Jason Perlow

They must have realized there was room for improvement, because Rachel and I were there under the auspices of "secret shoppers". We were evaluating the restaurant's service for an agency that does qualatative reporting for restaurant management. So I guess it improved since you last ate there.

I ate with Rachel at Chart House recently after the Sept 11 disaster -- service was good and food was excellent for a chain restaurant. I'm sure for a catered event it would go over very well, the view is tremendous.

If the Thai place HAS Singha and I'm in a beer mood, I almost always order one. Its a great brew.

I don't like MOST indian desserts but those restaurants that have their own home made kulfi avalaible (read as indian gelato flavored with rose water and pistachio) always get a big plus in my book...

Went to Cinque Figle Whippany yesterday with my in-laws after spending an entire day fixing their computer -- the menu is virtually unchanged from the original location in Morristown, which now has a scaled down menu and is run by the sous chef. appetizers: I had a puff pastry with sea scallops and shitake mushrooms in a light black pepper sauce, very good. Dad and rachel had the pumpkin soup with sea scallops, main comment was that the soup was a bit on the sweet side and needed salt. Even I who hate pumpkins and tried it liked it, but I agree with the salt comment. Mom had a ceasar salad which was billed as "prepared at table" but was actually prepared out of view -- never the less it was a fine example and she at all of it, and it was a pretty big portion. Fusspot Dad in-law decided to make a special request order modication of an appetizer special -- Prince Edward Island mussels in a saffron cream sauce -- ordered it as a dinner served over linquine. Ate the whole thing, didnt share any, so I guess he liked it a lot. :) Mom had black and white bowtie pasta with shrimp and asparagus with fresh tomato sauce -- She didnt like the aftertaste of the squid ink in the pasta, but I tried a few bites and didnt notice anything weird, I thought it was really good. I'd definitely order this the next time around if it was avalaible, since I love shrimp in pasta. Each peice of pasta was half black and half white, sort of like the character Frank Gorshin played on that old Star Trek episode. Really neat looking. Rachel who was in a meat mood ordered the filet mignon in a pink peppercorn sauce, which was not quite as piquantly harsh as a standard au poive and has a slight sweetness to it, very good. Rachel only gave me a little bite so I guess she really liked hers as well. :) I had the Petti di Pollo gorgonzola, which was a pounded chicken breast topped with prosciutto, gorgonzola and a marsala-like sauce, accompanied by fresh sauteed spinach with garlic, a swirl of rich mashed potatoes, and a swirl of butternut squash puree. My only complaint is that there was not enough chicken there and I really wanted to order dessert, but we were rushed and had to leave after an hour and fifteen minutes. All in all a really pleasant dining experience, and I'd definitely go back again. Chef Joe is really at the top of his form and I think this place is going to really start getting busy soon.

It could be the humidity level in which they were stored. Thats one of the reasons I own a food dehydrator for drying my chiles that I grow during the summer, which would not completely dry out naturally.

I guess about 10-15 years ago, chefs in everyday italian restaurants started using inexpensive balsamic vinegar in things like salad dressings and as bases for sauces for main dishes -- some kind of chicken breast dish in balsamic vinegar appearing on every menu, for example. This strikes me as extremely odd because the "real deal" (as described on Fat Guy's site http://www.fat-guy.com/article/articleview/240/) is so sparingly used because it is so expensive -- a real 100ml bottle of balsamico tradizionale can cost upwards of 80 dollars or more depending on how old it is. Typically italians use a few drops of this as a condiment for cheese courses or desserts -- salad dressing and sauce bases are almost out of the question unless you're a glutton or its a VERY special occassion. Ever since that fateful day it seems like the faux version of the ingredient is being over used here, and you almost NEVER see its correct application with the real deal. Anyone agree with me on this?

Andy... I've heard the same thing about vanilla ice cream flavored with black truffles..

I ordered a copy of Luis Ayala's "The Rum Experience" from his great website http://www.rumshop.net, got in in this week. at แ.95 this is an expensive book for a 225 page hardcover volume, but its understandable because Luis does his own production and printing in house using hi-quality commercial color inkjets as opposed to industrial printing equipment, and binds it to a high-quality hardcover (like you would find on an old style highschool yearbook). The photos are great, the listings and tasting notes on all the rums are very comprehensive, and its got a lot of great mixer recipes in it. If you're a rum freak like me definitely get a copy of this. He also has a less expensive black and white softcover version, but spring for the color, its worth it.

Holly you know you're not supposed to post pornography here... shame on you

"Other interesting entrees were grilled shrimp over black pasta; black risotto with mixed seafood and veal scallopini in a sweet and sour sauce with pinoli nuts." He always has at least 1 squid ink dish on the menu... I like it when he has the ravioli or fettucine..

Poached pears might be really good.. I'm also thinking some kind of citrus fruit slices (de-membraned of course) like perhaps blood orange or a sweet grapefruit. For a kinda creamsicle flavor effect.

Yeah, sometimes its hard to tell the difference between an advertisement and an actual restaurant recommendation...

Yesterday on Arthur Schwartz he mentioned a new restaurant in Tenafly, Jerry's Austeria (proper spelling?) that was owned by the same people who run Jerry's of Englewood, the big italian grocery store. Anyone try this place yet?

