rozrapp
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Posts posted by rozrapp
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Fridge is here.
Rachel,
I know you said you weren't getting a SubZero. So, what kind did you buy?
BTW, re: taking care of all your new stainless steel appliances. I had a cleaning woman for a couple of weeks last year. I fired her because we couldn't stand her personality. But I learned a little secret from her about dealing with stainless steel. After removing the grease (Formula 409 works for that), she used regular rubbing alcohol as a "finishing agent." She poured it into a spray bottle, sprayed the stainless steel surfaces, wiped them with a clean cloth and -- voila! -- surfaces that really shine.
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John Foy used to own Le Delice in Whippany. It was very well rated and attended. Food ranged from excellent to mediocre and so did the service. But it was very, very popular none the less. It was in a bright pink building the color of Pepto Bismal, and there were always beautiful flowers inside.
Yes, of course -- Le Delice. Thanks, Lady S. I knew I could count on an e-Gulleteer to come through with the name. When we went there the one time many years ago, it would have been a special occasion place for us. So I'm pretty sure we were celebrating an anniversary. As I recall, I thought the service rather snooty, and the food didn't meet my expectations which were quite high because of the restaurants fine ratings and popularity.
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If your fridge's water filter works like ours, then you wouldn't need an outside the fridge/in the wall line because the filter filters the water for the ice maker within the fridge itself. No outside water source is necessary for the ice maker to work.
Uh, where does your fridge get the water from which to make the ice? I understand you don't need to filter the water before it gets to the fridge, but the water needs to get into the refridgerator's filter from somewhere. That's what I'm talking about.
Oops! Brain malfunction!
What I should have said is what it says right here in my Sub Zero brochure: "The ice maker... is fully automatic.... To put into operation it requires only a connection to the house water supply." So, of course, you are correct that you do need a water line into the fridge in order for the ice maker to make ice, and then the internal filter can do its work. As I mentioned, we originally intended to extend the filter line that runs between our two sinks to the fridge, but because of a failure to communicate properly, it wasn't done. But the necessary water line was installed. -
Good point about the water line. Just in case, I'll remind them tomorrow before the cabinets between the sink and the fridge get installed. I know the Kitchen Aid fridge has a water filter built in, but it still needs to get water from somewhere!
If your fridge's water filter works like ours, then you wouldn't need an outside the fridge/in the wall line because the filter filters the water for the ice maker within the fridge itself. No outside water source is necessary for the ice maker to work. But, by all mean, check with your contractor to make sure.
I always seemed to be just getting in or out of the shower whenever they rang that darn doorbell.Our gang always showed up at the dot of 8 a.m., so it was easy for me. I just made it my business to be up, showered and dressed by the time they arrived. Sounds as though your crew keeps more irregular hours. Our contractor also had a key to our house so that they were able to continue working when we were away twice on vacation.
So, even though there will be some more downtime over the next couple weeks, there would have been that downtime anyway. I would hope we will be finished by the end of the month. Is that wishful thinking?I don't remember too much down time during the 4 months our job lasted. Of course, no work on week-ends. But only an occasional day here or there when they weren't working. One day, when they were still doing stuff on the outside, they had to quit because of a huge rainstorm. But, for the most part, work was pretty continuous.
Since you are at the point where your cabinets are being installed, and you are talking about the template for your countertops, you are definitely entering the home stretch. My cabinet installation began in October -- a much, much larger job than yours -- and everything else after that (installation of countertops, appliances, etc.) was done so that I was able to cook a Thanksgiving turkey in my new oven. Of course, then there was the interior decoration which took several months to complete. But, anyway, I think another month for you to be finished is certainly a possibility.
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How about frozen corn kernels? They -- and frozen peas -- are the only frozen vegetables I ever use. But never during NJ corn season when I can get freshly-picked-daily corn from my favorite farmer just down the road from my house. Truly heaven on a cob!
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Rachel,
The glitches you describe all sound like some of the typical stuff that happens during a renovation despite the world's best planning.
