glenn

Can someone answer these... 1. How long does foie gras last (when purchased by the case)? 2. Approx. how many portions do you get per pound? Thanks.

So what's your point? :) Just because I can't remember my Hoboken geography? -- Bloomfield and Hudson are both 1 or 2 blocks from Washington, so you got me all sorts of confused. And why are you scouring the streets of Hoboken for thai restaurants?? Anyhow, now I'm really gonna go stand in the corner.

Ok, I'm goin' to stand in the corner for another 2 months!

Sri Thai, yeah, wasn't that the place you/we're talking about?? I'd swear there was a thai place on Hudson!

Rosie, we weren't exactly asked to leave though that was the implication. And Paul, our early departure didn't completely mar the excellent service and good food. I didn't mention anything to Rebecca at the time because I was (1) pretty wasted and (2) I we were with new friends and I didn't wanna appear the troublemaker that I am. However, the more I think about it, I'm inclined to send a check to make up for my tip and write a note about their booking policy. I would be very surprised if the server made the comment to us without being directed to. And what's the big deal about the cash tips?? They included a note in the guest check to kindly leave a cash tip if paying by credit card. I don't think it's quite fitting an upscale establishment. I understand the reason -- immediate payout for the service staff and saving the credit card discount -- but it seems so cheesy.

When I lived in Hoboken 4 years ago there was a thai place on 1st and Hudson. Perhaps it's under new management. If I recall, it was nothing to write home about, let alone justify eating there over the place on Washington.

Everything was fine and dandy, the tilapia that two of us had was just right and others raved about the shrimp. A little pricey at $28 for the entrees though, and my age old gripe of the server reciting the specials (instead of having a printout) without the prices. The service was excellent as was the atmosphere, but one gripe. About 5 minutes or so after finishing we were told (very nicely and apologetically) by our server there was another party waiting for our table. We were not asked to leave. However, we felt uneasy and left 5 minutes later. I forget the standard time that's normally alloted for a 4 top, but I think it's generally 2 hours. We arrived on time, waited 5 minutes to be seated and were there only about 90 minutes. Even if we were there longer, I felt such a remark to be completely inappropriate. Any thoughts? To top things off, the wine kind of muddled the abacus in my brain (or maybe I was subconsciously trying to get even) and I left a horrible tip, like about 8%. I didn't realize it until this morning and felt horrible. So I called up today to make amends. Rebecca wasn't there -- I was also gonna mention the abrupt end to our dinner -- and I ended up talking to the server and apologized profusely and offered her my credit card to make up for the crummy tip. She refused despite my insistence and said I could make it up the next time. I didn't feel it appropriate to discuss their booking procedures with her so I let it drop. Anyhoo, I don't know when I'm gonna get back there and was wondering if sending a check might be appropriate. Btw, it's a pooled house.

I've never had a problem ordering fish on a Monday, not that I go out to eat that often on Mondays. In my view, any restaurant that gives a flying ef and one that's in the $20+ range for entrees should not serve an inferior product. And it's my guess that most don't. Sure, everyone wants to cut corners, but it does more harm for a restaurant to serve crap and to lose customers. I'll never go back to Casa Vasca. Every restaurant I've worked at the chef has been conscious of food cost, but none would serve a fish not fit for human consumption. [EC was tremendous. Everything I hoped for and lots more. He can still put on a tremendous show. But someone needs to take those PAC ushers into a room and set off a nuclear bomb. They tried to get this guy in the first row to sit down and stop dancing. I couldn't believe it. This was not a friggin' opera. He rightfully refused. Then they made me go outside with my water that I paid a fortune for. Jeez, they even let you take water in to Broadway shows. Only in new friggin' jersey]

We ended up at Casa Vasca last night. The restaurant was mosly empty at about 6 PM. We heard our neighbors chatting about the upcoming show that evening at the PAC, so I assume the place caters to pre-show diners. On the only positive notes, the service was excellent and attentive. The place was cozy, though empty, and had nice well kept bathrooms. Other than that, all 3 of us thought the food was barely a step above diner food. It had no hint of ethnicity and if it weren't for the Spanish staff and a menu in Spanish and English, we'd never have known it was a Spanish establishment judging from the food. We shared appetizers of grilled shrimp and grilled sausages. Both were bland and there was a comment that the sausages could use mustard. We all had fish, my wife a pasta and fish ball dish, our buddy swordfish and I had grilled snapper. Every dish was bland as hell, and the swordfish and snapper were greasy and tasted like last week's fish. There were no ethnic desserts offered except for flan, which they were out of. I wonder why our experience was so different than others. Perhaps it was because it was a Monday and the chef was off? Perhaps they had a big inventory left over from the weekend that they needed to unload it? I dunno, but I guess the lesson is don't dine out on a Monday or stick with steak if you must.

