RockADS21

Dennis Foy's relocated from Bay Head to Point Pleasant Beach. Have not been to the new location yet but I have heard some good reviews from a few South Jersey friends...

As I went back and looked at my old posting I discovered that I had actually suggested Ajian in Watchung and Shumi in Somerville and not Sono. However, I have heard some very good feedback on Sono so I will suggest it now!

I had suggested this as a possible choice for a second egullet sushi get together a while back as I have heard some very good things about it. As the weather(wishfully thinking) gets warmer I would certainly like to bring it back as a possibility if there is any interest...

What a difference a day(or night) can make. We had dinner at Le Rendez-Vous on Friday evening and had a memorable time and excellent meal. The service from the time we arrived was very good as we brought a bottle of champagne which our server immediately put on ice and was sure to refill our glasses whenever they were close to empty. Bread accompanied by a plate of poured olive oil also was quickly brought to the table. I too had the tuna tartare which was one of the best variations of the dish that I have ever had - completely perfect in both presentation and preparartion - melt in your mouth pieces of fresh tuna served over ice cold seaweed salad - the highlight of my entire meal. The mushroom soup was very flavorful but more brothy than bold. For our entrees my wife had the duck which was tender and topped with a delictable reduction. I had the filet of rouget - a light snapper type offering grilled and served with a wonderful crabmeat risoto which completed the dish perfectly as it added some punch to the rather light fish. For desert we shared the warm chocolate cake - very good. Dinner with tax and tip came to $105. One further note on the service - although ours was very good it seems that they could use more trailers to assist the waiters as even though the place is tiny the waiters wear all the hats in both serving as well as preparing and cearing the tables.

2 things rarely admitted to in a lifetime, let alone a single post - attending a Jets exhibition game and eating anything referred to as "steak" at Rutts!

Tommy - not at all - just plans on my own - sorry for any confusion...

I would love to attend this as I haven't had a ripper in a year or so after them being a staple in my diet through the late 80's and early 90's(oh to have the stomache and metabolism that I had in high school). However, I already have plans to be at Kyoto on the 5th - oh well - next time. Hope you all enjoy.

I am sure that any wine that Rutts would serve would come from a bottle with a twist off top...

Having dinner at Le Rendez-Vous in Kennilworth next week. I know it has been mentioned a few times here in the recent past and with rather favorable comments. First time visit for myself and my wife...any suggestions or thoughts...looking very forward...thanks

McDonalds - bar none!

Lou - thanks for the info...this was along the top and was a bit more than what I would consider thin...oh well...that is what my knife and fork are for right...again the meat was very good - that was the only detraction...We had an 8:00 reservation and waited around 10 minutes for our table...

Had dinner at Pierre's in Morristown last night. Proof that a well run/well-staffed restaurant can handle a busier than normal evening such as Valentine's Day. Our meal was very good from the start. We shared appetizers of duck foire gois and a crabmeat canape - both were exceptional. For entrees my wife had a lobster dish which had a wonderful cream sauce and I had a rack of lamb. The meat was cooked perfectly and finished with a great reduction...however the cut seemed to be rather fatty - to our chefs here - is this common with a good cut of lamb? I am curious because the meat was very tender - melt in your mouth type- and I was wondering whether it is cooked without trimming the fat for extra flavor or did I just happen to get a fatty piece? Desserts were also very good - I had a pouched pear in a red wine sauce which was a perfect finish...service was fine - especially considering the evening. One side note - I noticed when I first looked at the menu that they were adding an 18% service charge to all tabs. When they bought my credit card receipt the 18% had already been added on the tip line...it also did not have a line for an additional tip...I havent seen this before for a party of only 2 - has anyone else encountered such on a special occasion day? In a way it could be a disservice to the waitstaff as I generally tip 20% for good service...in any event the entire meal with one glass of wine and a dessert wine with tip included was $133.

Hmmm...public transportation to/from Nutley...I am sure I have seen a bus or two drive through town but I would have absolutely no idea where nor when it was coming from or going to...

