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The Upper Montclair store is too small and congested. They usually don't have what I need. They would do better with a better selection of limited brands, rather than spreading themselves so thin. The store is poorly set up, and it's difficult to navigate. I wish they would shut it down and let Trader Joe's go in there. That would complete my food shopping needs, well, except for Wegmans.

Verona did a major renovation. Not all stores are included in this "program."

thanks for the review Peter!

Chains *can* be expensive, if you allow the server to push numerous courses and drinks on you. My sister just took my 2 kids to CB's, used a coupon, and had a decent meal for $17. Certainly better than Burger King. Different strokes.......

Mardi Gras in Verona is good.

If you can't find one, you can order it online here: http://www.localharvest.org/store/item.jsp?id=3012

True, food doesn't have to be inferior, but how many upscale places are there that have high chairs and kid menus? That's what "kid friendly" means to me. My kids are well behaved and I have no problem taking them anywhere. I do have a problem spending $33 for an entree for one of them though!

I usually buy fresh fish at Whole Foods, although the fish at King's today did look pretty good. If you're looking for quail eggs or ground yak patties, they have them too!

CB's is popular because it's a family place, offers coupons, and has drinks and apps. Appeals to a large group. That said, the food and service both are only fair, imo. Unfortunately, most "foodie" places aren't kid friendly or inexpensive.

The Rutherford I remember is so different from what it is today. We went there a lot when I was a kid as my mother's family lived there. Fine shops of all kinds lined Park Ave. Not a foodie town in those days. I was surprised to hear Varrelmann's is still there.

I was told that the new owner has decided to upgrade a certain number (don't recall) and to offer longer sale periods at much lower prices. I did find a number of items at significantly lower prices which was a nice surprise. The reason given for this is the opening of new Whole Foods and TJ's locations.

Dined there last night....everything was excellent! Will return soon.

Not surprised to hear this.

There are some good places there, and my favorite is Cafe Matisse!

very interesting! good luck with your venture; please keep us posted.

appreciate the info. looking forward to going!

Have a reservation for Saturday. Can someone tell me please...is it casual? byo? TIA

I bought it at King's, but that was a year or more ago. eta: you can buy it direct from Illy, 6 cans are $78 inc shipping. I would try ebay; it's half that there.

yes, Battleview is good. they have a nice shop for goodies too.

There must be about half a dozen Indian places in Montclair. Aren't *any* of them good?

Ray's is thick, chewy and greasy (imo), Star Tavern IS good, but in Bloomfield, we like Benito's on Broad St.

thanks for the info on the new places. we're swamped with sushi places in montclair, but turkish sounds good. varrleman's (rutherford) is still there?

Too bad about all the chains. don't care for Panera at all.

We usually dine at Cafe Matisse in Rutherford for our birthdays. Enjoy, whatever you decide.

I'm with big country. Add extra flour (works for me). Could also be the moisture in the brown sugar, so additional flour will help.