phaelon56

I'm a lazy guy at heart when it comes to cooking - I just want something that's easy and does the job. I know the purists insist that cooking with charcoal or better yet with wood is more authentic but I LOVE my Charbroil h2o electric bullet smoker. Cost me ab0ut 70 smackers and it's truly set it and forget it. I do check the temp gauge periodically to see if it needs to be turned up or down (a function of ambient temperature. The downside is that it doesn't cook hot enough when ambient temp drops to the low 60's and/or there's a cold breeze. Otherwise it's fantastic. I don't use hot tap water - I use water that's just off the boil from a stockpot and it really makes a difference in the results - the moisture kicks in quicker. Having tried alder, mesquite and hickory, I rank them in that order in terms of desirability. With my setup the hickory was just too heavy a flavor. I use my trusty $10 digital thermometer to check temps and the ribs usually take about four hours. I think that for smoking larger items like whole chickens or large pork butts, the charcoal deals may have an advantage but the ribs I turn out with the charbroil consistently beat any ribs I've ever tried elsewhere. I'm often delusional on matter related to my own accomplishments (a legend in my own mind), but all the friends and coworkers I've given ribs to agree with me on this one. I do "pamper" my ribs by carefull trimming of tips and excess exterior fat as well as removing the caul. Has anyone heard the theory that dry rub is best applied by blanching the ribs for 30 seconds and then applying the rub? The idea is NOT to parboil the ribs (yuck!) but to open the pores of the meat so the rub will be absorbed. The method entails wrapping tight in plastic wrap after rub application and sticking in the fridge for one hour. the guy who turned me on to this method insists that anythign beyond an hour is a waste when the rub is applied in this manner. The shocker? I've tried every kind of specialty rub mix imaginable and the best thing I've yet found for a dry rub is "Montreal Steak Seasoning", straight off the shelf at my local grocery store.

Someone..... please, please, PLEASE tell me that they'll take coffee seriously in this place. I can think of few things better than pairing top shelf fresh roasted varietal coffees with excellent desserts(straight black for me when consumed with sweets, contrary to my normal practice of adding half 'n half). Even better would be a variety of espresso blends and some suggested pairings that provide interesting contrasts. Good espresso blends and varietal coffees can display a range of flavors akin to that found in wines (perhaps less broad a range but significant none the less). I know I'm just dreaming here but there are those of us who'd gladly add an extra $10 onto that $25 to have the right coffee/espresso pairings.

Just down the road from my place, on Ridge Road in Lyndhurst NJ, is a Mexican take-out place with fresh tortillas that is indeed owned and run by Koreans.

I believe that was Nick Gilder. Surely you jest.... The original song that was paraphrased is "Summer in The City" by John Sebastian and the Lovin' Spoonful..... It may of been the Lovin Spoonful that sang it, but: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/joe-cocker/51848.htm I know music far better than food. This one has been bugging me and I did happen across the answer today at no less an authority than Cocker.com - the official Joe Cocker web site. Yes.... Joe sang the song but his own web site properly gives credit to the members of the Lovin' Spoonful who co-wrote the song (including the principal writer John Sebastian) - from Joe's lyrics page...... "Summer In The City (J.Sebastian/S.Boone/M.Sebastian)"

In their defense from a teetotaler's standpoint, Gramercy Tacern is one of the few restaurants I've visited that not only brought my tonic in a large (16 oz) glass with the requested amount of ice (rather than jamming it full of ice), they also had fresh lime juice to add instead of the Rose's Lime Juice. They brought the lime juice in a separate small shot glass so I could adjust to taste - very thoughtful and typical of the high level of service they offer. I just wish more places could figure out how easy it is to please people and get good return trade.

Believe me.... I sometimes wish I could drink alcoholic beverages - I'd get so much more for my money. Slightly off topic, as they don't usually serve much in the way of foods, but if, theoretically speaking, one was to visit a strip club, the horrendously over priced soft drinks would be the same price as the overpriced beer yet the beer represents a much better value.... uhhhhh.... theoretically speaking. Don't get me started on coffee - I could easily live with paying $4 - $5 for a cup of coffee in a restaurant oif I got a small press pot with 2 or 3 cups and the quality of the coffee was top shelf. Unfortunately it's never even remotely close to as good as what I make at home. I noticed recently that the Julius Meinl coffee that sells for $5 or $6 per cup at Cafe Sabarsky is now available for retail sale at Chef Central on Rte 17 N in Paramus. It's about $10 per pound - now THERE's a markup!

