nanyun

It's actually from Japan but now very common in Korea. They serve it in sandwiches too. I find it different than American potato salad b/c I find it has more vegetables like cucumbers and carrots and sometimes has sliced apple or pineapple or diced ham in it.

dimsumfan- If you like Indian food, Cloves in the International Trade Zone (next to Bud Lake) is pretty good. Also, Fujiyama in Mansfield (about 15 min west on 46) has some amazing sushi.

Thanks for the info, we're hopefully trying the Clifton Toros tomorrow. We'll probably just take the pastries to go as we'll head over to our friend's place for coffee and dessert.

Someone mentioned to my husband that Paterson had some of the best Turkish food in NJ so we've been wanting to go there but had no idea where to start. It looks like from the info in this thread that we'll start at Toros. I'm also looking for a place to get great baklava and those Turkish pastries that are bursting with cream. What is the atmosphere like at some of the Turkish spots in Paterson? We'd like to combine the Paterson excursion this week with a dinner date with friends, but they won't be happy if we bring them to a hole in the wall.

Thanks so much for this recommendation. We had to visit someone in Midland Park last night and we ate here based on this thread. Tried a lot of wonderful tapas- will report back later when I have more time. The staff was tripping over themselves trying to please.

Haven't been here in years, but used to love it. Later in the evenings, though, you have to yell at your drinking companions to be heard.

I think this is true, thdad, as the food in K-town is too salty for me and I'm very used to homecooked Korean cuisine. In Korea, on the other hand, I have had nouveau Korean and more modernized Korean food that I love. LA seems to pick up on the changes in Korean cuisine since there's a much larger population there. Meals don't have to be so heavy. There's also the issue of customer service and ambiance in most Korean restaurants. Culturally, the food served is most important to Koreans, so people don't care if the place looks like a cafeteria or if the waitstaff is careless. Most K-town restaurants don't offer a fancy dining experience even though the prices can compare.

Sorry for the thread hijack but Bucky P must be local b/c I know he's playing at Liberty State Park's Free Summer Concert Series in August.

I'm sorry that your friend witnessed that and got such a rude response. I love the idea of an open kitchen, but that set-up bothers me if people aren't even going to pretend that there are controls in place. We're still looking for a great take-out place close to our house but the one we order pick-up and delivery from is also an open kitchen. I really don't look back there- I don't want to know.

It's not too close to Bergen, but I saw steamers on the menu at Flamangos in Whitehouse Station.

the place right off union square west- a tiny storefront but at lunch the line used to be around the block. so good.

even though i complained about the service about this place earlier in this thread and caused a little stir, i went back here for my company holiday party and we were all blown away. the hors d'oeuvres were wonderful- seared tuna with osetra caviar, chicken skewers, kobe beef, and on and on. dinner- butternut squash soup, salad of apple pears, maytag blue, hazlenuts, fish (red snapper) wonderfully dressed, and can't remember dessert- some odd-looking chocolate concoction. everything was beautifully plated and the service couldn't have been better. the food was original, delicious, and the portions were not too small (i eat alot). there were a few different wine options but i drank the petite syrah all night. so good. apologies for not remember the vineyard- it was a long night.

there is a place on broad ave in pal park- a coffeehouse- that has the green tea shakes. i'm sorry, but i don't remember the name of it. parisienne doesn't have them? a shame, because those would be good with bearded papa cream puffs....

great steaks, pretty standard menu. and the place is very sexy- if you want a steak but not a steakhouse atmosphere, it's a good choice.

morristown. (please?)

i've wanted to try this place since i read about it in aolcityguide- and now you all have convinced me. i will travel for a good bite but since i will be in jc for work anyway, it will be pleasantly close. thanks.

The Huntley Taverne in Summit?? Is Nutley too far? My geography around there is not too good- Papillon has a nice garden in Nutley.

