Peter Conway

Irving's is the new Deli Style restaurant in this location. I've had lunch there twice. It is modeled and looks a lot like Katz's in New York. All the same stuff including Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray Soda. Have had the Corned Beef, Pea Soup, Kasha Knish and a jumbo beef frank. All were delicious. Chilli sauce for the frank was exceptional. They are doing a soft opening, stilll some staff issues, but it looks like they are working things out.

Toast is great. Welcoming decor, very friendly and attentive staff. Good food. My wife had Huevos Rancheros and I had the Cuban sandwich. Saw friends there they had the Cobb Salad and the "Mini Rubens" which they liked. Great sweet potato fries.

Yes, K.C. 's Chiffafa house is great.

I does taste strange but I love it with a Ruben Sandwich.

for the FMU/Holmes party? (edit: oops, that was the 7th. *seems* like last week.) peter, it hasn't changed one bit. 'cept the people got younger, and i got older. ← Tommy, I was afraid you were going to say that. Ha Ha. If I only knew what I know now then.

Scalini Fedeli 63 Main St. (Parrot Mill Rd.) Chatham, NJ 973-701-9200 Oh no they are not a BYO.

Would not be in New Jersey. Last really fav place was Dish in Passaic Park, in the Bruce days. But had my last meal there some time ago. ← i loved that place. I just saw Bruce and his brother (who helped run Dish) last week at the Loop Lounge, which he still owns. Dish was pretty remarkable, especially given that it was the 90's. ← Cool, say hello to Bruce if you see him again we were regulars there at Dish. Bruce and I were always sharing CD's of obscure music. Haven't been to the Loop in ages, still the same? Dish was amazing in its time.

Cool. Thanks for the reminder. Going there tonight for some dogs. They are the best. Hmm, what wine? Got a nice Tuscan blend from friends at Banville and Jones, I think I will pop that open.

Would you (or anyone else) happen to know which North Jersy TJs sell wine? I know mine (Florham Park) doesn't. ← aside from TJ's in westfield, as unleash suggests, i'm tempted to consider this wine: http://www.winerz.com/9cc_7124.html not exactly the same, but at 64 bucks a case, it might be worth a try. same producer i think. ← It has become harder for me to find under $10 wines I like. It is not about the wine because the under $10.00 selection is growing and getting better. It's me, just getting older and fussier. Ha Ha. Nevertheless. These were not bad: Droughin Laforet Bourgogne Chardonnay 9.99 at Gary's Naia Verdejo 8.99 Most Places Now I am inspired to find some other goodies on the cheap.

You were not wrong and the lack of an apology was unprofessional. As the other posters have said.

Would not be in New Jersey. Last really fav place was Dish in Passaic Park, in the Bruce days. But had my last meal there some time ago.

Yes Signs are in the windows Coming Soon Sushi Lounge Love their Morristown restaurant.

Dined at Gaucho Steak last night. Loved it. Great Decor, Jorge, one of the owners,is a charming guy. Had the scallop cerviche, calamari, and tamale appetizers. All delicious. Also tried the skirt steak with delicious chimichurri sauce and the beef tenderloin on tomato tart and a side of creamy swiss chard. Very nice menu witn beef, chicken, pork, fish and vegetarian dishes The wine, a nice Malbec from Amanti. We will be back. Gaucho Steak Argentinian Grill 340 Bloomfield Ave. Montclair 973.233.1520

Just had to post this from my friend Les Albert who posted his experience at Giambotta on my blog. I just returned from our so-called dinner at this place and lets just say that if our experience is indicative of others, I give this place a few months to live. We sat down at 5:50 pm and at 6:10 a waiter finally came to our table to take a drink order. The drinks arrived in about 5 minutes and that was the end of the good part. The appeitizers, their famous meatballs and an order of clams oreganata arrived 20 minutes later. The meatballs were served without the sauce, the clams were burnt and all bread crumbs. By the way, no bread was ever placed on the table either. It took about 1/2 hour for the ceasar salad to arrive and it was not worth the wait. Soaked in a tasteless paste with no flavor or body whatsoever. Another 30 minutes passed with no sign of our main courses. The waiter said he asked the kitchen several times what the holdup was, but there we sat, rapidly losing our appetites with so much time between courses. The tables on either side of us who sat down between 45 minutes and an hour after us were already working on their main courses. I finally called over the manager to get her assistance. I would have been better off dialing 1-800- Who-GIVES-A-Damn. She could not even look me in the face as she blantantly lied that our order went in 3 minutes before the table to our right and it was all the fault of our waiter and not her kitchen staff. She told me she was going to take it out of the poor guys pay and I would not let that happen. I told her that when it is ready, pack it to go and charge me as I could not do that to the poor waiter and I cannot believe that she could do such a thing. She walked away in a huff and I could not get out of there fast enough. Some folks may be impressed by the large servings at this place, but what good are they when they come out hours after they are ordered. With the quality of staff on-board, this place is doomed for disaster.

Me too, but I decided to give Kings another chance. Tried the Barrumandi and it was great. The whole red snapper looked great. Will give them another try. Also planning to do a mixed grill of Yak, Venison, Buffalo, and Ostrich, since they have all that now. Just for fun. ← I went to King's Verona.

Me too, but I decided to give Kings another chance. Tried the Barrumandi and it was great. The whole red snapper looked great. Will give them another try. Also planning to do a mixed grill of Yak, Venison, Buffalo, and Ostrich, since they have all that now. Just for fun.

