Randi
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Posts posted by Randi
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If you've seen this thread then you've seen lots of pictures! Also, the last time I went for dinner I had the tasting menu and my dining companion did not, and it worked out well.
And everything was delicious, as always. I hope you have a wonderful experience and please do post after you go. And if you take pics? All the better
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Made it back to David Drake's this past week. Got to sample his current menu just before the fall changeover.
I hadn't been there in a while and I was pleased to see the neighborhood looking much nicer. The hotel next door (an Indigo) was finished and it made a big difference. I like the atmosphere of the area now, and I am sure that, along with the hotel clientele, must be good for business. I'm really glad.
I took a friend for her birthday. I got the 5 course tasting and she got an app, main and dessert. Photos follow:
An amuse bouche of octopus and garlic aioli. Very tasty, tender and obviously garlicky.
Crispy Potato Gnocchi with forest mushrooms, oven dried tomatoes and arugula. Really good! I am not usually impressed with gnocchi, but I was impressed!
um. yum. damn. This is a Terrine of Foie Gras (on the right) and peach gelee (on the left) with upland cress and a muscat reduction streaked across the top of the plate. Swoon-worthy. Seriously.
This is a Red Bell Pepper Bisque with goat cheese cream and garlic croutons. Really good, fresh-tasting, warm and satisfying.
Seared Sea Scallop with Pork Belly. This is the tasting portion. Every bite of the crispy pork belly transported me a happy place. Can you tell I loved it?
My friend chose the same dish as her entree. It was triple the size (I was envious of her 3 slabs of pork belly!) Oh - the rest of the dish description - it was served with braised leek, saffron potato and sauce romesco. (For those unfamiliar - romesco sauce is traditionally made with hazelnuts and/or almonds, bits of fried bread, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, sherry and paprika.)
My main (but still a tasting portion) was the Slow Cooked Rib Eye with warm German potato salad, wilted greens and a Riesling reduction. That's an onion ring on top. And yes, bits of bacon in the potato salad. See next photo for the inside scoop!
I cut into the steak and it was a juicy medium rare (on the rare side). And delicious, by the way.
The chef sent out a palate cleanser - a small glass of orange/lemon slush. It was refreshing and did the trick!
Coffee Panna Cotta with carmelized bananas and Sambuca foam. Those little round beads had a cookie texture.
I got the Lemon-Scented Chocolate Tart with Vanilla Creme Fraiche, salted caramel and pistachio dust. The chocolate tart was amazing, with a rich, deep chocolate taste and smooth, dense texture. Not sure where the salted caramel was unless it was the streak on the plate, which was dry and really not able to be tasted. Overall this was a delicious dessert.
The chef sent out a treat for my friend's birthday - tres leches cake. It was wonderfully milky and had a kind of almondy flavor!
The chef also sent our a pair of little sweet biscuits with the check. I think one was almond the other raspberry. Another nice treat!
Another wonderful meal at David Drakes. My only negative comment might be that the cost of the 5 course tasting was high in comparison to the a la carte menu. My friend's 3 full sized dishes totalled $50 ($13 for the app, $27 for the main, and $10 for dessert), but my 5 small tasting portions were $85. I realize there is extra work preparing 5 dishes, and I got to taste 5 dishes that way, but I think the significant extra cost (70% more!) was not justified.
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A friend is looking for a restaurant in the above area to accommodate 40 people in a private room for a bridal shower. Anyone have any suggestions?
She would love a soul food restaurant but is open to other ideas.
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I'm curious...
Any chance of a Melt #2 coming soon?
(It's winter and grilled cheese is on my mind.)
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I hope it's better than the Nemo's in Linden. I LOVE shellfish and I just don't love Nemo's.
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The Stage House in Scotch Plains is doing a 3 course prix fixe for $39 in the restaurant and $34 in the tavern. Really a perfect atmosphere for a Thanksgiving meal, IMO.
And David Drake's offers Thanksgiving dinner as well, $58 prix fixe.
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I'm a little late posting these, but better late than never! As I mentioned above, we each chose the 6 course tasting menu with wine pairings and shared everything.
I am just beginning to have an appreciation for fine wine, and I really enjoyed the wine pairings. We each got 2 glasses for each course so they were able to split each wine selection as well as the food. Unfortunately I don't have a list of the wines we tried. But they were wonderful.