During our renovation, there was a mistake with the cabinet that was going to house our microwave -- microwave section on top (way too high) instead of on the bottom -- and it had to be re-ordered. There was also going to be a cabinet with a "garage" at the bottom -- storage for small appliances. But when the installer started putting it up, I saw that it (1) was going to take away too much counter space and (2) looked totally ugly. So that was re-ordered. (Even though that was really my mistake, my kitchen designer figured out a way to get the replacement without charge.
) My contractor accidentally ordered windows with the wrong outside trim color. Changing the stock sizes was not much of a problem, but some of them were special orders. He did, however, manage to get those changed as well before they were shipped. Also, we discovered too late that he hadn't run a line from the sink to behind the refrigerator for filtered water for the ice maker. Fortunately, disaster was averted when we realized that the SubZero is specifically equipped with a place behind a bottom panel for a water filter. Have you been happy with the work crew, i.e., find them pleasant to have around? Our crew was so terrific that I actually looked forward to seeing the guys each day and even sort of missed them once the job was completed -- but only just briefly.
Have you been given a guess-timate as to how much longer before it's all finished?
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I recall that many years ago, we had dinner at a restaurant where John Foy was chef/owner and Dennis was not involved. The name totally escapes me, but I remember it as being quite fancy. When Foy left, a woman took over as chef. Anyone know the name?
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Funny. This is the second time that I see that there are (were) two restaurants in different areas of NJ with the same name. (Note: See the Portabello thread.) There has been -- and still is -- a restaurant called Fiddleheads in Jamesburg for quite a number of years.
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There is also a restaurant called Portabello (definitely spelled with an o) in Freehold.
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Fat Guy posted on Jul 31 2002, 03:27 PM
And I got the feeling the writer is an inexperienced diner.So John Foy the chef (brother, etc.) cooked but rarely dined??
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We don't want to be in your guidebook. (Click.)
If you want to look at the semantics of his response, he didn't say, "Do NOT put my restaurant in your (g-d) guidebook!" Since he didn't directly order you to keep his place out, what the hey.... I kind of like Deacon's idea of including the complete and unabridged version of, as Deacon puts it, the "conversation."
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ngatti posted on Jul 31 2002, 12:45 AM
This is all I ask. A focused and staight forward critique of a New Jersey restaurant. No showing off, no pedantry. Impressions of the food, service and wine.... Quibbles?I'm darned if I understand how Foy can give this restaurant 3 stars (Excellent) considering his negative remarks as follows:
1. "...the wine list fails to give vintages...."
2. "As enjoyable as the shrimp were, the chef should know there is a reason the Japanese do not serve seaweed salad topped with cocktail sauce, and ditto for mango salsa. It's an idea run amok."
3. "Beef carpaccio was straightforward but boring...."
4. "The sweetish shallot sauce [accompanying the Chilean sea bass] wasn't to our liking...."
5. With the rack of lamb: "Had I known the perfumed, mint syrup was going to coat the lamb I would have requested it on the side, since I found it too sweet. " And "the chef overpowered the dish with an overly sweet onion chutney, which resembled an onion confiture without the latter's balancing vinegar."
6. Desserts (all $8) were anticlimactic. My companion, whom I refer to as the "dessert queen" (she would prefer to start and end her meal with the dessert menu) was disappointed, as was I, with a misconceived and poorly executed variety of crème brulées; a cylindrical, too-dense tower of milk and dark chocolate; a tough lemon cake, and a berry-misu that merely mocked tiramisù." Not even one recommended dessert!
Foy calls the food "on balance...exceptional."
True, the ambiance and service were very fine, and there were some very well-prepared dishes, but overall, this sounds more like a 2-star restaurant to me.BTW, is this John Foy the chef/restaurateur and brother of Dennis or a different John Foy?
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chopjwu12 posted on Jul 31 2002, 01:59 AM
Rozrapp you should try the frog and the peach sometime.David,
We have eaten at the Frog and the Peach a couple of times, but that would be quite a number of years -- and chefs -- ago. Back when it first opened -- I would guess it's been around now for about 20 years -- and our finances were of a different level, it was, for us, a special occasion restaurant. Now, fortunately, since we don't have to wait for a special occasion, I hope to get around to trying it again sometime soon.
