Rail Paul

What's in the dipping tub for the pork? It looked too thin to be a gravy or sauce, looked almost like a white wine bath. (A beurre blanc sauce would have been as out of place there as a guy riding a camel)

Glad to see Balthazar's OK is noted. Looks like China 46 was cited. I was surprised to see the PAL cited. I didn't know the health inspectors did government buildings.

Mine too. Really the key is the roast pork, though--it's just gotta be right. Aged provolone, greens (usually spinach sauteed with garlic and hot pepper). aw yeah. I was surprised at how wet the DeNic sandwich is. Even with a substantial roll, the thing starts to drip all over your hands very quickly. Definitely by the time you grab a cold pint of Ying at the beer tent. Doing the same sandwich with a drier, well roasted piece of pork, with crisp brownies on the edges, and letting the provo melt all over it, then adding the aged greens / garlic sauce could work, too.

I'll echo Rock's suggestions. Aria and Italianissimo are both BYO, by the way. Bacchus Chop House in Fairfield is a high end steak joint which I'd also add to the business guest's list. Owned by the same folks who run Bruschetta, which is a few doors away. Both are about 4 - 5 minutes away, near the airport. Aria Bruschetta

Given the high emphasis Balthazar's other businesses place on quality, I was surprised to see the health department note. I'm even more pleased that the (apparently) very minor recommendations will be implemented immediately. That was a classy response, exactly what I'd expect from Balthazar.

Your regular large pies in their regular holders are fine. The love cookies should be the smaller size, I don't want amorous activity in the office during work hours.

elyse - would you make two large pecan pies for me, and a dozen or so of the mexican love cookies? I may be running late on Thursday, but I do need them. (no amorous intentions, it's my turn to bring in food on Friday at work) Thanks Paul

Steve - that point was echoed in the Post's readers comments to a generally favorable Beattie review of Amernick, the bakery, last winter. There was little dispute of the high quality embodied in the pastry (one exception) at the bakery. Several people took exception to the atmosphere, help, and hours of the bakery itself. A good dessert should complete and crown a fine meal, as you say. Or, perhaps, on its own, create a new memory. But, in Cadmia's case, the expectations and the experience diverged. Perhaps that's the curse of being so successful for so long that customers expect a surpassing experience every time out of the gate. Based on this thread, I'll definitely add Palena (and perhaps a stop by Amernick) on my next DC visit... Amernick by Beattie Paul

Perhaps they're still partying....

Madison - August 7th new vendor - Wantage Community Supported Agriculture, an NOFA organic vendor. Garlic, tomatoes, leeks, etc. Jonathan White of Bobolink made a visit to Madison. He said that he's considering increasing his dairy herd. Demand for cheeses has been good. He showed a new cheese Moonglow, which tasted fine as a sample. I bought a piece and will comment after I've tasted in detail. It's a late spring, 70 day, cheese. Ewon from Farmersville Cheese had a new offering, Sheep Log . This is an 80 day, olive oil and herbes de provence rubbed cheese. I liked it a lot and bought a slab, along with the more traditional, ACS prize winning cheese. Jonathan and Ewon spent several minutes discussing the finer points of rind development, humidity, herbs, washing cheese, etc. It was fascinating to listen. Business seemed good for both of them, lots of people asking questions and buying. Lots of tomatoes, squash and egplant are in abundance.

Stopped by Rutt's Hutt tonight. Coupla rippers and a few cups of chili to go. As always, good nourishing food. Chili tasted more greasy than I recall. Yellow relish was outstanding, as always. I was discouraged by the take out area. In daylight, the yellow tiles and formica stand-up tables looked almost pleasant. That noire apperance created by flourescent lighting, biker nuns, yellow tiles, headlights of cars down on 21 was gone. The counter guys looked sorta normal. This was likely the first time I've been there in daylight in 25 years. It will be another 25 before that happens again as Rutt's is a night owl place. Redolent of stale beer and old cigarette smoke, rippers and folks nursing their last six ounce beer...

Dee has season tix to the Paper Mill, and struck Martini's off her list years ago for several of the reasons PaulaJK mentioned. For the money, Lilac or Amici or the Chinese place are much better, and even Charlie Brown's is as good for half the price...

1/2 hour at 550 cleans it up wonderfully, so I'm sure two hours in a self clean cycle would make it almost new

That's probably true in many cases, but I'd offer that China 46 in Ridgefield NJ and Hunan Taste in Fairfield NJ are probably equal to places in NYC in the same price range.

The courthouse is located in downtown Paterson, on Hamilton Street, near Main Street. If your friend is going for jury duty, there are several grease trucks which hang just outside the juror parking area. The courthouse area itself appears to be very multi-racial, with people wearing everything from burkhas to the absolute legal minimum necessary to avoid arrest. I've got to believe there's good food somewhere in there. The South Paterson area is about a mile away, across the freeway. As noted by Double O,it has several good middle eastern places, and is also the location of the every day farmer's market. That's off railroad avenue.

