jim07044

Thats a dumb analogy (forgive my bluntness). Might as well be "London vs. Hartford, CT" or "London vs. Albany, NY." New Jersey is not about globally-recognized urban culture centers (we have NYC and Philly for that). New Jersey is about quality of living and diversity. Trees and farmland. Rivers and oceans and mountains. Quiet sleepy country towns towards the Delaware River, and chic trendy urban towns like Montclair, Red Bank, and Princeton.

Tony tells it like it is: http://travel.discovery.com/fansites/bourd...ake/jersey.html http://travel.discovery.com/fansites/bourd.../jersey_02.html Just what middle America needs: more stereotyping that all New Jerseyans are just like they appear on the Sopranos! Sure, we have our share of Italian restaurants and guidos/guidettes, but can anyone do a national primetime broadcast that shows the tremendous diversity of New Jersey, from the urban Essex and Bergen counties to the hills of Somerset and Hunterdon counties, to the Shore of Monmouth/Ocean, and Philly suburbs of Camden county? The span of food specialites runs the gamut, much more than the italian sub from the local go-go bar...

The university in South Orange. And this is a graduate school celebration for someone in their mid-30s, corporate manager, 10+ years working experience, etc... just to make a distinction that this is not for the lets-go-crazy-I-just-graduated-college-and-I-still-live-at-home-with-no-job set. So far the recommendations seem good. Any web links to the restaurants mentioned, whether detailed reviews or their own web sites?

Need to help a friend with graduate school dinner party: I need to give some options, and closer to the university the better...

It's unfortunate that communities do not seem to embrace new business propositions, whether its a Flirt-like restaurant/bar/lounge/nightclub or a supersize Walmart/Home Depot. Residents should allow new businesses to open with the idea that the plan will succeed rather than fail. If any problems materialize after-the-fact, all parties should get together to discuss solutions, even a worst case scenario of closing the business. At least this gives the business a chance to thrive. Flirt is getting a bad deal, not even allowing itself to prove it can work within its community. I must admit, though, with a capacity of 200 or 500 people, where are all those cars going to be parked? The site is very small. Flirt should have been built where the old Crabby Lobster restaurant was (now condos?!). More parking, and no resident neighbors to complain. I think the lesson learned here is to not development nightlife businesses in the 'burbs, unless you have lots of land and natural buffers from surrounding residential zones.

Anyone been there yet? Baristanet.com wrote a glowing review at http://www.baristanet.com/barista/food.html.

That site has been under construction for years ... I'll believe it when I see it open and ready for business!

FYI ... South Beach nightlife is not latin-style salsa ... think NYC with palm trees and open air parties (or Hampton summers...)

Think South Beach Miami: a good restaurant with notable chefs serving dinner and then around 10:00 pm turns into a lounge/club with a seen-to-seen scene. Is there anything like this in NJ? I've not been to Taste (Bloomfield) or Blend (Ridgewood) or Red (Red Bank) but their descriptions sound pretty close to what I'm looking for. Can anyone verify or recommend anything else? Jim

Anyone have any experiences there? I've been to a PF Chang's in Charlotte and had a great meal...

My wife and I are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary on June 4th, and we currently have a reservation at a nice restaurant in NYC. But I'm sitting on the fence whether I should go to NYC or someplace in NJ. We live in the Montclair area. Can anyone endorse our plans to go into the city for such a milestone celebration, or is there an equal/better destination in NJ? Any place that has outdoor dining (not street/garden/walled patio) is especially of interest. (The restaurant in NYC is March. We also have enjoyed celebrations at The Four Seasons. I'm not a fan of the formal menu at Ryland Inn. We've been to Il Tulipano, Il Cappriccio, Highlawn Pavilion, Rudolfo's (in Gladstone, years ago), Fromagerie, Richie Cercere's. We want to try a new place, but a very special place.) Jim