rozrapp

The Assembly voted in favor of the ban this afternoon 64-12. Cody will sign it into law before leaving office next week. http://www.nj.com/newslogs/starledger/inde..._01.html#104083

While I agree with you that the bill should include casinos, that was an issue that scuttled the bill last time around. This bill has the best chance in many years of passing, and we have to start somewhere. The first non-smoking bill in NYC had all sorts of exceptions, some rather twisted. And a lot of those same workers' rights issues were debated. Eventually, a better, more far-reaching bill was passed. I prefer to think of this as a first -- very welcome -- step. We need to get the Assembly to pass it and then continue to fight on.

77 Main St. Mama Tucci's Website

A review by Moira Hodgson in the New York Observer. She gives it two stars.

Dan's on Main has been sold, and I think the new owners may have changed the name.

I discovered the other day that Palma's, the bakery in the Town Pointe Centre, on Route 9, in Manalapan, has suddenly gone out of business. Too bad ohmyganache is not setting up shop right now because it's a ready-made location and much better than 79/18.

Daniel does not serve lunch. Cafe Boulud does. Not a big space, and the decor is sophisticated rather than fancy. However, there are four different menus to choose from (plus a menu of daily specials), and everything is a la carte. You can mix and match as many courses as you wish, which will enable you to leave overstuffed. Eleven Madison Park does, of course, fit your desire for big (huge, actually) and gorgeous. The a la carte lunch menu has much to choose from. The food's very good, but I do think Cafe Boulud's is superior.

At Chez Catherine, in Westfield, a current offering is Braised Beef Cheeks Bourguignonne. On Tuesdays, you can BYO with no corkage fee.

It's still there. 231 Raritan Ave. I've never tried it, but when we were in Highland Park a few weeks ago, I noticed a sign in the window stating that they serve falafel as well. There is a kosher butcher shop in Highland Park, but I can't remember the name. There's a Foodtown on Raritan Ave., in the middle of town. I've never been inside, but since there is such a big Jewish population, I would presume they would have lots of kosher products. The glatt kosher deli that used to be on Raritan Ave. is gone. The nearest (not glatt) kosher deli to Highland Park that I can think of is Lox, Stock and Deli, in East Brunswick. Same ownership as Jesse & David's, in Manalapan, which we've been going to for ages.

The restaurants reviewed in the NJ section of the NYT are not awarded stars. I think the levels go something like Satisfactory, Good, Very Good, Excellent, Outstanding. David Drake's received a rating of "Excellent." If Good = one star, then Excellent = three. As for whether a restaurant that is BYO should receive a 4-star rating -- absolutely. While a restaurant's wine list is an important element in fine dining, BYO is ubiquitous in NJ because of the dearth of liquor licenses and the often ultra-exhorbitant costs. (Two licenses in Freehold recently went for over a million dollars each!) For me, first and foremost, it's the quality of the cuisine. If that's stellar and is matched with professional service and pleasing ambiance, then the restaurant should receive the highest ratings.

You are definitely not alone! During our last (and I mean last, as in final) dinner there -- I think in '02 -- the noise level was, in a word, intolerable!! However, for us, the hideous noise level was only part of the reason we will never go back. Our main courses were mediocre, mine bordering on inedible. This was completely different from our first dinner there shortly after Sogno opened. The food was first rate, and we certainly did not encounter a noise problem, or we would never have gone back that second time. In doing a short search, I found a post by FoodSnob in Sept. '02, who describes this same situation and mentions that the owner didn't care to spend the money to address the problem. You can read the post here (Scroll down.): http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=11297&hl=

Attempting to come to your rescue.... How about Rene Pujol? It's been around for 50 years. Same location in the Theater District. Second generation French family-owned. (Pierre au Tunnel, another Pujol family restaurant, closed a few months ago.) In my estimation, the food has been consistently excellent. You might also want to consider Le Rivage. Acc. to the website, it's been on Restaurant Row since 1984 (took over the space that had housed the wonderful Le Chambertin) and is owned by the Denamiels, who previously owned Cafe du Soir, on the UES. Old-style bistro serving the classics.

Taking you at your word.... Jesse & David's is an excellent kosher deli, in Manalapan. Like you, I'm a tough customer when it comes to deli, and they've been able to please me for many years. They have a second location in East Brunswick called Lox, Stock & Deli. I've never eaten there but presume it would be as good. Jesse & David's/Lox, Stock & Deli

Have you been to Cafe Loup, in GV? I think it's considered a neighborhood spot. If I recall correctly from our one dinner there a few years ago, it had that worn-around-the-edges look of a classic French bistro. Since I don't remember anything about what we ate and have not considered going back, I must have thought the food average at best. However, others must have a different opinion because it was very busy and, from what I gather, remains popular.

