Rail Paul

i recall the wine being from about 92 or 93. and i think you brought 2 bottles from different years if memory serves. I went back to the original discussion to see what we said at the time about the wines brought to Sonoma Grill. We started with two bottles of Mount Veeder Cab Sauv '99 the first of which was a gift from Nick Gatti. The next bottle was a '94 Jarvis from Lou's stash, followed by a '92 from the same magic location. The house thoughtfully waived corkage. Nick is doing well, he mentioned that dinner at Sonoma Grill a few weeks ago. It gave him a lot of pleasure to see a friend's restaurant tested by people who really appreciate good food, well prepared.

The discussion of Mix occcured over the course of several weeks and several meals. Disclosing that some of those meals were taken with the chef's brother is meaningful in making an informed evaluation of the several posts. Mentioning that fact weeks later doesn't make it right. An analogous situation happened last year on the eG NJ boards. After several posts blasted Sonoma Grill, a group of adventuresome eGulleteers visited the place anonymously. The restaurant knew all about our us coming, comp'd us on half the menu, passed a very generous gift bottle of wine from Nick Gatti (a former eG member), and served us a fabulous meal. The posts describing that meal very clearly stated this wasn't typical, and the average schmo wasn't likely to have the same experience. If eG is to remain credible, material facts need to be visible for the informed reader to decide for herself or himself. That wasn't done in the Mix series. The original, unedited OTTO threads had the same problem. Being known to the house prior to the opening gives you a different experience. Many eGulleteers (Nina, Plotnicki, Wilfrid, Yvonne Johnson, etc) didn't have that same good experience, and posted about it. A good fight ensued, with the focus on specific preparations, ingredients, etc. eG should be interested in setting the bar as high as possible, to attract informed and accurate posts, representing different points of view. The fact that Mr Shaw had disclosed relationships in certain other situations is a credit to him, but would lead a reasonable reader to assume he had none in this situation other than an appreciation of the Ducasse style. They would have been wrong.

You might want to check Bobolink's website, or e-mail Jonathan for locations / egg deals. Robert Schonfeld mentioned Bobolink is at USQ on Monday and at Rock Center one other day.

The newark star ledger had an excellent article by pat tanner on bobolink farm this past wednesday. Good run through on the origins of this organic farm, the presence in greenmarkets, and the ability to monitor every thing which touches the food. The humaneness of animal care, a little bit about Jonathan and Nina, and a lot about the cheeses. The farm will be open weekends during the winter for eggs, cheese, bread, etc. The article doesn't appear to be on-line yet...

No. Just the one table. It isn't the most attractive interior at the moment, with a large soda fridge dominating the room. My guess is virtually all of their business is take-out or catering. The one person ahead of me did take out, and the woman behind me had called ahead for a quart of oxtail soup, red beans, and stewed greens.

I had the roast salmon and jerk roast pork sandwich from Sweet Potato & Pecan tonight. Very satisfying. The olive oil & rosemary smeared salmon was seared in a hot pan, and roasted for a few minutes. Sides of grilled squash and (coconut milk rice, red beans, and pork brownies) were very good. The roast pork was large chunks of allspice, cinnamon, and garlic infused pork served with a thin, sweet sauce. Fine food, and the bill was about $14 The menu also included curried goat, oxtails, jerk shrimp, fried chicken, collards, plantains, ackee, callaloo, etc. The uphill neighborhood is rapidly gentrifying. Located just one block from the Walnut Ave train station (26 minutes to midtown) and greenmarket, many 1890s victorians are being converted back to single family homes. I figure there will be $tarbux sighting within weeks...

Don't know about Woodbury NY (or the corning outlet at jersey gardens mall in Elizabeth, either). Perhaps you might call around to the various locations: --Elizabeth (3% sales tax, too) --Woodbury --Flemington and see if they have the plate you're seeking in quantity, and if they'd hold onto 20 or 30 for you Does Target carry this product, or Costco? Does it have to be glass, or is tin OK? Do any of your bakery places sell aluminum pie plates by the dozen? (My question derives from your pricing calculation. If your plate costs $3, and you sell the pie plus plate for $12, then 25% of your gross goes to the plate.) I'm signing off for tonight...

Corning Outlets (which now include Revere) are often hit or miss for great bargains. I haven't seen 99 cent pyrex pie plates in Flemington NJ for several years. Prices are more like $3, but that's not an item I regularly comparison shop.

