jb_973

Does anyone know if/where I can pick up a case of Kalik beer in New Jersey? I first tried Kalik about 8 years down in the Bahamas, and had it again on a recent trip to the Keys. A quick bit of googling shows that there's a place down in Maryland that sells it, but a 150 mile drive is a little far to pick up a case of beer (no matter how nice it is!) Thanks, Jason

Does anyone know the hours that the Best Factory shop is open? Thanks

... and, according to the big 'Now Open' signs that appeared outside today, I believe both of these places are now in business...

Minado is a great place - I have been to their Morris Plains location, and didn't have any complaints. My suggestion is to go there for lunch - it is nearly half the price of dinner - M-F $14.50, Saturday and Sunday $16.50

My wife and I just came back yesterday (through the storms!) from a great weekend in Lambertville. First time visiting the area, we had a nice meal on Friday at Ota-Ya (which, if I get around to it, I will post about separately), then we paid a visit to No 9 on Saturday. Armed with 8pm reservations, and a bottle of red, we turned up at No 9. We were staying at the Inn at Lambertville Station, so getting to No 9 literally involved walking out the front door of the Inn, crossing the canal, then walking in through the front door. Couldn't be more convenient! The place was packed! Like previous posters have noted, the atmosphere and noise level could only be described as 'vibrant'. Don't come here on a Saturday night expecting a quiet, intimate dinner. That said, we were looking for something lively, and we certainly got that. I went for the Roasted Beet salad with Goat Cheese. Now, I'm not the best when it comes to writing food reviews, but I can say that this dish had a mixture of flavors that perfectly complemented each other. My wife had the Apple/Walnut salad, and was equally pleased, although I think she was a little envious of my salad! For the entrees, I went for the Braised Short Ribs, and Mrs JB went for the Salmon. I fell in love with the short ribs from the moment I took the first bite. Nicely charred on the outside, fall-of-the-bone on the inside. Surrounded by mashed potato with horseradish dressing drizzled on top, with carrots and (more!) roasted beets, and finished with a full bodied sauce. Loved it. That's a dish I definitely would like to be able to make at home! I got a thumbs up from the wife on the Salmon dish - it had a strong note of ginger, which worked well for her. Served with fragrant rice, she was happy with her choice. We skipped dessert - it had been quite a feast from the appertizers and entrees! All-in-all, a great meal. Definitely look forward to paying them (and Lambertville) a return visit at some point in the future.

Mie Thai, on Main St in Woodbridge (about 5-10 minutes from the Menlo Park mall), does great Thai food.

This sounds great. Will definitely have to make a trip out to Morristown. I miss the trips to Ruben's Empanadas I used to make when I worked in downtown Manhattan

Oh well - I thought I was hoping for a little too much there! That said, seeing the only other seafood dining choice in that part of the neighborhood is Red Lobster, I am hoping that it will be a step up from that. Maybe it's not so bad

Just down the street from my office on Route 1 in Iselin, in the reconstructed shell of an old Chichis, two new chain restaurants are in the process of opening - Bonefish Grill and Cheeseburger in Paradise. A quick scan of the Bonefish Grill website seems to hint that it is something like a 'Big Fish' or scaled back Legal Seafood. Anyone know more about this place? As for Cheeseburger in Paradise... well, I guess I'll have to start searching for that inner Parrothead

While there's a 'Fox and Hound' (Menlo Park Mall) in reasonably close proximity, I don't think that'll give you the authentic 'British' experience. If you're constrained on distance (i.e. you don't want to schlep into the city and get some real authentic Fish and Chips from A Salt & Battery, or dinner from Tea & Sympathy), your options are somewhat limited. That said, to give you a bit more food for thought (no pun intended), there's also The Upper Crust restaurant in Boonton, that has some British favorites on the menu: http://www.uppercrustnj.com/ There's also the Scottish Fish and Chip restaurants in Kearny (Argyle, Thistle), however as I have yet to be there, I can't comment on what the food is like. Jason

Just saw a 'coming soon' sign in the window of the empty store at the corner of Pleasant Valley Way and Eagle Rock in West Orange. This store has been empty since I moved into the neighborhood, so it will be nice to have something there. Does anyone know more about this location, and when it will open? Jason

After having a hankering for Korean BBQ, a colleague and I went last night to Kimchi Hana, a Korean BBQ restaurant in South Plainfield, a few miles away from our office. Kimchi Hana is located at one corner of the Middlesex (Strip) Mall. We arrived there at about 7:30pm, and the place was already quite busy. They serve both Korean BBQ and Sushi, with a mixture of BBQ tables and regular tables. They also have a few Tatami (is that the right term?) rooms. We were seated almost immediately. After perusing the menu, we decided to go for an order of Bulgogi, and the Spare Ribs. Seven or eight dishes of banchan were brought out, including some great kimchi, as well as a potato dish that was equally flavorful and well spiced (anyone know what this may be?). About five minutes later, the server returned with two containers of hot charcoal, and placed them in the grill in the middle of the table, and proceeded to place some of the bulgogi and spare ribs on the grill to cook. Food wise, the bulgogi was absolutely delicious. Tender, well marinated, and complemented by a great peanut-based sauce. That, wrapped up in lettuce, certainly satisfied my appetite. The spare ribs were pretty good as well, although didn't hit such a high point as the bulgogi. Next time I go back, I would be tempted to try the Shrimp option. Service was friendly and efficient. Kimchi Hana 6101 Hadley Road South Plainfield NJ (908) 755-0777 p.s. Next time I must remember my camera!

