Rail Paul

The Star-Ledger's MunchMobile visited several BBQ joints for this week's article. Muncmobile is a team of reporters and guests who drive around the state in a truck with a huge hot dog on the roof, sampling various kinds of food. Pies-on-Pizza in Lake Hopatcong. Liked the hush puppies. Had mountainous piles of meat, liked the sauce. Joanne's Bar in Mine Hill. Liked the sauce and beans, were pretty pleased with the rest of the place. Thick ribs Jack's Ribs in Long Branch. Potato salad was ordinary, ribs OK, sandwiches dried out. Southern Home in Point Pleasant Beach. Ribs were OK, but they liked the fritters. Pop's in Madison. Best in show. Like the apple smoked prime rib, cheese mac, ribs, pulled pork Mom's in Roselle. awesome pork sandwich in a portuguese roll. beans in yellow rice. BBQ suace was garden variety. Link wasn't up when I checked before.

How do you know foy is a restaurant owner? I've heard of Dennis Foy, who owned several restaurants, but not John. Also, when you say several are taste deprived, is this because they don't agree with your taste or do you not like their writing? I'm curious because I've gone to restaurants based on a reviewers recommendations and I have not always agreed with them but at the same time I didn't think them taste deprived. I chalked it up to differences in personal preference unless the service was awful and the food had serioius problems. There was an extensive thread (129 posts) on the Bergen Record's reviewing practices. One reviewer contributed her thoughts as well. It was a lively and generally constructive exchange. Suffice it to say the quality of reviews varies widely. Bergen Record Thread 1 The brothers Foy have also been discussed at length here. John is currently consulting, I believe. There's also a discussion of whether a restaurant consultant should be reviewing places which compete with his clients, as well. Rather than clog this thread with comments on the Record, we could resume over on the NJ thread where two Record threads are now active.

Tommy - Aaron's always been very straightforward in his comments. His reviews have been on the mark. Very much like you in that regard. And, he's never tossed a soup wonton at me... Paul

I used to think that as long as a reviewer wasn't using their position to gain advantage for their interests it would be okay (say not writing a review for a restaurant you were working for). But as I read this it's obvious that conflicts of interest can be turned to advantage in many other ways. With your example I agree that the reviewer should recuse himself from writing restaurant criticism. Nick There are two parallel discussions over on food media which touch on these issues. One covers the qualities in a perfect reviewer, the other looks at the weaknesses of the Hackensack Record's use of a dozen reviewers (no consistency, agendas, etc) Tarragon Tree - a jewel in the wilderness, a green shoot among the thistles, when the skins covered inhabitants of Chatham lived in caves eating boiled dog and squirrel. We were all so young then.

If the fight involves a change in ownership, that definitely affects the hooch license. Might be an opportunity to have an eGullet BYO night, and drink all of Rosie's Turley vintages...

Blue Sky, an establishment in Montclair NJ, has just such an arrangement. It owns a wine store adjacent to the restaurant. Inside the same building, closer than the rest rooms. Hundreds of wines in the selection, many chilled. If you walk over with a copy of the menu, they'll offer you a chef recommended wine. retail prices, not marked up 3x wholesale. (Montclair's unusual. In NJ a package store license usually costs much more than a restaurant (on premises consumption) license. It's the other way around in Montclair. Blue Sky arb'd that by buying a store license)

AOL-TW was hoping for a world class restaurant row in their new tower. Five or six destinations. A this point, they'd be happy keeping their stock above $11 for a few hours, I'd suspect. Anybody have a clue about their new prow? The original designs showed a fuzzy extension on the southeast corner, a signature element. Looks like the building is set up for something...

The bergen record in NJ uses a team approach for restaurant reviews. Six people alternate. John Foy, a restaurant owner, is one. Marge Perry, a decent observer, is another. Several other reviewers may be taste deprived. There's not a lot of consistency. With most reviews, you match the flavor of a review against your experience with the place. With six people, no way to establish consistency for stars, service, etc.

This sounds fascinating, Peter. Do you know if they applied the charcoal as part of a dry rub, or did they moisturize the surface before sprinking?

On that same subject, Mark and David - does the source of the US jalapeno (TX or NM or AZ) make a significant difference in the heat level? and, does the opening of borders under NAFTA enable hotter Mexican chiles to compete with US grown products? I'd suspect the weather in Oaxaco or Jalisco could create a fiery pepper...

Does he have a cone-head? And carry a six pack of Miller beer? Inquiring minds need to know...

