McFoodie

Sounds like a magical weekend, bgut. I will definitely be looking into the chef's table at Nicholas for our next special occassion. Thanks for the details.

My friends and I are very passionate about food and restaurants and recently decided to form a club in which we meet weekly for lunch to dine at and review a restaurant that is new to all of us. I understand this is very popular nowadays and would appreciate any suggestions or tips on how to make this a more interesting and educational experience for everyone involved.

Bgut1 - How were your birthday meals at Blu and Nicholas? p.s. happy birthday!

That sounds wonderful. Are there still such eGullet events held in NJ?

Chikalicious is a fun dessert bar in the East Village - 203 E 10th St btwn 1st - 2nd Ave. Also, Max Brenner recently opened in Union Square for a slightly more commercial take on chocolate desserts - it's better for groups.

Now that we've hit the major NJ destination restaurants (please keep posting if you think of any others), I'd love to hear about other worthwhile NJ road trips or activities for foodies. On my list so far: -The Wine Experience, Tinton Falls - make your own wine (I haven't been yet but it's high on my To Do list) -Delicious Orchards/Eastmont Orchards, Colts Neck, NJ - I love this country market and neighboring orchard where you can pick your own apples, pumpkins, peaches and sweet Jersey corn -Cream Ridge Winery, Cream Ridge, NJ - fruit wines (any other NJ winery recommendations?) A short trip from NJ: -Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, NY - top destination restaurant in the midst of a working farm -Long Island wineries

Aw shucks. I'd love to hear about any additional restaurants worth checking out.

Nicholas aside, Basil T's is probably my favorite restaurant in Red Bank and I would recommend it to anyone that hasn't been. This place has many faces. It's classic Italian, serving pastas, pizzas, etc. but where it really shines is in it's salumeria and enoteca. It's also a pretty darn good microbrewery. Plates are a bit pricey but huge - good for sharing. P.S. Steakas, you'll appreciate my scathing review of Buona Sera on www.mcfoodie.com.

Ok, so I bit the bullet and had lunch at Far East Taste earlier this week... by myself, I might add, as I couldn'f find anyone else willing to risk eating in such an unappetizing looking restaurant. My red curry chicken was amazing - the chicken was in good sized pieces and sliced nicely thin, the vegetables were beautifully al dente, and the sauce... yum. The lunch special was a real bargain too and the there were a few tables occupied by folks out for a business lunch. That said, I'm not sure that I can get past the dingy decor and utter lack of vibe and would have to think twice (at least) before talking anyone else there. While I can appreciate a good dive bar and love hole-in-the-wall places like Pete & Elda's, this is a whole new level of dump. It's a bummer too since my food was really good. While I may not eat there again, I look forward to ordering take-out from them.

Hey bgut1 - would love to hear whether you think this place is worth the nearly 1 hour drive....

I would definitely suggest a Mario Batali restaurant. For an amazing Italian meal try the more upscale Babbo or casual but just as good Lupa. Casa Mono is a great bet as well for incredible, but much, much more casual tapas.

Drinks only. Vivaldi is a great place to hear live music but with so many great restaurants in the neighborhood (Pearl Oyster Bar, Blue Ribbon Bakery, Little Owl, 'ino, Mary's Fish Camp, Mas, Lupa, etc.), there's no reason to eat mediocre food.

After some internet research, here's what I came up with on My 2 Sons: Englishtown Auction Blue Bldg., #64-65 90 Wilson Ave., Manalapan (732) 786-1900 Auction hours: Sat. 7am - 4pm & Sun. 9am - 4pm http://englishtownauction.com

Basil T's is fantastic - truly one of my favorite local restaurants and their microwbrewed beers are great. I hear Triumph Brewery is coming to Red Bank and another microbrewery will soon be opening in the old Steinbach's space in Asbury Park...

Thanks for the tip - I will be sure to check out My Two Sons (and Dave's fries) and will review them shortly on my new website about food and restaurants in Monmouth County (www.mcfoodie.com). Also, Rich, as the host of the Beer forum, what are your favorite bars and restaurants for getting a pint in Monmouth County (be it for the selection, the microbrews, the ambiance, or whatever your criteria might be)?

Any that we haven't already named above?

My husband and I go in to NYC for dinner at least once a week, often twice (I'll be posting a list of my favorite restaurants on www.mcfoodie.com shortly). I'm looking for the more obscure, but just as satisfying foodie restaurants outside the City. The problem with North Jersey, as I see it, is that if we're going to drive that far for a restaurant (we live in Long Branch), then we might as well just drive in to NYC. So a restaurant in North Jersey needs to be that much better to warrant a trip. As for restaurants over the border, Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, NY is very high on my road trip To Do list.

Sounds great - I will add them to my list. I'm also considering adding Stage Left in New Brunswick to the "must try" list as I haven't yet been - thoughts? Also, it seems that all of the destination restaurants listed in this thread are in the Central or Southern part of the state - are there any restaurants that warrant a road trip in North Jersey?

Really?? I passed by Far East Taste today and it looked a little dingy - I guess you can't judge a restaurant by its strip mall surroundings. I will suck it up and give it a try next week. Also, I had lunch at El Meson today and although it wasn't perfect (the beef in the enchiladas was tough and had a funny aftertaste), we totally loved the place. I will post a full review on www.mcfoodie.com tomorrow. Thanks for the tip, Jsfein.

Thanks for posting the link to the No 9 discussion thread - I found it very informative and look forward to making the trip very soon. As we tend to be spontaneous about our road trips, would you say that reservations are reqired on a weekend? Also, I noticed that most of the posts regarding No 9 were several years old - is it still as wonderful?

Nicholas Fromagerie David Drake Ryland Inn Matisse Any other recommendations for worthwhile foodie road trips or special occassion restaurants?

Yikes. I haven't noticed any problems accessing the site today but please let me know if the problem persists so that I can look into it further.

This issue is not about foie, nor is it about D'Artagnan, their incredible products or their suffering workers. This issue is about a legal precendent that once set, can be applied to other types of foods (veal, kobe style beef, etc) which in turn WILL impact all of our quality of life. The focus needs to be on researching and developing better farming conditions, not banning foods.

My initial list of local specialty food markets just went live on mcfoodie.com. Please check it out and post or email me any worthwhile markets I may have omitted.

This is not just a New Jersey issue, since to be prefectly honest, other than in a select handful of top restos, when's the last time any of us ordered foie gras in a NJ restaurant? That said, if passed, the law's effect will be a a hard blow on all the best restaurants and gourmet kitchens across the country who rely on D'Artagnan's excellent product. Lawmakers would be better served inquiring into more humane practices, rather than banning well-accepted foods entirely. Until then, I will do my part to make sure New Jersey diners (and the rest of the nation) retain their right to choose.