Rosie made a number of factual observations and several judgmental comments. Based on the several dozen places where we've dined (separately), her reviews are often consistent with my experience. If I was an owner of the Pittstown Inn, I'd use this as a reminder that constant vigilance will enable the restaurant to deliver a top quality meal for each diner. A chef on the front porch drinking beer definitely sets a flawed first note. (In fairness, I did meet M. Constant three weeks ago, sitting in front of his Cafe Constant in Paris, smoking a cigar, with a glass of brandy. That was at 3 pm, though.) d'ya suppose it's time for the Sonoma Grill vigilantes to pay a visit to the Pittstown Inn? That could settle the matter once and for all. I'll see what adult entertainment is in the area....

I was just watching Roker on the Road on the Food Network and I saw a woman make and eat a hamburger cupcake. Her name is Clare Crespo and she likes to play with her food. No hamburger cupcakes; but there's sushi cake, jello aquarium, monkey pops and some other stuff on her cute web site. Ms Crespo-Chinlund's wedding announcement appears in today's NY Times Styles section. She has an extensive career in design and multi-media arts, with numerous professional credits. The burger cupcake isn't mentioned in the wedding announcement...

Molyvos is an excellent suggestion for a wide range of good Greek food. It's also one of the few places in Manhattan with a choice of several Greek and Cypriot beers

Gourmet - November issue (roast turkey on a purple background) Letters - several complaining about the TV issue, others liked it Jay Cheshes NY - on the upper west side Ouest - groudbreaking pioneer in a wasteland Aix - adventurous food, most imaginative desserts north of Jean-Georges (60th street) Nice Matin - an ode to clean and bright flavors in a friendly neighborhood spot Caroline Bates California Victorian Gardens in Manchester, nr Mendocino. A 4 b-room B&B with dining for 16 people. Sicilian tuna / braised leeks, vegetables from the garden, meat from neighbors, Zagat numbers equal to Gary Danko or French Laundry Vermont Diners Roadfood / Stern selections Mrs Murphys in Manchester for its donuts, no krispy kreme in vermont (yet) Sonny's Blue Benn in Bennington for its cremed chipped beef in a monitor top diner baba A Louis in Chester for the finest bread in Vermont. Sourdough, baguette, anadama Dot's in Wilmington - berry-berry pancakes with real, local berries bursting flavor Dorset Inn, Dorset - calves liver the equal of foie gras any where, raised waffles with maple syrup City Harvest - neighborhood run greenmarket in the hard scrabble neighborhood of East new York, Brooklyn Wine Notes - Gerald Asher suggests a Carlos VII Amontlillado or an Osborne of jerez for your turkey Kitchen Notes Food porn. Fisher & Paykel 20k burner stove top for $1200 or a Whirlpool oven & fridge for $1800. Chills your food until the preset time, then turns into an oven. Food Flash Lima bean puree, whipped chipotle sweet potato, mashed potatoes Berlin, Act II Edward Albee discusses his trips to Berlin as he and the city changed over 50 years. He was deeply moved by the monument under the site of the book burnings. (A few paving tiles have been removed from the street. Empty bookshelves are visible in the under street chamber. An intense light emerges at night.) Diekmann in Weinhaus since 1912. Old world charm and old world recipes like coq au vin Maxwell on Bergstrasse. Duck breast in pepper sauce in the decadent old Berlin. Aigner for old regional food in an updated beer hall Borchardt Belle Epoque, but skip the food Valley of the Ducks Stone Church Farm in Rifton NY produces nearly extinct ducks for market. Duclairs, Rouen Clairs, Appleyards find their way to Wheatleigh, GT, and Bernard's Inn in Ridgefield CT. Big ducks with meaty breasts and old world taste. Heartland Holiday Bourbon chicken liver pate, Roast turkey with cider sage gravy, potato parsnip puree. Wild rice, apple and dried cranberry stuffing; shredded brussels sprouts with maple hickory nuts Riding the TicoWave in Costa Rica A rural beach area of Costa Rica, known for fesh fish, great sufing, wild boar and vegetables. Lola's on the Beach, Mono Congo Lodge, and LaPuerta del Sol are mentioned for their distinctive cuisines. Several pages of tropical descriptions, relatively low food content. A Meal that bows to the Garden Escarole, fennel and orange salad; eggplant lasagna with parsley pesto; Tokyo: Into the Realm of the Senses Ume No Hana, where exceptionally fresh fish is served to westerners at tables with wells for their legs. Cube Zen for 20ish and 30ish people who want to be seen. Kanae for its fine tasting menu, or Shirogane for its intimate alcoves. A recipe for yuuan yaki a pan glazed fish with citru and soy is offered. A map of the downtown subway system with emphasis on restaurants in the port district is presented. Turkey Carving Instructions on page 216 For comparison, I pulled the November 1995 and 1997 issues of the same magazine. I've often commented Gourmet is a paint by numbers magazine. 1995 Sterns go to Vermont (same as 2003) 1995 Travel goes to London and India (2003 - Tokyo and Costa Rica) 1995 Europe = Germany/Wiesbaden, 2003 Germany/ Berlin 1995 Turkey Day is 13 pages, 2003 is nine pages 1997 Sterns go to Mystic CT 1997 Travel goes to London, Miami, Carribean 1997 Europe is Monte Carlo 1997 13 pages of turkey 1995 264 pages 1997 248 2003 230 pages Links to follow...

