phaelon56

El Pollo in Manhattan is gone and has been replaced by Pio Pio (their original and still operating location is in Queens). I love that style of chicken but will have to do some research to find best p[ace to get it in North Jersey. Where in Jersey are you? There are Columbian and Ecudaorian places in Harrison that might fit the bill and there are some Columbian places in West New York that would also be worth investigating. I enjoy the Cuban version of roast chicken but still find the Peruvian style to be more to my linking, possibly because of the style of the marinade. Have also tried some from The Boxing Chicken, a Puerto Rican place on Broadway in North Newark - it was okay but not that memorable and not worth making a special trip for.

Aaron - do you recall the nature or name of the lime drink? I don't drink alcohol and love lime but generally find myself limited to a tonic water with big splash of Rose's Lime juice. I've had and enjoyed Lime Rickey's in the past but don't seem to find restaurants who serve them or even know what they are. I'm always open to new non-alcoholic drink ideas, particularly if they are citrus based and not blender style drinks.

I'm intrigued by the description of Cow's Foot Soup and would love to try this variety if someone can point me in the direction of a place that serves it. I recently tried it in Belize as it was mentioned as a genuine local tradition but it was quite dissimilar to what you describe. I was served a bowl of somethigh resembling beef stew but with big hunks of musculature or other conective tissue that could not be eaten, as well as the bony parts of the foot. Seasoning was almost non-existent and there were small chunks of carrot and potato (once again very much like beef stew). It did have a unique gelatinous quality - thick but silky - very different than the gelatinous nature of dihses such as hot and sour soup that use other thickeners. Only a liberal application of Marie Sharp's hot sauce made it really palatable (it's a carrot based sauce with habanero's - if you haven't tried it please do - it is now the hot sauce by which I judge all others). Being a big fan of oxtail, ham hocks and even havign eaten a few pickled pig's feet in my day (I was in a stupor but witnesses insist that I really ate them), I had high hopes for Belizian creole style Cow's Foot Soup but was sorely disappointed. Was it just a bad bowl?

Salty would be an understatement for what I had at the one on Rte 21. My other two rodizio experiences were in Dallas TX and at Churrascaria Platforma in Manhattan. Churrascaria was by far the best (but way too pricey). Off topic here but have you tried Seabra's Marquiseria off ferry Street? It's much smaller than their other places and specializes in seafood. has bee very, very good on my two trips there.

I haven't had the rodizio at Iberia but have eaten there and observed - it looked (yes looks can be deceiving) like a slight notch above seabra's on 21 (where I have had the rodizio). I defintiely prefer the atmosphere at Iberia. Haven't been to Brasilia but a friend who's lived in the area most of her life swears by it and won't go anywhere else in Ironbound.

You'are absolutely right. She is patient and understanding and a real gem. I'm just one of those guys who has danced around remaining single (or close to it) for so long that it was a struggle to stop and recognize the value of this situation. She deserves some "official" recognition for hewr great qualities and will appreciate it. I think we'll do it just as soon as we're both back in town at the same time for more than a few days. Should be later this month and I'll report back here on the experience. By the way... Bagel Supreme on Park Ave has finished the expansion and remodeling that added a dining room for breakfast and lunch. When I stopped in there the other mornign they didn't have the empanadas out yet but the place is gorgeous. The owner is Columbian and she's incorporated really good taste in the decor - has some cultural design elements that I haven't seen previously in local places. Nice texture/treatment on the walls and floors - really cute little place for a casual bite to eat. Also... Medina, the new French-Moroccan place appears to be getting much closer to an opening. It's going to be on the upscale sidce and what I can see so far of the decor looks very nice. Let's cross our fingers and hope for great food as I'm always looking for another good place I can walk to.

I recently flew on Midwest Express when it was the only flight my employer could find for me from NYC to Kansas City on short notice. I assumed it would be a horror show like ATA or AirTran but was amazaed to find an all business class plane with wide and comfy leather seats. Then the real show started... meals on all flights. Real meals. Breakfast was cheese and mushroom omelette with sausage or belgian waffle with strawberries and whipped cream. Decent coffee, OJ in a REAL glass and the food was served on CHINA plates with REAL silverware and a CLOTH napkin! (plastic knife subbed for the regular knoife fo security reasons. It wasn't food-to-die-for but compared to any other airline food it was amazing. IIRC, dinner on the return trip was crab cakes, sauteed green beans, roasted new potatoes and blueberry cheesecake. Oh... did I mention the unlimited champagne served with breakfast and unlimited red or white wine served with dinner? I just wish they flew more routes that I travel. My low price was a fluke as they usually charge about the same price as competing airlines but they are really a class operation and worth flying on.