What a great thread. Ha Ha Ha. So glad to be back on the board here. So throwing in my 2 cents. Let's Eat was terrible, I wanted it to be good, my office is across the street, I went in twice and left. They had bad food, bad service, no brand. CB, Aplb, TGIF, all have awful food, but great marketing. The masses don't care and would rather eat at CB than risk trying something else. The power of branding is a part of "Darwinian Capitalism." Anyway, thanks for the lively debate.

I always like Legal Seafood, if you can put up with the crowds, at the Short Hills or Garden State Plaza Malls. Then their is McCormick and Schmick's at Riverside Square Mall. But they both have a good wine listd which I enjoy. Perhaps after a couple of glasses I fail to realize that the food is just not that great for the price. I still enjoy both of these restaurants. Though I really wish we had a place like Blue Point Grill in Princeton, here in North Jersey. Another thought is Il Forno in Montclair, they always have very delicicous seafood on the menu. It varies from night to night. Massimo will only serve what is best from the market. I've also enjoyed the seafood at Sri Thai, Montclair.

The single portion could serve two, I'd say the family portions would serve 4. We brought half of all our dishes home and it was delicious the next day. Finally had dinner at Giambotto, they sent me a birthday gift certificate for 15 bucks, my wife, son and I went over for dinner. We all enjoyed our dinner. It is standard Italian fare. The ingredients were all very fresh. Their wine list is good and reasonably price. They serve tasty bread with a delicious Marinara sauce. The olive oil on the table was just fair, it was like that lite stuff. We started with the Zucchini Fritti, Deep fried zucchini with a lemon & garlic aioli, surprisingly light and tasty, and Zuppa di Vongole, Roasted baby clams in a garlic white broth. The clams were tender and the broth was nicely seasoned. For Entrees, Pierce had a special chicken over linguine, the pasta was delicious. I had the Veal Scallopine Abbruzzi, Veal medallions sautéed with wild mushrooms, leeks, prosciutto Diced tomatoes and herbs and Diana had Chicken Scapariello Pan fried chicken pieces on the bone with lemon, rosemary, sausage & potatoes. Both were abundant and very tasty. It is not Giotto, Il Forno, or Fascino. But very good nonetheless. The single portion could serve two, I'd say the family portions would serve 4. We brought half of all our dishes home and it was delicious the next day. We dined in the downstairs restaurant that looks like a trattoria. Will try the upstairs dinning room, which is fancier, one of these days.

Went to the Strip House for a belated Mothers Day Dinner on Monday. Had a delicious meal, spent a fortune, but came away disappointed. They have all this staff trying to be professional, yet the little shaker from my martini was on the table as the entrees were served. The glass had been removed. Also the empty shells from an apetizer remained on the bread plate. The wine list by the glass is awful, the waiter agreed and took away the second glass I tried. Finally went for a split but at a mark up of at least 300%. When you are paying top dollar you want everything perfect and Strip House falls short.

We've been digging Sweet Potatoe & Pecan in Montclair. Great real Southern / Caribbean take out. Great fried chicken, collard greans, sweet potaoes. Friday they have fantastic crab cakes.

Finally got to American Grill, with friends, has a great dinner and some fabuluous wine. Thanks Lou

They are open Wednesday - Saturday.

I've been there a couple of times with Vegitarian friends. The place is great.

Ariane Duarte works wonders in the kitchen of Culin Ariane. A new restaurant on Walnut and Pine in Montclair. Her food is art, perfectly prepared, full of color and playfully presented. A Culinary Institute grad and former executive chef of Vine in NYC. She and her husband Michael bring a refreshing new entry to the Montclair restaurant scene. The restaurant is bright, colorful and has lively hip club music playing in the background. Staff is attentive, though not polished. The room is small, some tables awkwardly placed. The food is sublime. It has an Italian, Middle Eastern and Asian influence, but all seems uniquely Ariane. Culine Ariane has a menu of 7 appetizers and 7 entrees. They offered two specials. The meal started with, compliments of the chef, a tiny blue potato with cream fraiche and truffle oil. Delicious. We had the Tuna Sashimi Flower. Diana was reluctant to order, she expected it to be like the many other Tuna Sashimi appetizers you see. It was totally different. The Tuna, cut in small cubes, gently brushed with sesame oil and soy or tamari, layered on wasabi cream fraiche, atop a circle of crispy flat wantons, this formed the blossom of the flower, Down the plate was a stem of chive with parsley leaves and pickled cucumber swirls. The dish puts a smile on your face. I had toasted gnocchi which were delicate and flavorful, in a vegetable ragout and tomato fondue, surrounded with baby carrots, red beets, squash and crispy leaks. We kept sharing the last bite, it kept getting smaller and smaller. It was so good. We were tempted by the jumbo crab cakes with grain mustard remoulade and mache, the corn meal crusted oysters with greens and horseradish cream or the greens with honey infused goat cheese. Next time. The entrees we tried were a baked cod, with arugula pesto, over delicate mashed potatoes and carrot puree. A special of the night. The pure white, green, and orange colors were delightful to the eye and sensuous on the palate. We also had the French cut chicken breast, on the bone, over Moroccan apricot stew with lentils and herbed quinoa. It made you picture nights in the casbah and made your belly dance. Other entrees sounded very good. I am sure we will be back. Culin Ariane is open Wednesday through Saturday. They pace their reservations so the restaurant was never jammed, but it get's noisy. We will be back on a week night.