Tom D

Thanks everybody!! I have a much better feel for where to go when we're out there. Looking forward to a great trip. Tom PS A colleague at work really liked Wildflowers in Portland. Any opinions

Hi folks, from NJ (usually post on Rosies board), wife and I will be visiting Seattle and Portland for 3 days each in August Haven't been to Seattle in several years, enjoyed Wild Ginger for the unique flavors and plan to go back there. We like Bistros and Cafes (I know Wild Ginger doesn't qualify ) are there any places in Seattle that you would recommend. Will have a car but would rather stay in the city proper or within a short drive. In Portland, we will be in wine country one night and plan to eat at Tina's in Dundee. In Portland, Scarlet Begonias was recommended to us by a few people. Any opinions on this restaurant or any other favorites you have for Portland. Thanks in advance and we look forward to visiting the beautiful NW soon. Tom

Caspita is one of our favorite restaurants, go about once a month. Nothing fancy, the dining area is part of a bakery but the owner and servers are hardworking and very nice. The menu is limited but all appetizers, salads and entrees are excellent. Has had very good to excellent reviews from the Asbury Park Press, Star Ledger and NJ Monthly. They will be closed from July 1-15 for vacation. Enjoy if you go. Tom

Caspita is one of our favorite restaurants, go about once a month. Nothing fancy, the dining area is part of a bakery but the owner and servers are hardworking and very nice. The menu is limited but all appetizers, salads and entrees are excellent. Has had very good to excellent reviews from the Asbury Park Press, Star Ledger and NJ Monthly. Tom

Rosie, you should have given a loud yell to us, we probably would have heard you since we were down the road at # 9 in Lambertville :) Sounds like you had a great dinner and so did we. Denise had the Chicken (I think Lowell's entree) and I had the porterhouse pork chop. Apps. and dessert were also very good. We drove up from Philadelphia, where we spent the day browsing and spending money Tom

About a 1/4 mile east on RT 28, which is an exit off RT 287, is GIRASOLE a Italian BYOB that is not to be missed. Tom

Hi Rosie, sorry I missed you last week. Your description of # 9 sounds delicious and Denise fully agrees. Also went to some great restaurants in Shanghai, if you and Lowell get to China, Shanghai should be part of the visit. Tom

Bistro J in Ocean Township tomorrow. Tom

Tomorrow going to Melange Cafe in Cherry Hill. Italian with creole and cajun accents. Chef-owner Joe Brown has a cult following and getting a reservation requires a few weeks in advance. Even with that we only could get 8:30. Of course for you Nor Jersy folks Cherry Hill is another time zone Rosie, when is your affair at Forsgate. If your leaving home early, give a call and stop in. I've been known to have a few bottles of wine in the cellar :D Tom

Mark Bolero is a hoot. VERY CASUAL, anything other than jeans and you will be severely overdressed :D There are dance lessons some nights and just festive dancing others. The place is tiny and our waitress took orders, danced some Cuban classics and served food. A great server and quite athletic. Did I mention beautiful The food is terrific, down home comfort Cuban if there is such a thing. Give it a try, you will love it. Tom

Rosie, what a bummer. Sounds like your dinner was average at best. Our's was also a shot weekend as I caught the flu around Thursday and didn't start to feel better until yesterday. No dining out this past weekend Tom

Some Italian restaurants may serve better food (but that is questionable), some may have a bit more more atmosphere, (again questionable) some may have a touch better service, no need to say it again but very few restaurants combine ALL THREE points CONSISTENTLY night after night. You leave Girasole not only well fed but also like you were treated special. The staff is outgoing and professional and the owner a very special person, always trying to please. Highly recommended!! Tom

Hi Helena R. My wife and I have been to Indigo Moon 3 times and have enjoyed it very much each time. We haven't been in about 7 months and the menu is completely changed. I'm sure anything you try will be excellent. As Helena S. mentions Indigo Moon is BYO and the tables are well spaced, you can have a conversation without having all around you hear it. Seeing your post was the reminder to set a reservation there in the next few weeks:) Enjoy!! Tom

