viejomajadero

Sorry Folks Ate at this place the other night. Six of us. Food was mediocre. Service was aweful. Went for Spanish food - like they serve in Spain -- Madrid. Fried plantains? Argentinian style skirt steak?? The bread must be kept frozen and softened as required. Thin slices of tasteless - white bread consistancy - bread. Give me Don Pepe any day. Pro's serve the table. Food is more authentic. Bread is phenomenal.Thanks Viejo Majadero

Paid second visit to this three month old establishment. Both times the food has been above par to very good. Last night had what had to be the best steak pizzaiola ever. Wish I had brought some wine. Seafood salads - Good not great Muscles in white wine - very good Lasagna - Good not great Broccoli Rabe, Orecchiette, Sausage - Very Good The Bronzini special sounded excellent but carne ruled for me. Over all this place is a plus to the Kinnelon/Butler vast culinary wasteland. Owner said business is steadily building. He is affable and appears ready to meet his customers needs. This is a BYO. Anyone else been there? Address is 1574 Route 23 North Butler NJ 973-838-0340

Hi Went to this place on a whim a few days back. Had a nice burger with fries. My wife had a special of breaded and gried pork with a white sauce and fries. It was very enjoyable. Entres include choice of salad bar or soup and choice of potato, rice, or vegetables. Want to try the ribs next. Next table had them and they were falling off the bone. Looks like a great family -bring the kids- place. Low prices, little ambiance, good food for this level. Anyone else been there? Viejo

Hi Our culinary dinner at SRI was extremely enjoyable. Han's food match with our wines was impecable. One appetizer, an hor d'oeuvrre called Lobster Croquettes with Spicy ginger Aioli, was phenomenal. My wife and I went back again just after New Years. Again a perfect food, service, ambiance evening. The Christmas decorations were beyond beautiful. They were sitting patrons until close to 10PM. Per Anike the hostess they are taking reservations 4 weeks out and weekends usually book out quickly. I also sent friends there. They enjoyed their dinner so much they rebooked for a family party prior to Christmas. Every thing according to them went perfectly. I just don't get what started this thread, and "not the best anymore" seems inappropriate. Sorry. Viejo

All Like I said!!! My culinary group is having a Black Tie Dinner there in a few weeks. Can't wait. Viejo

Just got back from Siesta Key. Had two dinners at Dereks in Sarasota. They have not skipped a beat. Both times we were rewarded with intersting dishes. Love having a quality place to to dine in an area that should be offering a lot more. Went to a few other places and will report them in another thread. Viejo

I visited the Saddle River Inn two times since this thread was started. The second and most recent time was with three other guys on a boys night out. None of them had been there before. None of the negative issues raised previously happened on either visit. The three guys all commented that everything was done perfectly and intended to return with their wife or lady friend. The pan seared Foie Gras was as good as it gets by the way. Viejo

Tommy So what does this mean? "Well I'm sad to say that the day has come that I will no longer walk into the Saddle River Inn for dinner. After several years of being a loyal customer, even had our wedding reception there, we had the most disappointing meal there this month. We had limited our attendence to special occasions only, because the menu is stale, the staff is not first rate anymore and the idea of still having to wear jackets and ties is ridiculous." Does "oxymoron" come to mind? Viejo

Tommy, you, as always make a good point. Lime Bean wrote "We decided to order dessert, which again was limited". So I went to the SRI web site. This is what was listed for dessert Meringue Seasonal berries, heavy cream, ice cream Duo of Vanilla and Chocolate Ice Cream chocolate sauce, almond crunch Butterscotch Mousse chocolate brownie, chocolate sauce Frozen Cappuccino Passion Fruit Tart almond crust, coconut gelato Rice Pudding raspberry sauce, pineapple confit Homemade Ice Cream and Sorbet Seasonal berries, heavy cream, ice cream Doesn't look limited to me. I hope to get back to SRI soon and I will post a report. Smily should make his or her own decision also. The menu looks good. Prices are not out of line for this caliber restaurant and a BYO at that. Viejo

