bgut1

I totally disagree. David says in his post (please re-read it) that he has reliable info from the pastry chef who is close to the restaurant that there were other problems afoot and out of respect to Shelton's good name and rep he will not elaborate. Come on sir. He is basically telling us that he has some dirty laundry that he does not want to talk about which is ofcourse his perogotive but then why hang it out in the first place? Why didn't you or anyone else elaborate on that? And that is the primary jist of my posts. Also, there is no way that you can say that a negative comment could not hurt Shelton's career. You well know how little it takes in the restaurant business for people to stop coming to you. You want names, I've got them but certainly not in public. ← I have to agree with Hank. Either don't say anything or come out with the story. I think its worse to say that you know something but are not going say it to protect the reputation of the chef. Come on now.

I think most restaurants are Bruni-proof. Generally, the restaurants that have closed after his reviews were already in trouble anyway. ← I can't agree with the statement that "most" restaurants are Bruni proof. In fact I think its just the opposite. It takes a very special restaurant with a devote following to withstand a very bad NYT review. And even in those cases when the interest wanes the restaurant usually fails due to lack of "regular" customers.

I second the Smoking Loon Viognier! Great to just sip with friends, with hors d'ouevres, etc. ← Another vote for Henry's Pillar Box Red. A steal at $7.99 (in my case at Wine Library). I popped and poured (or should I say twisted and poured) the other night and was blown away by the quality of this wine. Great QPR. Enjoy.

I agree completely. In fact its the only place that comes to mind in the Trenton area. Good luck and please let us know how it went.

No, no confusion. From your post #6 in this thread, "Though I've been yelled at by our Orlandoian eG members for saying this,..." Whatever. The food scene here is rough. ← Sorry again. I shouldn't have said "yell". And I never thought of what it might be like for an Orlandoian who actually doesn't like the dining choices. Oy. Though I must say, where I live in New Jersey, the restaurant food is really poor too. ← Markk - Where in North Jersey? To be honest, I could probably rattle off a half a dozen places withing 15-20 minutes of where you live that would put anything in Orlando to shame.

Agreed! In fact I don't think I've ever seen any eG'er defend the restaurant scene in our fair town. It's pretty dismal! ← As an outsider and someone who visits your fair city often, I beg to ask why. It doesn't make sense to me. Shouldn't there at least be a handful of good quality restaurants for the "discriminating" eater? While the amount of chain restaurants in Orlando is crazy (I'm sure more per square mile than any city in the world) I understand that it fits the typical tourist demographic. I truly hope that before I return someone has the guts to open a decent restaurant.

I have been searching for good Monmouth Indian restaurants since moving here 6 years ago. I haven't tried the one you mention (a little far for a take out) but I will now. I usually wind up at Neelam in Middletown on Rte 35. ←

My vote goes to Jaques Torres.

I want to thank Eatmywords for the wonderful suggestion of Ava Lounge. It was fantastic and my staff truly enjoyed themselves. We arrived a little after 10 (following Damon Wayans at Carolines - hillarious). What struck me about the place was its size. Its much smaller than I had imagined. The view and the "vibe" were spectacular. We were lucky to get our own little area below the picture window looking out at Times Square. Drinks were decent (the Key Lime Martini was a standout however) but quite pricey - a little shocked with the final tab. All in all a perfect night. BTW, the food at Carmines while not great was pretty solid (especially the porterhouse).

Tomorrow night is the trip into the city. An early dinner at Carmines and then off to Carolines to see Damon Wayans. Due to the weather I would rather stay close to Carolines (i.e. not more than a 5 min walk) for after "show" drinks. The other new wrinkle is that everyone wants to be comfortable so we are wearing jeans. Any suggestions? BTW, the final group count is 9 - so a little more manageable. The closest seems to be the Ava Lounge. Any comments?

Elrushbo - Hue was also on my short list as I too was impressed by their website. Other than that I know nothing about the place. Good luck and let us know what you think.

Susan - Thanks for the reply. I was unsure whether to post this thread in the NJ or FL Board. Per my trusty Zagat, Le Coq au Vin is still around and is #1 for food in Orlando. I wonder how I missed it. Next time I am dragged down to Oralndo kicking and screaming at least I have a real restaurant to try. Thanks again.

I couldn't pass up a bottle of 2005 Vina Antigua Sangiovese Bonarda @ $5 a bottle. It had a card next to it proclaiming that RP gave it an 86 and calling it a "stunning value". Nothing complex but very drinkable and quite enjoyable as an everyday red. As Rachel Ray says "You can't beat that with a stick." Sorry.

.... you get back from a week in Orlando dining mostly in Disney and the surrounding environs. My inlaws have a time share so we reluctantly take the kids every year or so. While the kids love it, its getting old pretty quickly. Most troubling for me is the dining options. Pretty bad if you ask me. In the past, my wife and I would have a half way decent meal at the California Grill. This year we tried to relive a beautiful meal we had at Roy's on the Big Island at their Orlando outpost. While the place wasn't that bad, it didn't blow me away either. We tried most of the signature items (poke, ribs, lobster potstickers). None really reminded us of the food several years back. I was impressed however with my Cobia entree as well as the signature molten lava cake (one of the best renditions I have ever tried and compared most favorably with the classic one at Jean Georges). I was also quite happy with the wine list. I had a very good Roy's Riesling by Pfeffingen as well a glass of Inniskillin Ice Wine with dessert. The meal was also quite expensive for what we got ($200 for the two of us with a couple of cocktails and a few glasses of wine). I'm just happy to be home. I swear if I ever see another Disney character or another restaurant chain, I'll just ...... There's always next year.

