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dRock

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Everything posted by dRock

  1. So are you saying you would be more inclined to go to Restaurant with a liquor licence than a BYO if the food quality is virtually the same. I know that some like the prospect of a BYO to save $$$$$ and some dont want to be bothered with bring their own wine. Personally I like a place with a wine list because I am big into wine pairings and in my opinion if the food is fantastic, price of wine is never an issue.
  2. I am currently a student @ The Art Institute of New York City. I am an aspiring chef and restaurant owner. I am always talking up you know where because I am a fan of the chef who is an alum of my school. I do appreciate everyone on this forums advice and yes I want to eventually open up my own fine dining restaurant in NJ. I hope we can all move on now and get back to the original topic. In school they preach that the location for a restaurant means everything. I understand that if you are a "destination" people will travel but if you are in a location where weather, parking and travel aren't issues, doesnt it make more sense to pick a spot where your locals and demographics meet your concept? You can be in a wealthy town and be a "destination" at the same time. I also hear that the parking situation in Montclair is bad. Ridgewoods parking isnt great but the town is beautiful with high end shopping and it has the same draw as Hoboken but with a more older sophisticated croud. No offense to Hoboken but it is a college town. As nice as the Saddle River area is, its true that the only decent restaurant in town is The Saddle River Inn. Im begining to think that fine dining in general is fading away and a more casual place with very high quality food gives you a much better success rate in New Jersey.
  3. Hey. Now thats an idea. Or maybe even a New Ryland Inn. In Allendale NJ
  4. dRock

    Urena

    I hope this place makes it. I have not dined there yet but I think people are being really hard on Alex. People want to see flashes of Blue Hill, and El bulli etc. Maybe this guy is trying to create an identity for himself. And when it comes to things being cheaply done, maybe the poor guy is on a limited budget. Maybe this was the best he could do at this moment. We should at least give him the credit for having the balls to open his own place in such a tough area. I wish him the best of luck and I am sure this restaurant will continue to improve and will have its own identity.
  5. Imkennedy, It seems like you are using this thread to contstantly plug your restaurant. Since your restaurant is "such a destination", I dont think its necessary. Its actually getting quite annoying.
  6. Take it easy! Relax. have a drink or something.
  7. Thats a very good point. I suppose the menu must also appeal to the masses.
  8. I have to disagree with you Tommy. I think a restaurants location is one of the most important elements to a places long term success. Of course there are always other factors involed. Quality of food and service, advertising, word of mouth etc.
  9. How about this. If you were planning on opening a "fine dining" type establishment, what town do you think would give you the best chance of success. I know their are different types of fine dining eg modern vs classic but I have to say a towns demografic must have alot to do with the success rate.
  10. Im surprised such welthy towns like Alpine and Franklin Lakes dont have much to offer in fine dining.
  11. dRock

    venue

    These look similar to the melon caviars served at el bulli. Very cool.
  12. I understand, but is poor weekday business and good weekend business the nature of fine dining? If some of these restaurants were in different locations would their situation be any better. For example. Venue is my favorite and the most daring restaurant in the state. Is the fact that they are in Hoboken hurting them? Would they be better off in Saddle River or Montclair. I just wonder if there are any towns in NJ that would support restaurants of this "Manhattan calibur"
  13. What I mean by fine dining is for example, a restaurant with a tasting menu. An average check of 70 plus dollars. White linens. From my dining experience it seems like most places like this have a very hard time filling seats. Especially during the week. Is it just because most Jersey people rather go to NY for fine dining? Ive been to The Ryland, Venue, Nicholas, and Serenade, all of these places seem to be extremely slow during the week. On the other hand, Saddle River Inn is consistantly busy everyday. It must have something to with with location or the type of cuisine.
  14. Im trying to figure out wich NJ towns support fine dining restaurants the most. Is it Chatham, Montclair, Alpine.........
  15. South City Grill, Chakra, Venue, Mortons, Thai Chef
  16. To me, anything that is pushing the envelope should be considered "avant garde." Places Like el bulli, Cafe Atlantico, Arzak, Mugaritz, Alinea, Wd-50, Moto, Venue, Gilt etc. Even though I think Cru is a very good restaurant, I dont think it fits in this category. This is just my opinion.
  17. Been there once. Loved it!
  18. I would go to either Venue or Gilt. You wont be dissapointed with either one of these choices.
  19. dRock

    Chakra

    Whats the deal with this place? I went there once when they first opened, didnt like it too much, havent been there since. Is it worth a second visit?
  20. I went to morimoto in Philly about three years ago. It seemed to me that the menu then was almost identical to Nobu. Is that the case in NY. Hopefully not because I think NY has enough of Nobu to go around already.
  21. You may be right. But I know alot of smokers are real unhappy with this.
  22. I had dinner at Umbra located in the Borgata once. It was very good semi casual Italian
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