Take a look at the food:
An amuse-bouche. Left: Fresh Oyster on the Half Shell with champagne granité, topped with a little smoked steelhead caviar. Center: Seared New York State Foie Gras with roasted pineapple quince, red grape, and a port wine reduction. Right: (I don't have an actual description of this, so I'm winging it) - Grilled Octopus over marinated onions and olives.
When they put this in front of me, I felt like an Iron Chef judge. Sometimes I wonder how they eat all that stuff. Anyhow, I am not a raw seafood fan, not an octopus fan, and sometimes I have issues with the texture of foie gras. But I figured, if i am going to eat these things, this is the place to do it! The oyster was actually delicious! The caviar was a nice touch. The foie gras was one of the best bites of the evening.
This is a Cannelloni of Applewood Smoked Salmon with celery root remoulade salad, fried capers and leek sauce. Delicious.
This is a Terrine of Foie Gras and Duck Confit with plum-onion confiture and a balsamic reduction. The terrine has a firmer texture, which I really like. And the confit - yum. This is one of my favorite dishes at David Drake's. Just heavenly.
Here are our wine glasses - the pour was just the right amount for the small tasting of each dish.
Fall Squash Bisque with PEI mussels, saffron and toasted pumpkin seeds. This was AMAZING. The toasty crunch of the pumpkin seeds made this dish.
Chilled Apple Soup Duo with Maine crab meat salad, creme fraiche and lemon balm. The wine was getting to us - my friend began to stir this before I was able to snap the pic! I liked the soup but the bar had been raised after tasting the squash bisque.
Atlantic Cod with yukon gold potato purée, chanterelles, haricot vert and a chanterelle sauce. The potatoes were silky and creamy. Dreamy!
Miso-Kaffir Lime Poached Lobster with crispy eel, salsify, cardoons and braised romaine. This dish was my biggest disappointment. The lobster itself was barely cooked - I don't like rare lobster, unfortunately. And I dislike miso, so this dish was doomed. The eel was actually better than the lobster, and I wasn't exactly crazy about the eel.
Steamed duck egg (already cut in half, but photographed from behind) with polenta croutons, plum tomatoes and chipotle foam. See below to see the interior...
As I mentioned we had cut this in half before getting the pic (we blame the wine!) but that's not a bad thing. You can see the interior this way. I thought that "steamed duck egg" sounded boring but much to my surprise - it was one of the best bites of the night. The yolk was so rich and creamy. Very luxurious. And the chipotle foam added just a hint of heat. Just awesome.
Squab Ballotine with carmague red rice, cauliflower purée and juniper sauce. Again, we split this dish before taking the pic. This isn't how it was served, we'd replated on the smaller plate they brought us so we could share each course. The squab was excellent. I especially loved the crispy skin.
Pan Roasted Venison Loin with ricotta gnocchi, brussels sprouts, plum coulis. Terrific!!
Braised Short Ribs with sweet potato purée, toasted pecans, pomegranate reduction. Very nice dish! The short ribs melt in your mouth and the sweet potatoes? Once again, so silky and just perfect with the pecans and the pomegranate seeds.
A pumpkin nutmeg shooter - oooh la la! This tasted like pumpkin eggnog. I could drink a full cup of this. OK, a vat. This was sent out compliments of the pastry chef.
The Cheese Course was very nice. My fave was the one on the left - it was a camembert, I think. Very runny and mild. I wish I had a list of the cheeses. Or even better - a good memory!
Dessert was Papaya Consommé with macerated mango and pineapple, lime creme fraiche and coconut ice cream. Very refreshing. Would have liked more than half of the tasting portion!!
Another incredible (and gorgeous) meal at David Drake's.
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Thank you Randi! I am actually talking with The Frog and the Peach. I looked at David Drakes too after reading about them on Zagat, but they don't have an actual private dining room. However after reading your comment and looking at their menu more closely, I called them and they may be willing to set aside the upstairs for my group. Based on your experience dining there, do you think the Upstairs is separated enought from the main dining area for a private group? I must admit I am more impressed with David Drakes menu.
Thanks so much for your recommendations!
Did you know David Drake opened another place? It is called Daryl Wine Bar. It's on George Street in New Brunswick. Haven't been there but it looks really nice. And I don't know if they have a private room.
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David Drakes in Rahway is 11 miles from Piscataway. To me, that is the perfect meal. But I sound like a broken record.