We have a wicker two bottle carrier, which has a nifty device which allows the bottles to remain at a 45 degree angle on the table if that is desired. In NJ, where wine and liquor licenses are both expensive and rationed, a few additional rules apply. Note that BYO is very common, and calling ahead is advised. 1. House may not legally charge a corkage fee (often flouted). 2. Staff is not supposed to open or pour bottles (widely flouted) 3. Wine or beer only, no hard stuff (also widely flouted) 4. If the town prohibits alcohol (Ocean Grove, for example), BYO may also be prohibited. Some restaurants have brief BYO periods while the license changes hands, which may take a few weeks. Local town councils typically serve as the ABC licensing entity, and usually require a reading, public comment period, vote at the next meeting etc.

Excellent suggestion. I'll have to play with the ancho / habanero angle. Last night I grilled fresh peach quarters with boneless breast of chicken. Sliced the grilled food, tossed with fresh spinach and basil, and served. Grilled peaches and grilled sausage links are also delightful I once tried sliding thin slices of peach under the skin of chicken breasts, but that was more trouble than it was worth. Tasted fine, though No mess in the kitchen, that's a plus.

Strollers have become deadly weapons in certain hands. The larger versions should be equipped with turn signals, and the side by side models are more effective than a brick wall for blocking sidewalks. I fully expect to see the next edition of Graco equipped with a sharply pointed ram on the front I'll prob notice it impaling my leg in Zabars

nice pix what kind of oil / dressing did they use?

There's an excellent hiking trail based on the route of the New York Central Railroad's Walkill Valley line. The trail begins north of Montgomery, continues north through New Paltz and on to the outskirts of Kingston. Some of the trail is open for use, although other portions are still under construction or design. For mass transit users, several points are available for connections with New York City originating buses. There's an excellent little brew pub in New Paltz (Golden Otter) located along the right of way if that need should arise. Other mass transit accessible trails include three in Putnam and Dutchess, and one which uses the Bear Mountain bridge. MetroNorth had a brochure for hikers a few years ago. Of I find it, I'll open a thread and we can slide restaurants into the trails

Leadville's a delightful little town, much more laid back than Aspen or Breckinridge. Many more beat up work trucks than Range Rovers, too. The owner of the Leadville & Southern railway (tourist line which travels up thru the Pass at 11,000 feet or so), has a 1952 heavy chevy truck on display.

Rosie - any idea of the fine for charging a corkage fee at a BYO? I'm not sure what the ABC could do since there's no license to jerk around. Perahps it is just a consumer affairs administrative violation? NJ's crazy quilt of liquor laws is intriguing, but the liquor stores and restaurants seem to be so well connected that it usually takes an ABC officer spotting a nine year old kid dragging a keg down the street before anything happens to the licensed entity Paul

Thanks for the info on Cafe Amalfi, that sounds interesting. Shangahi Jazz (24 Main Street) also runs a regular live jazz session on Thursday evenings. Nice place to come by for a drink and snacks.

Depending on where the McDonald's is located, you may also have local influences, as well. In southwest Colorado, we had our burger on a sourdough roll, with a choice of several "bbq" toppings. In New Mexico, salsa was available to dress any item, along with the local question.

Amanda Hesser has not been writing the under $25 column for several weeks. I can't imagine she was able to review anonymously with all the media coverage she's received. The Thai place might have been the last review. Of course, if they recognized her as a reviewer, and screwed her over, that doesn't sound like a good idea, either.

Mike - I have a question on runzas for which I haven't been able to obtain an answer. I'll put it over on the Heartland - Nebraska board, and see if we can get some feedback. Thanks Paul

I think somebody else noted they are very cheap, and resistant to paying inflated north jersey prices. Wal-Mart, until recently, has been the same way, although I've heard they blew the doors off the new Saddle Brook place with their sales numbers. One nice location would be NY 17, just north of the 87/287 merge in Suffern. Wide open space, low NY taxes, very accessible. There's another nice, very large property on 17 south in Ramsey just west of the railway.

Regent's a good beer, Costco had it on sale in NJ last month for about $20. Definitely rules, but so do Czechvar, etc...

Steve - Thanks for the very literate write-up. We've had a similar experience with Whole Foods in NJ as Wild Oats blew over and collapsed. The Montclair NJ WF store is OK, but not what I'd consider exciting. As for Pierre Herme, I understand the new store in State College PA has a boutique, so it is certainly possible VA will receive one or more. Paul