Please explain this to me. I'm a teetotaler (better described as a reformed but unrepentant party animal and wildman). If I eat in a restaurant like Blue Hill, Gramercy Tavern or others and order my usual digestif of tonic water with a splash of Rose's Lime Juice, I get charged $2.50 to $3.00 for a 10 oz glass that's packed full of ice and has no more than 5 oz of liquid. I haven't checked the price of a canister of tonic lately but I'm guessing that cost is less than 25 cents per glass - more like 10 cents. That is sure as heck an awfully high markup - perhaps even worse then the glass of wine under discussion. How do teetotaler's get "let off"?

Fresh Roast is indeed a good choice for new home roasters. The Caffe Rosto is good for those who like to roast to darker levels but there was a batch with quality control problems recently and it's tough to know whether you're getting one of the good ones or not. The HWP (Hearthware Precision Roaster( was generally considered to be excellent but there were many reported failures. Some attribute it to folks who were roasting way too often (i.e. many pounds per week) and others say it was QC issues. Regardless, the folks who made and sold it lost a bundle of money making good on the warranty and eventually stopped production. There is supposed to be a new and improved more robust model coming out soon but it's not here yet. I started with a $5 used West Bend Poppery. Look for the original Poppery, not the Poppery II. They are fairly easy to find at thrift stores and yard sales. My gripe was too messy (lots of chaff flying around) and small batch size. Popper roasting is a good way to start because it's cheap and it's also easy to see the color change on the beans. As a newbie I found this the easiest way to judge roast level - stop roast just before beans hit the desired darkness level and then dump in colanders or on cookie sheet to stir rapidly and cool. FR, HWP and popcorn poppers are all fluid bed - they utlize hot air to roast and agitate the beans. The shortcoming is that the short roast times (4 to 6 minutes is typical) result in a bright flavor profile. Some folks like this but many of us, especially espresso aficionados, prefer a longer roast time that results in a smoother, mellower flavor profile. Most achieve the longer roast profile by using a drum roaster such as the Alpenroast or the new Hot Top. Others, mostly the tweakers, (I am not one) use voltage controllers known as Variac's or other special modifications and techniques to get a longer roast and better profile on fluid bed (hot air) roasters. I own and use an Alpenroast. There was a generation of Alps that had QC problems and many breakdowns. Mine is a bit newer (retails $280 - got mine used for $175). It's been flawless and roasts in half pound batches - very convenient. In theory it's a set it and forget it unit - the roast level you choose controls a timer that stops the roast, starts the airflow for cooling and then dumps the beans when it's done. The beans generally need a minute or two of cookie shet agitation to cool completely but it's a sweet system and chaff is collected nciely - no mess. The downside is that you can't see bean color. You must judge roast level by the sound of the cracks and/or by smell of the smoke. Once you've established a time for a particular bean or blend it's easy to replicate a roast by just manually pressing the stop button to initiate the cooling cycle. I woulden't recommend an Alps to a newbie unless you can tolerate the learning curve. The Hot Top, at about $500, has all the benefits of the Alps with beefier construction, an adjustable roasting profile (starting at a lower temp and raising roasting temp later in the roasting cycle can improve results) and has a viewing window. Early reports from the home roasting community are overwhelmingly favorable in terms of usability, quality, results and reliability. It's pricey but I'll get one sooner than later. The Z&D (Zach & Dani's) roaster seemed promising at first and is good for the casual roaster who has no desire to get more involved than pressing a button but lengthier testing has indicated that it has a bit of trouble getting a nice dark roast profile. It's long roast time but inability to ramp quite to the right temp results in what some describe as a "slightly baked" or "flat" flavor profile. I heartily recommend Sweet Maria's as a good source for roaster, info and green beans. great selection and excellent info on the characteristics and recommended roast levels for various beans. Not to quibble with the suggestion of using Columbian for a base when blending but it should be mentioned that good quality (e.g. Estate quality( Brazil beans are a better choice for the base when making espresso blends. Most recommend anywhere from 25 % to 40% as a base. If blending all decaf, the individual bean flavors are not as robust and blending with one decaf bean as a base is NOT recommended.