I don't agree with the inclusion of Marseille in your "below average" list. We've eaten there twice within the past few months, and the food was delicious. Btw, it's considered a brasserie, rather than a bistro, and the cuisine is French/Mediterranean, if any of that matters. They've made some changes, moved the bar, freshened things up. I find the decor to be very attractive. Have you tried Gavroche? Chef Estaban Ortega has been in charge of the kitchen for a while now, and the meal we had during the summer was terrific -- far superior to the one meal we had when the original chef, Philippe Roussel, was there. While the interior is on the plain side, there is a very charming back garden for warm weather dining. Re: the change of Le Quinze to Manon. I've heard that the cuisine will remain French.

Pete & Elda's/Carmen's Pizzeria, in Neptune City

Another addition: Shanghai Park. Two locations: Highland Park and Princeton.

Rosie, You need to take Epernay off the list. Several months ago, Mark and Courtney changed their days of operation to open for brunch only on Sunday and closed on Monday.

Big Ed's BBQ, Route 34, Old Bridge. Thai Chili, in Spotswood, previously closed on Monday, is now open.

Shanghai Park is in Highland Park (next door to New Brunswick). Their specialty is steamed buns, aka soup dumplings. We recently went there for the first time. The pork buns were superb. We also had Shredded Beef With Hot Pepper, which was very tasty. Shanghai Park, 239 Raritan Ave., H.P., Tel: 732-247-8813 They have a new Princeton location, which was reviewed in The New York Times on August 28th. Here's the link: http://events.nytimes.com/2005/08/28/trave...a264c90&ei=5070 In Highland Park, another place to consider is Seven Hills of Istanbul, which serves excellent Turkish cuisine. Info and menus here: http://www.ardore.com/listing.asp?r=sevenh...c=All&m=c&u=all

The Frog and the Peach's website is always up-to-date. Currently, they are not serving a terrine, only seared foie gras. I don't know how current The Ryland Inn and Fascino keep their websites, but both show only seared foie gras. The Ryland Inn Fascino Googling, I found Village Green here. No foie gras at all. But, again, no idea how current the menus are.

Epernay , in Montclair, has an excellent terrine de foie gras. A truly superb terrine is served at Chez Catherine, in Westfield. (Note: Chez Catherine is closed for vacation until after Labor Day.)

I live in the same vicinity of NJ as you do. The deer population has grown significantly around here in recent years to the point where we have families of them regularly nosing around in our backyard and woods, particularly during the winter. However, you've got to be kidding about Route 9. To put it bluntly, it's a horror! I take back roads whenever I can. There used to be a few independently-owned used book stores in the area, but they've been gone for some time. As for decent bottles of wine in a food store, have you tried the wine shop at Wegmans? My husband does the wine buying, and he says they have a pretty good selection.

We had dinner at 22 West in March. Anthony came by our table to chat. He was extremely personable and was very interested to hear our opinions about the food. 22 West has an open kitchen so, on the way out, we stopped to say good-bye to Anthony, and he introduced us to Co-Executive Chef Nathanial Eckhaus. We knew they had worked together at Eleven Madison Park and both seemed very excited about working together again on this new venture. Maybe the owners didn't feel that the Co-Exec. set-up was working to their satisfaction and preferred to have a single Exec. Chef. So, maybe Anthony and Nathanial decided they'd both leave and do another project together rather than have one of them remain behind. Just guessing....

Yes, at $25, it is a terrific deal! Keep in mind that having only two choices for each course is not any different from some other upscale restaurants that offer a 3-course lunch prix-fixe, e.g., Eleven Madison, Tocqueville, Gotham Bar & Grill. The first and main course dishes can change from one day to the next. One of the first course selections is often a soup, and the main course selections generally feature one fish and one meat or poultry item. Dessert almost always includes one chocolate item (lately, it's been the gaufrette), and the other, while it can vary, is often fruit-oriented. If you are intent specifically on the prix-fixe, I suggest you call the restaurant the day you want to go and ask what exactly is on that day's menu. (I'm a bit of a picky eater myself, so I've done that.) They are rarely full at lunch and getting a last minute reservation should not be a problem. Re: the regular menu. It's actually the entire dinner menu, but unlike at dinner, when it's a 3-course prix-fixe only, at lunch, it's a la carte.