jhlurie

Didn't the constant smell of incense in that place interfere with your sense of taste?

yes. we'll see you there april 7, 2002. don't be late. Yes, bring wine.

Van Dyke's . I'd completely forgotten about Van Dyke's. In that silly little converted house. :-)

Of all places I heard about this on a pop music radio station today. Of course I knew at that moment I'd come here and see lots of talk about this, but still, the shock of how fast this all seems to have happened is a bit much. Good or bad, the Russian Tea Room was a New York "institution" in a way that few things are anymore--it was just always there...

Target resisted Bergen county for the same reason. Then they opened a store in Edgewater and did record numbers--even after a nasty surprise the day of their opening when the sherrif wouldn't let them open their doors (it was a Sunday, ya' see... Target didn't do their research and had no idea they couldn't be open on Sundays). Westchester has many of the same problems. Big costs to open, big risks, but also the biggest potential profits. Rockland County might work for them. There are still some cheap rents there.

It's a shame that Wegman's researchers don't look hard enough. I can think of three or four empty lots in Bergen which would make good locations. Most are former locations of supermarkets which built new locations elsewhere rather than try and renovate while staying open.

You are correct. Lost my head in all the excitement. But I damned well knew it wasn't steamed!

A few to start while I think... Thai - Wondees in Hackensack Vietnamese - Saigon Republic in Englewood, providing you can get in with the recent VG New York Times review Indian - Kinara in Edgewater Chinese (Shanghainese) - China 46 in Ridgefield Park Mexican & Spanish - La Posada in Teaneck Sushi - East in Teaneck Lebanese - Bennnie's in Englewood Korean - Koreana in Fort Lee most discussed elsewhere here on eGullet... so perhaps they aren't new to you if you've dug here already...

The Udon at Uki Uki seems to be reasonably good, but not exceptional. The Negamaki and Tonkatsu, however, were both exceptional for a "neighborhood" place--made to order and done about as well as these two dishes can be done. The tonkatsu, in addition to the usual brown sauce, was also served with a horseradish-enhanced spicy yellow mustard, a julianned salad of cabbage and carrots with a sweet pink dressing (almost like a japanese version of russina dressing) and those neat pickled yellow beets you usually only get at good authentic japanese restaurants. Some surprisingly elegant touches existed for what is essentially a neighborhood place. The rice, for example, is sprinkled with black sesame seeds. The miso soup was excellent, and was served with a neat wooden spoon. The apple "pie" mentioned by Rachel was extraordinary, and made-to-order. I agree with Rachel... if you are in the area, go. Good Japanese is common enough to not drag yourself miles out of your way, but its a solid place, and mid-range--which is VERY rare for Japanese in this area (the extremes--expensive and super-cheap are the rule).

It's a good question, but a bit vague. Bergen County has a lot of decent "under $25" food (I'm assuming that's per diner). I can think of about 40 good places right off the top of my head. We need to know a bit more about your interests and/or standards. Do you like Spicy food? Take-out? Asian? BBQ? Are you looking for the whole sitdown experience, or is a bar and/or countertop business okay? Are Buffets okay? Are you talking about $25 per entree, per diner for apps AND entree, or per diner for the entire check?

Comments on places mentioned above. Fuddruckers: Okay, here's the deal, as Ross Perot used to say. The "problem" with Fuddruckers is consistency. Not necessarily between one burger and another, but between one LOCATION and another. I've had great burgers at Fuddruckers and horrible ones... they were just at different locations. Jackson Hole: I've never really liked them, but I can understand why some people do. The meat loses a lot of taste, but the opportunity for topings is unparalleled. Another chain not mentioned here (particularly because of the weight restriction) is Johnny Rocket's. Frankly, I like 'em. The way the burgers get all crunchy around the edges is cool. Once again, in my experience, not all "Rockets" do this equally well--heck, different shifts in the same location aren't consistent.

This wonderful discussion ignores the fact that White Manna seems to grill its hamburgers, not steam them. The comparison to White Castle is a size thing, I think.

what size burger, mary? I suppose I have to live with the shame of only eating a half pound burger. With two sides and a mountain of onions.

Was at Fink's last night and had something new... extremely spicy red onions on my hamburger. It's a good thing. Try it.

That was my impression when I went las t week. My only visit so far, but between a good steak and those beans I'm promising myself a return.

