bgut1

Thanks for all the recommendations. Being a big fan of GR, I've wanted to try his place however, GR's limited lunch menu and Ling's post really makes me want to try JG again. The hamachi and the caviar egg really does it for me. Xyx123 - while I think Robuchon is a fantastic idea for small plates, I believe two "fancy" restaurants in one day will be too much for my non-foodie wife. Something a little more casual (but with great food) will do. ← I guess I should have spoken to my wife first .... while she wouldn't mind returning to JG, she doesn't want to dress up. She wants to wear jeans and be comfortable for our day of "shopping". Now where do we go? Doh!!!!

Thanks for all the recommendations. Being a big fan of GR, I've wanted to try his place however, GR's limited lunch menu and Ling's post really makes me want to try JG again. The hamachi and the caviar egg really does it for me. Xyx123 - while I think Robuchon is a fantastic idea for small plates, I believe two "fancy" restaurants in one day will be too much for my non-foodie wife. Something a little more casual (but with great food) will do.

Wife just surprised me with a day in the city for Friday the 29th. Even though we live less than an hour from the City, its is quite a rare occurrence to get in for a meal let alone a whole day given that we have three very young children. That being said, we thought we would do a lunch, some shopping (maybe a museum), then some drinks and few small plates (rather not do a full dinner) before we return home. Some lunch ideas include Gordon Ramsey and Jean Georges (years since we last dined there), with drinks and appetizers at the Bar at the Modern. Any assistance would be appreciated.

Sentiamo - What's worse is that I live so close to NYC (less than an hour) but rarely get the chance to go in. So close yet so far away.

Not on this trip, but make sure you watch the Pacific Northwest episode of No Reservations. I think it airs Jan. 22nd. ← Henry - Too funny. I was already looking forward to the new season. Now I have another reason to watch. Thanks.

Yes, we were very lucky to meet almost every chef! There's one other big name coming up...I took a picture with him. You'll see it soon! (The trip was expensive, but it was also our Christmas gift for one another this year. ) BTW, thanks H. du Bois. The lighting was very dim in some of the restaurants so some of the pictures didn't turn out as well as I would have liked. But our lunch pics turned out quite nice! It helps when you are photographing beautiful food. Domestic Goddess--anyone can have gastronomic stamina, but you have to pay for it afterwards at the gym! ← Don't tell me .... you also meet Anthony Bourdain on your trip!?! No really, I'm guessing Jacques Torres or David Bouley.

Ling - Thank you for a most enjoyable read. The one thing that I found amazing about your trip was that you were able to see and meet practically every chef. What luck. The fact that your pocket book was returned meant the gods were truly smiling on you. Now I would love to know what your credit card bill is for the trip.

Good luck Forest. Enjoy your stay with your family.

I work in downtown TR and have to say we are a bit of a culinary wasteland down here. I normally travel up to Monmouth County (Red Bank) for better food. That being said, there are a few places to recommend. For casual and fun (aside from the typical chain fare of Chili's, Applebee's and the like) I would try either Tiffany's (also a chain but pretty decent food) or Basil T's. For a step up I would try either Bistro 44 or Slowly, both located downtown. Good luck.

good point ... I wholeheartedly agree. ← Wow ... what took me so long to try Dish? What a great restaurant. We dined there this Saturday and snagged a table at about 8:30 PM (we were able to call ahead and have them "hold" a table even though they don't take reservations on Saturday). While the service left a lot to be desired (i.e. we waited 15 min after being seated until someone even acknowledged we were there), the food was fantastic. The reason I hesitated going to this place was that the menu seemed quite pedestrian and really didn't do anything for me. However, after reading many posters' raves we decided to try it tonight. Every dish was exemplary, from the fried calamari (greasless and with a perfect tomato sauce ...Rao's?), to the sesame crusted tuna to the short ribs. The only disappointment (if you can say that) was the crab cakes (good but not great). And how about two of the best tasting desserts I have ever had. The bread pudding and the largest slice of coconut cake. Man was this place gooood. BTW, an added bonus was that this place was BYO and we brought along a phenomenal 2003 SA Prum S.K. Riesling Kabinet. The moral of this story ... don't judge a restaurant by its menu.

