rozrapp

Pan, I ordered off the a la carte menu. I started with Parsnip Soup, White Truffle & Roasted Chestnut Ravioli, which I've had before. Chef/owner Cyril Reynaud's soups are uniformly excellent, but this is probably my favorite. Ambrosial! My main course was Sullivan County Squab, House Smoked Fingerling Potatoes & Black Truffle Jus. I love squab, and this was a first rate preparation. For dessert, I chose one of Chef Reynaud's signatures: Granny Smith Apple & Caramelized Brittany Crepe With Devonshire Whipped Cream. I had had it only once before, the first time we ate at Fleur de Sel just after they opened in 2000. It's still delicious. We've eaten lunch and dinner there many times. Always an enjoyable experience. We have never had anything other than very courteous service.

You can read the review here: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/23/travel/2...r=1&oref=slogin

Yes. They are available on Saturday and Sunday. There are actually now two prix-fixes: 3-courses for $25 and 4 courses for $42. We had lunch there a few weeks ago on a Sunday. As always, the food was superb. Menus

I presume your halushkas are what I've always called hulephches, aka stuffed cabbage. You can definitely find all three dishes + excellent deli and much, much more at the Mill Basin Deli, in Brooklyn.

Acc. to the NY Times article:

I have not been to Tre Piani, but it's located not far off Route 1, in the Forrestal Village Shopping Center, in Plainsboro. According to Zagat, it's popular for business lunches.

According to eater:

Yesssss!!! I'm due to go grocery shopping this week. I'm going to see if I can hold out until the weekend just so I can make the trip to Mount Laurel. ← Just be prepared for the place to be a total zoo!! When the Manalapan store opened (also on a Sunday, which is the day of the week the new ones always open), my husband and I decided to go just to have a look at the place. We got there just before 7 a.m., and the parking lot was already full. Once everyone was let inside, it was practically impossible to move around in the area where the bakery, prepared foods, deli counters, fresh fish and meat counters, and fruits and vegetables are located. Interestingly, when we headed over to the grocery aisles, there was hardly anyone there. For my first actual shopping excursion there, I went back later in the week when things were not so insane.

OK, so you see NJ as having 3 sections? "Central" NJ is a new wrinkle... ← The town where I live is in neither North NJ nor South NJ. Ergo, we're in Central NJ. And it's definitely not a "new wrinkle" as we've been describing it that way since moving here 36 years ago. Here's what Wikipedia has to say on the topic:

Mark me down as one of those who totally disagrees with your contention that there cannot be fine dining at a BYO. To me, it's all about the cuisine. Service and ambiance play important roles. Having a wine list is nice though for those, like me, who don't drink, that makes no difference. ← you do realize, of course, that with not drinking, you are in the minority, and therefore your views may not necessarily reflect those of most others. you are right though: it's not just about the food. atmosphere, service, are usually taken into consideration. i think an excellent wine program, one that is integrated into the food and experience, is a component for a top-notch experience. snip luckily when i BYO to jean-georges, the staff is already top-notch and knows exactly how to handle my wonderful bottle. i can't say the same for the staff at, say, Blu, or Venue, or, well, just about any other BYO. and i won't even mention the stemware that one encounters at these places. so yeah, the restaurant with the wine list in our little comparison wins out. i'm sure the other place is very good, though. ← Yes, I am well aware that as a non-drinker, I'm in the minority. However, my husband does drink wine and knows a little something about it. Nonetheless, he agrees completely with my views. When it comes to handling wine at Lorena's, it is done quite correctly since George, the dining room manager, has some expertise in that regard, having spent the previous 5 years on the service staff at Nicholas, known to have one of the best wine lists in the state. As for the issue of stemware, I'm no expert, but when my husband has brought brought more than one type of wine (one time, there were three), he has been provided with different and, I'm presuming, appropriate glasses. As I said to Kim, go and check it out for yourself.

Mark me down as one of those who totally disagrees with your contention that there cannot be fine dining at a BYO. To me, it's all about the cuisine. Service and ambiance play important roles. Having a wine list is nice though for those, like me, who don't drink, that makes no difference. Have you been to Lorena's, the jewel of a restaurant, in Maplewood, that just received an "Excellent" rating from the NY Times? David Corcoran's final line says it all: "...one of the finest in the state." So, I dare you to go there and come back and argue that Humberto and Lorena are providing anything but a fine dining experience.

I agree. None stay open late except maybe for diners. I believe during the summer many restaurants will stay open later especially during weekends. ← I guess you didn't notice my post a bit upthread about Pete & Elda's? Last I heard, Neptune is in Monmouth Country.

Carmen's Pizzeria at Pete & Elda's, in Neptune, is open until 1:15 a.m. every day.

Wegmans' Manalapan store might carry it. Tel.: 732-625-4100. Delicious Orchards, in Colts Neck, carries a lot of specialty items. Tel.: 732-462-1989. The closest Whole Foods to Freehold is in Middletown, on Route 35 at Chapel Hill Rd. Tel.: 732-758-1688.

In an article in the New York Observer about the landlord problem, the very last line quotes the reaction to the 3 stars:

bgut1, I don't know where in the state you live, but you might want to consider going to Drew's Bayshore Bistro, in Keyport, where chef/owner Drew Araneo is serving excellent Creole/Cajun cuisine. The last time we had dinner there, we had the bread pudding for dessert. It was delicious. I'm not sure if it's always on the menu, so it's best to call to check. Drew's Bayshore Bistro 58 Broad Street, Keyport Tel.: 732-739-9219

They don't have a website.

Here's my take on the recommendations so far. And I must say that it amazes me how different in many instances my views are. I've never been a fan of Doris & Ed's because I think the quality of the food is not worth the high expense. They do have a liquor license. We had several meals at Spargo's before giving up since none was more than just o.k. Main St. Bistro is another place we wanted to like, but after several tries, we stopped going because the food quality is inconsistent and the noise level can be horrendous. Our one dinner at Citrus was very disappointing. Nauvoo has a liquor license; however, while my one meal there was pretty good, and it's a spectacular looking place, from the mixed reports I've read, I think it's too iffy for a gift certificate. Dish's food is excellent, but tables are very closely spaced, the noise level gets annoyingly high when the room is full, they take reservations only during the week, there's no room to wait comfortably, and it's BYO. My suggestion would be SamVera, in Marlboro (10 minutes north of Freehold). Basic Italian, very well-executed and delicious. Liquor license. Good service. Attractive, comfortable atmospherics. Casual dress. They have gift certificates.

I've been to Dish in Red Bank. The food's excellent. The restaurant is rather small, tables are very close, and when the room is fully occupied, the noise level is very high. There is absolutely no place to wait comfortably for a table, and they take reservations only during the week. It's a BYO and smokefree (the latter important to know until April 15). Dish's Website

Another addition: Salt Creek Grille, Rumson

Additions: David Drake, Rahway Ponte Vecchio, Old Bridge Fresco Steak & Seafood Grill, Milltown Pine Tavern, Old Bridge Jesse & David's, Manalapan Nauvoo Grill Club, Fair Haven

Epernay

We had dinner there in October, and the food was superb!

I use "Shop Rite Peeled Whole Tomatoes." Definitely no basil.

This is precisely what really me bugged when I saw today's Diner's Journal. I know these are not considered full-fledged reviews. But couldn't Bruni have waited just a little while longer than the very first week after the restaurant opened? Not that I really care what Bruni thinks about any restaurant because I consider his reviews totally useless. In any event, I can't imagine that there is anyone who is not rooting for this restaurant to succeed.