The bottom line, I think, is that from reading her actual words... she was complimentary in general and seemed to like the place. She may be the less experienced of the two New Jersey reviewers, and she doesn't have the same flair that David C. has, but nothing in the review seems unfair or slanted against the restaurant. And because her writing is a bit less polished than Corcoran's--a bit less authoritative--I think most people would take her rating with a grain of salt. The restaurant or the chef may be disapointed in the rating if they were expecting to be ranked alongside Ryland Inn, true, but this argument seems to all be about half a star's difference. VERY GOOD and EXCELLENT fall right next to each other in the list of possible ratings. A strong VERY GOOD might be one twitch away from an EXCELLENT. And I'm fairly sure that the inclusion of these articles online is a recent development. When the Times reviewed an eGullet favorite last year, Kinara in Edgewater, Jason Perlow asked Corcoran for a link to the review and Corcoran himself told him that it wasn't available that way.

417 E. Brinkerhoff Ave. (intersection w. Begen Ave.) Palisades Park, NJ 201-947-6446 I'm not posting a "review" yet, because I've only eaten here once. But i'm starting this thread in case anyone else has been here and would like to share. My one meal there was promising enough to make me hopeful. I'm likely to go back in the next week or so.

Is creamed corn one of those things (like BBQ Beans) that you rarely, if ever, get a good specimen of? Then you appreciate it much more when you do? Somewhere there's a topic in this... maybe "Food items that you usually can't find a good example, of but really rule when you do". Well, maybe.

Usually they're just called "Fried Oreos". That's what the sign has read when I've seen 'em. I've been frustrated in getting them though. The idiots at two seperate street fairs screwed me over with promises to make them and then just kept making funnel cakes, so I've yet to taste one. Holly Moore first talked about these last year, actually. Can't find the thread right now.

Seabra's isn't a place I'd ever send a struggling vegetarian. The whole point of the place is that it's cheap (yes, despite your comment it is) and the food has a salty taste that's definitely an aquired one, but right in certain circumstances. As for the overcooked comment... I don't know what to say. I haven't noticed it, and I usually order my food still bleeding when given a choice. It's not a favorite in any absolute sense, just among its "genre". You have to be in a primal carnivorous rage, otherwise it will range from innappropriate to yes, perhaps even offensive. It's not gourmet food. Hopefully its inclusion on this board didn't fool you into thinking that. If you are trying to wander back into the meat-eating world in a more gradual way, make a post about that and there will be several eGulleteers who have made a similar trip and who will be happy to help with suggestions about a way to help with that. Plus, since there are about 40 places in Newark called "Seabra's" its possible it was a different one.

Yum Thai 129 W. 44th St. New York, NY 10036-4012 Phone: (212)819-0554 Chinese Fast Food Prices, but its actually decent Thai food.

I'll post this as an outsider of any inner circle--someone who has met and spoken with Mr. Corcoran, but only casually. He doesn't pretend to be something he's not. He seems grateful to be doing what he's doing and it's my impression that he approaches it that way. Seriously, but not claiming to be more than he is--a person who is an educated man, with a good palate, and a capacity to ask questions when needed. Whether that is true for all food reviewers is a greater issue. The power to make or break a restaurant is certainly a heady one. But in a way the Times, particularly the Jersey section, is a bad target for this type of criticism. The Times just doesn't have the ROOM to print that many bad reviews. Usually if a restaurant isn't somewhat worthy they don't even get near it. There have to be exceptions, I suppose, but someone getting a bug up their ass about a GOOD or VERY GOOD is STILL really weird, unless the place in question is trying to imply that they supply four star service. Also, I've been thinking about the potential problems of having people with formal food backgrounds as reviewers. One in particular--ego. The knock you always hear about book and movie reviewers are that they are just failed novelists and directors who are jealous of their betters. Would we want those type of assertions to be leveled against every restaurant review printed in The Times? (I'm sure a few people already make that criticism, but how much worse would it be if the reviewer actually WAS a failed chef?) Discuss amongst yourselves.

Stroud's, a semi-famous place in Kansas City is fairly well known for freshly killed chicken, pan fried up all yummy-like. Their charming motto (with appropriate T-shirts... I've seen 'em) is "we choke our own chickens". One of the few reasons I know to go to KC as a culinary destination, except for tons of beef and great mexican food. Fort Worth, Texas also apparently has a Stroud's, even though the Stroud's website doesn't record this. It's at 5555 Bridge St. (Interstate 30); (817) 654-0600.

Even on the low-end some of the recent Nikons are damned impressive.

Sexy looking piece of equipment. Big-ass Zoom lens.