tommy

to clarify, i said it was "too much food". that quote was from over two years ago, but taken out of context, it sounds like a negative. it wasn't. it was fun and excessive and that's just fine by me. hindsight, as clear as it is, i'll say that i recommend it to anyone, but you should know what to expect. i'll do it again next time at aqauvit, or anywhere that offers!

where's bux? waiting for his follow-up. his implications (the insulting implications...or perhaps "condescending implications" is a better phrase, and one which is never overused in this particular case) seem to touch on some of the posts here on egullet, and i think he should take an active part in this discussion after he made those above comments. or maybe that part of the discussion isn't worth his time?

who really cares what zagats has to say?

you bring up a good point about using 2 sheets for large batches. if you overcrowd this stuff, it tends to steam more than roast. not a good thing. well, not a *horrible* thing, but you know.

in some industries inspectors do just that. apparently not in food-service!

i usually don't get too worked up over these things, but i would think that soap is a pretty standard item to have at a sink. if they don't care enough to sort that out... hey, are these things surprise visits?

and i try to point that out as often as possible. so i'm assuming the comments on his cough syrup menu must be the dismissal of his cooking outright? ok then. methinks a few people took the assertion that the man is an "idiot" a bit too seriously.

haven't been probably in a few years, but the bite menu was about 14 or 16 courses iirc. it was overwhelming, but a fun challenge nonetheless.

apparently some posters must have read this into the posts along the way. i haven't really noticed any of this, with the exception of some fun jabs at an odd-sounding menu.

that's very odd. i wonder if they move it? the missing part, i'd say, is soul. overall, the place seems like it probably doesn't have much. i'm sure the chef (formerly of the UN) is putting his heart into it, and cares about it, but i'm not so sure about the rest of it. i'm pretty sure more than a few people went into this venture, including a neighbor of mine. i get the feeling it's the "hey, i've got an extra 200k and i would love to take my friends to "my" restaurant/bar" approach to restaurateuring. i can only hope they get their money back (and i hope it doesn't all come from me!) some of the servers (mine, specifically), were fantastic and motivated. i can imagine that others aren't, just as with most places in NJ.

i make ribeye (usually a max of 2) indoors all of the time with a crappy exhaust. try it. it works.

curlz has a good point and i would agree. but i wonder how many people are actually interested in tasting menus to begin with? i think that's a tough sell in NJ, unfortunately. lou, how about Topless Bartender Tuesdays instead?

David Corcoran gives AD's a "very good" tomorrow. good for them. there's another thread here. Topics have been merged.

you mean to say it's germane if she's making sense when she brings it up. i think i understand. it just seemed so, you know, out of context.

that's simply perfect.

maybe it's a question of taste, then. i like the Hackensack location, but not Ridgewood. so maybe Grimaldi's hoboken is more to your taste?

another very "loose" relation to the original, a la Brooklyn Brick Oven Pizza in Edgewater, Hackensack, and Ridgewood. in my experience, it's not even as good as Brooklyn's, so i can't imagine it's noteworthy when compared to the original. although i've never been to the original, so what do i know. edit: apparently, it's a closer relationship, according to their website at least. i stand corrected. however, i still don't think it's as good as Brooklyn Brick Oven.

and i've guessing you don't appreciate Green Day either. jeesh. i think i'm dating *myself* if that's the only punky-pop band i could come up with.

this is nothing more than a company incorporating internet pop-culture into their advertising campaign. it's hardly a new concept, and i'm pretty sure the visuals aren't meant to get you salivating. that's simply not the point. the point, of course, is to get people to notice. a success, no doubt.

tough questions. i'm not sure my answers are set in stone. but i'll give you my first impressions. Just curious, what night do you go out to eat and why? most any night except sunday and monday. if i have time during the week, i'd rather go out thursday than friday or saturday. Do you drink more weeknights or weekends? i drink more on the weekday mornings, actually. no but really, it's generally the same at dinner regardless of the night. going out to eat and going out "drinking" are two different things to me, although i'll sometimes do the latter following the former on a weekend night. Do you prefer to dine as a couple or with others? it depends. at china 46, a big group is better. any "family style" place, where the idea is to share dishes, would probably fall into this category, including thai and whatnot. and if the place is "fun" and "festive", a group is sometimes better. Is anymore more apt to dine at restaurant with a liquor license if they waive the corking charge? not at all. mostly because i'm not bringing anything unique that isn't already offered on the restaurant's list. although i might be unique in that respect. How far will you drive to a restaurant on a weeknight? 1/2 hour. Weekend? 1/2 hour

i'm guessing here, but i think they're all rib meat, but probably different ends of the ribs? that's probably all wrong, but here's a basic map. i've always wondered about this as well. and i've seen "rib steaks" at the supermarket next to "rib eye", and they look totally different. i think some naming standards would help, but i don't see that happening any time soon.

this thread isn't about boulud or his suggestion that boiling tenderloin might be a good idea in some applications. the comments to which you're referring are in reference to the 2 points i quoted above. this isn't about "yanks" bashing a "UK" chef no matter how much you try to make it the case. if you'd like to start a new thread on boiling tenderloin, i'm sure some tongues will become unstapled on that particular topic. but it's not terribly relevant here.

S'cuse me but what's CB? the aforementioned Cloudy Bay sauvignon blanc from new zealand. the mostly undisputed kind of NZ SB, and one of the first producers to get a lot of press. probably paved the way for the 20 or so NZ SBs now readily available at 1/2 of the cost. it's still a nice product, though, and it was largely responsible for my 8 year love affair with new zealand wines (and unoaked wines in general).

i'm guessing the answer is "yes", if he says: 1)Rib eye is just a disgraceful, scrappy, chewy, over-rated meat. and 2) all the top restaurants should serve fillet steak because it is the king of meat and no other cut can get close to toppling its crown. i somehow doubt that Boulud says either. So you don't object to boiling a filet mignon? Robyn i haven't given it any thought. i'm not sure why you'd imply one or the other. what's your point?

given the wonderful texture of lion's head meatballs, should the "one direction" rule be applied to pretty much every meatball?