Went to the Village Green - Ridgewood last night. We were a group of six. Two of the six have eaten there a few times. They said it has never been this bad. For me, my first --- and my last visit. The owner of the place is totally lost. I don't think he has the depth to run a good or great restaurant. The staff was mediocre at best. No one seem assigned to our table, so after something was explained to the waiter, another came along and did not follow the request. Our table was set for six but was too small. We were elbow to elbow. The dishes came out on hugh plates and there was little space for them. The seats are hard wood, no padding, and extremely uncomfortable. We had been there with menus for about 15 minutes. No bread brought to the table. We asked the owner for bread and he said they usually don't serve bread until after the waiter takes the order. Who cares! Just have someone bring some bread. We each had the 5 course tasting menu. Believe me, a tasting was exactly what we got. I have never seen such small portions on some of the dishes. The Amuse Bouche was a half inch square piece of mozzarella, a cherry tomato half, and I think either a herb oil or light pesto drizzle on top on a ceramic asian style soup spoon. Very creative!! It was downhill from there. I cannot think of one dish where anyone at the table said "wow" taste this, my wife did like the duck breast. Dishes from the kitchen came out and the wait staff had a guessing game as to whom it belonged. Our wine was stored in a bucket containing all the other customers wine. There was hardly any voluntary wine service unless we asked and then the waiter had to go through the bucket to find our wine. Three hours and $155.00 later (for a couple) --- not a complaint but a comment ---the culinary disaster was over. My friends were embarrassed. I said I really do miss Zarole's. Viejo

Hi So we are here two days and the score is one for two for dinner and 1 and 0 for lunch. Since the most important for me is dinner I will comment now. Delmonico's and Restaurant August. I came to NOLA expecting that Delmonico's would be OK and August would blow me away. Well just the opposite. First the restaurant ambiance and staff. The space is not very large and I found it very homey. We, two of us, were seated at a corner by the window table for four. A perfect spot to see and be seen. Our staff was Jeff, Brandon, and Melissa. They were attentive, professional, and friendly. Melissa noticed we were dressed in black and switched our white linen napkins for black so we would not be covered in lint. Chef Shane Prichett put together dish after dish of culinary excellence. The food was interesting, showing tremendous depth of flavors and uniqueness. We had BBQ shrimp with baked grits, Lump Crab Cake with Mango butter and Kimchi Cucumbers, Suckling pig, and Doran (fish) with Lobster potatoes. While all the dishes were terrific the Crab with cucumber blew me away. Every bite was full of interesting flavors, unbelievable. My wife loved the Pig. She is of Cuban decent and this preparation carried her back to her childhood home in Cuba. Tender pork topped with crispy skin. We asked that the chef pick wines by the glass for each dish. The Sommelier came to our table and went over the selection. Each was exceptional and perfect. The service was seamless. Water for example was forever filled but we never noticed it being done Then we went to August. We were met at the door by two Asian Gigits. We walked through a beautiful restaurant and were placed in a noisy, small, dark paneled and boring room off the main floor, just outside the kitchen. Overhead were paddled fans spinning so that as the paddles crossed the lights our table flashed dark light, dark light, dark light. The banquet seat was too low for the table. My wife being small had to sit in the chair facing the wall. I have no idea what the name of the staff was. We ordered our dishes after consulting with the waiter. I had him choose between two dishes explaining how good our Delmonico's dinner was and we were foodies and I wanted a dish that we can tell our culinary friends blew us away. I then asked asked for the sommelier. None existed. The waited said he was training for that. He chose the wines. Our first dishes arrived. My wine did not show. I waited, I waited, my wife finished her dish and I was still waiting. I finally got up from the table to find the waiter. His assistant asked if he could be of help. I told him I wanted to yell at the waiter but would yell at him instead. He laughed and said I could yell at the waiter. I am standing in a hallway outside the eating area trying to find my waiter as my dish cools off at the table. I'm steaming mad. Finally he shows up drink in hand. No apology. Just excuses that the bar was backed up. I sat down to eat but for me the dinner was over. I'm eating in the out of towner room and the staff is incompetent. This was not top class as I expected. This was amateur night. My wife loved her beet salad. My Gnocchi dish was mediocre. The wine paired OK. The wines for the second course came before the food. I guess they figured that out. Again my wife’s dish was superb, she chose the duck breast. It was outstanding, having very unique flavors via use of spices such as star anise. My wife said the best duck ever for her. The wine pairing did not work. The spices overwhelmed the pinot the waiter selected. My dish selected by the waiter was again -- boring. Stewed venison shoulder and rack of rib over root vegetables just did not make the grade. He selected a Sangiovese from Italy. It was flat and tasteless. The waiter pushed the same dish on every table. In no mood for dessert I ordered a pressed coffee which was excellent but no hardware was on the table. We had to flag down wait staff and request spoons. Again, very amateurish. I left, not happy, underwhelmed, loaded with lint on my pants. Tomorrow – off to Stella. Viejo