Actually Casa Vasca has its own parking lot down the street from the restaurant, about a block away. But yes street parking in that area is scarce.

it depends just how hungry you are and if your kids appreciate this kind of food. If the kids are ravenous like wild animals craving meat, take them to Seabras's restaurant attached to the Meditteranean Manor catering hall for Brazilian style rodizio. Read as "unlimited supply of various roast meats carved off a huge spike for dirt cheap". Very kid friendly. If they dont want meat, they have seafood and other stuff. 255 Jefferson St Newark, NJ (973) 465-1966 My favorite Iberian is Casa Vasca. Not kid unfriendly, more of a traditional spanish restaurant. I've seen plenty of families there. 141 Elm St Newark, NJ (973) 465-1350 Rosie is also partial to Spanish Sangria on Magazine street. I think the food at Vasca is better but its also less fancier in terms of decor, more of a neighborhood kind of place. 157 Magazine St Newark, NJ (973) 344-9286

So these are kinda like gigantic maki sushi? Gojira Futomaki?

eGulletarian. Not Chowhound. :)

Lagers: Anchor Steam is good but the last time I saw it was in San Francisco. Sam Adams is decent, and Tsingtao is good when its real cold, as is Heineken, although a self-appointed beer expert on another well known food discussion site dressed me down once for even suggesting Tsingtao or Heineken was even drinkable. If its a pilsner style, Grolsch or Pilsner Urqell. Negro Modelo, Boddingtons and Guinness for dark stuff.

Yeah, we'd like to do a beer board. We haven't had a ton of discussion on beer yet, so put it in the Wine area. Or'll just rename Wine to Wine and Beer until we can get dedicated wine and beer affiliates.

We ate here on Saturday afternoon -- very authentic Shanghainese food, but probably better for dinner than for lunch.<p>While the regular menu is quite large, The northern-stlye Dim Sum menu is extremely limited, theres about 10 items on that list, as well as about another dozen things on their "cold appetizer" list. we had the Xiao Long Bao pork soup dumplings, very good, served with a very vinegary soy sauce dip on the side. Do not miss the "cellaphane noodles with spicy capsicum" cold noodle dish. This is similar to Szechewan dan dan noodles, but more like a cold korean Jap Chae made by a thai chef. Its got shrimp and shredded chicken in it, as well as a lot of fresh cilantro and very, very spicy. All of the dishes on the cold and dim sum sections are avaliable at all hours.<p>We also had a hearts of bamboo shoot appetizer, very weird but yummy -- a large pile of cone-shaped bamboo hearts, served cold, marinated in peanut oil and soy sauce with a strong gingery flavor, had a consistency similar to cold asparagus salad. Looks like something the Klingons would eat on star trek, share this with a group of 4 people or more.<p>Scallion pancackes were good, thin and crispy, but were served with a sauce that was a bit too sweet, and we had to ask for it separately. <p>As a main dish we had their beef chow fun, excellent example of a classic noodle dish. Noodles were fresh and not soggy, had perfect chow fun texture, and was not bland, seasoned properly. next time we want to try their "shanghai style" noodles.<p>Theres a lot of very authentic stuff on the menu, with a heavy focus on seafood and noodle soup dishes (one that caught my eye was a curry beef noodle soup) and hot pots, as well as an american chinese favorites section, which we didnt try. I'd recommend this place for dinner or early bird -- they have a Ű.95 dinner special which starts at 4pm and ends at 6:30. <p>I'd say we've barely scratched the surface of this place.

Until the end of time, I think. Its printed into their dinner menu.

Ruby I'm still a sucker for Ping's on 22 Mott Street. I'm boring, sure, but the place is reliable and good. I'm very curious about Bux's place though.

On Fat Guy's reccomendation I ate with some friends this evening at Becco (46th between 8th and 9th 212-397-7597). I'd say this is probably one of the best pre-theatre dinner values I've ever had. Becco is owned by Joe Bastianich, who is also partners with Mario Battali in Babbo and Lupa. Three of us had the Prix fixe all-you-can eat pasta dinner, $21.95, which included antipasto appetizer or ceasar salad. Every evening Becco prepares a trio of fresh pasta dishes, which is different every night, and is all you can eat. This evening was a fettucine with pepperoncini marinara sauce, seafood canneloni and a penne aolio/buttera garlic saute with broccoli florets -- all of these were superb and cooked perfectly al dente. All of us walked out stuffed. One diner had a whole grilled mediterranean sea bass (ฮ) which was elegantly filetted, and was devoured completely. The wine list is quite extensive, with about 40 different wines to choose from, all $18.00. We ordered a prosecco, 10.5 percent alcohol, very clean and sparkly with the perfect amount of sweetness. For appetizers 2 of us ordered salads, the others antipasto, and we shared everything. The ceasar salad was a fairly simple preparation, although I would say it was not as dressed as I would like. The mixed antipasto was an assortment of beans, eggplant, carrots, squashes, fresh mozzarella and grilled red pepperoncini dressed with extra virgin olive oil, plus two side plates of a salmon tartare, swordfish "medallion" with potatoes and marinated octopus, plus a dish of fresh ricotta cheese -- a perfect accompaniment to the fresh bread. We passed on dessert, but I had an espresso, which was perfectly prepared with a good crema, strong, and was not at all bitter. All in all a superb value for the pre theatre crowd, with attentive and warm service.

Anyone tried this place yet? I had been to Phoenix Garden for dimsum but was more impressed with Silver Pond and had not returned there. 88 US Hwy 46 W Ridgefield, NJ (201)313-0088 I just spoke to the new owner, they are focusing on Shanghai cuisine however they still will have seafood and dimsum every day. But also he will have the Xiao Long Bao soup dumplings ... this could be a good sign. Their web site is at: http://china46.com/ Edit: Fixed link.