I've been roasting on and off for the past six or seven months myself. I can safely say that FatGuy's espresso blend or mine or that of any number of other relatively inexperienced hoem roasters will blow Illy out of the water at a fraction of the price. On occasion, I still buy a half or full pound fo fresh roasted espresso blend forma microraoster in Syracuse NY (where I spend a few weeks every month). I just wish there was a reliable microroaster in NYC or North Jersey. I've had very mixed results with Porto Rico Imports - everything is sold from open barrels (that stay open 24/7). There's no way of knowing what's dark roasted and oily for thatlem is they reason or the stocjk that has just sat for way too long. Empire Coffee and Tea on 9th Ave near 42nd is better in terms of freshness. Smaller variety to select from but appears to be much fresher - problem is that they don't offer an espresso blend but you can make one up with partial pounds of several bean varities. I rarely drink drip coffee anymore but whether it's drip or espresso - home roasting is the way to go.

I believe that was Nick Gilder. Surely you jest.... The original song that was paraphrased is "Summer in The City" by John Sebastian and the Lovin' Spoonful..... How about just taking tyhe PATH train to Newark, walk a couple blocks to Ironbound, get some excellent Chorizo at Seabra's or one of the other groceries and then stay for a nice dinner. Back in the early 90's, Hilshire Farms or one of the other national brands had something that was available in the grocery store where I was living at the time - Ithaca NY. It was called "Mexican Country Style Sausage" and rivaled some of the better chorizo's I've had (not the best but it was still good). One of my co-workers at the time grew up in the Yucatan and assessed it as the best Mexican style chorizo she'd had in the US. Don't know if it's still around if it's just not stocked where I shop. OTOH, Wegman's offers a poultry based chorizo that is totally disgusting and bears no real resemblance to real chorizo.

Sounds great and if my employer rebounds and brings us back to our original salary levels (at this point we're happy to still have jobs at a 40% pay cut).... I'll try it out. I don't go in for upscale (i.e. pricey) dining all that often but isn't $14 sort of insanely expensive for a vegetable side dish, even at an upscale NYC restaurant? Am I missing something here? With the price of their entrees and tasting menu positioned where they are that asparagus price seems totally out of whack.

The Tea is sweet. Some like the Millenium for the curvier, less boxy styling but when it comes to styling IMHO the ECM Giotto can't be beat. It's got the goods like the Isomacs in the brewing and steaming department and is one sexy beast. Not a shill for any vendor but I have to say that Chris Nachtrieb at Chris' Coffee Service up in Albany NY totally rocks. Isomac has on a couple occasions had a few QC issue that resulted in some machines (mine including) developing a blockage after a month or two of use. He and his service department jumped through hoops to make - his customer serv ice really sets a gold standard. A friend of mine in Austin TX had the same issue and received similarly stellar service. By the way...... 1) Chris came up with a "plumb in" kit that can run from a five gallon water bottle for apartment bound folks like me who get tired of constantly filling the reservoir - inexpensive and works great. 2) La Marzocco has been exploring development of and done a bit of beta testing and research for a high end home espresso machine - a single group job that will run on 110V and be suitable for small cafes and the espresso fiends who've just GOT to have one. It is expected to be smaller (about half the weight) than the Linea (which is a beast at 145 pounds). Have heard nothing about pricing, delivery or whether it's really going to happen but I got to see the beta unit in action and try a shot from it when I was in Vancouver this spring. Very sweet machine.

I agree regarding presence or absence of a doser. If other parts of the process are done correctly it's irrelevant. I absolutely hated the doser mechanism of the Mazzer when I first got it - was ready to send it back because it was so messy and the angled grind dispersion seemed such a hassle. Other Mazzer owners convinced me to give it a bit longer to grow on me and I'm glad I did. Also, I don't believe for an instant that the Mazzer gives a grind which yields better shots than a Rocky - no way. From my perspective, it was a one time long term purchase and I had already done the upgrade path once before - wanted this to be the last grinder for the foreseeable future (and it is!). I really do like the convenience of the stepless adjustment and the build quality is a treat to handle and use. The new Mazzer E is going to be pricey - list at about $675. Few if any dealers will handle it at that price as few folks will buy it. I got mine as a package deal with the isomac tea - $1080 for the tea and $100 off on the grinder as part of the deal - net grinder price was $275 - not much more than Rocky. No way will I ever spend $500 and up for a grinder unless I own a cafe (hey - it could happen!). The La Marzocco Swift may seem pricey at $4500 but with the auto-tamping feature the timesavings and elimination of wasted coffee allows it to pay for itself in a year or less in a busy cafe. My favorite cafe in Syracuse got one this year - the owner said she was "humbled" by the accuracy with which it grinds, doses and tamps (and yes - by her reckoning it will pay for itself in ten months). Biggest influences on improvement in my espresso (more or less in order of importance) 1) Good grinder 2) Good espresso machine 3) Home roasting (or finding a good microroaster who always provides fresh beans and is local) 4) Weighing beans for each shot (don't underestimate how much this affects consistency) 5) Proper and diligent daily and monthly cleaning ritual Did I mention the discussion forums at CoffeeGeek ? Wonderful community - sort of the eGullet of espresso and coffee. I continue to learn every time I read the forums and routinely get great tips on everything from roasting to brewing and new cafes to check out.