Hi Coming from Jersey and have scheduled dinners as follows NOV: 8th - Delmonico's 9th - August 10th- Stella 11th- Cuvee Looking for best Fried Oyster Po Boy? Looking for lunch recommendations. What am I missing? Thanks So Much Viejomajadero

LJHdineSRQ Are you confirming the closing of Eufemia Hay as noted by Hitmanoo??? Viejo

Hit Funny thing is Duck is what I ordered. It was like Confit still on the bone, but over done, dry, tasteless, and thankfully the skin was crispy. Food was from the 50's and 60's. Viejo

Hi Wife is a HS teacher. Did the prom planning thing for a while. Best food, value, and treatment was at the Valley Regency in Clifton. or try the Rockleigh CC in Beregn County Pretty late to do this. Most schools book a year out. Viejo

Sarabeth Can't help you beyond what I wrote about Dereks. I'm a Jersey boy. Viejo

Sarabeth, No offence but Euphemia in Longboat is a dinosaur. Not worth the ride. See my review of derek's. Very much worth a visit. I think you will be pleased. Viejo

Beverly Apology accepted. I'd much rather talk about food. Viejo

Beverly, Actually, you got it wrong. I noted the service was excellent at Ophelia's. I did not use the word fat. But, being overweight and wearing a low cut short skirted lacy outfit in my opinion was not appropriate. And, a hostess with a bad attitude sets the tone for the evening negatively. Thanks Viejo

