MJP

I'll have to post the details at some point. I really honestly didn't go for the tripe, jellyfish, and the tendons (Noodle Chu and Chef 81 respectively)... it was the texture for the first two, especially the tripe (it had a very, very odd mouthfeel and flavor after the first bite) and the tendons were just underflavored. They were nothing but spicy, nothing to round it out or do anything about the texture of the tendon. I will say this - Chef 81 was my absolute favorite of the trip and had, without a doubt, the very best soup dumplings I have ever had since my first trip to Joe's Shanghai as a kid. The water eel, duck, and noodles were amazing. This is such a wonderful restaurant.

Mompou, a tapas bar in Ironbound, has a fantastic cloistered garden in the back. It can get a little noisy and cramped, though.

Bourbon BBQ is just over the Wyckoff border but is wonderful and worth the trip. It's right on Goffle Rd.

Well, he didn't say not to tell anyone, but I will be going on the Real Chinese trip on June 28th. I am massively excited; that was my first choice. :-D I'll spread whatever word I can that isn't protected for publishing or anything like that, but hell, this is so exciting!

Cachet/clubby inside, food is just OK. Decent selection of beers on tap but it's more a scene than a restaurant. Avoid it if you want good Chinese food and go to Chengdu 1, Hunan Cottage, Noodle Chu, or Petit Soochow instead.

Well, actually, they had the standard "tell us why you should be on the Munchmobile" way of entering, and yours truly seems to have charmed the Powers that Be. I'm on the Big Dog this year. :-D I don't know much more than that, but I'll be sure to report on the experience sooner rather than later. Thanks for any Gulleteers who managed to tweak Mr. Genovese's ear in my favor. ;-)

Tommyeats and Off The Broiler both give good marks to Petite Soochow in Cliffside Park, doesn't look like a dim sum/Sunday brunch place but it looks really, really good. http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2007/10...petite-soochow/ 4thing Chengdu 1, I wish my fiancee was more spicy-tolerant so we could dive in headfirst. If it was still there, I'd also recommend Taipei Noodle, but Chengdu 23 is there now. Shanghai Cafe in West Caldwell isn't really worth making a trip, Hunan Cottage in Fairfield is worth the trip if it's not TOO far.

China Chef in Secaucus is just OK. Not the same quality as NYC, but they do a real Sunday afternoon dim sum with carts and all.

Joe's Java is being run by a former employee of The Fine Grind, whose parting was sudden and unhappy given the fact that the former employee was sent to some kind of barista school/convention just beforehand. Source: current employee of TFG. I haven't seen movement at the wine shop, but I think the coffee house is open. There's a lighted display case but I only saw it when it was dark. Could be more. 2nded on Wine Pro; they have a very good selection and their seasonal beer selection is OK, definitely better than the Shoprite liquor store.

Patel Shah has their Indian mangoes in! They've got a stack of dozen-mango boxes of Alfonsos in, and they are beyond delicious. :-O $34 a dozen but worth it if you really like mangoes.

Mango season is again upon us. Kazbah, the Indian market at Pio Costa, has again changed hands (for the better; I wasn't happy with their produce selection and prices) and is now Patel Shah. They have boxes of Mexican mangoes for $8ish a dozen and Champagne mangoes for a little less. I spoke with one of the employees last week and they weren't sure about Indian mangoes. This week, I stopped in and they pulled me aside to tell me that within the next week or two, they'll be stocking Kesar mangoes. I'll post with this year's haul information. :-D

I was at the Manor last July for a wedding. Amazing cocktail hour, good main course. Beautiful location if it's nice out.

Larry, you should put in a good word for the guy who recommended a Munchmobile favorite from last year. ;-)

The area around the Bethwood is going through a bit of construction. Just a heads-up. I also recall that there was a hotel just off of 46 West in Parsippany, not far from the 287 on-ramps, that was a pretty good venue for a bat mitzvah a few years ago. I also forgot to mention the Short Hills. It was a bit overpriced for IMHO a very good cocktail hour but mediocre sit-down. The chocolate lava cake was very good, though. The decor was very nice, formal and country clubbish but not overbearing. If only the DJ could quiet down a little better. Traffic was tricky, though, and if you're not familiar with the area it's tough to find a way to get home. Oh, also, to anyone planning a bar mitzvah: if you're inviting a relative, please find out if he/she has a significant other to bring. Just a thought. :-D

Did he happen to open things up as to how one could get on the Big Dog this summer? :-D

