jhlurie

Maybe Waldbaum's? I myself had almost forgotten that A&P has owned them for a while...

Don't think so.. unless they've sold the chain, I've always heard it was a family owned concern. Less than 30 stores I think. Besides... here's what A&P claims to own...

I imagine it would look something like this:

What next D'Agostinos? (actually... there's been a D'Agostinos outside of NYC for years--up in Jefferson Valley, Westchester, NY)

How's the AC working, fink? Has it held up to field testing?

Go get some of that Veryfine brand flavored water ("Fruit 2 O", what a horrible name...) for at least one example. of Splenda in an actual product. I won't swear its great, but at least try and see if you can distinguish it from countless other "enhanced waters" which use actual "sugar" instead. And as to the issue of "naturalness", if you can accept table sugar (sucrose) as natural, I suppose its not a big leap to sucralose, as long as the chlorine thing doesn't bother you.

Khan's Mongolian Grill on Rt.303 in Blauvelt, NY is not very far, actually. I've never been inside, but I've been by it about a million times, since Rte. 303, via the Palisades Parkway, is the fastest way to get between Bergen County, NJ and the Palisades Mall in NY. Also, its been years since I've had decently made Mongolian BBQ. The place in the Bergen Mall was good when it started out, but it didn't really hold up all that well. And Shawty, if you'd drive all that way for Pizza (and I already know you like the Brooklyn's Pizza in Hackensack), then take the trip up to Ramsey for Kinchley's as well. No kid restrictions there that I know of, except that you almost always have to wait outside for a table to open up, since its packed to the gills inside. Hah. On second thought I'll bet you've been there. But in their own way they ARE kid friendly, or at least no more unfriendly than they are to anyone else.

new products spotted in the supermarket yesterday: Ritz Bitz Peanut Butter & Fudge - the flavor probably known as "the one they hadn't gotten around to yet" Oreo Double Delights Mint & Creme - hot on the heels of Fudge & Creme, Peanut Butter & Fudge, Cream & Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter &... oh, never mind. Are these products starting to get repetitive?

Splenda, I think, is what started this whole discussion back in the Soda Poll. I've actually been enjoying a Veryfine-brand product called Fruit 2 O, which is odd mostly because: a.) I've previously hated ever product from Veryfine I've ever had b.) I've hated virtually every "enhanced water" product I've ever had For some reason I'd previously thought that Manitol was the indigestible sugar derivative that they did research into a few years ago, but a little reseach shows that Splenda (aka sucralose) is indeed it. BTW: Apparently Xylitol, and in fact ANY sweetener ending in "ol" also have the same laxitive effect as Manitol. So much to learn on the net when you are motivated to look... A random sampling of Google also shows that the same people worried about aspertame are also worried about sucralose, although they are a tiny bit less vehement than with aspertame. The "big deal" sounds like it has to do with the fact that chlorine atoms are somehow fused with sucrose (a.k.a. plain old white table sugar) to make sucralose.

Walnuts, peanuts, almonds, pine nuts, apples, blueberies, stawberries, raspberries, orange slices, mandarin slices, mint, cilantro, red onions, chili peppers, italian peppers, scallions, feta cheese, fresh mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, chicken, steak, duck, bacon, snow peas, brocolli rabe, corn, green beans, brussel sprouts, bean sprouts, boiled potato, spinach, cucumber (ONLY very thinly sliced), mustard seed, chives, etc. etc. etc. Forget it, I could keep listing all day. What a useless list. It's virtually everything people have listed except olives, tomatoes, avacados and mushrooms. Not all of these in the same salad, usually.

re: the "PB& Jelly in a tube" idea. It must have something to do with shelf-life, because they DO have a chocolate/peanut-butter hybrid in a tube, as well as the all peanut butter version. Peanuts by themselves aren't that bad, but giving a kid pure Skippy is like shooting sugar straight into their veins. Isn't it? Not that a PB&J with Skippy is any better... and I practically grew up on that. Okay, I guess peanut butter is pretty wholesome compared to a lot of the alternatives.

If they put Peanut Butter in a big squeeze tube marketed towards parents I'd agree, but the commercial makes it clear that this isn't meant to go on a sandwich, Jay. The kids are just supposed to squeeze it into their mouths. It's meant to be a portable snack.

Unilever, new owners of Skippy hope that kids will want to slurp it out of a tube. I also saw a TV commercial for it tonight. It featured a kid rapping using the word "squeeze". Apparently rapping is still "cool".

