bgut1

Boy do I miss this place. The best salad bar in the state. Does anyone know if they still serve cheese spread and crackers at the bar? While I loved the place, they could dust those books more often.

The menu changes freqently. I would suggest calling the reservation line and seeing if they will fax you the current menu (assuming you have access to a fax machine, of course). Most of the menu is small, tapas-style dishes, with some more substantial entre items, and a 9 course tasting menu ($105 last time I looked). Be sure to order the "L'ouef" - it's a martini glass with a parsley puree in the bottom, an egg poached in the glass with the yolk still runny, topped with sauteed wild mushrooms and a mushroom foam. Yum. They get a lot of pre-show business since the restaurant is right next to the theater. The waiters are good about making sure you make your show time. Bellagio was great, but after 2 years it was just time to move on and learn new things. My chef at Bellagio actually helped be get the Robuchon job. ← Neil - Good luck at Robuchon. I'll miss your pastries next time I'm at Jean Philippe. I guess I will now have to try L'Atelier (It was already on my list).

good point ... I wholeheartedly agree.

I didn't get to try any of these restuarants over the past weekend due to a family emergency. I do however understand that the remaining couples did dine at Bistro Ole and enjoyed their meals very much. Oh well, there is always next weekend.

Kevin - Thanks for the review. The restaurant has been on my short list to try however, now it will get moved down a couple of notches.

Neil - I just noticed you are now at L'Atelier du Joël Robuchon. What happened to the Bellagio? Better gig?

=mark - Thanks for the suggesting Far East taste. I tried it this evening getting all the items you recommended. I tried the Tom Yam soup with seafood (I believe "Thai Style"), an order of pork dumplings (very similar to Japanese gyoza) and the basil shrimp (and a very good chicken with broccoli for my mother in law who doesn't like Thai food). Both the Tom Yam and the Basil Shrimp were ordered spicy. Everything was excellent especially the Basil Shrimp. Thank you so much for the recommendation. Richard's place is now added to my list.

Brandl and Moonstruck are both excellent retaurants. I would however, put Brandl a little higher than Moonstruck.

Although the food can not be classfied as simple, I reccomend without hesitation, Brandl in Belmar. I have suggested the restaurant to half a dozen friends and all have reported back that they adore it.

jsfein, Oceangroveguy, =mark, & rozrapp - Thank you all for your advice. I have confirmed your opinion about Carmines with friends and therefore removed it from the list. As I am sure you all can appreciate, due to the fact that 3 couples are going out for dinner, each has their own opinion as to where to go. The general consensus now is Bistro Ole or the Melting Pot. I know many people on this board adore BO, but the one and only time I was there I did not enjoy my meal and have yet to be back. While the portions were huge and the prices where right, I didn't enjoy the food (a disappointing paella entree and a scallop/potato pancake appetizer which had too much going on on the plate). As far as Melting Pot is concerned, it pains me to say that I really enjoy the place. It’s far from gourmet but its fun . How can you go wrong with cheese and chocolate fondues? My only gripe is the cost. You can't get out of there without spending $75-$100 a person with drinks. Would you believe the Melting Pot has been solidly booked since the beginning of the week? It looks like I may have to go Bistro Ole kicking ands screaming. The things you do for friends.

Well now it looks like Carmine's in Asbury. Any opinions?

per rosie, from NJ Monthly, Dish closed. your choice just got easier. unless you're talking about another Dish, in which case i'm of no help whatsoever. ← That's Dish in Passaic while I'm considering Dish in Red Bank. I appreciate the heads up however.

I need a quick recommendation for dinner this weekend. Three are on my short list are: Dish, Mahogany Grille and Teak. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Just thought of another ... for classic french try La Petit France. I believe they are open for lunch. Mark - You really like the food at Buona Sera? The few times I've been there I enjoyed the scene however I've never been impressed with the food.

I've wanted to try the place for some time but have been put off by the way the restaurant looks from the street. Are you sure the place is good?