The Mazzer may collect a bit more than the Rocky or other grinders in terms of what gets left in the chute that feeds the doser - I'm not sure about that - I believe it's between a half gram and one gram but that's based on hearsay - it may well be less. As a solo act who makes two to three doubles per day, sometimes hours apart, compounded by a schedule that has me away from home regularly for intervals ranging from three days to a few weeks.... I hate to leave ground coffee in the doser that will be wasted. Also worth noting is the fact that as a home roaster I may have three or four different blends that I'm trying out on any given day - it's important to me to know that I'm tasting the straight unadulterated blends in order to assess them properly. When company comes I just grind away to fill the doser with ground coffee, eyeball the quantity and pull one shot after the next - it's all a question of what's most appropriate and expedient for the circumstances. Contrary to what my GF thinks, I'm not a coffee snob - I just know and love good coffee and don't mind putting in extra effort to get it. The fact is that I probably do take my espresso preparation more seriously than most folks but there's a good reason for that. Inconsistency in results drives me crazy and wastes good beans. After seeking advice from a variety of espresso fiends who were far more knowledgeable than I, there was one theme that kept appearing: eliminate variables. The routine I've established may seem anal or nitpicking to some but it works for me. Establishing a rigid consistency to the process means that the only variable is grind level. Yes, I use filtered water with the appropriate hardness level, high quality freshly roasted beans etc. etc. I also draw off 6 oz of water through the grouphead to get cooler water in place in order for optimal temp (202 to 204 degrees F) to be present during the brewing process. My cappa cup is 6 oz volume so this is a no brainer and lets me pre-heat the cup. By the way.... yes I do rinse the portafilter with water from the grouphead after every shot, give it a quick wipe with a towel before filling. If more than an hour or two has transpired since my last shot was pulled I give the portafilter a quick scrub with hot water and a Scotchbrite pad - never detergent. I also scrub shower screen with nylon brush and do a backflush with water at the end of any day in which the machine is used. I backflush with Purocaffe (Urnex) no more than once a month - more often is not recommended even for those whose machines get daily use - it's important to soak and clean the portafilter basket and assembly with PuroCaffe at time of monthly backflush. I won't claim to have a golden palate but I do know that that espresso and cappas I make at home are superior to almost any I've ever had in the US with the exception of a few places in Seattle (and Stumptown Roasters in Portland OR). I also know that after establlishing this rigid routine, I almost never pull an average shot - quality is consistently excellent. I haven't been fortunate enough to try espresso in Italy but look forward to doing that in the next year or two. Maybe I can't taste the difference but the procedures I've chosen don't cost me anything other than an extra two minutes per day - that much time I can justify in the interest of having a quality drink at home.

Actually.... a variation of this system is already in use. Commercial grinder are consistent enough that they grind a predictable weight of beans per second, e.g. my Mazzer Mini grinds one gram per second - an exact 17 second grinding cycle produces 17 grams, perfect for a double shot. Some savvy cafe owners (David Schomer of Seattle's Caffe Vivace comes to mind) actually have a timer hooked to the switch on their grinders. The baristi at his place hit the button once for each shot they're going to pull (they have wisely standardized on double shots). Every push of the button grinds exactly the right amount.