We will definitely try Copper Canyon next time. While I've tried "fancy" mexican/southwestern cuisine (e.g. Coyote Grill & Frontera Grill) the menu at CC didn't do it for me. The Tequila Bar on the other hand sounds fantastic. BTW, how was Market in the Middle tonight? Did you try their awesome ribs? Sorry I couldn't come but I could only get a sitter for last night. Trust me, I would have rather eaten at MIM. Sometimes I would rather eat at old faithfuls as opposed to trying new places. But what fun would that be. Be well.

The wife and I were considering trying one of the many restaurants in downtown Atlantic Highlands. Up for consideration were Bobo 33, Bella's, and Copper Canyon. After checking out all three web pages (Bella's is now down for some reason), we decided to try out Bella's. Its menu seemed more appealing to our tastes - raw bar and various fish preparations. We arrived downtown at about 8:30 pm and had to park what seemed to be a half mile away from the restaurant (not so much of a problem except it was quite cold last night). We were pleasantly surprised to find many shops still open at that time and had noticed that both Bobo and Copper Canyon were packed with customers. At this point we were quite excited to be dining at Bella's. We arrived at Bella's to find the restaurant half empty. Trying not to prejudge we decided to keep an open mind and proceded to review the menu. Our concerns quickly vanished. The menu was awesome with every item sounding more delicious than the other - cioppino, braised lamb shank with polenta, john dory, whole roasted branzino, seared scallops with risotto, and on and on. The wine list on the other hand was a disaster. The typical kind of list you find at a Mom and Pop establishment. I could not recognize more than one or two wines on the list. The good thing however was the wines were quite reasonable in price and they offered many by the glass. Deciding to have fish we ordered a couple glasses of a Gewürztraminer/Riesling blend for $6 a glass (how bad could it be?). Pretty bad. On to the food. We started with a dozen mixed oysters (bluepoints, malpeques, and fanny bays), then tuna tartare and seared scallops with scallion risotto for appetizers, and the john dory (with mashed potatoes and chanterelles) and lamb shank for the entrees). Now for the good - The oysters were very fresh tasting presented with a nice mignonette and cocktail sauces (however we were charged for 12 fanny bays at $2 each instead of the less expensive bluepoints); the tuna tartare (classic preparation with seaweed salad on top), and the john dory (the highlight of the evening). The bad however ruined it for me. The scallop and risotto dish while sounding beautiful didn't turn out that way. While nicely seared on the outside, the scallops were "cool" on the inside and the risotto was not creamy in the least. The lamb shank was the biggest disappointment. It came delivered in a "pool" of sauce and tasted so gamy I could barely tolerate it. Don't get me wrong, I love lamb, but this was too "lamby." I'm still tasting it the morning after. Even though the fried pound cake (with Nutella) and the banana cake desserts sounded good, we decided to leave (we instead enjoyed a piece of the ultimate chocolate cake from Wegmans we were saving at home). On our way back to our car, we walked by Copper Canyon and Bobo (both continuing to buzz at that hour) regretting our decision. All in all, I would try a different restaurant in the Atlantic Highlands.

Jeffreys1 - I pretty much agree with your assesment except I believe the food between the two is quite even (though the styles are different). I still come back to one question however - which restaurant would you send friends you were trying to impress? To me, Nicholas is the complete package while DD is a close second. With regard to dish, I believe you had the steamed Hen Egg with truffle foam. I almost ordered that one. ←

Jeffreys1 - I pretty much agree with your assesment except I believe the food between the two is quite even (though the styles are different). I still come back to one question however - which restaurant would you send friends you were trying to impress? To me, Nicholas is the complete package while DD is a close second. With regard to dish, I believe you had the steamed Hen Egg with truffle foam. I almost ordered that one.

