Tom D

Jay-Bob is right on, Great Szechuan has excellent very authentic food. So authentic, you may not like it Also a short walk to the next strip mall is MAHZU which is about the best Japanese in Central NJ. Wonderful sushi and sushimi Tom

Hi Menton 1 Totally understand your feelings, I think we have all been put in unreasonable positions by restaurants. The difference is some of us are willing to forgive and forget and some just can't. Django is a great alternative if you can snag a reservation. Tom

For an awesome dinner try KAREN AND REI'S at 1882 Rt. 9 in Clermont, not far from Avalon. Phone number 609-967-4488 Not cheap but the creativity and execution is well worth it. It is also BYO which keeps the cost down. Has had great reviews from most major papers, TV stations etc. Before their move to the present larger restaurant, you needed 4-5 weeks ahead to snag a reservation Get tempted from their menu at www.karenandrei.com Tom

Hello all My wife and I plus a few friends would like to sample the many skills of Sholo and StudioKitchen. How does one set a reservation, e-mail, phone number. Are there any restrictions. Thanks in advance. From everyone's comments this seems to be quite a dining experience. Tom

Blue Point Grill is a favorite for well prepared fish and seafood (plus a huge selection). As mentioned earlier, be careful when you go as the wait times can be nasty. Tom PS You will also love Conte's pizza and the atmosphere is a bonus Tom

Hooray, I can post again but that is another story you don't want to hear Been back to Chloe many times since my original post. Each time has been "special". The care and hard work of the owners really shoes in the food, preperation and presentation. Getting shut out of a restaurant can be frustrating but give Chloe another chance. You won't be disappointed. For us Chloe is one of our favorite BYO, others are Django, Matyson and Radicchio Cafe. Tom

Kim Wife and I know all about running ragged with gymnastics. Our daughter Jessica was pretty good (New Jersey State Champion one year) and Cherry Hill was close, if you can believe that. Was not unusual to go to Virginia, Boston, Florida etc for a weekend. Enjoy Kaminski's, I know your not fond of BYO restaurants, that is where we usually go down in that area. Let me know if you ever need any nice BYO recommendations. Tom

Kim Here are a few casual places either in Cherry or just next door in neighboring towns. Kaminski's 1424 Brace Road, Cherry Hill 856-428-2555. Famous pub in Cherry Hill serving great bar food and 12 domestic and impoeted brews on tap. Flying Fish Brewery 1940 Olney Ave. Cherry Hill 856-489-0061. Serving a nice array of home made brews and variety of food. Champps Bar Just south of the intersection of Rt 70 and Rt 73 in Marlton. A chain but a good one serving an array of brews and some nice pub grub and more. Tin Alley Grill 584 Rt 38 East, Maple Shade 856-234-3174. Fun bar and restaurant serving Tex-Mex food. Red Hot And Blue Rt 70 East Cherry Hill (not far from the Racetrack) Good BBQ and a nice selection of brews to wash it down. That should get you started. One caveat, have not been to some since my daughter finished up gymnastics. A few families used to swoop down on these places after a meet. Enjoy Tom

Hi Kim Wow! did not think anyone knew about the rowing on the Cooper river. Actually, I have never been but a good friend at work goes there and to Philly to watch the events on the Schuykill river What type of food did you have in mind. Can probably recommend almost anything while keeping it casual. Tom

Mazi 401 Main St. Bradley Beach 732-775-8828. Eclectic Mediterranean cuisine BYO Citrico's Mediterranean Italian Grill 812 Main St. Bradley Beach 732-988-6565 They have a liquor license. Have had some good and bad meals at both. Tom

Ouch! I do remember that story. As a follow up to Monmouth dining, our beloved county has certainly been sliding downhill regarding dining. Two of our favorites Caspita and Bistro J have both closed. Stand bys like 75 South, Indigo Moon, Bistro Zeeto, Moonstruck etc. have either slipped a couple of notches or have closed. Freehold, except for El Meson, is a culinary wasteland. The shore has a couple of new places that show promise (Mazi, Citrico) but they are not as good as what has gone. I hate to say this but there are some towns in north Jersey (like Montclair) that probably have more great restaurants then all of Monmouth County. Rosie, it did pain me to say that:))))))))))) Hopefully the dining scene in this area will get better. We now go down to the Cherry Hill area every few weeks as there are some excellent restaurants down there and it's easy for us to drive to. All of the above is IMO of course. Tom