I think most of the comments here are right on target and based on my two visits I agree. One would expect the service to be a bit unpolished btu it was certainly friendly and sincere with no real gaffes. I found the entrees to be a bit uneven but overall it was a great value and a pleasant room. The only dessert I've ever tried was the creme brulee and it was outstanding (apparently it is thir "signature" dessert). My girlfriend has been to France many times in recent years and is a creme brulee aficionado - she insisted that it was the best she's ever tried. I wouldn't maintain that it's one of the great restaurants in NYC but certainly is one of the best deals. Interesting to note that we were there on a Friday night only a few weeks after 9/11. Other downtown restaurants were struggling to get customers back in the door and SoHo was dead quiet yet L'Ecole was full for the entire evening and when I reserved early that week they only had two times slots available for a party of two on a Friday night. The majority of folks there appeared to be regulars - perhaps this is an indication that there is at least a reasonable level of consistency?

Gee Rosie... now you've gone and done it. I live a few blocks from Matisse (have for the past three years) and have walked by it a few hundred times, always thinking "hmmm... I'll get in there one of these days when I have some special occasion to celebrate (I don't usually spend more than $40-50 per person for dinner out unless it's a special occasion). Now I've gotten so intrigued by your description that the occasion can't wait (then again... maybe it's actually here... after 9 months of dating the same woman I've finally given in and acknowledged that she's really my "girlfriend" - I suppose that's occasion enough - she sure thinks it is).

Off topic here but the point-counterpoint discussion brings to mind the article I just read about a woman in the UK. She got so tired of the Jehova's Witnesses coming to her door every week for many years offering her their magazine that she finally jusy showed up at their worship hall during Sunday services and banged on the door to get in for 45 minutes, repeatedly offering them free magazines of her own. They didn't see the humor and called the cops... I think it's kinda funny. Actually, this thread makes it abundantly clear why people seem almost stunned and so effusive thankful when I call to cancel or change reservations (which I always do if I can't make it or won't get there on time). In a previous life when I waited tables in a Syracuse NY bistro (this was in the early 80's when it was the only game in town), the only time we had a real problem with no-shows was on the few weekends each year when lots of students at nearby Syracuse University had their parents in town for the weekend. The majority of these folks were from downstate NY, Long Island and North Jersey - as it turns out, their practice was to reserve well in advance at multiple restaurants and then get consensus at the last minute for where everyone really wanted to go. They would choose one and stiff all the others. Our solution was to begin charging a deposit in advance for those weekends for all parties of more than two. When the group arrived they could either apply the deposit to the cost of the meal or just have it credited back to the card if they preferred to pay cash or with some other credit card. I realize that this sort of approach would ruffle feathers and might be very difficult to manage on an ongoing basis but it worked for us at the time.

Thanks for the updates folks. I suppose I'll try it again as it's only a short few blocks from the house and a pleasant walk at that. Apparently they must have improved since that first few weeks, judging by the reports I see here.

When I lived in Ithaca NY in the early 90's, I became acquainted with the owner of Billy Bob's BBQ & Steakhouse. He ran into this very issue with folks questioninig the pink color of the chicken. he posted a highly visible explanation in the entry way for all to see and IIRC there was also a reprint of an article by some reputable food scientist that explained the smoking process, how it works and why the color of the meat makes it appear that it's not cooked when in fact it really is.

Jaymes - I'm more than less in agreement with you on this one although there were some exceptions on my trip. Will you be kind enough to carry this conversation over to the Central America forum? I posted a Belizian food trip report there and have had some views but no responses yet. I would like to pursue the topic but might as well do it there since the thread's already started.

I meant to say that the lemon-chicken soup was incredible - very, very tasty.

This place opened last spring in the basement underneath the Eros Coffeehouse. The young guy who is the woner of both did much of the interior work with his family and it's gorgeous - feels like you're sitting in a side chamber of an old Greek temple. I made the mistake of ordering non-Greek dishes - a batter dipped and fried fish and also a baked and crab/shrimp stuffed fish filet. One entree was mediocre and the other barely passable. In his defense I should point out that the owner insisted on not charging us for the entree that we found inedible. The lemon-chicken soup (sorry I forget the name but it's a traditional greek soup - begins with the letter "m"). The onwer if this place is a REALLY nice guy and I hope to see him succeed. I was there only a few weeks after they opened and thinking about a return visit but just curious - have any of you tried it and has it improved or perhaps should I simply have stuck to traditioonal Greek entrees in such an establishment?

Good point on West New York. I think that would actually be Bergenline Ave - I have a Cuban friend who lives there but we generally go into NYC to eat - I'll solicit some feedback from her. I'm stoked about the Rutherford offering simply because it's 5 or 6 blocks from my apartment and the only different breakfast offering in town other than standard diner fare or bagels. Next new development in Rutherford... a French-Moroccan restaurant called Medina is opening on Park Ave dowon by Station Square. It will seat about 125 and judging from the exterior and interior work I've seen thus far, it may be more upscale the formica table sort of Moroccan that I've tried elsewhere.

The best ones I had (huevos rancheros that is... ) were at the Prospector Cafe in Gold Hill CO. It may have been the eating outdoors in winter (yet stilll being warm enough due to the altitude and sun) or the fact that I was many years younger with an undeveloped palate. The version I had in Austin TX last summer was primo - the eggs were not greasy - may have been fried but were very light, beans were sort of stewed in sauce rather than refried, and the tortillas were incredibly fresh. Had to make do with hot sauce rather than salsa but all told it was a very good breakfast. Weird as it may be, I actually like the contrasts in that dish.