Rosie posted on Jul 31 2002, 08:27 AM
Last time I was at Stage Left was when Yves was there.When Yves (I think his surname is St. Jerome) had his own eponymous restaurant in Montclair, we had dinner there once and thought the food quite good.
Rosie, did you ever dine there? If so, was his menu at Stage Left anything like his cuisine at his own place?
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Rosie posted on Jul 30 2002, 06:34 PM
I asked that they put a candle in my husband's dessert but not to sing HB etc.--to keep it low keyed.I can't imagine that there would ever be any huddling of servers around a table at Nicholas singing a wretchedly unharmonious Happy Birthday as is the case in so many restaurants. I would put Nicholas in the same category as NYC's Daniel and Jean George, and surely that wouldn't happen at those two restaurants either.
Loved reading your review, Rosie. It just made my mouth water, and I kept thinking back to all the fabulous dishes we have had during our several visits there. And you are right that every diner is treated with the utmost care and courtesy. It's still hard for me to believe how lucky we are to have one of the best, if not *the* best restaurant in the state less than half an hour from our house.
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201 posted on Jul 30 2002, 02:15 PM
Mr. Gatti has been to Chez Dominique more often than its previous incarnation, Chez Madeleine. This could very well suggest that the present incarnation is superior, having resolved those seating issues that Rosie has brought to our attention.The owners of Chez Madeleine moved the restaurant to a new location in Northvale and renamed it Madeleine's Petit Paris. So, in actuality, Chez Dominique is not a new incarnation of Chez Madeleine, but a totally new restaurant that took over that space.
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Rosie, I knew that the bread sticks are for sale and asked the waiter to check on the price. I think he said they were $8/package. I didn't buy them because I wanted them to remain something special to look forward to having the next time we go there.
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For some reason, though New Brunswick is only about 20 minutes from our house, when it comes to dining out, we don't often think about going up that way. Well, a couple of weeks ago, we tried two restaurants there that we had never been to before. I think we've been missing out on some really good stuff!
Soho on George
Sun., July 14, 2002
We wanted to go to Stage Left, which is usually open on Sunday. But when we phoned for a reservation, a recording said that during the summer, they are closed on Sunday. So, we next called Soho on George. They were open and no problem getting a reservation for 7 o’clock. When we arrived, we were seated promptly. The restaurant is very large, with a kind of odd shape. Décor is modern. We were seated in the no smoking section in a cozy little alcove (4 tables) behind an interesting arch. From my seat, I had a good view of the large, open kitchen. The noise level was very comfortable; there was music playing, but I don’t know why they bothered since it was barely audible.
Our waiter arrived bringing with him a card in a stand-up folder on which was printed the daily specials with prices. He verbally described the dishes, then left the card so that we could have time to peruse it and the menu.
Rolls, bread sticks and butter arrived. While the rolls were tasty – hot, crusty and with a good rye flavor – the bread sticks were outrageously delicious and totally addictive!
For first course, we shared of the specials -- grilled shrimp on bed of diced cantaloupe & honeydew, topped with mache greens, with a citrus/yogurt couli (Approx. $10) The portion was smaller than expected, just 3 medium-sized shrimp. But they were perfectly done, and we thought that the fruit and tangy couli were fine accompaniments.
Just after we finished the first course, I noticed that a waiter – not ours – who was serving an adjacent table, brought them an “amuse.” I caught his attention and mentioned to him that we had not gotten an amuse, and could he please find our waiter. Not necessary, he said. He would bring us the “amuse.” The chopped tomato mix (like bruschetta topping) on a cucumber round with red pepper couli was tasty.
For the main course, I had sliced duck breast and very small rounds of smoked duck galantine (sausage?), on a small bed of sautéed romaine, accompanied by couscous and 2 veggie kabobs. I liked all the component, though the peach “sauce” was more like peach preserves. There was a lot of food on the plate, and I took home some of the duck slices and sausages. (Used cold, they made an excellent addition to a salad which I made a couple of days later.) My husband had loin of lamb with mushrooms in a port wine sauce, accompanied by frites in a pastry cup and sautéed spinach. He pronounced everything well-prepared. (Main courses were each $23.) With his meal, he had a glass of California Pinot Noir.
