rozrapp

We recently had a terrific dinner at Keens Steakhouse.

It's an Italian pearl onion. Read more about it and see picture here.

Albie, The restaurant is in Sparkill, New York. This is one of those occasions when the Times is reviewing a restaurant just across the border. So, in this case, you are not ignorant of some "small hamlet" in NJ.

A few years ago, Old San Juan, the Puerto Rican restaurant on 9th Ave. & 51st St., opened a satellite in that location. It didn't last long and closed some time ago. I've never been to the original Totonno's in Brooklyn, but I've heard how good the pizza is there. So, when we went to this Totonno's two weeks ago, I was expecting the pizza to be terrific. Sadly, I have to agree with eatpie that it was totally disappointing -- a very mediocre pizza in every respect. Frankly, I've had better pizza at Andre's, on Third Ave., between 23rd & 24th Sts., and they aren't exactly on anyone's list for great pizza. They have a brick oven, but I don't know what the heating source is.

When I made my one and only trip to Israel in 1965, Coke and Pepsi were not being sold there. They had, instead, something called Israeli Cola. It was -- in a word -- blech!!

The owners of Caffe Adulis closed it more than a year ago and reopened as Lamu. They did away with the Eritrean menu in favor of Mediterranean. We had dinner once at Caffe Adulis. I had a shrimp dish that was sensational, and my husband had a very tasty stew. Lots of interesting flavors, but I guess not enough people were taken with that style of cuisine.

In today's NY Times, 4 NYC restaurateurs discuss Rocco and the second season of "The Restaurant." http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/18/arts/television/18LEE.html

I have never made anything but sweet matzoh brei. Though plain matzoh can be used, I prefer egg matzoh, which I break up into small pieces in a bowl and soak in hot water. After the pieces get very limp, I squeeze out most of the water, chop the matzoh up with the edge of a spoon, then add one egg, a little milk, and generous sprinklings of sugar and cinnamon. In a non-stick pan, I melt some butter along with some peanut oil, pour in the mixture, spread it out to make a nice circle, fry until brown and a little crispy on one side, then flip it over, finish cooking the other side, plate it, and sprinkle some sugar on top. As a variation, I add chopped apples to the basic mixture.

Gascogne is a favorite of ours. The menu includes specialties of the eponymous region. And I have to add that, with the warm weather months upon us, they have one of the loveliest back gardens around.

Pan, if you haven't been to Il Gelatone, on Third Ave., near 28th St., you should try it. Delectible gelato made on the premises.

I'd hardly call the card we received "gorgeous." But it does invite us "to preview the prix fixe menu at a 20% discount through the end of April." The invitation I received had a handdrawn, antique-looking map with exquisite lettering (I'm a calligrapher), and the type was beautifully done as well. I consider Blue Hill's team to be world-class perfectionists, and an inspiration to me in every way. That is the same one I received. While I didn't mean to imply that it was not a very nice invitation in terms of style, I did not take a calligrapher's view of it since I'm not one. I've received many invitations to all sorts of events, some of which have been gorgeous. I wouldn't classify this one in that way. As for the Blue Hill team being "world-class perfectionists," that sure wasn't the case during our one dinner there. When I wrote it up, I talked about the fact that our main courses were served to us at an incorrect temperature, which my husband and I felt was inexcusable in a restaurant of that caliber. So much for perfectionism. It certainly turned us off the idea of dining again at Blue Hill. However, we may be in the vicinity of their new venture later this month and will most probably give it a try. That 20% discount would be a powerful incentive.

Unless there is a second Famous Dave's on Route 1 in Edison (?), the one we went to on Route 1 is in New Brunswick. In a previous post in this thread, I wrote this:

I'd hardly call the card we received "gorgeous." But it does invite us "to preview the prix fixe menu at a 20% discount through the end of April."

Your link is not working. This one does.

Though it was quite some time ago, when we were in the Cape Breton area, we spent a couple of nights at the Keltic Lodge. Excellent accommodations and delicious food. Information about it, and 2 other lodges in Nova Scotia, can be found here.

We ate at Atlantic BBQ twice. I can't remember if it was last year or the year before. I can attest to the fact that it was located in the Belmar Plaza, in the back, on the right near the end, next to what I think is a luncheonette-type place. Though "grungy" might be too strong a word, the space had absolutely no ambiance whatsoever. Not much place to sit. Just a couple of booths in the back. But, then, there wasn't much in the way of business either The young guy who owned it made most of the items himself. The ribs were delicious, as was the homemade barbecue sauce. Sides were fair, some better than others. We happened to be near Belmar a few months ago and drove over to Atlantic, but it was closed and did have the look of being out of business, though we thought it might just be temporary because it was the off season. Since the web site is still up, maybe it will re-open when the weather gets warmer? Though I haven't been to the Big Ed's in Belmar, I have been to the Old Bridge location, so I presume they're similar -- a real sit-down restaurant with decent barbecue. If Atlantic is out of business, it could be because of this competition. On a side note, our last foray into the world of bbq was at the new Famous Dave's, on Route 1 South, in New Brunswick. Since this is a chain, we were shocked to find that the food was actually very good. The biggest problem was getting the food to arrive at the table hot. Both times we ate there, we had to send the food back because it was not at the proper temperature. (Our second time there, we had to send it back twice! ) But that was a couple of months ago just after they opened. So maybe they've got their act together by this time.