If you guys are ever in central NJ, you have got to try SEOUL HOUSE Korean restaurant just off Rt 27 in Franklin, just south of New Brunswick. A small but clean and neat place that serves OUTSTANDING, authentic Korean food for many years. Has won the NJ Monthly award from readers for best undiscovered restaurant several times in the past. Bring an appetite, you will not go away hungry. They have all the usual Korean items plus many unusual (to non Koreans, I guess) like intestines specially prepared etc. I don't have a phone number handy but it will be the only one listed in information. Have been there many times (I work about 20 minutes away) and the gang that goes there think its always great. If you go let us know what you think. Tom

Vetri is upscale, fine dining Italian. One of the very best in Philly. Other nice places are Tangerine, Fork and The Blue Angel. If your a fan of the Iron Chef, check out Morimoto, the IC's new spot on Chestnut. My wife and I enjoy wine with dinner and often BYO in Philly. Some excellent BYO with 0 corkage include Audrey Clair, Django, Chloe and Pif. Enjoy wherever you go and be sure to tell us about your dining experience. Tom

My only bad dinner was at Rat's. Had dinner twice at Panico's in 2001, both times the food was good, not great and service was fair. The problem is the bill is representative of GREAT food and EXCELLENT service, and during our two visits both were missing. Another way to look at it is the food and service we experienced at Panico's could be had at half the price in other Italian restaurants. Just IMHO of course and as the saying goes, your mileage could vary. (Edited by Tom D at 10:41 am on Dec. 21, 2001)

There were not any really "bad" dining experiences but here were a few that just didn't live up to potential. Ironically, some are the same from earlier posts. PEACOCK INN PRINCETON FORSGATE CC JAMESBURG PANICO'S NEW BRUNSWICK AVANTI PENNINGTON RATS (one great meal, one inedible) HAMILTON Tom

Whoop's. Let's make it our top 11:) as I totally forgot ORIGIN in SOMERVILLE which was excellent. How about a new topic for either 10 WORSE or 10 most DISAPPOINTING. Tom D

Here's mine in no particular order. CASPITA CAFE ABERDEEN INDIGO MOON ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS LIMESTONE CAFE PEAPACK MOONSTRUCK OCEAN GROVE BISTRO J OCEAN TOWNSHIP BROTHERS MOON HOPEWELL THE BLACK SWAN MT. LAUREL LE ME TOJOURS MARLTON SIRI'S FRENCH THAI CHERRY HILL MEI THAI WOODBRIDGE Lot's of others that come close. The above list combines not only great food but a pleasant atmosphere and good service. Living in the center of the state also shows that you need to drive to most places:) Tom

Rock, the food is certainly not "pure Thai". It's exactly as billed, a combo of French and Thai. The main thing is it tastes GREAT. If your looking for pure Thai, this is not your place. Tom

Rosie, I agree completely with your comments on Origin. The food is great, the presentation is innovative and the atmosphere is frenetic. When my wife and I are by ourselves, the noise is not a bother but it does become a problem when with another couple. Even simple conversation becomes difficult. Somerville has become a restaurant destination, a lot of styles and types of cuisine. Tom

After touring the historical area for the first time in about 35 years (grade school) we had a very good meal in a nice neighborhood restaurant named CHLOE. Started with 2 salads, the Chloe salad has baked panko crusted goat cheese, mesclun greens, red onion and orange chipolte dressing. The other salad was aroasted beet salad that had grilled onions, arugula, mandarin oranges toasted walnuts and balsamic dressing. Both were yummy. Entrees were a delicious Chilean sea bass with a pesto drizzle and I had the Moroccan spiced lamb with minted cous cous, spicy tomatoes and cucumber raita. We shared a special Peach cobbler and had two coffees. Totally stuffed the bill with tax and a generous tip was 68 dollars. A real bargain in our mind. Service was excellent and helpful Chloe, 232 Arch st. 215-629-2337 BYOB. No reservations. PS The bread came with a wonderful spiced hummus spread. If we lived in the city, this is the kind of place we would visit often Tom

LouCas also now has a sister restaurant, CHRISTINE'S on Rt 9 in Howell, Monmouth County. If you like LouCas, Christine's is an exact duplicate. First try at a post, hope it works