MJP

Yeah, I remember the Ground Round... it went up when I was a kid, then came down. Then came Look See, then that left, and if I remember correctly, there was a restaurant before the last occupant, Tuscany Grille. All this in the span of 15 years... not really a location renowned for permanence. I think the orientation could have been a lot better if more of the restaurant had a view of the airport. It ain't the Manhattan skyline, but Cessnas and Pipers are definitely fun to watch take off and land.

Anthony is back! Crave is coming to Fairfield! I just worry about the location; that place is cursed. The past occupants have seemed to be gone after a few years. :-/

I know. O_O I haven't had the time to head out there during the week, and I keep trying my usual dining suspects to head out with me. It's way up on our list, but I have to fight off the inevitable "Chinatown's closer" argument. >_< It's not easy. I really want to try some of the lamb things people have mentioned.

First in Rutherford, now Kearny; I was psyched to have one Peruvian joint in the area, but now there's a choice! :-D I haven't even heard of it, where in Kearny?

I've been there about three times, all for the Sunday brunch/buffet. Whenever we order something off the brunch menu, it's usually pretty quick and the service has been attentive. I haven't ordered off the regular menus yet, maybe there's a different group of staff on weekends?

I remember that thread, it was about the two menus at Hunan Cottage. Issues like this are hard to debate without making sweeping generalizations: "Chinese restaurant owners give more 'authentic' treatment to Chinese/Asian people," "white people have no right to claim racial discrimination," etc. I think it boils down to this: there are assumptions being made about white customers and food preferences, and I'd be more willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. I agree with Pete; this seems more like a question of a restaurant trying to cater to what it believes its customers will prefer. If you request the seaweed or the red bean soup, do they provide it? I've heard of instances where waiters will say "You won't like that" when a non-Chinese person orders something like chicken feet, duck webbings, etc. I do acknowledge that there may be bias present in statements like that, but the end result is whether or not a restaurant caters to their customers' needs and requests as best as possible. It's part of the business and it needs to be part of being a restaurant owner. I would resent being denied service because of my race, but is service truly being denied here?

Well, I'd say give them time, and most importantly, give them feedback. They're new (I'm not sure how old Greek Gyro is) and I don't know about their owners' and chefs' experience thus far. Drop a comment card or E-mail to them and let them know; that way, you can at least say "Hey, I told them I didn't like it, now the ball's in their court." I've only had decent chicken doner/shawarma/various kebab once or twice so far. I will say that Akasya down the street does the best chicken locally (Tabboule does a better chicken shawerma, but it's a bit drier) and I haven't had Sultan's yet. All the more excuse to try it. :-D

Akasya is very good as well, but to me, their doner isn't as juicy or well-spiced as Sultan. They're a little bigger, but not worth it IMHO. jw: I haven't had the rice or the salads, so I couldn't complain, nor the chicken, but trust me: despite the pita being store-bought (To me, it's all about the doner, the pita's just a vehicle) the doner's really the best criteria to judge Sultan.

I should bring my dad, he loves Cricket Hill and I grew up in North Caldwell, just up the road from Fairfield. It's good to see a local business do well.

I don't own any restaurant; I just want them to stay open so I always have a place for a really good gyro within walking distance! :-D

Last Friday, they were giving out free copies of the Ledger to all their customers. :-D I'm glad they're doing good business! They deserve it. I wish I was there earlier on opening day, I could have been their first customer, but alas, I was only the 2nd. I do have to admit a very vested interest in them doing well; since they're open late and are just catty-corner to me, it's perfect for when you need some solid food in your system for whatever questionable reason. :-) My roommate had the chicken kebab a day or so ago and said it was moist beyond belief. That's my next target from them.

O_O I wouldn't know, I don't get the Times... but what is this with all my favorite Middle Eastern places getting good press all of a sudden? Tell me they said something about Mondial or Al-Aqsa...

Bump for another recent visit to Alloush after a trip to Corrado's. They've remodeled and expanded the menu. It's more than just two or three sandwiches, they now have a very nice line of Middle Eastern stuff. The falafel was good. Not as crispy as I normally like, but very flavorful and inexpensive. Whatever they did with their strawberry banana juice has made it even better than before.