Me too! Though my excuse is I simply stopped eating and stopped reading about food. Bigtime cograts, FG! I hope the chapter about NY's best restaurant accountants is not buried at the end... we're so unappreciated. I'm sure it's too late now, but I think a section on restaurant owners would be extremely interesting, they're mostly such colorful retards. And speaking of which, Pazo opened a few months ago.

Rather than prolong the agony of making a decision, I think we'll opt for Cafe Vasca. And yes, I'm pretty sure it was Spanish Sangria we ate at last year. Bad memories... smoke filled room, so so service and mediocre food. So would I be best off driving to the restaurant and then driving to PAC? Remember, dinner will be at around 6, so I guess there'll be plenty of traffic coming from Jersey City. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and a special thanks to Rosie for sending me a list of every dang restaurant within a 15 mile radius of Newark which would probably make an indecisive person jump off the Pulaski Skyway. :)) [And in case you're wondering why I so boldly speak for the rest of my group of 4, this will be my first dinner in 7 weeks as I take a momentary break from my diet, and they pity me enough to let me decide on the eats, and indeed they should!]

Does Seabra's Mediterranean = Seabra's Rodizio? In checking the listings, I also notice there's a Seabra's Marisqueria. Are these places owned by the same people? I should've mentioned we want fish. I'm trying to remember the place I ate at once in the Ironbound... it might have been Cafe Vasca... is it in a really deserted area? We're going to see the other Elvis, Elvis C. Thanks for the tips, and as always, my aim is true.

We have tiks to an early concert (7:30) next Monday and could use some dining suggestions. I have no idea where PAC is in relation to the Iron Bound district (or in relation to anywhere for that matter) and don't know if dining there would be feasible. We'll probably be pressed for time considering the show starts so early. Would we be best parking by PAC and taking a taxi to eat? Can you even hail a taxi in Newark? Anyways, we got the thumbs down from a certain person about Spanish Sangria and Maize. Is Theater Square Grill anything special? Thanks for any suggestions.

I agree Oddfellows sucks, not to mention it being about as romantic as Burger King. I can't think of a more romantic place in Hoboken than Amanda's, not to mention the food and wine list are very good.

Everyone I talk to about Fiji seems to like it a lot. I still can't tell the difference. Just to let y'all know, we decided to switch from Voss to Pellegrino and Panna for flat. And just to make y'all even more pissed, after shopping around, I got prices of $1.08/bottle for each of them. To compare, that's 40% cheaper than Voss and close to half what Evian costs [gulp]. And we're lowering our price from $8 to $6. [i voted for $5]

I thought it was the other way around. In any case, seltzer is way too carbonated for me, though I would gladly start drinking it again if I could get the soda man to deliver those cool old fashioned selter bottles. And who said appearances didn't matter? :)

I am surprised by some of the comments about small bottles. As I said earlier, we would prefer not to carry small bottles due to space limitations and the markup is not as high. The entire purpose of our restaurant offering it is for the one diner at a table who may want bottled water but not a large bottle. A small bottle is just over 16 ounces or 1/2 liter. And yes, if someone asked for club soda, they'd get it from the fountain. I know a few years ago Pellegrino cost about $1.10 wholesale. Don't be so sure though, that the water markup is higher than wine in all cases. House wines (served by the glass) are often marked up 5 times, while the top wines are often marked up only 2X or less. How 'bout soda and ice tea? Do you have any idea how much that's marked up? If you did, you would never order it again :). Having said that, I am in complete agreement with you, personally that is. It's a psychological thing and it pisses me off to see a restaurant mark up water 5 times and more. That is the reason I never order bottled water. I truly enjoy Pellegrino, but not enough to pay the kind of money places charge for it. But I'll pay $3 for a soda that cost pennies. Go figure. Good point and precisely the one I'm arguing with management now. I want to switch from Voss to Pellegrino and Evian. Very boring, but cheaper than Voss and they're solid standbys, the Chevrolets of water. Voss is too chi chi for me, and I hate the bottle, mostly because that's what makes it more expensive. Slight misunderstanding and poor choice of words on my part. I didn't mean to ask if restaurants should carry bottled water, but do they and should they list it on the menu. I find it interesting how all things related to water gets people's attention. Logically, it makes no sense to concern yourself with the price of water and not other items, such as specials. I'm no different, and I suspect many others act similarly. Well, I'm far from a connoisseur, but even I can tell the difference between seltzer and Pellegrino :). Many thanks for the responses.

