jb_973

Coughy - I'm not familiar with this place - what style of restaurant is it? I did a quick search and found the following thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=39398 Has anyone been to Raymond's for brunch?

Rachael - thanks for the suggestions. I think the Manor may be a bit too formal for this occasion- the Hilton at Short Hills looks interesting, though. However, there may be a problem - my guests are coming on a Saturday, and a quick glance at the Hilton website suggests that they only do a Sunday brunch :( That said, I'll add TOP to the list of potentials :)

Just an FYI - it seems that Baja Fresh have temporarily removed Pico de Gallo from the Salsa Bar. There's a big sign up in the E. Hanover location citing that it has been removed because of (paraphrased) <i>"rising costs of tomatoes due to the recent hurricanes."</i> I wonder how much money they would be losing by offering the Pico de Gallo?

I would recommend Duke Island Park in Somerset County - we went to a couple of Picnics there this past summer, and had a good time. They can accommodate, with a reservation, groups of up to 250. Lots of room for a picnic, on-site grills, and space for kicking around a football or playing other games. There's only one (major) caveat - Somerset Park County rules do not permit alcoholic beverages. If you want to be able to drink beer, you'll have to go somewhere else :( http://www.somersetcountyparks.org/ I'd also follow up on Curlz's recommendation. We went to a picnic at Lake Sebago Beach a couple of years ago, and had a blast. This place has its own man-made sandy beach, and lots of room for for picnics and play. Again, though, if I remember right, alcohol is not permitted.

We've been to Penang in East Hanover a couple of times now, and have been quite pleased with the experience. As I think has been mentioned before, the place can get a little noisy (much like the Mexican restaurant next door), however not to the extent that it spoils the visit. We've tried the Roti Canai - the Roti was a little on the tough side, but the curry dipping sauce made up for that. We also had the Mango Chicken, which was very enjoyable. Anyway, we were talking to our waiters at Penang, and he mentioned that they have an annual Chinese New Year celebration. I understand that they also have a similar celebration at Bill & Harry's. Does anyone have any information on these for 2005?

This weekend I have some friends of mine visiting from the UK (and, as a little background, I'm a UK expat... been living in the US for a bit over 7 years). They're staying in NYC, but are going to come out to visit us on Saturday. They'll be coming with their 2 year old son. Aside from giving them a tour of the neighborhood, we'd like to take them out for Saturday brunch. Can anyone recommend a nice child-friendly place for brunch, somewhere in the drivable vicinity of West Orange? To be a little more specific - standard American brunch fare is fine. I'm looking for something a notch up from the local diner, but not overtly formal. And child-friendly is a must. As always, any suggestions are most appreciated! Jason

Yes, we did make it to Gaffers for Fish and Chips a few months ago - thanks for the pointer! I've actually been planning on going back there sometime soon to check out their burger. Maybe I'll get a burger and an order of ribs and split it with my wife... The closest thing I've found to my old Brooklyn slice is a slice from Famous Ray's in Verona. And even that still has a way to go. I even resorted to frozen pizza!!! After much taste-testing, we recently tried Freschetta pizzas, which are surprisingly good for a frozen pizza (especially when topped off with some fresh mozzarella.) Jason

Just an FYI - I was in Costco (E. Hanover) this past weekend and noticed that they now stock frozen Pasteles. I didn't pick any up this time, but maybe the next time I'll give them a try. However, I'm sure they do not taste as good as the ones in the photo above (all that food looks delicious - and has succeeded in making me hungry!) Jason

Frank - Thanks for the advice! By the way, in your opinion, where is the best place to get ribs in the West Orange / Livingston area?

Thanks for the info - I think we'll give it a try on one of our next trips out to E. Hanover.

First - Happy New Year everyone. Here's to a 2005 full of good food :) After living in West Orange for just over six months, we've become used to the drive out down Route 10 to the shops in East Hanover (as well as the trips to Bill & Harry's, Penang, Zen... and soon a long-overdue first visit to Saffron.) On the drive back, we've always noticed how busy the parking lot is for the Landmark Tavern in Livingston. What is the story behind this place? Is it just reasonable bar food, or something more special? Actually, we always comment that for the size of the place, and the amount of cars outside, we would guess it is rather crowded inside! Jason

Just noticed that the Dinner Menu has been posted to their website: http://www.wishnj.com/dinner_menu.html