For dessert, we shared a very puckery and delicious Key lime tart, topped with blueberries and crème fraiche, with strawberry couli. ($8) A second miss-step on our waiter’s part: he didn’t tell us about the dessert special. While eating our dessert, we heard the other waiter describing it to his table. No big deal because we would have chosen the tart anyway, but this was our waiter’s second slight miss-step. Again, we mentioned it to the other waiter and the next thing we knew, he brought us a plate of assorted cookies “to make us feel better.”
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Stage Left
Monday, July 15
We called the restaurant late in the afternoon and had no difficulty getting a dinner reservation for 8 p.m. This was our first visit here, and I was eager to try it because of the new chef, Clement Averbech, who had owned a Michelin-starred restaurant in Germany.
We were seated promptly in the non-smoking side room which had only 5 very widely-spaced tables. Décor was “clubby,” and it was quiet.
The menu was the menu -- no specials. You can see most of what’s on it on the restaurant’s web site. (Link below.) After a few minutes, our server came to take our order. She brought the wine – since I don’t drink, my husband selected a half bottle of a Cote du Rhone ($15) – and, after dealing with a balky cork, opened it. Rolls and butter arrived. The rolls were o.k., but nothing special.
Nearly half an hour went by with no food coming out of the kitchen for us. We began to worry a bit -- not exactly an auspicious beginning. Our server came over and apologized for the delay. When she left, I commented to my husband that, for a restaurant of this caliber, I was surprised that no “amuse” had been served. A moment later, our server came toward our table carrying a plate which I thought would contain our first course. Instead, it held two very small cracker-like discs topped with mounds of foie gras mousse, “Compliments of the chef,” she said. Since most restaurants serve the “amuse” almost immediately after orders are taken, I suspect that serving an “amuse” may not be s.o.p. in this restaurant, and that these morsels were the chef’s way of apologizing for leaving us with nothing to eat for 30 minutes. They were delicious.
Shortly after, the first course finally arrived. And I am pleased to report that at least the wait was worth it. We shared perfectly sauteed asparagus in aged balsamic with shaved Parmesan. ($12) This was an excellent combination of flavors.
We did not have to wait too long for our main courses. I had Colorado lamb loin – done medium rare, exactly as I had requested – with grilled potatoes, eggplant marmelade and spring garlic. ($35) Superb! My husband had wood grilled filet mignon with nebbiola sauce, wilted spinach and potato fence (aka steakhouse fries arrange like a lattice). He pronounced it all superb as well. ($35)
The cheese tray was brought to our table and the server explained each cheese to us. While they all looked very tempting, we were not going to have both cheese and dessert. Therefore, we asked the waiter to bring the dessert menu so that we could see if there was anything on it that we would prefer instead of cheese. One item listed was a pear tart, but our server told us that they had run out of pears and were substituting peaches. Much better, since it IS peach season. The tart we shared was divine: the pastry was very flakey and buttery, and the white peach slices just sweet enough. ($11.50)
As you can see, this is not exactly an inexpensive restaurant. But Chef Averbeck’s food is definitely well worth it. When we were presented with our bill, we noticed that our dessert had been comped. Our server never mentioned it, and we said nothing, presuming that this was because of the untoward delay at the beginning of the meal. Very classy of them, I think.
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Nina, Now don't build your expectations too high, lest you end up being disappointed -- though I can't imagine that you will be. Enjoy!
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Liza posted on Jul 29 2002, 04:24 PM
Where oh where is this place?On Third Avenue, near 28th St.
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Steve Plotnicki posted on Jul 29 2002, 01:23 PM
Outdated cuisine is outdated cuisine and it is subject to the vagueries of the market regardless of country of origination. Things like Duck l'Orange and Gigot en Croute aren't really served anymore....I don't know about Gigot en Croute still being served, but Duck a l'Orange is alive and well on at least one French bistro's menu in NYC -- La Petite Auberge. It's a very nicely-prepared version of this "outdated" dish. And I find it an occasional pleasant change of pace from the various preparations of magret -- and magret is one of my favorites -- that now prevail on most French restaurant menus.
