Poots

My only complaint about this fabulous place is that the osso bucco is so good, it makes it very hard for me to order other things. Last week i went, and only after ordering(which i did right away w/out waiting for a menu or specials, i go often) did i hear a special of stuffed calamari with scallops and something that sounded so good i came very close to changing my order...but i didn't, and the osso bucco was grand!

Didn't want to start a new topic, but wanted to add recollections of two dinners. Thanks again for everyone's suggestions. That evening I picked up my date and went to the Three A's in Hoboken at 500 Grand. We arrived around 7:15, no reservations and were seated immediately. Small corner bar/restaurant. You have to walk through the bar(clean and not loud at the time) to get to the curtained off dining area. Ordered a bottle of Hess Select Chardonnay to start. I was slightly disappointed as i had looked up the wine list online earlier in the day, and saw that they had Sonoma Cutrer Russian River Valley Chard on it, yet when i had the list in my hands, there was its noticable absence. Bread was on the table, and quite good. My dining partner ordered a salmon dish(i'm sorry, but my attention was not soley on the dinner) and I had the lobster ravioli special. Our waitress quickly came with the wine, and conversation flowed smoothly. We were left alone till dinner came, something i was happy with as we were quite engrossed in one another's thoughts. My dish was quite ample, at perfect temperature, and very edible. However, nothing was there to differentiate it from any other decent lobster ravioli. I wasn't looking for a great dish, and i didn't get one. As this was a first date, i didn't think it appropriate to try my dates dish , but she seemed to enjoy it. We sat at our table in the half filled dining room for quite awhile finishing our wine and talking, although we ordered no dessert, and were left unharried. Overall, a cute little place with enjoyable food, and suitable for conversation.

I have just found out this afternoon that my Copenhagen trip has been postponed to Jan. If a newcomer(relatively young and uneducated foodie) is welcome, then please count me in

I would have liked to join, as this was one of the first threads i ever started but alas, I'll be working in Copenhagen during that time. Any suggestions on where to eat? Is Danish food any good?

Susan, there's the Ital-Mart on Ridgewood(I think) in West Orange, right over the border from south orange(two blocks towards SO from Quincys and CVS). Only a couple of minutes away, there's Town Hall Deli on South Orange Ave in South Orange(across the street from Blockbuster). There's also Campus Sub on Irvington Ave in South Orange as well.

Hey everybody, thanks for the help. While Amanda's sounds wonderful, i think it may be a bit much for the first night out. I think we're going to go with the Three A's. I had a friend in Hoboken swear by it as well. Extensive Martini list, and pretty good food in a cozy setting off the beaten track is how it was referred to me. Any suggestions on food, and do i need a reservation? thanks...

I know it's short notice, but was wondering if any of you have suggestions for a first date dinner in Hoboken this Sat night. Requirements are: good food(of course), not too loud as conversation will be an important aspect, and not too stuffy as i don't want to seem pretentious until she gets to know me a little better, hah Type of cuisine doesn't matter so much as I love most all foods, however we probably will go out on the town afterwards, so a huge belly is a con. Suggestions i've gotten and/or read from hear are: Amanda's, La Scala, Oddfellows, and City Bistro(which i can't do b/c she's eaten there recently). appreciate any help any of you can give. thanks in advance.

Just an add-on about McCormick and Schmicks: Ate there once in Boston, and they had at least 5 different types of Oysters. Just to give you an idea that it's nothing like TGIFs.

I'm going to have to agree with RockADS. I was just at Spikes in Point Pleasant on Saturday. Just stoppin on my drive home. Picked up a Lobster Bisque for 6$ for a pint, and my friend had a Manhattan Clam Chowder for I think 4$ a pint. Eating while in the car, they were both great! Another dive, and one I was going to put in the Best NJ Pizza thread is The Star Tavern in Orange, NJ. It's at the end of Scotland Rd(at least it starts out as Scotland, it may change it's name towards the end). I've been going there for around 20 yrs, and it's still great. The thinnest crust pizza out there. Noisy, smoky, atmosphere, in a not great neighborhood, but the pizza is great, and the rest of the food is pretty good as well.

Just ate at Casa Vasca last night. Shared an order of Shrimp in Garlic. Shrimp were just ok, but the garlic was delicious. They have some very good rolls at the table, and there were quite a few that were subsequently drowned in the garlic sauce. We all shared some White Sangria, which they make very well. Had Grilled Monkfish in garlic sauce for dinner, which was very good, but lots of garlic(you could smell me for miles away). They had an extensive list of specials: grilled grouper steak, cod fish, whiting in green sauce, stuffed cod with crab meat, beef ribs, and more that I don't remember. Almost forgot, before the Apps even came to the table, they come around with complimentary soup for all who so desire. Last night it was lentil, but I was hoping for my favorite, chickpea soup, that they make wonderfully.

Don't know if it's the same place, but Carmelita's of Hoboken, opened up not too long ago in Maplewood. Have only tried it once, and wasn't too impressed.

Rail Paul: Did you have the scallops, or did you just see them? I noticed them on the specials board, I think 6.95, with a bold LIVE. Are they really straight out of a tank or what? I should probably try them next time, except i've never had scallop nigiri or sashimi.