I am sure The Frog and the Peach and Stage Left, both in New Brunswick, would be good choices also.
The Stagehouse Restaurant is just about 15 miles. But a lovely choice as well.
Thank you Randi! I am actually talking with The Frog and the Peach. I looked at David Drakes too after reading about them on Zagat, but they don't have an actual private dining room. However after reading your comment and looking at their menu more closely, I called them and they may be willing to set aside the upstairs for my group. Based on your experience dining there, do you think the Upstairs is separated enought from the main dining area for a private group? I must admit I am more impressed with David Drakes menu.
Thanks so much for your recommendations!
Oh yes, the upstairs is totally separate. In fact, when you walk in the door, the stairs are right there, so no need to walk through the dining rooms on either side.
I truly don't think you'll be disappointed with David Drakes. You can read more reviews and check out photos of the food in this thread
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David Drakes in Rahway is 11 miles from Piscataway. To me, that is the perfect meal. But I sound like a broken record.
I am sure The Frog and the Peach and Stage Left, both in New Brunswick, would be good choices also.
The Stagehouse Restaurant is just about 15 miles. But a lovely choice as well.
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It's been way too long since I've been to David Drakes. A friend is coming in from out of town this weekend and we've got reservations for Saturday night.
We're going get the tasting menu, order one of each selection, and share. I can't wait!
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Thanks everyone!
Our execs will be dining at Tre Piani this week - I will report back.
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Our company is having a business meeting at the Westin in Princeton and the top execs are looking for a place to meet for dinner afterwards.
They were thinking of Rats, but this will be on a Monday evening, and Rats is closed Mondays. Someone suggested Tre Piani. It looks lovely, and I am hoping someone who has been there can give us a brief review?
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Been back several times and want to post about some dishes that I would never get again.
First - the grand marnier shrimp. A (literal) mountain of gigantic shrimp which were thickly breaded and covered in a thick creamy white sickeningly sweet sauce, with 2 cherries stuck in it.
Really bad.
Also, I would avoid the pom pom chicken appetizer. It was tough, tasted boiled and the sauce was sparce.
Beef with asparagus was ordinary. Boneless spareribs appetizer way too sweet (and wasn't what we ordered - we asked for regular spare ribs.)
I think the honeymoon is over.
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I guess I'm the only one eating at Megumi! Oh well.
I went for dinner the other evening. They brought out stale, inferior crispy noodles with duck sauce. Pass. I asked for hot mustard and they brought out some very hot, but watered down mustard. At lunch time they'd brought me full strength and it was great.
They also brought out a plate of emamame. Totally delicious.
We got soup. My dinner partner got Seafood Miso soup and he enjoyed it very much. Lots of seafood in it. I got the Velvet Corn with Crabmeat soup. It was good, but I am not sure if the shredded seafood was pollack and not crab.
We shared the Szechuan Water Dumplings. My faves.
He chose the 2 entrees to share (it was his birthday). He picked Black Pepper Chicken (a proven favorite from my previous visits) and Pan Fried Noodles with Seafood. The noodles were great - partially crispy and the part in the sauce got softer. So a nice mix. The seafood was scallops, jumbo shrimp and lobster tail (2 nice sized pieces - half tails, I'd say). The veggies were fresh and tasty. There were pieces of daikon radish (at least I think it was that) which added a lot to the dish.
There is still a lot I am looking forward to trying.
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Hmm...
I ate at the Five Guys in Edison a few weeks ago. I thought the burger was excellent. The bun could have been better.
All the toppings are free.
The fries are fresh cut. And they give you way too many! Share a small order.
It's very no-frills. They don't even have plates for you to eat on.
But I really did like the burger.
Randi
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We went back again today, this time I brought a real camera. The food here is SO fresh and well prepared. We'll be going often.
Egg Drop Soup. I prefer their hot and sour but this was a good rendition.
Szechuan Water Dumplings. Amazing! Pork-filled and served in a peanut sauce, these were the star of the meal.
My friend got the Black Pepper Chicken. Very fresh, very well prepared. She had gotten it last week too, and wanted it again.
I tried their General Tso's Chicken. It was perfectly crisp and all white meat but the sauce was a little too sticky and sweet for me.
Just a closeup of my pork fried rice.
Has anyone else been to Megumi?
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what kind of phone do you have? those are ridiculously good pics for a camera phone!