made with respect to its food, the service at DD is not up to the precision and “crispness” of Nicholas. That being said, I would not hesitate returning to DD and recommend it wholeheartedly. ←

Try the chocolate parfait dessert!! It is wonderful!!! My new favorite! Have a great time!! ← Dinner last night at DD was fabulous. First and foremost, this restaurant is one of the best in the state and the meal ranks up there with the finest I have ever had. I have a problem however comparing the experience with Nicholas. While the food is equivalent in quality, plating, and originality the dining experience was quite different. The service and the room were not up to the same level as Nicholas (I’ll elaborate below). I am not saying that this is a bad thing since some people may enjoy dining in a more casual atmosphere. The meal while excellent was not without its faults. Having arrived a few minutes late, we were lucky to have found a parking space in front of the restaurant. While the parking garage is not too far around the corner from the restaurant, my wife and I felt more “comfortable” not making the walk. Upon entering the restaurant, I found the restaurant to be very nice but much smaller than I had imagined. We were immediately seated in the room to the right (the fireplace room) behind the screen separating the reception “stand” and along the front window. While I recognize that the restaurant is small, I found that they were trying to squeeze in too many tables. The location of our table made the waiter, wine steward, and servers squeeze in between our and the adjacent table. For the quality of this restaurant I expected not to be crammed in. This situation was short lived as our neighboring table left after about a half hour alleviating the need for people to squeeze by. Once seated, we were presented with both menus and the wine list. Our first problem was that neither menu matched those posted online. My wife was hoping to try the skate wing entrée and I had chosen a very interesting Riesling. Regrettably neither was available. Richard the sommelier came over and recommended a perfect replacement, an S.A. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese. Now off to the next faux pas. The wine list said this wine was a 2002 vintage but instead I was presented with a 2003 without an explanation. While I brought this to Richard’s attention I was more than willing to accept the replacement and the wine was fantastic. Next came time to order our meal. Everything sounded great so we had difficulty choosing. We decided instead that since we were celebrating our wedding anniversary we would spurge and add two additional courses to the typical 3 course menu: a second appetizer course and a cheese course. We ordered as follows: first course - cauliflower soup and foie gras; second course - acorn squash risotto vegetarian preparation (no rabbit as my wife can’t get past the peter cottontail thing) and the chef salad; entrée course – short ribs and tuna; dessert course – chocolate coulant and chocolate parfait (per Lori Kennedy’s recommendation). Now to the next difficulty – it was about 20 minutes from the time we were first seated before we were presented with anything to eat (in this case the bread). Being famished we both attacked the bread basket when it arrived. Bread was okay (would have preferred crustier bread) while the butter was excellent. Next came an amuse-bouche consisting of calamari with black rice and basil emulsion of some sort. While each tasted fine, the combination didn’t do anything for me. Now, at this point I was feeling a bit disappointed with the dining experience. I went to DD with the expectation that it rivaled the best in the state (e.g. Nicholas). Since you read the first sentence of this review, you know I found the meal to be excellent, therefore it must have taken off from there. Indeed it did (except for one more faux pas). Both the foie gras (a beautiful sear with fleur de sel and apples) and the cauliflower soup (very silky) were exemplary. Next came the second course of the chef’s salad and the risotto. Both were served and my wife immediately noticed that the risotto was prepared with the braised rabbit on top instead as the vegetarian preparation as ordered. Again an honest mistake however, had my wife and I not intended to share our courses, the delay in preparing another risotto would have ruined the pace of the meal. The salad was perfectly dressed – a primer on how salads are to be made. After finishing the salad, the risotto was delivered. As other posts had noted, the risottos prepared at DD are phenomenal and this one was no exception – creamy and beautiful. At this time we were feeling no pain and looking forward to our entrees. The pace was starting to pick up and we were timely presented with our main course. My short rib entrée was perfection. A beautiful large and de-boned short rib resting atop cabbage, pomegranate seeds and pignoli nuts. The sweetness of the pomegranate perfectly complemented the sourness of the cabbage. This had to be the best rendition I have ever had. I was in heaven. My wife’s tuna was also very good but at this point I was in la la land. Having cleaned up our entrees we were quite full but decide to plug along. Next came the cheese course that I had read quite a bit about. The plate (eight samples if I recall) consisted of mostly goat cheeses with a couple of blues. Very good however I would have preferred less with larger samples and maybe a few “stinky” cheeses like an Epoisses or an Alsatian Muenster. Very good none the less (especially liked the raw honey that came with the plate ). Next came an unexpected palate cleanser of a granny smith apple essence with a blue cheese foam. This was pure genius and unbelievably delicious. Now onto the desserts. Lori’s recommendation of the chocolate parfait was spot on. One of the best desserts I have ever had – chocolate, carmel, ice cream with peanut brittle crunch – pure ecstasy. My wife’s chocolate coulant was also good but I was truly happy with what I had. While enjoying our desserts, I had commented to my wife that we had not received any acknowledgment of our wedding anniversary having advised of same while making the reservation. Right on queue we were presented with a small extra dessert (an almond fudge of some sort) with happy anniversary painted on the plate. A very nice touch. At this point I couldn’t eat another bite but had to oblige when presented with some passion fruit jellies which were delivered with the check. All in all, quite the amazing meal. Had some of the above service issues been avoided, this meal would have been perfection. A few more points. I was quite impressed with the reasonableness of the pricing of the meal. I was surprised to only be charged a total of $19 for both the added salad and risotto. Quite the bargain. Going back to my earlier point about the comparison of DD to Nicholas, notwithstanding the compliments made with respect to its food, the service at DD is not up to the precision and “crispness” of Nicholas. That being said, I would not hesitate returning to DD and recommend it wholeheartedly.