Hey, don't forget me, another foodie in Western Monmouth (Millstone certainly qualifies). Sounds like we have another dinner at Spargo's brewing to do some food rating :) We were there about a month ago and had a great dinner. If we have another get together there, I promise to supply the Turley Tom

Dinner at Girasole on Saturday was sensational. Great food, warm friendly service, caring owner. The type of place you not only enjoy but wish it was about 40 miles closer Tom

Thanks for the detailed report. We have also heard nice things about Pooket from friends. Need to get there soon. Has anyone noticed a change for the worst in Mei Thai in Woodbridge. Entrees last two times there both poorly prepared and very skimpy. Actually left hungry last time. Maybe a change in chefs. Tom

Hi Kim Fugi is certainly not high end. It is little more than a hole in the wall but as a previous poster described it is great. Thet have a "special tasting" dinner during the week that you must reserve at least 1 week in advance. I have brought about a dozen people to these special dinners, all have said it is as good as any dinner in either NY or Philly. Chef Ito is a magician. Tom PS The special dinner is at least 7 courses, often more and is part Asian part the rest of the world.

Jeffrey's is not casual, pretty much upscale and a bit formal. My choice for casual in Tom's River would be Tom's Ribber barbeque place. It's at 777 Fischer Blvd. Phone number is 732-831-1227. It's also BYO. I want to say I HAVE NOT been to Tom's Ribber but reliable friends tell me its great. Tom

First time at this restaurant, was expecting it to be very good from others past experiences. Did not disappoint. I will have to leave the particulars up to our dining companions but here is a quick overview. First off, the appetizers and wine PRIOR to going to Blue Sky were awesome and much appreciated At Blue Sky we were served a complimentary mushroom risotto with truffle cream. In looks, a dead ringer for a Starbucks cappucino but soooo much better. We split a couple of appetizers, a special of oysters and the skewered shrimp. Both were great. Entrees were a blue nose grouper special from New Zealand (I think) which was very good, another special, rack of veal that was excellent, pork tenderloin and volcano shrimp, both very good. Totally stuffed from all the food before and at Blue Sky, we shared a chocolate bread pudding that I wish I had more room for. It was indeed indulgent. The above brief descriptions don't do justice to the excellent meal and service that we enjoyed. 3 bottles of wine over the course of the evening can do that. Tom

The Cherry Hill and surrounding area has grown, unfortunetly, like most of NJ. Lot's of people have moved in to support new business and industry in NJ and Philadelphia-Pennsylvania. The traffic jams on Rt 73 and Rt 38 can rival any in north or central NJ. I honestly listed only a few restaurants in the Cherry Hill area. Go a few more miles to Mt Laurel, Medford etc. and I can list a lot more. That's why we really like living in central NJ. We're 50 minutes from both NYC and Philadelphia or north or south jersey. Enjoy wherever you go!! Tom

Hi Bea The Cherry Hill area is where my wife and I often go for dinner. There are some GREAT restaurants down there, I'll try to help out with a few diverse suggestions. AUTHENTIC TURKISH CUISINE yes, that's the name of the restaurant. Fabulous authentic Turkish food. Belly dancing lessons during the week at dinner. 8011 Centennial Blvd. Voorhees 856-489-1212 Voorhees is next door to Cherry Hill (5 minute drive). AMEA Great Mediterranean food from Greece, France, North Africa etc. Nice looking restaurant formerly called FIGS, changed to AMEA about 2 months ago. In the Village Walk shopping center Rt 70 in Cherry Hill 856-874-0063. There is a patisserie a few doors down, the owner was the pastry chef at LE BEC FIN for 15 years. Need I say more EMERALD FISH Great reasonably priced seafood. Cherry Hill 856-616-9192. FOOD FOR THOUGHT Upscale restaurant serving a variety of nouvelle cuisine In a shopping center at the intersection of Rt70 and Rt.73 in Marlton (next to Cherry Hill) 856-797-1126 LA POSATA Delicious Italian food in Cherry Hill. 856-596-6885. SIRIS FRENCH THAI AND PATISSERIE Tremendous French-Asian cuisine and patisserie. Have been for dinner many times, not for lunch. Have heard that they offer a prix fixe lunch that is great. 856-663-6781. In the Tracktown Mall across from the Cherry Hill racetrack Have been to all the above restaurants and can recommend them highly. All are BYOB, we rarely go to restaurants with a liquor license. If you want more information or directions to any of them, let me know. Tom PS MELANGE CAFE, as Rosie mentioned is excellent but the southern food from Joe Brown is beyond rich. If you go there get the crab cheesecake appetizer. You will love it but you will be full for a week S