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Fat Guy posted on Jul 28 2002, 02:03 PM
And you're not suggesting that Russian food isn't a viable business concept, are you? I mean, go to Brighton Beach and there are plenty of Russian restaurants thriving. Firebird seems to be doing okay and there aren't even any Russians eating there. Moreover, there are plenty of Americans who like that kind of food -- maybe even more than like French food.Several years ago in my NJ town, a restaurant serving Russian cuisine opened. The owners called it The Russian Tea Room. I suppose they did not consider the legalities inherent in selecting that name because, after a while, they were served notice that they could not continue using it. So they changed the name to Russian Dream. (Maybe now they can change it back?) Anyway, the majority of the patrons are not Russian, and the restaurant is doing very nicely, thank you. While it is thriving, we do not have even one French restaurant in the immediate vicinity.
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phaelon 56, We have been to Lotfi's several times and really like the food. They do an excellent bisteeya, but everything else we've ordered has also been well-prepared and very tasty.
Since it's in the Theater District, I would suggest that you dine after 8 to avoid the pre-theater crowd.
If you do get there and want to report, you should probably do it on the NYC board.
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The NY Times had an article about MMH in its Escapes section just last week. Here it is:
http://query.nytimes.com/search/abstract?r...DAE0894DA404482
FG,
There is still no a.c.!
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Blueberry Frangipane Tart
Pate Sucree for 10” Tart Pan
(I'm presuming that you either know how to make a pate sucree or have a recipe for it.)
Frangipane:
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
¾ cup blanched almonds
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons dark rum
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 pint blueberries, washed and picked over
(I don't know how much Martha used, so this is a guess. You might need more or less.)
4 apricots or peaches, peeled and halved
Apricot glaze
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Lightly butter a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Roll out pasty dough into circle large enough to fit pan with some overlap. Fit circle into prepared pan and trim edge. Transfer to freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.
To make apricot glaze: Spoon ½ cup apricot preserves into saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon rum. Cook preserves over medium heat until melted. Set aside to cool.
To make frangipane: Grind the almonds finely in a food processor. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add ground almonds, 3 tablespoons rum, egg, almond extract and flour. Beat until smooth.
Remove tart shell from freezer. Brush some of the glaze all over the pastry bottom. Spread the blueberries in a layer over the pastry. Pour the frangipane over the blueberries. Arrange the apricot or peach halves on top of the frangipane. (They may sink in a bit. That's o.k.)
Bake until the tart shell is golden brown and the frangipane is puffed and brown, about 40 to 45 minutes. When tart is removed from oven, brush top all over with apricot glaze.
Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.
Me & Stanley on Fox News today
in Food Media & Arts
Posted
markstevens posted on Aug 16 2002, 10:39 AM
I think it's because CB users were a very tiny portion of the population and you didn't see a whole bunch of them talking to their buddies while they were driving. However, cell phone owners are now a large segment of the population, and you can hardly drive on any road without seeing at least one driver holding the phones to his/her ear while cruising along. (BTW, my brother is a CBer -- and a ham operator -- and, though he still has his CB equipment in his car, he also has a cell phone.)
QUOTE (A caped Chef @ Aug 15 2002, 07:57 PM)
A story appeared in the paper when Death of a Salesman, starring Brian Dennehy, was on B'way a few seasons back. During one performance, a cell phone began ringing in the orchestra section quite near the stage. Dennehy became so enraged that he stopped the performance, came downstage, and spent several minutes castigating the moron who had neglected to turn off the cell.
We have season tickets to the Roundabout and before each performance, the announcer not only asks everyone to turn off their cells, but those who are using enhanced listening devices are reminded to turn off any hearing aids (a high-pitched whistling sound will ensue if this is not done), and those who might feel the need for a candy are asked to please unwrap it now to avoid all that crinkling noise during the performance. That always gets a laugh, though, frankly, I think it's rather sad that we need to tell people how to behave properly in a theater so that they will not distub those around.