Try the chocolate parfait dessert!! It is wonderful!!! My new favorite! Have a great time!! ← Thanks Lori. I will give it a try tonight. BTW, congratulations on your husband's re-election.

My wife and I will be celebrating our wedding anniversary with a dinner at DD on Saturday. I look forward to letting all you know how the meal was.

Thanks nomistone. We have reservations for DD for Saturday. Have a happy birthday.

Taboni - I did think about the Fromagerie however, we ate at DB & Donatella not to long ago, and from the looks at the Fromagerie's website, the menus appear exactly the same. We wanted something different for this dinner. Thanks for the advice.

Just ate in the chef's table a month ago. No offense but no matter how nice the place, I would never sit at the bar for my anniversary dinner (we have eaten at the bar on other occassions). Instead we are considering David Drake. A lot closer to home and probably a nicer atmosphere than Sea Blue.

Realizing that its my wedding anniversary this weekend, I'm in a rush to make a restaurant reservation. Living in Monmouth County, the thought is to go to one of the new restaurants in Atlantic City. I've been itching to try Michael Mina's place in the Borgota - Sea Blue. However, a friend in the restaurant business tells me the decor in the place is pretty cold (blue theme through out) and the service is not up to par. Has anyone been? Other recommendations in AC? Buddakan at the Pier sounds fun however I wasn't thinking that it was "fancy" enough for an anniversary dinner. All help truly appreciated.

I understand it is still a work in progress, so only time will tell how successful The Pier will be. ← Cook456 and Eyedoc - How would you you rate the Pier as far as a must see attraction in AC? Right now I send friends to either the Quarter at the Trop or the Borgata. Both are the closest I believe to the Las Vegas type atmosphere people are looking for and what I believe AC is trying to establish.

I understand it is still a work in progress, so only time will tell how successful The Pier will be. ← Cook456 and Eyedoc - How would you you rate the Pier as far as a must see attraction in AC? Right now I send friends to either the Quarter at the Trop or the Borgata. Both are the C=closest I believe to the Las Vegas type atmosphere people are looking for and what I believe AC is trying to establish.

Thanks for your reply NJ2FLA. I will check it out myself shortly.