Fascino was our first choice, however, the friends we are going with live in Clinton & Montclair is kind of a hike - that's why we are trying to find a restaurant somewhere in the middle. I was thinking of Scalini Fedeli, as we've never been there & I hear it's wonderful. I'll call & ask about a corkage fee. Thanks. ← While Scalini is not BYO, its sister restaurant Il Mondo Vecchio in Madison is. Good luck.

As you are aware, true ice wines are very expensive. As an "everyday" dessert wine I pick up the Bonny Doon Vin de Glaciere. Its a nonvintage wine made exclusively of muscat canelli grapes. While not a true ice wine it is made in the same style. At about $17 a bottle its a steal and can usually be found everywhere. Another Muscat dessert wine I also had occasion to recently try is Jorge Ordonez Selecion Especial at $19. It was very good and I was happy to see that Parker gave it a 90. Half the fun is stumbling upon one. Good luck.

Paul - To follow up my previous post, I received word today that my case of wine had arrived from Mouton. They sent it directly to me even without sending the other bottles back (which I intend to do anyway). What a class operation. I wish I could afford to drink their wines more regularly.

Ah, very reasonable. Only one day's drive! I am thinking of Plan B. Anyone know of a great icewine from any other vineyard that is available locally? I guess it doesn't have to be Hillebrand, I just want to try a respectable one! ← Is location (Canadian or German) or grape varietal (Riesling, Vidal, etc.) an issue?

Rosie - Enjoy your meal. Have the venison if you haven't already tried it.

It was a bone-chilling cold night. We arrived a few minutes late for our eight o'clock reservation to find the place packed and very noisy. There were a large group of people standing in the small vestibule waiting to be seated but contently drinking glasses of wine. While we were happy to be immediately seated we were given the first four topper closest to the door. So every time someone opened the front door a cold wind hit our backs. A small price to pay for such fabulous food. On to the food. For appetizers the table ordered the following: 2 orders of the risotto with mushrooms and white truffle oil, 2 orders of tuna sashimi, and the sauteed shrimp with white bean puree and paprika emulsion. The risotto was good as the first time I tired it. Perfectly creamy with a beautiful taste of truffle. A perfect foil for the cold evening. While I recall having the sashimi during our last visit I noticed that it was not listed on the online menu. Evidently this must be a new item. I only had a small bite from my wife's plate but I do recall it was excellent. I had the the shrimp dish (trying to order differently from my last visit) and was not disappointed. The dish was beautifully composed consisting of three perfectly cooked shrimp atop dollops of white bean puree with large red dots of paprika oil/emulsion. Everything was just right with this dish. One thing I specifically recall was the seasoning of the shrimp. It had a nice salty crust. The entrees ordered consisted of the following: the hanger steak with blue cheese sauce, baramundi (evidently another new item), the lamb sirloin, and venison with sweet potato puree and roasted brussel sprouts with chestnuts (my dish - also another new menu item). Everything was perfect. The hanger steak wasn't the type of beef I recalled. I thought the cut would be tougher instead it was buttery soft. In fact one my dining companions thought it tasted like a filet mignon. The addition of the blue cheese sauce was not a new flavor combination but still quite good. I had a bite of both the baramundi and the lamb and recall both to be excellent and beautifully prepared. I had the venison. Again a perfect presentation of four or five slices of excellent medium rare venison layered atop a nice brown colored sauce of some type with five piped circles of sweet potato puree. This dish reminded me of what winter/seasonal food was all about. Chef Zod was clearly on top of his game. Everything that came out of his kitchen was Perfect!! Dessert was a tough choice. Choose the chocolate terrine (which I had before) or the new chocolate cake (think molten cake without the molten chocolate interior)?. No problem as my wife ordered the terrine and I the cake. While both were exemplary we switched after the first bite. I knew there was a reason I love my wife. Our other diners had the fig newton and the peanut butter/apple tart. Those two desserts were different in a good way. The fig newton consisted of fig napoleon of sorts. Very "figgy". My friend commented that the figs tasted better than the best he had ever had. The peanut butter/apple tart was also good. While more peanut butter than apple, it tasted of a peanut butter coated apple, a comforting flavor combination. The chocolate cake, fig newton, and peanut butter/apple tart seem to be new menu items. Again everything was perfect. The meal left me wondering how long Chef Zod intends to stay in Montclair. A very long time I hope. I am convinced, dollar for dollar, not a better meal can be had in New Jersey.

Randi - I might be interested in going in on a bottle if you intend to order some online.

I just wanted to let you all know that I had another perfect meal at Blu. I will provide details when I get a chance.

While I couldn't find it for sale in NJ on Wine Searcher, this site sells it 3 to an order for $175 including shipping. http://www.icewineniagara.net/Icewines/Hillebrand/

Markk - As I recall, we did not finish off each glass before they were refilled.

I'm going to Blu tonight and will report back as to any menu changes.