BeeZee

Wow, I think the manager missed the mark, big time. She saw 2 bites (a taste?) taken from the entrees which you then stopped eating. So essentially at least 3/4 of your entree was sent back to the kitchen. I certainly don't think that sounds like you were angling for a free meal and she should have had enough business sense to give you more than a $8 (?) dessert against $45 of inedible entrees. Even a gift certificate for that amount for a future visit would have been smarter.

I like using the extra firm tofu (cubed) in a stew...you can do any kind of flavor, since it kind of blends in, so you're not confining to asian flavors. I think the pre-fried tofu is a great idea for that, also! Silken tofu can also be blended in to a soup (or fruit-based smoothie) to make it creamy.

Today made a nice batch of potato-leek soup with chives. Very simple, but I can tell it will be great with some parmesan toasts on the side. Also contemplating taking half of it and turning it into a modified chowder with some bay scallops and corn.

That's a great tip, I remember that from when I was single and living in Philadelphia...go to the Italian Market on Saturday and suddenly everything is two-fer...

Steven, I enjoyed your tale 'o the grape very much.

The chicken with chilis that I ordered was plenty spicy yet still flavorful. It had sauteed jalapenos along with the chicken, little skinny red peppers, and some other kind of chiles crushed into the saute mixture. The hostess who was really nice actually came back to the table a couple of times to check up on me because I guess she thought I wouldn't enjoy it. Nice after-tingle.

nope guilty

They have duck tongues, if that is your interest...table next to us seemed to enjoy them. I've never had the pleasure.

One of my favorite things to do for "soup time" is to figure out a way to use the leftovers from a dinner to create a new soup. On one night I made thai red curry with shrimp. It was very spicy, and we had a fair amount of the sauce leftover (red curry/coconut milk, some celery and carrot slices, scallions, shrimp-y infusion). Since it was fundamentally too tasty to put down the drain, I used it to create thai curry soup. I sauteed chopped up red onion until soft, added diced butternut squash. In went chicken broth and the leftover curry sauce. Brought to a simmer, added yukon gold potatoes (half grated, half diced) - since the idea was to cut down the heat with the potatoes. Simmered about 20 minutes, added basil leaves. It's still pretty spicy, but really tasty.

Agree...some nice panini-type things with grilled veg/mozz/pesto and maybe a mediterranean style with hommous/veg. Not a fan of fake meat, good veggie sandwiches can be very satisfying.

Lasagne...it's a good 2 hour process for me. Hot cocoa. I just finished a batch of applesauce with pears, cooked with a cinnamon stick, and the house smells heavenly. I have to remember that next time we are snowed in.

I need to make a large qty of Israeli couscous salad...is there any way to convert weight (oz) to dry measure (cups)? I saw a bulk bin at Whole Foods and tried to gauge if the scoop was equal to about a cup but really couldn't tell. I've been tempted to carry my own measuring cup in so I don't over-scoop out of the bulk bin as I usually do...

Enjoyed lunch at Basilico very much...I had mushroom bisque, pear/goat cheese ravioli with pecorino/thyme sauce. The ravioli were perfectly cooked and very light. They have a nice lunch menu, runs the gamut of salad-panini-pasta, plus a huge dessert menu (if I only had room). BTW, walked past Cafe Monet and they were hosting a private party for lunch.

Thanks, Curlz + Susan... Will definitely keep Martini Bistro in mind for another time when I can partake! Cafe Monet appears to be open for lunch from what I see on other web sites, but they don't have any detailed info on their own web site. We need to see menus before choosing since we are kind of a picky bunch. Decided to go to Basilico, everyone was able to agree on that.

Meeting some co-workers for lunch tomorrow, central point with best options is probably Millburn/S.Orange. Looking at restaurant MC or Basilico as viable options, any other thoughts? It's also good if it's the kind of place that won't push us out the door since we have some business to discuss and probably will need the table for 90 minutes.

Salmon BLT with good fries. The bun was kind of nothing special, but the combo of salmon with bacon was pretty darn tasty. Jasper White's Summer Shack at Mohegan Sun casino. Really.

Sean, thanks for the link to your photo's. I'm always blown away by how beautiful all the different varieties of fish can be!

Thanks, Scarlet Knight and Curlz. Some good options.

Sis and I are getting together at the end of December, meeting in Summit. Would like some ideas for someplace fun for lunch, we like vegetarian, sushi/asian...not someplace heavy into "meat-centric" dishes Price isn't really an issue (at least not the primary one) but we don't want something heavy (ie, no italian). Any thoughts?

I've read that you can get chicken sashimi in Japan.

Of course, after reading Prasantrin's comment about croissants with potato salad baked inside, I remembered...potato knish! It doesn't have the outer bread ratio of what I'd consider a sandwich, more of a thin dough shell encasing wonderful mashed potatoes with sauteed-until-brown onions and a healthy sprinkly of black pepper...yum

Potato pizza is yummy, I think homefries, well done, on crusty bread would be carbolicious! Maybe something like an asiago bread... evil man for making me think about that...

No photo, but it wasn't photogenic anyhow. Mostly homemade enchiladas (Ortega canned enchilada sauce, green)...poached chicken in some really flavorful veg stock (enhanced with ancho chili, onion, garlic, celery). Sauteed chopped up zucchini with red bell pepper, garlic and added in the onion from the stock along with cumin. Shredded chicken, mixed with veggies, a bit of the enchilada sauce, and shredded jack cheese. Baked with remainder of sauce and cheese. Served with avocado/tomato salsa.

Funny...I had eaten there a couple of times (maybe last time was in the spring) and didn't remember a szechuan focus in the menu. Is this one of those places that has separate menus? For what it's worth, I used to get a dish called "white meat chicken with eggplant in hot pot". Very tasty, but not at all spicy.

Yep, must be same as the one in Lawrenceville, decor is the same and I enjoyed the honey calamari last time I went as well. Other favorite is and eggplant dish which used the skinny purple eggplants (really sweet) and tops with a chopped up mixture of jalapeno and dried shrimp. Yum.