While my wife has been coming to Siesta Key for over 30 years I have only made the trek three times. This trip was turning into a culinary disaster. Had two trips to the chain Bone Fish in Sarasota. Food looked better in print than it tasted. While I could not complain about quality I found the food to be bland, with no depth of flavor, except for a steamed mussel dish. I had an amusing incident also. In making room for myself at the table, I pushed aside the bread basket, unaware that the end of the basket napkin went into the lit candle which caught on fire. I swatted the napkin to put out the flame but it flipped up throwing a hot wax drop on my finger nail. My brain did not work fast enough to put my finger in the ice water on the table. Man did that hurt. We then went to an old standby, Ophelia’s On The Bay. The hostess was extremely over weight and under dressed, showing more than I needed to see. She had a bad attitude, kind of like –I don’t want to be here. Service was excellent, the view was wonderful, but the food was late 1950’s. It is time for a young chef, with young and creative ideas to lift this place out of the past. Relatives visited from Clearwater and wanted to go to Euphemia Haye in Longboat Key. My first and last time there. Food wise it was the same as Ophelia’s, tired, old style, boring, etc. The Chef came to our table and asked how the food was. My wife signaled me to smile and keep quiet. I have been known to be frank and honest. We then met a local on the beach who seemed food knowledgeable. She recommended a place. On the way there we stopped for wine at the Wine Warehouse, 1919 Southwood Street. Fabulous place, great selection and prices. They talked the kind of food talk we like to hear and recommended ----- Derek’s – Culinary Casual, downtown Sarasota. From the outside and judging from the neighborhood I would have passed by this place and not entered. But that would have been my loss. We had no reservation and were greeted at the door by dining room manager Max Burke-Phillips. Max was appropriately dressed and cheerful (unlike Ophelia’s). He seated us, recognized we were out-of-towners and foodies and began friendly discourse. The space is warehouse like but cute and well appointed. It has about 25 tables and a Chef’s table by the open cooking area. The wine list was small, well chosen, and for the most part inexpensive. The menu had 8 appetizers under the heading Small Plates and Bowls. It had 11 Entrees under the heading Principle Dishes. We ate there two nights. My favorite appetizer was the Sweetbreads “Club”. Pan seared veal sweetbreads with tomato jam, crispy prosciutto, baby beet greensand brown butter and mustard emulsion. ($10.00) Also enjoyed the Wild Scottish Salmon Salad. ($9.00) My wife had the House Salad “Caesaresque” but felt it was too plain. ($8.00) As for Entrees, we had the Land and Sea (Crispy seared pork confit and monkfish medallions w/ Du Puy lentils, shaved Bosc pear, watercress and pear emulsion,). ($25.00) Duck Two Ways (seared duck breast and pecan crusted leg confit w/ creamed spaetzle, bacon braised greens and burnt honey jus.). ($26.00) Prince Edward Island Mussels ( Sautéed mussels w/ chickpeas, chorizo, sweet peppers and grilled tomato butter. ($17.00) And, my favorite, Yellow Fin Tuna (Pan seared yellow fin tuna w/ fennel, orange and cippolini onion tart with pea vines, olives, preserved lemon, crumbled feta and toasted garlic vinaigrette) ($27.00) Chef/Owner Derek Barnes talked the talk and walked the walk. He is ably assisted by Kevin Adey – Sous Chef and a terrific dining room staff. I hope others discover this gem and support it, so that on my next visit I can dine there again. I already spread the word among our friends and family. The bottom of the menu states “At Derek’s, our mission is to introduce you to new flavors, textures, and techniques while updating some classic comfort foods.” That they did, and other area restauranteurs should take note. 514 Central Avenue, Sarasota 941-366-6565 www.dereks-sarasota.com Viejo

Well, had two dinners at Zocalo late in August. Both times walked out feeling very good. Loved the Spicy Tuna tartar $9.00, the Pan Seared Tuna Loin $21.00, and the Grilled Chimmi-Churi Lamb Loin. Loved the food style and flavors. Wonderful wine list containing wide range of choices from Spain and South Amerrica. Staff was very accomodating and friendly providing attention and excellent service from the time we arrived. Spoke at length with the amicable Chef Owner who turns out is a New Englander and has no ethnic connection to this style food. Overall, high complements from a foodie from NJ. Thanks ThatGrrl for the tip. Viejo

Thanks everyone. Will be going with Faschino. Viejo

Thanks so far. Meredith and Jim thanks. Just to add a few more parameters to help. Group getting together on 9/28/2006 Thursday night. Area selected is for convenience of all attending. NY is not workable. Looking to serve old cabernets. This is not Sushi wine. Choosing Magnums from among Silver Oak 1981 Bonney and Napa. 85 Bonney. 90 Montelena. 86 Dunn Napa. 78 Mondavi. Thanks Viejo

Tommy Yes to Corkage Zarole is closed and moving to Paramus with opening to be in January. That is all I know. Curlz Thanks. Fascino is on my short list. Viejo

Hi Turning 60 in a few days and having a Boys Night Out with friends. Want a BYO as I am bringing magnums from the early 80's, all from California. We will be 7-8 total and cost is not an issue. Wanted Zarole but they are temporarily "KAPUTSKY". Suggestions??? Thanks Viejo