Current NJ list: Rat's Stage House South City Grill (Mt lakes only) Serenade Bernards Inn Frog & Peach Whispers Mill at Spring lake Frankie & Johnnies Pretty diverse, from Lawrence to Scotch Plains to Hoboken to Mountain Lakes. The Airmont Grille is also on the list (Rachel don't move to the NY board - it's context is OK)

NJ Transit does not encourage or condone sexual activity among or on board its trains. They're changing it again next week. There was not a sign, not an announcement, not a hint. I don't understand your comment. Is NJ Transit planning to encourage and condone sexual activity among its trains and its passengers? It would be much easier just to pretend not to notice, than to put up a sign that they're encouraging that activity...

NJ Transit does not encourage or condone sexual activity among or on board its trains. NJ Transit normally tweaks its schedules with the daylight savings / standard time changes. Has done so since 1976, and the Lackawanna did so for many years prior to that. They usually put a sign up in the stations a week or two ahead to remind people. There may be another schedule change toward the end of November to coincide with the opening of Secaucus Transfer and the resumption of PATH service to World Trade Center. Both will impact on the Montclair Line

Rosie - Based on your description, it sounds like your table's items may have been mis-timed in the kitchen. Perhaps the soup was poured, and allowed to cool while the crab cakes finished in the deep fryer or saute pan, etc. The same could apply if (Lowell's?) pork chop finished and continued to cook before the correctly cooked hanger steak was ready. Arranging the completion of different dishes at about the same time is an art, usually noticed in its absence. The limp French fries would be another indication that this is the case. You didn't mention the price for this meal. Would you care to share?

Crystal Plaza has also been a generous contributor to the Community Foodbank of NJ, which provides food for neighborhood pantries and other help givers. Kitchen left overs do not go to waste. edited to reflect correct name, I should know better, I drive by it several times weekly

That Monday is bad for me; Tuesday Wednesday and Friday are better that week. Monday the 10th is fine

Broadway shows used to be the same way. Audiences got a bargain as the producers tweaked the show, added songs, trimmed scenes for a few weeks. In previews, all seats were 1/2 their after-opening price. Now, there's no difference in price. Of course, with some shows (the recent Michael Crawford horror comes to mind), there are no shows after the opening. It opened and closed in a flash...

I'm often available for lunch. Let me know which date / time works for the group.

Thanks, Glenn. It looks like your thread got a coupla moderators into a pretty good tussle. I wonder if anybody on eG has actually had dinner or lunch at The Grocery? Unfortunately, it won't help Lou get his good restaurant into Zagat's NJ guide.

Paul, I'm assuming you never got a response to your voice mail from Andrea. I just want to thank you because I actually forgot about Zagat's, ( One crisis in a restaurant turn to another shortly, then to another, etc, etc). I'm going to contact them again and see what I have to do to get listed. I'll keep everyone updated if you all don't mind. Now THIS could be a restaurant reality show. Lou You are correct. Ms Clurfeld hasn't contacted me, and I'm not aware she's identified herself on eG. Doesn't mean she's not around, of course. I made two calls to her number at the Asbury Park paper, just in case the info from the first call was misplaced, etc.

There's a front page article in today's NY Times about an obscure restaurant in Brooklyn which has joined Bouley, Nobu, Daniel, etc as one of NY's top tables. Of interest to the NJ folks might be the following: minimum cut-off to be considered is 100 votes large numbers of regulars voting is better than new/old etc diners as few as 100 - 650 voters voted this resto into a "28" of food being in the top 10 is worth $3mn a year in additional revenue Zagat doesn't audit its voters, its trusts its surveyors Sounds to me like An American Grill has had more than 100 votes (NY's cutoff won't be lower than NJ's). If these folks are actually voting, there doesn't seem to be any reason why this resto shouldn't be listed in the NJ book. Zagat in the Times

based on your description, it sounds like the calamari was pre-cooked, and overcooked. That usually presents a rubbery taste when the item is reheated or hot sauced. How are the hawks doing? I saw several riding the thermals off Route 15 south of woodport road exit last week. They seemed to be having a lot of fun...

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