To be exact, Kim, I think we should be tolerant of a well considered opinion on her part that a chain can be good for her circumstance. She joked a bit about frustration about people with attitudes about kids in restaurants, but I suspect she remembers being on the other side of the issue as well, as do you, of course. I'm not a parent, but I'm a frequent diner with 2 year old and 5 year old nieces. I've been on both sides too. My blood can boil a bit when someone in a quiet restaurant can't control their child, but I also know the effort it takes and only glare when its obvious that the parent isn't even TRYING. Otherwise I think of my nieces and bite my tongue big-time. Even worse is when I see parents dragging 1-5 year olds into R-rated movies, and a scream fest ensues. I feel justified in being angry then mostly because of an assumption that an R-rated movie is an adult experience. It is certainly appropriate to discuss chains on eGullet, but perhaps not in this thread, since Rachel is correct that we can assume that any intelligent chain tries like hell to be kid friendly. So at worst, I think ShawtyCat should simply ask her questions about chains like Outback in a chain specific thread (maybe if we had a "Best Chain Restaurant in NJ" type of thread, or one of the many general threads for nationwide chains we've already got...), and of course the question of kid-friendly is less relative, since we know they will be. And Outback is good for a chain, although insanely busy. Sorry, Rachel, but I wanted to sneak that in so ShawtyCat doesn't think she's bein' completely ganged up on! There's an Outback in Edgewater (by the "Target" store) as well, if the one on Rte. 17 looks too busy. As for the Cheesecake Factory "fresh" issue, perhaps that can go back to the other thread. I imagine that someone who for the past few years has apparently had to deal with chains would lean towards a place whose food at least looks like it uses real vegetable matter. If we've broken the illusion for her in regards to this I'm sure we've ultimately done her a service, but I suppose its a hard lesson.

I'm reasonably sure that NJ BBQ is no more, Rachel. I went by on a weekday night (weeks after you first noticed it closed for what we concluded might be renovations) and it was still closed. The little sign on the door was in Korean, and my Korean is a bit rusty (seeing as how I can't read a word), but the words "town of Ridgefield Park" were in English. Also, although the parking lot signs still said "NJ BBQ", I saw a few signs in the window with another name. BTW: ShawtyCat COULD have said something TRULY unforgiveable, like "I enjoyed 'The Olive Garden'". THAT would have lead to a MUCH longer and more vitriol filled thread than this!.

I'm not sure we should have this subtle uncurrent of criticism aimed at ShawtyCat just for liking The Cheescake Factory. We all occasionally like something that is a bit cliched, over the top, or popular in a crowd pleasing kind of way. It's no big deal. Frankly, sometimes I'm flat out disgusted at some of the things I like. And her sensitivity about having "1 screaming baby and 2 loud kids" makes me appreciate both her, and her dilemma. How many times have we all been in a smaller, quieter restaurant and had the following thought: "Why can't they control that kid?" The fact that she's specifically looking for family friendly places means that a noisy joint like "Cheesecake" may well have additional appeal, because frankly with the volume of the din in that place you could scream at the top of your lungs and the person two tables away probably wouldn't hear you. Fuddruckers is a bit of a poor choice, but I'll second "The Coach House", and even more enthusiastically add "The Forum Diner", a bit further up Route 4. Some of the other "mall places" like Legal Seafood or California Pizza Kitchen might do as well.

I notice that the fomer link to their website for Sichuan Peppercorns is now a dead link. Time for them to call google, since it still shows up really high in their index.

I tried Pasta Pot. It wasn't bad. Then again, I only had parts of two side dishes and one main. The rigatoni with meat sauce was indeed fairly good. The pasta was not al dente... but neither was it overcooked. The meat sauce was fairly hearty, with a decent body and bite. The sides (spinach and broccoli, both cooked in garlic and olive oil) were reasonably good, if not spectacular. I'm willing to try it again when the mood for affordable basic pasta hits me.

Three letters: PDA. People just assume you are another of the legion of faceless middle-class scumbags who has become so self-absorbed with your desperately important appointments that you play with your PDA constantly during your meal. Of course that description is just a bit autobiographical. You might be able to pull it off a bit better. But then again... its a good cover. So maybe you don't. It also helps to have your cell phone ring once or twice.

Can't say I've ever had a scooter crunch (am I too old, too young or just from the wrong part of the country?) but it seems via Google to be associated with plenty of school lunches throughout the midwest. An FDA report (apparently linked to a bad batch of Scooter Crunch back in 1995) associates it with Frecker's Ice Cream Company, in Columbus, Ohio. Although it's not clear if its still a going concern, the school lunch references should make you hopeful, if you are an enthusiast.

re: Ketchup I hate it. No... I love it. Arggh. I don't know. Ketchup is boring. Ketchup is constant and reassuring. What do I put on hot dogs? Mustard? Hell no... Ketchup. What do I put on French Fries? Ketchup? Well, when I have to, but more often either tobasco or, when possible, some light oil, oregano and lemon. Or sometimes even mustard. What to do about Ketchup?

Philly Swirl, surprisingly good (although thus far I've only had the "Philly Swirl Stix", not the main product in cups.

Went back here today for lunch today (I had a an appointment out in Clifton). I've decided that if you stick to the simple tacos (real tacos in soft corn wrappers with nothing but meat, cheese, some herbs and whatever sauce you place on it, this place is unbeatable in this area. I'm not even sure I want to try anything more complicated here... I love those tacos too much, esp. the chorizo and flank steak versions.

Pho also cures the sniffles better than chicken soup.

1.) Mustard (elsewhere on eGullet is the story of how my poor misguided mum mis-aligned me with French's and Gulden's mustards as the standards as a kid. 2.) Sweet Potato 3.) Lemonade - I HATED it as a kid 4.) most green vegetables, esp. less usual ones like Brussel Sprouts, Asparagus, etc.