My aunt and uncle live in Morganville, down Route 9, and on my way to visit them, I always make a point to stop at Emporium International Food on 9 South. This place is an amazing Russian/Eastern European/Baltic/Turkish market located on the same premises as a discount gas station. They have an amazing variety of foods, imported, domestic, and homemade, and they're willing to let you taste as you buy! Just as an example, I walked away today with some Turkish red pepper and eggplant spread, a loaf of Latvian dark rye bread, spicy Hungarian pork salami, Russian hard salami, and Armenian feta. They have Israeli, Greek, Turkish, Bulgarian, and French feta as well as all kinds of cheeses. Their smoked fish run the gamut from eel to trout and everything in between. There are salads like the Russian markets in Brighton Beach without the crowd, and at Jersey prices. Definitely check them out!

Yes! You guys made it to Sultan! They could use the press as they just recently opened... Tabboule is fabulous too as is King, they make a killer Syrian sausage. SO jealous! :-D

There's a fantastic deal on lobster at my local supermarket: $5.99/lb for 4-6 pound lobsters. I can't let this go. Of course, I'm going to have one steamed and go at it with my roommates, but I want to do something else with lobster. Is there anything basic I could try other than lobster rolls? Preferably something that will last a day or two in the fridge after it's cooked/prepped. Any advice is welcome!

Nice! I'm definitely going to try to stop by, it's been forever since I've had good BBQ.

Check in The Leader, the local paper, http://www.leadernewspapers.net/ or NJ Craigslist: newjersey.craigslist.org or newyork.craigslist.org and select New Jersey. I live in Lyndhurst and will keep my eyes peeled; there's gotta be something on Ridge Road. There's been two new cafe/restaurants that opened in the past month alone so the area's quite lively.

My roommate mentioned a Peruvian place in Rutherford, but he might have meant the other place that does pan-Latin cuisine. I'll run by and check it out this weekend. I haven't had Peruvian food since I was in Florida visiting relatives in '01 and I miss their perfect chicken.

Most recipes for mango lassi I've seen have it lasting for 24 hours. I was thinking of something a lot more long-lasting. The mangos I normlaly get are plain old Mexican mangos, which are still pretty delicious. My local Indian market just got a few boxes of Kesars in which are the best I've had yet, and they were accepting reservations for the Alfonsos. They said something like 95% of all Alfonso mangos in the first few shipments were allocated and the rest were up for grabs for wholesalers to bid on. O_O At $35 a case, it seems criminal to just eat them, but that's what I plan to do with the Kesars. :-D I may just have one of the Alfonsos but I want to do something special with those since they're so rare and equally expensive.

I'm getting some Alfonso mangos soon as part of the whole shabang about Indian mangos coming in to the US after a 16-year ban. I'd like to preserve them somehow. How long do mangos usually keep in the fridge if they're ripe and ready to eat? If they won't last too long, can I just freeze the pulp and the juice to use later?

Jason Perlow gets up close and personal with the elusive Indian mangoes.

SCORE! Kazbah had three boxes of Kesar mangoes when I got there, and I swooped upon one. I talked with the lady in charge and she wants me to call her tomorrow to get in on a box of Alphonso. She's putting in an order for her wholesaler on Friday, and she reported that not many people have been able to get their hands on them in terms of supply. I actually gave out a few as gifts: one to my physical therapist, two to my parents, and my roommates got one each. I had one... and oh Hare Krishna, Hare Rama, it's enough to instill a joy into my heart. They taste as mangoey as a good mango gets, the flesh is a little less firm, and it has a twinge of melon to it. There's astronomically less fibrousness around the pit and the skin comes off almost like a banana. If you love mangoes... GET SOME. If anyone wants me to snag a case, let me know and I'll grab one if it's available. Same for the Alphonsos next week. These mangoes are made of love and win, hands down.

No luck yet. Kazbah hasn't had them for weeks and their sign is gone. They were even out of the regular (Mexican) mangoes. :-( The store is pretty much a shadow of itself, so chances are they may never have 'em. I think this is going to necessitate a trip to Patel Bros. on Oak Tree Road. Edit: Subzi Mandi on Rt. 46 East in Parsippany gave me a weird look and a shake of the head when I asked if they were going to have any Indian mangoes in. I got my Kurkure Masala Munch, though, so at least they have their snackfood quotient up!

I'm bumping the thread to get some extra rec's... I am very, very excited to try Cafe Capriccio solely for the fact that they have a squid ink pasta on the menu right now. Anything else crop up in Albany or the area? My girlfriend is doing research at RPI and we could use some nice places with interesting food. We're very spoiled from living in North Jersey and she's only up for the summer.