First off, hollydebra, mazel tov to your son! :-D For what it's worth, the sight line issues in the Newark Club can probably be resolved with the right table placement. I was at the Newark Club and I can speak to an amazingly dramatic nighttime view of the city and beyond. I didn't try the food, but the decor and appearance is very modern and chic. If I was having a bar/bat mitzvah, I'd want it to be there for no other reason than the location and the view. My bat mitzvah back in 95 was at the Parsippany Hilton. They did wonderful things with their space for the party; it was a nice semi-Caribbean look with different sections - one with pass-around food, one with a small buffet area, and the bar (they removed the alcohol since it was only kids in that part of the area). For the grown-ups, there was a nice sit-down area away from the music and the kids' party and my parents told me the food was very good. I have to disagree with Curlz on Crystal Plaza. I was there in '99, so this might have changed, but the food was terrible. The decor was standard semi-upscale catering hall. If you can afford the Venetian in Garfield, do so - the food was amazing and the space is very, very upscale. It does verge a bit on tacky (green marble columns with inlaid gold in the main hallway area? Wow, a bit much, but it was the good stuff) so your mileage may vary. Avoid the Richfield Regency... done to death, overpriced, and the only good food is the pass-arounds. The kids might like it, though, plenty of spaces away from the party to hang out if they so desire. Arthur's Landing in Weehawken has a fabulous view of the city, but I think they max at 100-125ish people or so.

Rest assured that Fine Grind is still stocking Petite Cafe cupcakes as they relocate!

Tommyeats.com says it's pretty good. http://www.tommyeats.com/tommyeats/2008/02...-city-prim.html

I read the first sentence and nearly had a heart attack. Petite Cafe is going to be the centerpiece of our wedding; we're planning on doing a cupcake cake (but we haven't told them yet, heh) with their cupcakes. I'm glad they're going to be producing the cupcakes exclusively, but I hope we'll still be able to come by and do just one or two.

tkrongold, we were there last night as well. I do agree on the loungish vibe. I felt a little bit too un-hip to be there. The decor was unique enough but the lighting and atmosphere did lend to a clubbiness that I don't normally like in a restaurant experience. I liked the simplicity of Earth and Fortunato a lot better, but I'd definitely go back. We had no issues with the service at all; our waitress was attentive and helpful, although my one qualm was a bit of a logic issue. I asked her what she liked between the pasta special and the duck, and she said that she was a vegetarian so she didn't know, but she liked the pasta. That seemed like a bit of a disconnect to me, but it didn't change the fact that she was at least trying her best. We started with the buffalo mozzarella stack and the Kobette burgers. Those were tasty, although the beef was very subtle and just a little too well-done, a step above medium rare. If I'm having very good beef, I'd prefer as rare as it can be, but it was a nice nosh. The assorted sauces were very nice, I especially liked the wasabi honey mustard. The buffalo stack was delicious, the mozzarella had a subtle sharpness to it that I haven't had before. My fiancee had the sea scallops and I had the pasta special with monkfish, mussels, and rock shrimp. Both hearkened back to Lo Pinto classics from Fortunato and both were very good. I think her scallops were perfect as usual and were well-complemented by the mushroom barley. It was earthy for a seafood dish. My pasta was very nice, the sauce had picked up a lot of the flavor from the mussels and shrimp which rounded it out well. Our waitress also plugged the French toast when I asked about it; she said she really liked it since it was very sweet. My fiancee was all about that. I would have liked more Nutella or otherwise nuttiness to it. Good, but not great - we really needed a knife to cut through it. I had the cranberry apple cobbler and really liked it. I didn't find any strange taste in the cinnamon ice cream, just the cinnamon. It was nice and tart, it tasted like it was more an autumn dessert than a winter one. I do agree with tkrongold - this isn't fine dining per se. It's not Fortunato or Earth, but it is a step above. I'd like to see what happens with the next seasonal menu that Chef Lo Pinto comes up with to see what happens with the food; I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt on the decor and food matching as a bit of growth. I work nearby and plan to head over for lunch one of these days once that's rolled out.

Piast in Garfield or Emporium on Rt. 9 South in Marlboro. Excellent Polish and Russian sausage respectively.

The ceremony and tasting was for invited guests, but my fiancee and I went for lunch just to help them celebrate. We were fortunate; everything was 50% off to celebrate. :-D East Fountain still does solid quality sushi that was quite tasty. I'm a big fan of whichever roll had the tuna and tempura bits in it, and they don't ease up on the spice for the spicy rolls. Still fresh and tasty. One thing I'd be wary of: toro was on the menu, but when someone a few seats down asked to order some, the chefs told him none was available. Just a heads-up.

Hey, I should probably book the Woman's Club and actually get started with you at some point, Christine. :-D

My cousin's bat mitzvah was at Crystal Plaza. I don't remember the food, so it might not have been so great. The Venetian was very, very not-intimate. It's good if you have a lot of people coming (Call it 250+) but the food was among the best I've had out there. I'm planning my wedding right now and I'm booked at the Woman's Club of Ridgewood. It's a very nice space and the rate is reasonable, plus you can bring in a kosher caterer and have much more control over the food than at a catering hall. We're using Picnic and I'm sure they can do kosher-style if not OU-certified kosher.

We went tonight, it was a fun break. It was decent to not have to order the full rolls of sushi and still have it fresh. It's not Tomo, but it's better than Shoprite. I gotta see what this place is like during the busy hours, there's gotta be a nice stream of conveyor belt sushi going. :-D