Will definitely have to give Samurai Sushi a try, and pay Nori another visit. Has been over a year since I last went to Nori.

I would say that we've been to Zen about seven or eight times, and it has been pretty consistent, both food and service wise. No undesirable 'after effects.' We usually go their on a Thursday (our 'date night') - so I don't know whether the service varies from one day to another. Another place that we liked - although said with the caveat that we have only been there once - is Nikko in Whippany - about another 5-10 minutes west on Route 10. A little pricier, but fresh, and well prepared. We haven't yet spent any time exploring the sushi restaurants in Montclair. Whenever we drive down Bloomfield, I always make a comment that 'we must check those places out', but we never get around to it

Just out of curious, what about Nori makes it rank above Zen? I have been to both places, had good meals about both, although Zen has become our regular spot. That said, my wife and I had a great omakase experience at Tomo's in Little Falls. Haven't been back yet, but the first time was great - both food and service-wise.

Russell - thanks for the pointers. I do have a Players Club card, so I will check in with them to see what they can do. I think we'll be fine with either buffet or sit-down service on Thursday evening - whatever works out easiest! Thanks again, Jason

I have yet to go to any of their classes, but I recently got the class list through from Adventures in Cooking in Wayne, and it looks like they have some interesting things coming up: http://www.adventuresincooking.com/html/classes.html Jason

Curlz - sorry to hear about your shabby TM experience... Does anyone know if Home Goods carries LC? Also, I remember that the last time I was in Ikea, I spotted some LC-like cast-iron ware. Any opinions on this range?

Curlz - have you ever been to the Tuesday Morning in Whippany? It is in the same complex as the Original Pancake House on RT 10 - only a hop, skip and a jump from Costco. The other place that has various LC stuff from time-to-time is Home Goods.

We're heading back to Vegas again for a few days - this time over Thanksgiving. We arrive on Thanksgiving day - where's a good place on the strip to get our fill of Turkey? We're staying in Treasure Island, however I am pretty open to anywhere up or down the strip. Thanks, Jason

Check out the Costco Connection magazine for Costco Home at the following link: http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection...stcoHomeCatalog Basically, it is an entire Costco warehouse dedicated to home furnishings. Lemniscate - as I have not actually been inside a Costco home, maybe you could tell us what the selection is like?

... I could only wish that Costco would open at Costco Home out here in NJ...

After grabbing dinner at Keo Ku this evening, we decided to stop off at the new Whole Foods for a quick browse. We got there at 9:45pm, and the place was quite empty. Only had time for a quick look around - a very decent sized store, certainly feels more like the Wegmans near my office in Woodbridge, rather than the Whole Foods in Millburn or Montclair. Anyway, as I savored the delights of my Ginger gelato (yeah, I could get seriously addicted to that stuff), I purused the list of upcoming events (Adult sushi class - interesting!), as well as forthcoming vendor demos (Cheeses from Britain at lunchtime on November 5th, so I get get a taste of the home country!) When I get a bit more time, I'll go back for a more leisurely browse (and try to escape without having to cash in the 401K edit: oops, typo!

Curlz, Yep - they have food stuff at the Meadowlands Flea market. Fresh bakery goods, certain types of meat, seafood, packaged goods, fruit and vegetables, cheese, Dutch county produce, one of the NYC Pickle companies, cheap nuts and seasonings! (that's what I remember off the top of my head). This is in addition to the usual flea market stuff (the cheap socks + cellphone accessories brigade Worth a trip if you haven't been there before. No charge to enter, no charge to park, so you'd only be out on your gas if you don't like it! Wednesday (9-3) and Saturday (9-5). I went last Saturday just after 9am, and stands were still setting up. I usually try to go around 10am. http://www.meadowlandsfleamarket.com/ Jason

... Another online alternative: Bass Pro Shops online do a good deal on wood chips (mequite, hickory, apple, maple and cherry), as well as wood chunks. http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.Tex...arTarget=search Also, if you have a Weber Smokey Mountain, they are a cheap place to get the Brinkmann Charcoal Pan to replace the water pan in your WSM - it's a direct replacement for the pan, and holds about twice as much water. http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.Tex...arTarget=search That said, I am still looking for a local source of Oak and Apple chunks, so will check out some of these local places. Jason p.s. Any of you guys watch BBQU on PBS?