Really? Canada Dry or Seagrams has always been on the menu at posh, exclusive country clubs in the NY area. It also comes in 16 ounce or 12 ounce glass bottles. I remember so from the times I've been invited to my Grandfather's club, Muttontown on Long Island, which is one of the oldest. I'm not saying you should offer it exclusively, but I think you would be surprised if you said you had it along with Pellegrino or Perrier, you'd get a lot of customers asking for Canada Dry or Seagrams. Hmmm, I'd like to hear other opinions on that. Personally, I'd love to put something cheap on the menu in addition to a boutique item, but we have a space issue plus I'm just not aware of it being done in nyc. And I think there's a reason for that, justified or not. I'm not so sure how a bottle of Canada Dry would fit in with elegant dishes and costly bottles of wine. I think it would leave the wrong impression. I think country clubs on LI are a different animal. Can you imagine Alain Doucasse offering Canada Dry? [though he's got a few more stars than us :)] But that's just my opinion which is derived from limited experience.

Thanks for the responses. While I agree with mostly everything Jason sez, it's not realistic to serve Poland Spring or other cheap brands. It's snobbish, but customers would be put off by being offered Canada Dry seltzer. Fiji is another one that doesn't appeal to the snobbery in people because it's in a plastic bottle. People expect boutique brands and seem accustomed to paying ridiculous prices [i consider anything above $6 ridiculous]. Pellegrino is my favorite sparkling, but I also like Sole. I forget, does Sole come with a screw top cap or do you need an opener? I thought the responses about small bottles to be odd. Our restaurant serves them to placate the one diner at the table who wants bottled water and we charge just over half what we charge for a large bottle, even though it costs more like 75% of the cost of a large bottle. I would like to discontinue small bottles, they're not as profitable and there's a space issue. What are the most popular brands among 3/4 star restaurants?

I'm doing a little research for our restaurant [a downtown upscale nyc establishment] mainly for the purposes of possibly changing our water. Lesser concerns are the price we charge and whether to put it on the menu. Obviously, I'm only concerned with those of you who buy or might buy bottled water [regularly or not], not the diehards [like myself] who are content with tap. Bear in mind this is a nyc restaurant and the tap water here is considered pretty good. Generally speaking, my research is geared to those going to an upscale establishment and spending at least $50/pp and a place where entrees start at close to $20 or higher. Here goes... 1. Is the brand of water important? If it's not on the menu, do you ask what kind of water is available? 2. Would you not order water because of the brand? [For argument's sake, assume it's an upscale brand, i.e., Panna, Pellegrino, Voss, Evian, etc.] 3. Would you think more or less of an establishment because of the brand of the water it carried? 4. Is it important that that small bottles are available, i.e., .5 liter? If they're not, would you not order water or would you order a large bottle? 5. What is your favorite flat water? sparkling? Reason, if any? 6. What do you consider a reasonable charge, bearing in mind prices generally range from $5 upwards for a large bottle? What do you consider unreasonable and would it detract from your overall experience, all else being equal? 7. To the best of your recollection, is water on the menu at most establishment you frequent? Do you think it should be? 8. General comments? 9. Do you ask the price if it's not on the menu? If you don't ask the price, do you make a point to check the price when the bill comes? top 5... cool cool water - beach boys water from the wells of home - johnny cash water on the brain - hollies w/the s. plotzkie doo dah band water is wide - felix pappalardi the water boys edit: to add #9, even though #8 s/b #9, but there are a couple of responses. and forgot to add, THANKS. [dimwit glenn]

Why is the rating system different in the Times NJ section reviews from the NY section, i.e., asterisks vs. good, very good, etc? Or is it the same, i.e., excellent = ****, etc?

These suckas remind me of "baby on board" signs you saw in rear windows in cars a century ago and probably FG's car today. Driving behind one of these makes me wanna forget I have brakes.

This place is a nuthouse. And yes, I love the Beach Boys but I did go to see the Fez' inhouse cover band doing a tribute. [pot, black -- very funny!] I hope y'all see the relevance in this.

This bears repeating... Bad Detective - NY Dolls Watching the Detectives - Elvis Costello Detective Tracy - Poster Children (She Was a) Hotel Detective - They Might be Giants Pete, King of the Detectives - Big Black

analogy 2 - the who, half of whom are dead. out of morbid curiosity, did they offer a refund after entwistle died?