Rail Paul

If your guests enjoy their brews and more casual food... Is Company B's still around? Used to be on 303 about a mile south of the NYSThruway in Orangeburg and about the same distance north from the Palisades Pkwy. Wonderful selection of microbrews, better than average pub food. I think they had a branch on 17 in Ramsey, northbound near Don Bosco. Another brewpub suggestion is the Ramapo brewpub, formerly Mountain Valley, in Suffern, opposite the train station on US 202. Big, private room behind the main dining room.

I took a look at Zachy's website (www.zachys.com) to see what is available in champagne for purchasers in NY state or those willing to sign away their lives to attempt shipment elsewhere. Less familiar (to me, at least) names like Egly-Oriet, Gatinois, Henriot, Jacquart, Lamandier-Bernier, Oudinot, etc with prices from the ฤ range to the low hundreds per bottle. I suspect Sherry-Lehman, Union Sq Wines, etc would have a similar selection.

sauteed snails... sounds interesting, is this is Chinese rendering of escargot?

Like its neighbor, Seattle, Vancouver has placed an emphasis on the freh produce from the (relatively) nearby Okanagan, the fresh fish, and the centrality of the public market in food sourcing. Perhaps the rapid infux of Asian influences has met the ready and willing supply of small farmers and fish / meat providers? Maybe what we are seeing is "Canadian cusine" as a mirror of the many peoples and many sources of inspiration? Eh? Would we say that either Tucson or Manhattan offer truly American cuisine (whatever that is?

Generally prepare 4-5 dinners at home. Will usually grill something on Monday (meat, fish) and recycle it during the week in salads, or make a stew on Monday and reuse it as soup or pasta topping. Pick up salad ingredients / pasta on the way home. Wednesday is usually something from the Times. Will be dining with clients or traveling or working late at least one night during the week. Usually bake fresh bread 3-4 times weekly. Sometimes dinner will be just bread, although my wife usually wants something more substantial. If I have time in the morning, I'll start a hearty loaf and let it rise during the day. Otherwise I'll take the starter from the previous day, add yeast, flour and water and let it rise an hour and that's fine.

Tampa's a very nice place to live and work, except for the annual hurricane evacuation from the outer islands. Has a fine aquarium, no part of the metro is more than a few minutes from the water. Clearwater and the Beach are wonderful, you can be on your boat five minutes after leaving your office (in requisite sandals and cut-offs). One of my associates is on a plane bound for Tampa at this very moment, swim trunks and cut-offs packed in his luggage.

I'd suspect many exporters are reluctant to invest their time and money in developing a brand which may not have enough supply to satisfy customer wants. The life blood of any business is to have customers requesting your product by name, if you don't have it, you can't sell it. Like the wines selected for certain Wine Spectator awards. If 600 cases were made, the odds some will turn up in Costco are pretty low. Put a few cases into very high end restaurants to get the buzz going, send a few to the investors, a few cases to Zachy's, Sherry-Lehmann, USqL, and that's about it...

FWIW, I've heard from several biased purveyors that Alberta beef is "special." Apparently, only a small amount of Alberta's beef makes it to "Sterling" grade. Once in Calgary, at Hy's, a place famed for beef (next to the Westin), and once at Morry's in Minneapolis. Apparently Morry's has a provider in Alberta which provides premium beef from steers which are bred specially for Morry's. The term is regularly used in Toronto for beef. Sounds like marketing talk, but the several meals at Morry's (we have a customer nearby) have offered butter tender steak.

but, Jiggy, would you make a special effort to drive to HDJ's for their doggies? Whether their dogs are all beef, beef and pork, beef and cat, etc isn't of great interest to me. How they test is of interest. For me, HDJ's place is worth a stop if I'm out that way, but not worth a special drive or long detour. Rutt's Hutt is worth a special drive, HDJ's isn't... Since lots of other folks like it, it will do just fine without my buck...

I read John Foy's comments on Rebecca's in the Record. Generously put, he didn't care for the food. It sounds like his principal objections were unassertive spicing, and the cash tip request. Take away those elements and he had a pretty good set of meals. He didn't like the absence of allspice in the jerk chicken, and felt the horseradish overcame the pork in the croquetas. Maybe it's churlish, but I think there's an obligation for "out of the mainstream" restaurants to make a special effort to understand a customer's expectations. With a steak house, you ask for a medium rare prime rib you know EXACTLY what you'll get. I don't think that assumption carries over to Cuban, Ethiopian, Afghan or many other styles. With a Spanish - Cuban speaker at Rebecca's, the house knows this person's frame of reference. With me, or John Foy, white Anglo guys who won't see 40 again, it's potluck for the house. I think the house needs to make the effort to understand that expectation. Rebecca's doesn't do that, and I had to discuss the spicing with them to get a stronger mix than the average bozo might get. That said, it probably won't be any easier to get a table there next week or next month...

Nice write up on Pamir and other Middle Eastern restaurants in the NJ section of the Times on Sunday. Mr Corcoran reviewed the various offerings at Pamir, liked most of them. Other places covered were Evelyn's in New Brunswick, Bennie's in Englewood (by Fat-Guy himself), Kervan in Cliffside Park, Norma's Mediterranean in Cherry Hill, and Authentic Turkish in Voorhees.