I'd be happy to meet up for a lunch as well. Rail Paul: Perhaps it was just an off day. When i was there on Monday, there wasn't a seat available at the sushi bar, and i got the last table in the sushi bar area. Asides from some inventive rolls on the menu, there are weekly(possibly every other week) specials on a board at the sushi bar. The names of these rolls often reflect what's in the news or movies at the time. There've been the Aol roll, and currently they have the Goldmember roll. Just a little amusing. Currently a roll i had on Monday was the Champagne roll somewhat like the Godzilla, except with different colored fish eggs on top. It was an extremely intersting presentation, with jet black, green, red, and orange fish eggs on top.

If you fly into Newark, NJ, it's only $1.50 Path ride to NYC.

RockADS21: I almost always go to Kyoto at lunch, so haven't really thought about drinks. However, I'm pretty sure that they do Not have a liquor license. An aside, noticing your avatar, are you a SHU student? Just asking b/c i live in SO.

I read the other thread and got some good information. I had searched for Sushi, not Japanese, so that's why it didn't come up. I will definitely try Nagano, possibly tomorrow at lunch. I also will plan a trip to Nikko in the future. I've tried Sono multiple times, but that was a couple of years ago, and they fell out of my favor(don't really know why, just liked Kyoto better). Tomo in South Orange is now closed, but has a sign saying that a new Japanese restaurant will be opening in its place. I've heard that a new sushi restaurant is opening in Summit, Monster Sushi. I've been to one of their restaurants in NYC, and enjoyed it. I had a 2 person meal for around $50 that i split between myself and 2 others, and it was still Very filling, although that was 2 or 3 yrs ago. I'm eager to try them out when they open. Thanks for all responses, but open to more.

Nikko? Is that on Route 10? Close to the exit off 287? thanks

Well, I tried a search and didn't find much in the way of lists of sushi restaurants. I've been going to the same Sushi restaurant for quite a while, Kyoto in Florham Park. I love it, but just have the curiosity to find other restaurants. Good Miso soup, good salad with ginger dressing, and some creative and tasty large rolls. My two favorite items there are the Shogun roll, eel and avocado inside, with almost nigiri sized slices of tuna and salmon on outside and the Godzill roll, tuna salmon yellowtail on the inside, lightly tempura'd(sp?), and then topped by tobiko and chef's special sauce(no idea what it is). Didn't want to make a review here, but just to give people an idea of what i like. I also like nigiri, Tuna, yellowtail, sweet shrimp, being some of my faves. What are some of the best sushi restaurants in the mid - north of NJ? Doesn't matter about dive or fancy, just good sushi. thanks in advance

Not my favorite Italian restaurant(well...maybe) but definitely my favorite for Osso Bucco is Trattoria Tuscana On Route 10 in Whippany. It's a small byob with nice specials, great seafood salad, and my favorite Osso Bucco. It's down the street from the Whippany fire house and across the street from another larger Italian restaurant(the name escapes me). Give it a try if you haven't already.

I've lived in the Maplewood/South Orange area my entire life. I think Verjus is a great addition to the area. I've only eaten there once, but plan to go back, and soon. Last time i was there i had the Osso Bucco Milanese. I was a little apprehensive b/c I have a favorite Italian restaurant that makes it great, but Verjus did an admirable job, and I enjoyed it. This was a few months ago, so I must claim a faulty memory for the rest of the meal. I'll just have to make another trip to re-introduce myself. :)

After reading about it here, I decided to check out Pop's in Madison. Went for lunch yesterday, 7/24, around 12:30. Small storefront, when entering, there were two small tables and a counter with an open kitchen behind. Menu board is on the wall, and you can order there and have your food brought to you in the shared dining room with Romanelli's. The dining room had around 8 tables, but looked to have more room behind a hanging plastic wall where some construction was happening. I had a pulled pork sandwich and an order of Cajun steak fries. This is definitely a casual eatery, but the employees were extremely nice and brought my food quickly(5 minutes). Looking around the dining room, i didn't see another person eating BBQ, so I don't know what volume of business they've been doing. The pulled pork wasn't a sloppy-joe like mush i've gotten at some places. It was some larger pieces of meat, with an adequate amount of sauce. I would have liked a little more sauce on the side for dipping, but didn't feel like making the effort to walk back around the corner to the counter to ask for it. I don't know exactly what's traditionally the bread for a pulled pork sandwich, but they use somewhat of a sub roll. This was fine with me, and i was quite happy with it. The sandwich is served with a square of cornbread. The cornbread looked good, with two grill marks on it for whatever reason i don't know. While I was happy with the sandwich, the cornbread was a vast disappointment. It was dry, and almost flavorless. The only thing that could have saved it was 1/4 stick of butter melted on top. The fries were typical steak fries, but were covered with what seemed like Paprika, and Chili powder. They really weren't all that interesting, and i only ate a handful. I would go back, b/c i want to try the ribs and the fried chicken, and now i know where i can get a decent pulled pork sandwich. However, I think they have a little work to do.

New here, but been eating in and around Essex County NJ my whole life. Some of my Italian favorites are: Solano's in Orange. Belle Italia, Orange. Piccolo Italia, Orange. Libretti's, Orange. Cafe Arugala, South Orange. I have eaten at Bella Rosa once and had a very nice dinner, so while not a favorite, would reccomend it.