tommy

fwiw, little saigon took reservations, even for 2. if this place doesn't, they should. like curlz, i was a party of two seated at a 6 top the other night.

i wonder if he's on egullet?

yeah, i'm sure a lot of people are worried about "vitamins and minerals" when they're ordering a steak at a restaurant. who is this idiot and why is he allowed to write. or cook.

probably a wait. i don't know if they take reservations, so i suppose you should call.

Wow! What kind of an upbringing did you have? my parents wouldn't let me drive to ridgewood at 10. it was horrible. it's no wonder i turned out like i did.

i'm assuming this is the place on south maple right off of Ridgewood ave? if so, i wish you had posted about it *before* it closed, as i've been curious. That's it-- You had 25 years to try it, though.... although i was hardly interested in italian treats at 10.

i'm assuming this is the place on south maple right off of Ridgewood ave? if so, i wish you had posted about it *before* it closed, as i've been curious.

not trying to prove anything. just trying to get you all riled-up.

It is more common here. you're right. americans, more than most other people, cannot commit.

Thalia has always been a safe bet.

ruby foo's. carmines. virgil's BBQ.

this is not a NJ thing. and it's certainly not an "american" thing.

I don't think this would work in general, but for special occasions, I think it's a good idea. some restaurants do operate like this. i assumed that's what Lou was doing for V-day, but maybe i'm wrong. if i'm wrong, definitely have *them* call *you*. obviously that has to be made very clear when you're accepting the reservations.

i've had a few more outstanding meals here recently. the fried salt and pepper squid is as good a version of this as i've had anywhere. i could eat it every day. they need to sort out that front door with the cold weather we've been having. the door is always left open by clueless customers. i counted the 2 servers closing the door no less than 15 times during the course of a quick dinner. they should also get more tables in there. the room is set up completely inefficiently. it looks like they do a pretty good business: the entire restaurant was full/turned over during my last meal.

they might not mind going out if they knew they wouldn't be surrounded by a bunch of, well, tourists, for lack of a better word. hell, if you market it as such, you'll be doing them a favor, as they'll actually have some place to go if they want to go out that night. an extension of that idea might include actually sending out "invites" to this "closed" and invite-only event.

you're not eating in NJ very often, are you.

i've never heard of it before, but what about opening only for your regulars, which i'm pretty sure you have plenty of. if you're not known to the restaurant, take your sorry ass to Chevy's.

i'd be tempted to close on V-day as you're generally getting a lot of non-restaurant-loving people going out anyway (not you in particular, but you in general). fuck em. let em come out some other night if they want to eat out. take the day off to be with your families.

throw me down for 2. there's still time, and i may not be able to make it, and i'll let you know as soon as i'm definite, which i am now, but might not be in a week. k?

i'll buy a few SCREW TOMMY t-shirts to give out as holiday gifts.

that would be a little odd i think. m/p selections are usually those whose prices vary with the market. strange fresh fish, such as your abalone, come to mind.

i've heard from several sources that he's leaving and opening a new place.

you'd better get on the phone and tell this place.

are you sure "cafe" isn't used in italy? referring to the place, rather than the coffee.

there's pleny online if you google "coke pepsi mri". what's even odder is that people were subjecting themselves to MRIs for the sake of a study on coke vs. pepsi. while they may very well be safe, that's not exactly popular opinion. unless i'm reading this stuff wrong. maybe i should read all of it first.