BeeZee

There were a lot of people ordering both the salads and antipasto plate. I think I saw the green salad (dressed with vinagrette) on an adjacent table, big enough for 2 to share. Antipasto plate had (I believe) salami, proscuitto, cheese, fat sesame bread sticks and olives? Everything looked very fresh.

Went to the new DeLorenzo's last night...that's my kind of Valentine's Day dinner There was a fairly long wait at 6:30-ish, I'm going to guess 1/2 hour-45 min. Strangely enough, if you came in with a large group 5-6, you got seated faster because of the large booths being open faster than the smaller tables. We got one pie with artichoke and one clam pie. I thought I remembered that the clam pie was white when we got it in the past, but I think last time we had gone to Hamilton, so it could be a difference between the 2 places. Pies were tasty and crisp, the clam pie had a nice drizzle of oil and generous sprinkle of oregano. Clams were finely chopped and not chewy. That pie suffered a little from excess moisture (tomato) towards the middle, just a little droopage on the end of a slice (and it was a small, so the large might have more). Only negative was no attention from waitstaff after the pies were dropped, I could have used a refill on the drinks. I hadn't been to the Trenton location in quite a while, so it wouldn't be fair for me to judge if it is "exactly" the same, but I thought it was very good!

My husband was a consultant for several years (different industry, but similar enough)...the one danger of setting an hourly rate is that your client will rarely accept the number of hours you say it will take. Nobody thinks anything takes as long as it actually does. So you'll find yourself "nickel and dimed" on everything. The way he did his proposals was to give a flat rate for a "project" and then an hourly rate for tasks which would be easy to document on an hourly basis. The "project" or flat rate would be more economical for the client if you broke down how many hours you'd spend X $100/hour. That was the selling point. That type of proposal also makes it easier to get paid. If it's a long term project, you can ask for 1/3 up front, 1/3 at some pre-determined progress point, then final 1/3 upon completion. Smaller projects that might only take a couple of days are pretty easy to bill on an hourly basis, so long as you set expectations with your client regarding approximately how many hours you estimate for the project. Hope this was helpful.

I'd check the website for the National Kitchen & Bath Assoc. They have listings of people who are accredited designers, plenty of listings in NY! As a former designer, I can't stress enough hiring someone who has taken the time to get professional accreditation. http://www.nkba.org/consumer_hire.aspx

Heck, I had half of a blue bagel the other day (an abomination)- maybe I'll live an extra day. It had no discernable flavor, just bright blue dyed bread product. I tend to see "blue raspberry" as a flavor/color, which seems to have a little blueberry/raspberry flavor mix.

I saw something on TV which really looked good, although I was in the kitchen prep'ing and couldn't catch all of it...basically the idea of the eggplant "schnitzels" then stacked on a plate with a nice slice of fresh, quivery, bufala mozzarella. Chunky tomato sauce almost as a garnish. If the mozz is at room temp, and the eggplant is hot, might be a really nice texture when it sort of melts/softens into the eggplant.

I've got 2 bases covered (sort of pasta) and potato... I used to get potato gnocchi with mushrooms/sundried tomatoes and a touch of oil from a gourmet market prepared foods counter...and discovered how wonderful they were eaten straight from the fridge rather than microwaved to reheat. Gnocchi have a chewier texture eaten cold.

Interesting thread over on another site (aka, the 'hounds)... seems that several people who have been to DD in the past couple of months have found the experience to be lacking recently vs. before Daryl (the new place) in New Brunswick opened...say it ain't so! It's given me some pause, since I was considering a return visit for my b-day and funds are tight...we enjoyed our meal so much last year... Anyone have any recent experiences?

Bought a package of Ghiradelli chocolate "Sublime White Vanilla Dream" which was stickered NEW...on impulse at Target. Says that it is white chocolate with vanilla beans (with other natural flavors). I know, white chocolate isn't truly chocolate. Don't waste your time. Very waxy tasting with gritty bits (supposed to be vanilla beans?) very little discernable "vanilla" flavor. Lindt white chocolate is better, IMO.

They have a web site for the new location; there is a link to see the menu if you scroll to the bottom of the page. They will have salad and antipasto in addition to pizza. Plus a bathroom! www.delorenzostomatopies.com I suspect this is a transition, as the younger members of the family know that a lot of their customers don't live in Trenton and don't feel good about driving in any more.

Sounds like my FIL, who will ask any wait/busperson who sounds like they have a foreign accent..."where are you from?" in a booming voice (hearing aid never works right) then when they meekly tell him, he says "I've been there!" and says whatever random word he might know of their language.