It's a Razr but I did perk 'em up in Photoshop. I thought they came out pretty good too!
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I got a menu in the mail a few weeks ago for Megumi in Metuchen. The dishes sounded fresh and interesting (the Chinese dishes, that is. I don't appreciate Japanese cuisine as much).
We went today for lunch which is served until 4 on Saturday! I got an order of shrimp shu mai (not bad) crab rangoon (good) hot and sour soup (excellent) and black pepper beef with vegetable fried rice. I finished it off with creamy sweet mango ice cream.
The beef dish was delicious, the sauce peppery and the veggies (onion, green and red pepper, fresh mushroom, broccoli) were fresh, crisp and really tasty. The serving plates were lovely. And the decor (walls, artwork) was really pretty. But the chairs were lacking. They were fine, but didn't seem to complement the rest of the decor.
I love this place. The food is fresh and well prepared. I am dying to go back to try: crispy duck rolls, szechuan water dumplings, chicken with fresh basil, grand marnier shrimp, crispy whole fish, soft shell crab, coconut chicken, and so much more.
Here is a little story I found about Megumi online.
Sorry for the quality of the pics below - I only had my cell phone camera with me.
Hot and Sour Soup
Shrimp Shu Mai (I had dipped one before thinking to take a pic)
Crab Rangoon
Black Pepper Beef and Vegetable Fried Rice (sorry, blurry pic)
Mango Ice Cream
Megumi
12 Center Street
Metuchen
732-494-5003
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DD is having a promotion through March (extended from Feb):
We would like to encourage current patrons of our restaurant to bring friends that have not yet dined here. On Mondays through Thursdays, we will discount 25% off of the entire check , including tasting menus! (minimum of 4 people, maximum of 6 people).This is an offer that truly benefits all involved. It gives you an excuse to indulge yourselves by dining with us during the week instead of fighting to get in on the weekend. For us it's a great opportunity to have new guests discover our "gem" of a restaurant where you might least expect to, right here in downtown Rahway!
Please mention that you received this offer when making a reservation to ensure that the discount is applied properly. We hope you can come and take advantage of this offer.
I'm dying to go, but I've already brought most of my friends.
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Whoo! I'm going for dinner tonite...hubby looked at the website and drooled over the short ribs, hopefully they will be on the menu!
Be sure to report back!
I was looking at their menu last night and I am really excited about their tasting menu. Sounded great - I'd want to try everything!
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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.
This is great! I will pick up a bottle of one or the other (or both!) this weekend! And I'll let you know what I think.
Thanks so much.
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Is location (Canadian or German) or grape varietal (Riesling, Vidal, etc.) an issue?
You can see by my post above, that I don't have a clue. (yet!)
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The backstory to my request is this - My friend received a bottle of Hillebrand Late Harvest from a client. He had told her it was ice wine.
Neither one of us drinks wine, so we didn't open it for a while. We finally got around to opening the bottle on New Years Day. She took one sip, made a face and poured hers into my glass. I took one sip...and smiled. It was amazing. I loved how the complex flavors burst in my mouth. Again, I am normally not a wine drinker (as you can tell by my lame description!) but this blew me away!
I began reading about ice wines and realized that what I was drinking wasn't actually an ice wine.
It was a $16 bottle of late harvest, as I mentioned. I saw that the ice wines were much more expensive. But I really wanted to try them! My friend decided it would be a good present (a late holiday gift) and she thought the one that had won the most awards from Hillebrand was the one to get me.
I don't mind if it isn't Hillebrand, and now I've convinced her that it doesn't have to be. I have read that there is a wide range of quality when it comes to ice wines, and since I am an ice wine virgin, I knew I could get advice here.
Thanks all, for your help!
Randi
Finally getting out to David Drake
in New Jersey: Dining
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I know they change it at least seasonally. In the past I've found that the items on the online menu didn't match 100% to what was offered in the restaurant. However, this last visit - it did. I was glad of it, since I like to decide in advance what I want and if I get there and they don't have it, I am disappointed.
Does your wife like anything on the lunch menu that isn't on the dinner menu? Or something on the tasting menu? I don't know for sure, but I bet they can make any of those for dinner. I was there once for lunch and they didn't have the duck egg on the lunch menu, but they were able to make it for me.
I can't wait to hear how you and your guests enjoy your meals.
Randi