Was about to post a new thread looking for authentic chinese in Monmouth County and noticed this old one. Do I have to make the trip to Edison or is there some place closer? The owner of a local chinese restaurant I frequent said there may be some in Middletown or Marlboro. I think he was talking about Crown Palace. Any help would be appreciated.

I agree with Taboni on McLoone's. I would probably try the Bistro @ Red Bank. They have sushi, salads and brick oven pizza. Not gourmet by any stretch of the imagination but fine lunch food if you asked me. Its also centrally located downtown. Here is a link to their lunch menu -http://www.thebistroatredbank.com/menu.htm Good luck and let us know where you went and whether you enjoyed your meal.

I just noticed that I never got around to posting about my long weekend trip to LV in November. Better late than never - but here goes: Day 1 - Dinner at Nobu - many mixed reviews about this place. People either loved it or hated it. Put me in the loved it category. I guess you need to know what to order here (i.e. specialty items and not sushi). I did my research and ordered the following: lobster salad - amazing with perfect lemon dressing, rock shrimp tempura - yum, miso black cod - good but the least favorite dish, Toro Toban Yaki - excellent, a can't miss dish, and a dessert item (some type of fried sweet roll) - good but not great. Day 2 - Breakfast at Bouchon - Sat outside thinking it was a warm morning. My saving grace were the heat lamps. I had a Breakfast Américaine with raspberry filled beingets, fresh squeezed OJ and perfect pomme frites. Everything was excellent. A can't miss LV experience. Dinner at Alex - The low point of the trip. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. The most expensive meal I have ever eaten and this was without ordering a bottle of wine (though I did have a couple of glasses of wine). Total cost of the meal for two including gratuity was over $450. Beautiful room and excellent service, however the food did not live up to expectations at all. I'm just going to leave it at that. Day 3 - Lunch at Noodles (Bellagio) - Exceeded my expectations. Needed a quick meal and had an excellent bowl of noodle soup and a side order of dumplings. Dinner at Delmonicos - One of the best steak dinners I have ever had. Originally had a tough decision choosing between Delmonicos and Prime. I believe I choose the right one. Rib steak was perfectly cooked with a nice crust outside and medium rare on the inside. Service was excellent and attentive. This restaurant compares very well with the top NYC steakhouses I have been to. I will not miss this place on my return to LV. All in all, I was very happy with my choices. As a side note, if you have a chance to see Celine Dion by all means do it. I went kicking and screaming and left believeing it was one of the best concerts I have ever seen. I know it sounds crazy but it would have been worth double the ticket price and I paid $250 each ticket. Trust me, it pains me to admit it.

During our trip to Vegas in November we ate at Delmonicos. I enjoyed one of the best steaks I have ever eaten. The rib steak was cooked perfectly with a nice crust and a beautiful medium rare center. Side dishes, cocktails and service were exemplary. One shortfall however was the dessert. The bananas foster ice cream pie was terrible as the bananas were hard and crunchy (ice crystals). Having dined at most of the "top" NY steakhouses, I would have to put the restaurant right up there with the best.

Thanks for the pictures. They brought back memories of my breakfast there in November. I had the Breakfast Américaine with raspberry filled beingets. The pastry was divine and how could you go wrong with perfect pommes frites in the A.M.? A visit to LV is not complete without breakfast at Bouchon.

I've got another one to add to the list - Pho Anh Dao, 1483 Rt. 27 South, Somerset, NJ 08837 (732) 246 1788. I came upon this place by accident this past Saturday. It was a cold and rainy day and a hot bowl of pho really hit the spot.

I had a wonderful dinner at Girasole a little while back and highly recommend it. I also had a fun meal at Carmines two weeks ago with a large group of people. Not the best Italian food I've ever had but not the worst either and it fit the bill nicely with the large party.

That's to bad about Citrus. Their website looked interesting. Will defintely try Spargo's. Thanks for the recommendation.

The Frog and the Peach is similarly off my list as my last dining experience was subpar. Although I haven't been to Stage Left in a while, I've always considered it one of the best restaurants in NJ. I've also enjoyed several dinners at Soho on George.

Me too!