Gus' Figs on 27th if I recall correctly. near FIT on the one block that gets cut off at 8th Ave. really good Meditteranean menu

My kitchen: Mazzer Mini Escali digital scale to weigh beans for espresso and for roast blending - 1/10 gram accuracy Isomac Tea (E61 style grouphead) 18/10 stainless steel pitcher for frothing - 12 oz pitcher for singles and 24 oz for multiples Solis Maestro reserved for drip coffee (on the rare occasions when I make it) Alpenroast drum roaster My office: (in another city) Saeco Trevi superauto bought as refurb for $325 total - decent Americano's but mediocre cappa's Reviews I've seen of doserless Rocky have mixed opinions on how mess-free the doserless system really is. I agree that the Mazzer is really messy until one becomes accustomed to it but the stepless adjustment system is fantastic. Rocky owners (and others) generally acknowledge having regular occasions where the grind level they want is between the indents on the adjustment collar. The Mini is so quiet, so rock solid and such a joy to use that it's worth the learning curve. The trick for me is to weigh the beans (17 or 17.5 grams per double shot), grind, stop, quick brush out of the doser neck and hit the grind button to expel the loosened grinds. You must remove the steel finger guard to do this but how dumb woul done have to be to stick their finger up the doser chute of a coffee grinder that is running? If you think a gram or so of stale grounds won't affect the taste of your espresso, think again. You wouldn't use "just a bit" of some other stale foodstuff in preparing a fine dish to eat, now would you? I'm not talking about grounds from a few hours ago. I travel frequently and may go days or even weeks before I'm home to use my gear. The brushing routine and weighing the beans seemed so anal and like such overkill that I resisted trying it until I became frustrated by lack of consistency in my espresso shots. ONce I started doing it, it became such an ingrained routine that now it adds perhaps 30 - 40 seconds to the overall process but has given me remarkable consistency. I roast my own when time permits and use Sweet Maria's as my bean source but I also pick up freshly roasted beans from Freedom of Espresso in Syracuse when I'm there for work (far too often). They have an excellent blend and roast several times per week. Have been very disappointed the few times I bought espresso blend from Porto Rico Imports on Bleecker - not very fresh. I did get some beans from Empire Coffee and Tea on 9th Ave near 42nd and made up my own espresso blend (they don't have a house espreso blend). It was not up to the standards of my favorite blends but not bad. Intelligentsia, Vivace and a few others are good sources for mailorder but pricey. CCM Coffee in Tampa FL is waaaay cheaper and decent - actually very good for the price and tends to be a very dark roast. I used to love Torrefazione Italia's Perugia blend but it was not always as fresh as I'd like. The original Torrefazione owners (they sold out to Seattle's Best) have a new business called Caffe Umbria and have a rock solid blend called Gusto Crema - they sell mostly commercially but will mail order five pound bags. Break it into 1/4 ziplocs, freeze and pull them out one at a time - pretty good system. It still blows my mind that there isn't one good microroaster/cafe (none that I'm aware of) in Manhattan or North Jersey. Cheapest machines that are any good? Gaggia Carezza is said to be the best thing out there under $250 - $300 (it's likely about $200 - $225). Solis SL-70 is also pretty good. Don't skimp on a grinder - get a used Rocky or shop for a good price (under $200) on a Cunill Tranquilo - noisy but commercial quality. It's crucial to good quality - inadequate grinder = inconsistent espresso. The Francis!Francis! machines are in the opinion of many a form over function product but in their defense it should be mentioned that they changed to a different supplier for the innards and are significantly improved over what they were a year or two ago. A Silvia still runs circles around the X1 or the X5 (please don't accuse me of being a bigoted Silvia owner - I've never had one!) Having the cheap superauto in the office I can readily attest that I'd rather have a $300 espresso machine and use pod espresso - results would be pricier but better. As all can attest, Silvia is a great machine but at its current price I suggest saving a few more $$ and getting an Expobar with E61 style grouphead for about $600 - $700. It offers the innards and advantages of the $1200 machines like the Isomac Tea or the ECM Giotto but at a far lower price (tradeoff is a less slick and plainer exterior).

Hank Mirbach's place in East Syracuse NY just across from the fabulous Fremont Lanes and behind the Pelican II diner. It's really just a protypical working guy's joint - lots of formica and some duct tape on the naugahyde padded front edge of the bar but the drink chips (given out when someone buys you a drink and you're noty ready for one yet)..... have a big swastika on the back. Creepy.

I love Alma - was only there once and they were out of that ice cream that day. Their Cuban bread salad is wonderful. My vote for weird ice cream flavor - used to be served by Neilson's at their summertime stands in Ontario Canada in the summer (perhaps elsewhere as well?) It's a hard pack swirl comprised of orange sherbet, vanilla ice cream and black licorice ice cream. It's called "Tiger Tail". Look sreally cool and is remakably tasty despite the odd combination (perhaps because of it).