Curlz - thanks - may give Sapphire's brunch a try this weekend! Tommy - to the best of my knowledge, Baja Fresh does not serve Refried Beans. When you buy a burrito, you get a choice of black or pinto beans. Their marketing angle is "No microwave, No can openers, No freezers, No Lard, No Msg." - I wonder what that leaves! Your comment about fast food does ring true here. Baja Fresh is counter service, but, as Curlz commented above, the food is prepared to order. Jason

I've become a recent fan of Baja Fresh - we go to their location out in East Hanover (usually as a precursor to a frantic Costco/Home Depot shopping session!) The Dos Manos burrito, as the name suggests, is usually more than enough for a couple of people - though I'd specifically recommend the steak version, as the chicken can be somewhat bland. I do like the fact that everything is made fresh, and the salsa bar usually has some good stuff. My only wish is that they'd open another location down near my office (Woodbridge) - it would make a good take-out option. Ok - I have to confess - Curlz, you'd probably class me as nuts. I've driven past Saffron a number of times and have yet to check it out. What's it like at lunch on the weekends?

Yes, I've been to Montclair a few times - still getting grounded on the good places to eat (looking back through past eGullet discussions.) Restaurant-wise, we've only really been to Indigo Smoke - and our experience was similar to that described in other threads: Great food, questionable service. By the way - Don't let it sound like I'm disappointed with the area that we moved to. We love it - our neighbors are great, the area is peaceful, and we've no regrets moving out here from the city. The fact that there's not too many restaurants within walking distance is a very minor point. By the way, thanks to eGullet, we've found a number of great restaurants in places such as Livingston, Caldwell, Whippany, as well as West Orange. Montclair is next on our list for some serious food exploration :)

You must have read my mind, as I was about to post a question asking about that place - worth checking out? Jason

We moved from Brooklyn (Park Slope) to the Pleasantdale area of West Orange earlier this year. I think we're still trying to maintain the idea that we live in an area where we can walk to shops and restaurants :) So far, the opposite has been true! That said, it would be nice to have somewhere to go for a nice meal and a bottle of wine, without either of us having to worry about driving back afterwards.

Rosie - Thanks for the info. I'll have to restrain my curiousity for a few more weeks! Do you know if the owners/chef have any been associated with any other ventures in the area?

I drove past the old Primavera location on Pleasant Valley Way, just south of Eagle Rock (West Orange), and saw a new temporary sign up saying 'Wish - An American Bistro - Coming Soon.' Anyone have more information on this? This is within walking distance of our house, and a good bistro would be a welcome addition. Jason

Thanks for the suggestion Adam - and for finally telling me the proper name of the green chili sauce - I've been wondering what its name is for ages!

'Los Pollitos II' was one of my favorite restaurants back in my old Brooklyn neighborhood. They did a fantastic Peruvian-style Rotisserie Chicken (very flavorful marinade), served with a green chili sauce. Does anyone know where I can get something like this in North New Jersey (I'm in West Orange, but prepared to travel!) Thanks...

Our Sushi adventures continued yesterday evening - we went to Zen in Livingston (which I see has been mentioned in both this and other threads.) All I can say is that we had a *great* experience there. Sushi was really fresh (I loved the Spanish Mackerel Sashimi) and the portion sizes were much larger than expected - to the extent that a normal order for my wife and I turned out to be enough for three people ! Service was good, and, as we went early evening, we were immediately seated. Definitely on the 'will go back' list.

We went to Nikko in Whippany last night. Great Sushi, and very friendly service. We'll definitely be adding this to our list of places to go. My only concern is the size of the parking lot - I must admit it was pretty dark by the time we got there (8pm), but by the looks of it the parking lot was nearly full! We also went to Nori in Caldwell a month back, and had a good experience there as well. Very generous portions of fresh sushi, reasonable prices, but no liquor license (and I always forget to pick up those bottles of Sapporo :( ). Jason

Rosie - were the prices of items "from the pit" for a single serving? The Portuguese place I mentioned earlier offers 1/2 Chicken with rice and french fries for about $5.35! With prices like you mentioned, I think I'll pass...

You beat me to it - I had driven past this place a couple of times in the past week, and was about to post the same thing myself! I have a Portugese BBQ take-out place down by my office - Frango BBQ in Colonia. They do decent BBQ Steak + BBQ Chicken sandwiches - a filling lunch. I wonder if this place is similar?