurant is beautiful, and the food is first-rate. If it's not Copper River Salmon or diver scallops flown in from Maine, it's homemade duck sopressata, or fried squash blossoms he picks from his garden right before cooking, or quail he purchases from a neighbor. Again, as many as 15 courses, for about $40, excluding a la carte desserts, which are amazing.
The Web site is of little help, but here it is: www.sagecrestcatering.com. It's in Earlton, N.Y., about 15 minutes off the Catskill exit of the Thruway, about two hours from the state line.
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A very boring way to introduce myself to the board, but here goes:
Anthony's (formerly Uncle John The Butcher) on Parippany Road Parsippany has always been pretty reliable. They've always been willing to order something for me, although I've found they're not always that flexible. (When I asked for five pounds of pork belly, I ended up having to buy all 8 1/2 pounds).
And I'll second the nomination of Schwind's Pork Store on Route 46 in Rockaway. It's more of a German deli than a butcher shop, and the selection doesn't appear to be as good as some other places, but if they don't have it, they'll get it -- quickly, and rather inexpensively.
Help me with food in Morristown, NJ
in New Jersey: Dining
Posted
Right in your hotel is Copeland. Contemporary American, and probably the best restaurant in town, albeit one built for an expense account. The Grand Cafe downtown is lovely, but even pricier.
Curlz mentioned Origin Thai, which was a favorite of mine when I spent a month on a jury. I also enjoyed lunching at The Artist Baker, an eclectic bake shop on Cattano, the side street that runs behind Century 21.