Hi Kim I fully respect your wanting a liquor license with business clients and I agree with you. Allows for much more flexibility One thing though, from a totally committed wine freak. If your main business contact is a fellow wine geek, make a reservation at a nice BYO like Cafe Matisse or Anthony David's and bring along a couple of aged first growth Bordeaux. I guarantee (well almost ) that you will close the deal in your favor. It has worked for me several times, most recently with a big foreign client. Tom Tom

To answer some of the questions. The soup was not a broth but not thick from cream or milk, rather from the texture of the squash. They offer a prix fixe but we all ordered ala carte. A liquor license??? You are joking right This place is well worth seeking out. The chef-owner is the nicest guy you will ever meet. We will go back despite the parking situation and from me that is saying something (absolutely NO patience). Tom

4 of us had a great dinner at The Dining Room At Anthony David's, 111 10th St. Hoboken 201-222-8359. There are two dining rooms, try and get the "front" as it like dining in a old country store. 2 types of crusty bread are served with both a plate of nice olive oil and a delicious bean spread. Because of a couple of "celebrities" with us, we were served a bevy of extras including a wonderful guacomole infused with lime and molded with cucumber with a drizzle of oil and ?. This was a treat for flavor and texture. Next a butternut squash and coconut soup that was mild and yet assertive in flavor, a great combination. Now on to the meal 2 people split the Veal Bolognese pasta which contained thick pieces of veal with porcini, arugula and of course homemade tagliatelle. It was pronounced wonderful. The other appetizer was the salad which consisted of prosciutto, parmesan, baby arugula, pistachios and a balsamic reduction. Also an excellent start. Entrees were a delicious roasted free range chicken with olives, pancetta, spinach and mashed potatoes. Next was a delicate tenderloin of pork stuffed with cacciatorino, asagio and with a merlot sauce. Also came with potatoes and braised cabbage. Third was a huge portion of grilled lamb chops with an atichoke and mushroom ragout and with a parmesan crisp. Prepared perfectly (med. rare) this was delicious. Last was a sublime pan roasted halibut with fresh vegetables, olives, bits of egg with a dijon vinaigrette. This was perhaps the best dish of all, rich yet easy to eat. Desserts consisted of a 5 cheese plate accented with fresh raspberries, blackberries and sliced apricots. With wedges of bread this was sensational. Also had an order of fresh glazed doughnuts. Krispy Kreme has nothing on these bad boys 2 strong coffees finished things off. Because of some circumstances the final bill I quote is for the appetizers, entrees, coffee and tax. $65.00 per couple which is excellent value. Complimentary starters, cheese plate and doughnuts have been left out of the cost per couple. Just a wonderful dinner, the owner-chef is a hard working very nice person. We were lucky to speak to him before we left. A great night and the company wasn't bad either Tom PS Had not been to Hoboken in a few years. This has to be the worst place I've been, outside of Shanghai and Manila, to get a parking space.

Rosie See, there are actually some good restaurants south of the Raritan River All you have to do is come visit every so often. Sogno is very good, one of our favorites. Off to the UK tomorrow. I have some 8218 for you. Denise and Tommy will give to you on Thursday. Tom

Hi Rosie Denise and I had a great day on Saturday in Philadelphia. Parked in Old City, toured some of the historical stuff, shopped a bit (what else) Went to several pubs and had a cold brew in each, Black Sheep, Plough and the Stars etc. Then went to dinner at one of the BEST restaurants in all of Philadelphia called DJANGO, which also happens to be BYO. Food there is killer, simply great and about half the price of the "name" places. Reservations are impossible since Craig Leban gave it a huge review last year. We got lucky with a cancellation at 6:00PM. After dinner went over to Penn's Landing and saw the fireworks over the Delaware River. Just a great day and evening. PS Had a great 99 Turley with dinner. PPS I would post this also over at the Pennsy board but that board is deader than a door nail. Such a shame. So many good restaurants and there's a post every two weeks. Tom

Judy Sorry for the brain freeze it is Wildwood not wildflowers. Thanks for the advice on Wildwood and Nell's in Seattle. Will let you know all the details on our trip when we return. Tom