Thanks to all for the ongoing, insightful comments and chances are I too will grow to love Tommy regardless of his style of posting or commentating. As to me just developing a thicker skin and taking whatever gets thrown at me - I'll take the suggestion to heart and keep my trap shut (or my keyboard inactive) when it's in my own best interest. No question that Tommy has a lot to offer this forum - I believe i allluded to that in an earlier post. This forum is a great resource that I appreciate and I hope to be able to contribute something useful. What prompted my original post in part was a recent trip to Belize where "huevos rancheros" are really just scramble eggs with some other stuff mixed in. My Cuban lady friend believes this is typical throughout much of the Caribbean and Central America rather than the separate eggs/beans/tortillas version I'm in search of. Thanks again to all for the insights.

They're open until mid-afternoon. I supppose it would be a decent lunch place if you're okay with bagel sandwiches. they do offer a variety of egg, coldcut and other options wiht the bagels and have some pastries as well (pastried not made on premises). Not sure if the empanadas are just at breakfast or whether they make more during the day as need arises. It's a spotlessly clean operation and the folks who work there are always very pleasant even though I'm far from a regular (but might become one to get my morning protein fix!).

Tommy - If I misinterperted the tone of your response I apologize. You certainly did provide factual information but the manner in which it was presented leaves the impression (to me at least and I suspect to others) that a negative attitude is in play. Call me crazy (others have) but when I describe a dish I happen to enjoy and ask if anyone knows where it is served in the area... why go to the trouble of responding if you think the version served at Baja is "disgusting". Is it poorly prepared or do you just happpen to dislike huevos rancheros? How about just telling me that they serve it there but do it very poorly? Your response and raz to Rail Paul's mention of the serving style and salsa types used in Albequerque seems to show the same attitude as your original reply. I'm new to this forum and assure you that I won't pick on, criticize or in any way question any of your future posts or responses. You're a long time forum member who's obviously very active and I respect that. In return I ask that if I post and you don't have anything constructive to offer in a reasonably polite way perhaps you should just not respond to my posts. Certainly simple enough. In short... it's not so much what you said but how you said it.

Supreme Bagel on Park Ave in Rutherford just took over the adjacent space and opened up a small but very nice dining area. The bagels have always been good but the owner, who is of Colombian extraction, is now offering excellent beef empanadas during the morning hours. Not sure how long they last or whether they make multiple batches but they are worth checking out at $1 each - two makes for a good breakfast. They also have small containers of that tasty homemade salsa type condiment (perhaps it is salsa?) that is sometimes offered with Mexican breakfast sandwiches. It's got finely diced onion and some hot pepper with a heavy dose of cilantro. Mmmmmm....

Note to Tommy: I don't see what my problem is either. I also don't need to make you look foolish - you appear entirely capable of doing that with no assistance from anyone else. Note to everyone else: Thanks for the helpful responses - I'm always interested in tangential but useful info even if it's not directly related to the geographical location of the post.

Thanks so much for the helpful and oh so enlightening comment. I'm hazarding a wild guess that Tommy doesn't like this dish regardless of how it's prepared but perhaps someone else does? Useful input from all parties appreciated - even (perhaps especiallly) from those who are not sick, brutally gifted intellectual hayseeds. BY the way... when made with stewed and spicy pinto beans (rather than refried beans), fresh tortillas, fresh salsa nad perfectly poached eggs... it's a most amazing and filling breakfast.

Candlewyck Diner in village of East Ruthrford - corner of Paterson Plank Road and Hackensack Rd (or Street?). Good prices, very consistent food and efficient, friendly service. I've never waited for a table, even at 9 or 10 AM on a Sunday. They serve their Eggs Benedict on oversized English Muffins that are nearly the size of a slice of bread - very nice. The Hollandaise is the predictable variety but okay. Home fries are better than average and they will cook them crispy with onions on request. Coffee is nothing special but I've yet to find a diner in North Jersey with really good coffee.

I used to get huevos rancheros many years ago when I traveled extensively in California and Colorado. My recollection is a dish that consisted of a flour tortilla with a layer of beans covered with salsa and then two poached eggs on top. I vaguely recall that some places might have had the beans in between two tortillas with the other ingredients on top of the top tortilla. Last summer I tried huevos rancheros in a small family restaurant in the barrio in Austin TX. It had all the ingredients I recalled but offered hot sauce rather than salsa. In this case all items were served separately and one simply layered them at the table or just ate them independently. My assumption (a dangerous thing) that this was typical huevos rancheros was changed on a recent trip to Belize. there are many folks of Hispanic extraction there (from both Mexico and Central America). I ordered huevos rancheros and received what we always called "mexican style eggs" when I was growing up. It was scrambled eggs with some peppers, onion and a few small chunks of potato mixed in. What is the prevailing style here in the north Jersey area and what's good place to go for them? I'm open to any location but North Bergen, Union City and West New York are most convenient as I live just a few miles west of there.