Early October is a wonderful time in New England, with crisp, cool nights and occasionally warm days. Mount Washington, the tallest mountain in NH, will be on your route. Access is via your own automobile, a tour bus, hiking (recommended only for skilled hikers) or an 1880s narrow gauge cog railway, powered by tiny steam locomotives. Nearby is the Bretton Woods Hotel, site of the international agreement which established post-war monetary policy. It's a grand old hotel with superb vistas. From the Conway NH gateway, either the Kancamagus Highway (NH 112) or US 302 will thread through the towering mountains, offering waterfalls and surprise views. If you get up as far as St Johnsbury VT, the Sterns have recommended the Blue Ribbon Diner there. Huge breakfasts. There are several artisanal cheese makers in the area. One of the best, Vermont Shepherd, is in Putney VT. They are participating in a town-wide crafts fair in November, perhaps too late for your trip. Vermont Shepherd Vermont and New Hampshire are known for their covered bridges (bridges which are fully enclosed with roofs and sides against the rain and snow). Towns are proud of their bridges, and have maintained them in fine form.

You're absolutely correct, thank you!

In Bergen County, that just isn't true. There are 70 municipalities, each with their own health inspectors. This allows them a full awareness of all the food establishments in the community. A friend who has a coffee shop told me that their inpections are irregular, but continual and not due to a complaint. This localization allows all establishments to be inspected regularly. Perhaps not in Bergen County, but definitely in some Essex County communities. The code enforcement official for one town was even quoted in the Ledger as saying it wasn't his business to count how many illegal tenants were in the house before it burned to the ground. He said the "only way I know if there's a problem is when people call." I called the Health Dept to complain about one store (mold visible on various salad displays for several weeks) and was told they'd get somebody out immediately. They did, too. That afternoon the salad display was completely empty.

Dee and I recently visited Kafe Kabul, the bistro of Rat's. I was underwhelmed. I had a quartet of mezze, Dee had a tajine of chicken with lemon and olives and a pate. Chicken was OK, light on the spices, but very pleasant. Pate was acceptable, but had no distinguishing features at all. None. Red peppers were tasteless, right out of the bottle. No flavor, not even oil. Lamb sausage wrapped with grape leaves was good, spicing was even and mild, tabbouleh was the winner. Cool tiny chunks of cucumber, onion, mint, lemon, maybe pepper. Perfect for a 90 degree day. With tip, LaChouffe Golden ale and two fire waters, the bill was $120. Maybe the kitchen was stretched thin with three weddings that day plus regular service, but I was distinctly unimpressed. The food was clearly not up to the art environment, IMHO. Edited to add: with a receipt from the kafe or rat's, admission to the sculpture garden is free. The neighborhood is filled with serendipitous art, some of which is visible from the train. A bold series of polygons near a flooring factory. St George astride his charger by UPS, etc. Definitely go for the art.

We've also used OME at a few company functions (same captive caterer situation) and found them to be very agreeable on custom needs. They're willing to let you suggest special needs (kosher style or vegetarian, etc) appropriate to the situation.

NJ is facing a suit now, according to wine spectator. The basis of the suit is three-fold: An Orthodox Jewish person is unable to obtain the exact wine needed for his personal expression from NJ vendors NJ permits the import of small quantities of wine by travelers, but denies them a right to have that same small interstate quantity shipped. Potentially ADA sensitive, since a physically challenged person might not be able to carry the bottles. UPS and FedEx are authorized to deliver intra-state shipments (NJ to NJ) but denied the opportunity to deliver interstate (PA to NJ) even though the signature, minors, etc issues don't differ. It was this argument which caused the NC statutes to be returned to the legislature by the very conservative Richmond circuit. (NY has a similar exposure for the same FedEx reason. The courts have been unwilling to allow states to grant local producers shipping considerations they deny an out of state producer.) NJ Litigation

It's heavily discounted in NJ. The nominal price for Coke products is $1.19 for a 2L bottle, usually on sale for 99 or 89. I buy Coke (or Pepsi if it's cheaper) and use the shopper card. Even when I don't buy a coke or Pepsi product, the Catalina machine issues me a $1 off 2 bottles of Vanilla Coke coupon. If they're getting it off the shelves for a true cost of 39 cents, that's not a good sign. The other products (cherry, diet, lemon) aren't being promoted that way

I noticed a sign for a new Abyssinian restaurant on Bloomfield Ave the other day. Adjacent to the Udupi Village, across from the Clairidge Theaters. Not open yet.

Maybe there's some endangered bird species that was offended by the loud noise. They could file a lawsuit. Make lots of money...

When I lived in Clifton, my local deli had mold on some of its display salads. For weeks at a time. I'm not sure I'd place a whole lot of trust in the health department's investigations. Like the building inspector, they only show up if somebody requests their presence. It's not like they go out looking for illegal subdivisions with 33 unpapered immigrants living in the basement or anything. Which reminds me, aren't we about due for another NY health department expose of inspectors taking bribes to ignore violations? We get them about every five years, with the building inspectors in alternate years.