I won't comment on the service at the Pluckemin one way or the other since I have not been yet, but I have heard from others that it needs improvement. However, that being said, I think that you're unfairly stereotyping all NJ restaurants with a comment like this. I will apologize as a NJ native for any such experience you may have had here, but I can assure you as an avid NJ AND NY diner that NY has been guilty of the same crime. When I was 22 years old, I dined at Aureole & was seated at the worst table by far and received the worst service ever in a fine dining establishment. The captain looked down his nose at us (I'm sure he was wondering what he did wrong to deserve us & why the maitre'd hated him so), and only returned to take our dinner & dessert order. But this & a few other incidences were isolated cases, and I would never label all NY restaurants as age discriminatory! -- I also would not say they are more "age blind". ← My original post was either unclear or people just don't agree with me. If it's the latter, then that's cool, but I can try to clear up the former a bit. We love tons of restaurants here in NJ and eat out often. We feel that we can get steaks, sushi, burgers, and Korean, Colombian, Greek (and more) eats that rival the stuff in the best cities. We have to drive quite a bit sometimes, but we really don't complain that much. Gourmand2- you're absolutely right, restaurant service is never equal no matter where you are. I don't think all NJ restaurants are age-discriminatory. My experience and my comment have to do with restaurants here that are trying to make a name for themselves- perhaps they are trying too hard? I find the well-established places in NJ provide pretty great and consistent service. But is it such a stretch to imagine that life in the suburbs can be a bit more provincial than city life? I'm surprised that people on this board think that this is a shocking observation. For example, in the nicer restaurants here, many people will 'dress up'. There is nothing wrong with this, but I do think sometimes that a younger or scruffier-dressed party in a nicer restaurant here will stick out more than in your average big city. (And my example of Union Square Cafe was perhaps a poor one- I'm not talking about places like this or Aureole). I am sorry Rosie that I hijacked this thread. I won't say another word here on this. Perhaps I should move my rant over to the General Topics thread. Also, about the wine- I couldn't drink because I am nursing. But I'll try and get back to you about what my friend had- I think she sampled two or three (?) different wines by the glass.

My, my, I see I ruffled some feathers. Did you read my post? I didn't write that the service in NYC is better, just perhaps more age-blind. And it doesn't take a genius to figure out that poor service can make or break a restaurant- especially one that is trying to do great things. Your comment card remark was particularly helpful and brilliant- at least your post provided me with some comic relief. Rosie- in response to your question: I went with an oneophile who was dying/drooling over the wine list here. It's pretty spectacular and a great achievement in itself. My friend had one of the dry aged steaks here- said it was excellent and well-prepared. I had some wild salmon which was great. The menu and preparations were contemporary but nothing that exotic or out of the ordinary. Our service wasn't bad- but it should have been alot better. Our neighboring table was very demanding and our server didn't seem to remember or care that she had other diners. The hostess, bartender, and maitre d' were all very good. And unfortunately we were not the only guests complaining about the service that night- we heard another group complaining on their way out about a different server. I think it's still worth a look for some of you foodies. I won't go again, but if you look a big tipper, you might have a great experience.

it is a handsome place- and huge. but i found the place to be a bit pretentious and snotty. it is interesting for us to eat out at nj places that want to be known as 'fine dining' because we look a lot younger than we are. sometimes our service is pretty terrible compared to when we might dine out at the same spots with our friends who appear older. it is the one thing about eating out in nj that i hate. growing up in nyc, this is not something i'm used to. for example, i remember a night out at union square cafe where the next table a teen was celebrating her birthday with friends. the waitstaff was friendly, professional, and not condescending. anyway, sorry if this rant is hijacking this thread. it's just something that has been on my mind.

wow, i'm surprised to hear people say an american grill is good for kids. we go out to eat often and we have discussed eating there a few times in the past few months, but i don't think i would feel comfortable bringing my infant there. i guess at some of the nicer restaurants i just don't feel like dealing with the evil eyes from some of the other patrons- it's generally not the staff. but we do have date night once a week when we get a babysitter, so it's on our list for that!

the garlic restaurant (name?) in madison, origin thai, and the saddle river inn.

Isn't Thai Chef a chain with half a dozen locations? Did this one break away from the chain? ← I'm not sure how it is structured, but the manager hinted that they were breaking away from the others. I don't know if it means a name change, but the food is now pretty superior to what you can find in most neighborhood Thais these days.

We just came from Thai Chef II in Denville. It is under new management with a great revamped menu. The duck roll appetizer is spectacular- cucumber, red leaf, and savory duck wrapped in a paper thin crepe and drizzled with salty and sweet sauce. The crabmeat soup is another standout- thick but without the gummy cornstarch-y texture of takeout asian soups. We talked to the manager and the crabmeat soup is simmered for over 7 hours to reach this texture. Entrees- duck special and salmon massaman. Both great. If you go, make sure you ask for their special menu, which is extensive, and which they said will soon replace their existing menu. Desserts- creme brulee and chocolate souffle. unmistakably un-thai, but still good old friends on this cold night.

I'm not that good with the geography but I think this is in Monmouth County as it is near Red Bank- Windandsea (or Windnsea or Windansea) near Sandy Hook. Our friends recently moved from NYC to Red Bank and we met here when we visited them one weekend. It has beautiful views, a lively and diverse crowd (families, couples, younger singles, groups, etc) and live entertainment upstairs. There is also outdoor dining. Unfortunately, we were very late to meet our group as we were driving from Manhattan, so we missed dinner. But we had great wine and appetizers and they really praised the food and their dinners. It's contemporary American with an emphasis on seafood. Other places we went with them in Red Bank- Red, where the food was good and the crowd was also, a good vegetarian place, a diner-type place for a good breakfast. Sorry the names are escaping me right now.