Amy's has a veggie pizza with a cornmeal crust which is tasty. I recently tried one of the Indian meals (Palak Paneer, with lentils and rice). I picked it because I'm trying to limit fat and traditional Indian prep is very high in fat. This meal was savory and satisfying.

Before anyone brings them up, DO NOT mistake the "Original Soup Kitchen" or whatever they call themselves with the real "soup nazi AKA soup kitchen" in NY. It's foul mass-produced stuff, overly salted. FWIW, Al Yeganeh is probably removing himself from that partnership with the franchise, inside sources told me. He's not happy about many of the things they have done.

My dad has been doing the faucet wetting thing with bagels for 30 years. Works great on the traditional style bagel with good crust.

Agree with Therese; I have a cleaning crew coming on Friday (family get together is Sunday). At least the house will start out clean. Best indulgence this time of year.

The hostess tells me that to make that dip buy the Knorr vegetable dip packet but make it with chopped up baby spinach and water chestnuts instead of green onions. it was soooo goood. ← I can confirm, that is hugely popular with my husband's family, they demand it for Thanksgiving every year. It's stupidly simple - mix the Knorr packet with sourcream, mayo, chopped spinach, and water chestnuts. Kids who won't eat veggies will scarf it down.

The funniest thing is how you assume certain foodstuffs are safe because "why would a cat eat it"... My husband was working on a project that involved samples being brought home of all kinds of flat breads...pitas, lavash, etc. We had a carton full of chalupas, which were wrapped in plastic, that we left on the floor of the dining room just until they were to be shipped on Monday. Came home to find carton opened, plastic bag torn, and first couple of layers of chalupas with chunks missing. And a cat with a big belly snoring on the couch. Our theory was that the late day sun hit that box and the cat was enticed by the yeasty smell. When I was a kid, we discovered that the only way to protect meat from my dear departed cat Pepper was to put it into the microwave and shut the door. That was the "vault".

Kind of hard to cook more imaginative items for certain people...I have some relatives (husband's side, of course...) that poke suspiciously at everything they don't recognize. Had one of them poke, ask what it was, take a small bite, and SPIT IT OUT onto the plate. This was an adult. Kind of takes the pleasure out of trying to make something other than the usual slop they eat.

After all the rich Thanksgiving dinners (we had one Thurs, one Fri), had to come up with something lighter for dinner guests on Saturday. Made a nice batch of pear/fennel soup, really simple and a good starter. Would also be great with grilled cheese sandwiches, I think.

Back to the root question of can an omnivore and a picky eater have a happy relationship? In part it is dependant on how important food and eating out are to the omnivore as a vocation/hobby. If you look forward all week to a special meal out, and your dining partner is miserable, how enjoyable can it be for you? You can certainly eschew certain foods as an individual in a relationship (I hate eggs, the smell makes me retch...so my husband only eats them out when I'm not with him). There have to be some compromises in any good relationship. It's not shallow to question a person's attitude towards eating as a component of the relationship, as it can be indicative of attitudes towards other things and how one person relates to another. Crux of the issue with the couple in the OP is that one person was trying to enforce his will (his food likes) upon his date. Sounds like control issues in the bigger picture.

Agree, Sabra is great (just returned from supermarket with big tub of hoummous-chunky style and sauteed eggplant). Guess the only thing (for me) is the economics...it's $3.99 for a tub that would probably cost me $2.00 to make. Actually sometimes I make a batch and blend it with the pre-made stuff, since I like less tehina in mine than hubby.

Punkin, what part of NJ are you in, maybe someone will know local professionals they might recommend?

There are a lot of decent restaurants in SNJ which are BYOB because liquor licenses are scarce and wildly expensive. One of the best Japanese restaurants in NJ is in Haddonfield, it is Fuji. Recently moved to this new location. It is actually in a little mall in downtown Haddonfield (Kings Hwy), but don't let that throw you. http://www.fujirestaurant.com/ Another option, Mexican "inspired" is the Tortilla Press in Collingswood. http://www.thetortillapress.com/ Stop off at Moore Brothers (in an industrial park in Pennsauken) and tell them where you are eating, they'll make suggestions. http://www.wineaccess.com/store/moorebrosnj

Ro-Tel is a brand of canned tomatoes with green chilis...they sell both whole tomatoes and chopped. Look for the white label, it will stand out from the other tomato products and their red labels! It is not available in all markets, either.

Ditto, that was my introduction to the volcanic cheese dip...from a dear friend I met at work (a really bad office environment, but made great friends) who moved up north from Memphis, and was insistent that only Ro-Tel brand would do. It made an appearance at all of our afterwork gatherings... I also loved the grilled cheese sandwiches at the college dining hall, made with Velveeta, bread hard and crusty on the edges. The molten goo had a way of coating the roof of your mouth if you weren't careful.