Is Kervan 2 / Sapphire related to the Kervan in Cliffside Park reviewed by Jim Leff in the NY Times NJ section? Alpha Dog seemed to like it a lot. Nice review, phone number is 201-945-7227. Address is 360 Lawton Avenue.

We found the spicing to be assertive but not forceful, which may have been because we discussed with the servers "how hot is hot." I suspect many restaurants underspice when they're not sure of the tolerance, just like many Chinese restaurants have different spice levels for natives and non-natives. The request for a cash tip is new since my visit there three weeks ago. Wonda' what they're up to with that? Our servers each mentioned they had current serving gigs elsewhere, but this was an excellent place to work.

Glad to have you aboard! Pamir has been very attentive in the buffet to have somebody keeping an eye on it, explaining what's in each item, etc. In an unfamiliar cuisine, that's very helpful. Buffet runs Thursday lunch

There are several brewpubs in the Ybor City area, which is a restored, Soho like area on the east side of Tampa. We enjoyed lunch at one called Ybor Brewhouse, IIRC. Choice of 4-5 locals, good Cuban pressed sandwiches. 200-250 mugs hung on numbered pegs on the wall.

...rail came to their defense... In fairness, I didn't come to their defense. I observed the owner posted her reply to the "error in accidentally" posting an 18% tip, and that I've enjoyed eating there in the past. I did not attack or discredit your experience or challenge your report. Years ago, on an AOL food board, I was ripped up when I described my poor experience at Il Mondo Vecchio in Madison, which was regarded by some as a great place. "Peasant, slob, heathen, etc" by people who were regulars and couldn't imagine such things in THEIR restaurant. It had stars from several papers. Well, exactly the same thing happened to the Star Ledger's reviewer on her two trips, and she reported it. I understand the owner (Mr Cetrullo) opened up new apertures for his employees, and the restaurant won its stars the following year. His newer places also have a consistent eye to detail which may have been lacking in the early days of IMV. Mr Cochran posted his criteria in reviewing restaurants (how many visits, how many dishes, how detailed the service, etc) on this board a while back. I've found his reviews ring true, so I'd certainly expect the experience he reported was the one he had.

Doris & Ed's is still very good, but the prices have risen significantly, prob ū per item in each of the last few years. Our dinner for four was 趚 plus wine, which I felt was very high. Most entrees are in the ษ+ range, apps in the ผ, desserts ů-10. Adds up. Throw in Ů drinks, and a ุ wine... Good meal? Yes. Well served? Yes. Worth the bucks? Probably not. With several other good places nearby at 30% the cost, I'd reconsider before I would go back.

...and Little Debby cakes?

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your meal at Corso 98. Some times it's sublime, somteimes it isn't. In my experience, I'd rate Corso in the top 1/2 of Montclair area places. Good, but not great. I've praised it, and knocked it, from time to time. I'd place DejaVu, Blue Sky, 28 and Liberte above it. 77 Walnut, Joseph's and Taro at about the same, Palazzo, Corunatto, and Epernay below it. The now closed Baladi would be higher. FWIW, I usually try to engage the server in a discussion of what the chef likes to prepare, any unusual combinations, etc. (Drives my wife crazy, but I think it creates an expectation that the server has an end of the bargain to deliver quality from the kitchen)

I haven't been there, but the story reminded me very much of the ancient John McPhee New Yorker story from the 1970s. A more robust description of that event is on another thread, perhaps about reviewing. (Isolated cabin in the woods, gifted chef, fresh ingredients, no publicity, turned out to be a hoax.) The idea that the host will choose what you eat strikes me as a little strange and patronizing. When I invite people to my house, I usually inquire if there are food issues, try to gauge inventiveness if I don't know them, etc. I expect choices, and I'm paying the bill. If I want to be told what to eat, I'll go to my mother's place or to the Soup Nazi. The plus to this article was I could read Amanda Hesser without the whining about Mr Latte. She does have a gifted style when she focuses on the food...

nice post... where is this place located in Montclair? thanks...

He had a restaurant in Manasquan or Point Pleasant, I think, within the past year. One of my colleagues visited early in the summer, and was very pleased. Lots of glass and pastels, and some "beachy" neon out front? Perhaps a color in the name? I'll ask...

Thoughts on the Goffle Grill, and the Anthony Wayne? The AW looks positively gothic at night, with dark rooms, flickering lights, and varies between a few people and totally empty. Hot dogs are good, worth a detour, but not worth a special trip. The Falls View (late of Paterson) is almost directly across the US 46, adjacent to the eastbound lanes. Adequate dogs, but the chili leaves me flat. Interiors are late "McDonald's" and very bright. Rail Paul

The article levels several serious charges, and I'd certainly like to hear Mr Bouley's response. His restaurants have always been of high quality, staffed by very compentet people. If the charges that he stiffs suppliers are true, he may find it difficult to get the materials he needs to produce a steady flow of wonderful food. If he fails to keep his good help, he may find that his guests don't receive the treatment his prices require. Anybody want to bet this story gets picked up in the mainstream press? I doubt it will...

Glenn - the owner of Blue Sky posted to a previous complaint that the 18% tip addition was a "mistake" as it only applies to groups. Guess it is a mistake the staff makes often. the restaurant is a BYO which also provides a liquor store on site from which you can buy stuff. my nearby town doesn't allow sales of alcohol before noon on sunday, perhaps montclair has a similar rule. I've enjoyed blue sky on the several occasions I've visited there, I'm sorry you didn't. Paul