Paul - Hunan Taste is actually on Bloomfield Avenue in Denville just off of 46. Take the split off 46 heading West from Mountain Lakes at the Banzai Japanese restaurant and it is about 1/4 mile up the road on the left hand side. I have been there dozens of times for lunch and a handful of times for dinner and always been very satisfied. The decor of the place which includes a wealth of fishtanks and a fishtank bar is top notch as well.

Lou - I most certainly will make a Thursday available to give this place a try - waiting for Spring would also be fine as at this time of year I struggle to find any free time! Although they don't have a bar, there is certainly no reason that we couldn't begin a few doors down at Terrazza for a cocktail and end up across the street at Franklin Steak House for another. I would not be doing my hometown justice if I did not offer to give the full area tour. I plan to be in to your place sometime soon so maybe we'll catch a moment to chat and discuss further...

Proving not to judge a book by it's cover I too have driven by Hunan Cottage hundreds of times without ever giving it a second thought...to it's supporters do you find it better than Hunan Taste in Denville(one of my personal favorites for Chinese/Szechuan)?

Not far down the road(Route 46 that is) is Totowa and Lu Nello on Union Blvd. is very good...

Yeah...yeah...yeah...us Nutley-ite's...if it's not an Italian restaurant/pizzeria its a hair and nail salon or cellular phone store... Having grown up in town and still having many friends and family there I almost always end up at either Franklin Steak House or Terrazza when I am in the area, but after hearing all of the positive feedback I am very anxious to try this place.

I signed up for idine and cancelled after a year because I just didn't frequent the restaurants in their program enough. When I called to cancel they told me that I could join their "earn your membership" program in which the first $49.99 of rewards that I would have earned would go towards my membership fee and anything over and above that I would recieve the 20% in credit. This deal is a win-win - cost is nothing and once you spend over $250 at participating restaurants in their program you earn credit. Without even consciously trying I have begun to earn the rewards and to my delight have recently seen 20% of my tab credited on my credit card statement.

I concur with Lou as well. A quality restaurant will certainly be more than capable of handling a higher turnover on a special occasion such as Valentines day. I dine out quite often and when I have chose to go out on Valentines day I have not had a bad experiance. I think the choice of restaurant is very important - I like to pick a place that I am familiar with their service. Most better establishments put a great deal of thought and effort into making this a memorable meal in a good way.

I tried out this Morris County BYO on Saturday night after hearing from several people of how good it was. Unfortunately, I wont be increasing that list of supporters. I thought the decor was very nice...a modern yet comfortable feel, tastefully done and certainly with enough of a NY style chic look that made you forget that you were in a strip mall on Columbia Turnpike. We were out with another couple and began by sharing a cold antipasto which each of us swore that we had ordered the hot version but this looked good enough not to send back and wait for the other. The plate was a perfect amount for 4 and contained roasted red peppers, a sauteed egplant, provolone cheese and various types of olives. It was tasty but certainly not anything out of the ordinary - more like a dish that i could put together at home in a pinch just before guests arrive to have something out on the table. We also shared an order of lightly fried calamari...the dish would have been better described as salt with a touch of fried squid. The two dipping sauces which accompanied it were not at all of note but even if they were would have been overpowed by the oversalting of the calamari. For an entree I had pasta 973 which is penne with turkey sausage and a variation of a vodka sauce. It lacked just one thing - flavor! Perhaps they used up all the seasonings in the appetizer but this dish lacked any punch at all. They also were out of 2 or 3 items from the menu as well as the dessert that we chose to split. Oh well...I doubt I will be returning to 973 anytime soon as from this visit I found it much more functional as an area code than a restaurant.

Let me be the first to wager a guess that The Manor, Highlawn Pavillion and Rams Head Inn will all win some type of award for a record straight number of years. One may wonder, is it just a coincidence that they do a full page color add in each months issue...

We are going to Pierre's in Morristown(202 Harding border).

Rosie - I concur...Mr. Pi is on my list as one of the top sushi places in NJ. The TKO roll that they do is purely phenominal.

Joe and Maggie's Bistro...haven't been there in about two years but the food is excellant.