Pork tenderloin steaks - dry rubbed two hours ago with Montreal steak seasoning, drizzled with EVOO and cooked in a Foreman grill. Will top with some "Bone Suckin' Barbecue Sauce". I've tried this Carolina style brand before but recently came across their "Seriously Hot" version when in NC on a visit. It rocks - best storebought BBQ sauce I've ever tried. My appetizer was some non-rennet containing extra sharp NYS cheddar from the Union Square Greenmarket. It's the best cheddar I've had in several years. Served them in little squares atop white cheddar Cheese Nips. Oddly enough.... I really don't care for them as an eat-alone snack cracker but they're exceptional when paired with a good cheddar. I know.... absence of fruit, sald or veggies is not cool but I had minor surgery today and am rewarding myself by eating whatever the heck I want to (not to metnion that I had an apple and a banana as lunch).

Mexican - certainly worth checking out. I refuse to go back to Mexicali Rose in MOntclair after we took less than 40 minutes from start to finish for soup and entrees (party of three) and when I asked about dessert was advised "We're busy and people are waiting for tables - we can't serve you dessert - you have to go now". Indeed I did. That's what I like about word of mouth advertising - it costs nothign and in small increments is ultimately (one hopes) effective. I remember my good experiences and share with others and I also sure as heck remember the bad ones and am never shy about sharing them.

I always order a bottle of Ting but then again... don't we all? (Super Stop and Shop in Clifton by Clifton Commons is now stocking Ting and also Jamaican Ginger Beer!). Yeah.... I always get curry goat or jerk chicken and it's delish, as are the sides. They offer a large and small dinner - same deal on each - entree with three sides but portions are huge on the large dinner and the sides are very consistent in quality. I always have the cabbage, rice 'n peas and ripe plantains. My friend did get stewed oxtail on one of our visits there and it was very good - the fat was properly cooked off and the portion was more generous than I sometimes see with oxtail. The jerk is done the right way - I've been in a few West Indian and Jamaican places including the one across from Bangkok Garden in Hackensack and the one in the Manhattan Mall food court, whetre they just put some kind of jerk sauce over the chicken as though jerk were just a form of BBQ. Dev's is the real thing - jerked and infused with the flavor throughout - nice and spicy.

A few more details please? Maybe an address? I just did an exhaustive online search and can't seem to find it ( but I did find a good listing at http://eatjamaican.com ) As you drive into downtown Bloomfield there is a small triangular park on the left with a few trees and a Bloomfield sign. If I recall correctly there's also a bank on the corner by the park. Dev's is in the next block, on the left and has a large yellow illuminated sign. I'll do a bit more checking and if I can get a specific address I'll post it here as a followup. FOLLOWUP: now I've found it - Dev's Jamaician Cuisine 597 Bloomfield Avenue Bloomfield, NJ 07003 973-748-3868 Indeed.... if easy and abundant parking is important, let's all drive to Hoboken - NOT!

For many of us, especially those who've more recently moved to the area, buying a home in any decent town in North Jersey is out of the question. I live in Rutherford, where a crappy 3 BR 1 bath cape cod in need of some work will typically sell for $300,000+. We're actually even starting to see some "knock-downs+ - formerly mostly a California trend - buy a $300,000 house, knock it down and build a bigger on on the same spot. Montclair? As a newbie to NJ who prefers to spend my frtee time in NYC, it's the best alternate spot for me to visit in North Jersey. There are several good movie theatres (Claridge and also the Screening Room), a GREAT independent bookstore (Montclair Book Center) and a decent little espresso cafe (Cafe Eclectic - their espresso con panna with caramel drizzled on it is one of the few espresso drinks I enjoy outside the ones I make at home). When it comes to food? The hell with Montclair..... I drive straight down Bloomfield Ave into Bloomfield for a very tasty meal at Dev's Jamaican Cuisine. It's spotless (but horribly overlit inside), the family who runs it is really nice and the food is great.

But they don't..... and that really is a problem in places like NYC where they continue to crowd out the little guys. Last time I checked there were over 60 Starbucks in Manhattan alone and the number is still growing rapidly. If nothing else.... I am opinionated. I once made the mistake in another forum (Fodor's Travel Talk) of commenting that not only did I think the cafe au lait at Cafe du Monde was just not all that special, I was really surprised that beignets were just fried dough with powdered sugar. I got treated like a Dixie Chick at the GOP convention for that remark (which I refuse to retract - am I truly missing something? Is there some other magical ingredient in beignets that I'm unaware of?). Not knocking beignets in specific or fried dough in general but it ain't all that. Please.... don't get me started on Krispy Kreme.