The Spotted Pig receives an exceptionally positive review by Patronite and Raisfeld in New York Magazine.

Trish, While I was not a participant in this March Marathon (there's no way you could get me to come to Montreal in the winter! ), I have had both Schwartz's smoked meat and Katz's pastrami, and I did not think the smoked meat tasted at all like pastrami. Although I liked the smoke meat well enough, for me, pastrami rules -- and Katz's rules above most others. (I am fortunate to have a kosher deli right near my home in NJ where I can get an excellent pastrami sandwich -- and some wickedly delicious french fries as well. )

We managed to have one dinner at Compass during Mark Andelbradt's brief tenure, and we thought his food was superb. I remember that I had squash soup to start and a main course guinea hen with a grits accompaniment. But, I guess it's now on to Katy Sparks. They've finally posted her new menus on their web site. They've done away with the low carb prix-fixe, and they've added a new lounge menu. Funny thing is with the previous chefs, Annis and Andelbradt, their names were on the web site. But no mention of Ms. Sparks on the site, though the pastry chef's name is there.

One of our favorite French restaurants is Rene Pujol. They've been in the Theater District for about 40 years. But they have by no means remained stagnant where their food is concerned. While they still serve bistro standards, the menu also includes many "modern" dishes. It has a very pleasant atmosphere, and service is totally professional. Another place you might want to consider is dbBistro Moderne. It's quite the antithesis of Rene Pujol -- Daniel Boulud's upscale creative take on French bistro cuisine served in a stylish, contemporary setting.

You might want to give Metro Fish a try. We've had dinner there, and the food was well-prepared. The menu indicates that they serve a 3 lb. broiled lobster.

While, unfortunately, it's not in the vicinity of where you want to work, I thought I'd just mention that in Middletown (Monmouth County), there's a casual restaurant called Redheads Bistro & Bar.

Well, at least you've been re-scheduled, which is more than the folks who had reservations at Per Se can say at this point. As I mentioned in my post above, we will be seeing Assassins at the very beginning of April. So, if you or anyone else would like a review, PM me, and I would be happy to provide one after I've seen it (via PM or email, unless there happen to be lots of food references which would warrant a posting on this board ).

Mmmm... Well, we ate there several times and had far better than lukewarm experiences. My husband was crazy about the garbure. We first tasted this peasant soup at a demonstration class at ICE (it was Peter Kump's at that time) when Ariane brought 3 ladies from her hometown in France to cook regional dishes. When we discovered that it was on D'Artagnan's menu, he was thrilled. Since it's a winter item and his birthday falls in January, we celebrated there two years in a row just so he could get his garbure fix. The huge bowl, choc-a-bloc with meat and vegetables, was accompanied by a small glass of armagnac. In the tradition of the "true Gascon," the procedure was to consume the meat, veggies and most of the broth, then pour the armagnac into the remaining broth, lift the bowl and finish it off. My husband just had the best time. I don't know of any other French restaurant that serves it. The charcuterie platter was excellent. And the last dinner we had there, I had a main course seared foie gras dish that was sensational. Oh, and there was an armagnac-soaked baba that was seriously delicious. It was fun going there, and Ariane lent it her own special brand of conviviality. I read that they closed because the rent was going up, and that they were looking for a relocation spot. I did not see the article that Suzanne referred to, but if it's true that they will not be re-opening, that's really too bad.

One of the things I have learned over time when making reservations at upscale restaurants is to get the name of the person you are speaking to, particularly when, as was the case with your brother, there is an important change and a specific promise is made by the restaurant's reservationist, i.e, seating arrangements. That way, if things do not go as expected when you arrive, at least you can ascribe the mix-up to a particular individual. I'm sure you're brother was very disappointed that the celebration on this special birthday did not quite go as planned. Totally understandable. And that's probably why the complaints during dinner may have been more vociferous than they might have been under more ordinary circumstances. I also agree with everyone who said that, in a restaurant of this caliber, service should be as first rate on a Saturday as any other day of the week. I've never been to Jean Georges and, after reading about these less than stellar experiences, as well as Felonius' description of how they treat a "regular" customer, I'm not particularly anxious to try it.