tommy

not much. but maybe this could be a different thread altogether.

can i get an effing witness?!?!? edit: damn, dbrociner is chef david! i had no idea. clever bastard.

eff ketchup: sriracha. now all of you, go away or i shall taunt you a second time-ah.

shew. i now have new reasons to hate things. good thread. keep it coming.

Tommy - I haven't been active in reading or posting in this forum for awhile. Really love your new tag line -about time those damn Zagat's finally added the Tommy section to that overpriced book of theirs. in the 6 or so years that i've been buying Zagat's, i've spent about 70 dollars on that book of theirs. in the meantime, i've learned a bunch and experienced more, with some help from that book, and from some help from talking to others, on the internet and in person. however, my sig line, which pretty much consists of direct quotes about me from other egulleters, past and present (mostly past i'm guessing), is, of course, priceless. the irony is the funny part, methinks. as far as Blue Sky goes, i've had some bad dishes, and some great dishes. and always a nice time. any time a town like montclair loses a restaurant and a chef who clearly cared about his art and put his heart and soul into his restaurant, it's a sad time for everyone. this is no exception. and even though i haven't visited chef david's restaurant in about 2 years, i'll surely feel the loss. i trust this won't be a trend.

cool!

so i can kick someone out of my bar if they wear a lot a perfume? cool. i hate perfume. it stinks.

the prices at el cid seem comparable to others of its ilk. what's the going price for lobsters these days, about 15 a lb?

is this the all brick place? it looks like something i would have liked.

i haven't yet been to M&S, as it seems pretty expensive, and as you say, uninspired. i'd rather spend the money and the time at a good BYOB or someplace in NYC. but that's neither here nor there. however, and expert tells me that the crabcakes are top-notch. read here. el cid is decent enough for lobsters, shrimp in garlic, etc. anyone who can't tolerate smoke or noise is advised to stay well away. the place can get very smoky.

perhaps DC is the "new" king, as NJ has been phasing them out. i can assure you, however, that back in the 70's, there were many many many boni-fide circles in NJ, especially in Monmouth and Ocean counties. in fact, i tihnk i remember reading that the first circle in the country was up on 1/9 just south of rt 46. although, that's not really a circle. staying on topic, i'm trying to think of a diner on a circle. ah, see, it took 2 seconds...the Laurelton diner (i think that's what it's called) on the (Laurelton) circle in Bricktown (the circle has been phased out). i do believe this was the first place i saw people order "gravy cheese fries." it was a group of drunk girls. the fries were very good.

my theory is that your favorite diner is generally very close to where you spent the most time getting drunk. that said, one of my favorites is the Spa, in hoboken, NJ. the previously mentioned Bendix is another. their burger is a step or two up from the usual. the Tic Tock in Clifton, NJ, is a classic. NJ, i think, is the undisputed king of Diners, and traffic circles.

elyse, I'm agreeing with you all over the place. I almost always pepper my fries. Is that weird or something? of course it's not weird. i put pepper in the ketchup so i get a bit of pepper on each fry (otherwise, the pepper bounces off of the fries).

you make it sound as if people who don't live in manhattan don't provide a good chunk of income for bars. it doesn't matter where they live. what matters is they're stopping for happy hour, and having business dinners, in NJ rather than in midtown.

the only people who have said that are the people who are saying others are saying it. and my grasp of science is unmatched.

fair enough. fat guy does like those wide brushes, though. i respect his and your opinion that preground pepper has no 'valuable' flavor. at China 46, in NJ, they have a wonderful tofu and asian greens soup. it becomes even more wonderful when they bring a shaker of pre-ground pepper to the table and you give it a couple of shakes on the ol' soup. so i suppose it's subjective.

clearly mogsob has all of the knowledge. i'll crawl back under my rock where it's safe.

15 and 18? yeah, you wouldn't want to be embarrassed by being the first one sliding off the stool. however, i'd definitely find a way to have at least 3 different cheeses. 6. 9. why not?

that's just plain silly. cleary it has flavor. if you don't think it does, put a teaspoon of McCormick's pre-ground pepper in your mouth. wash it down with some of that skim milk that everyone hates. and tell me it all tasted of saliva and water. no one argues that butter tastes good on practically everything. i don't see pepper as being much different. 'cept for the fact it isn't fat. or creamy. and stuff like that.

oh shit, just sit at the bar and do a cheese/wine tasting. you won't leave hungry, and, if you're like me, you'll walk away with some knowledge of cheese, wine, and how they interact. Artisanal is a great place to do this, and on saturday afternoon, it won't be crowded. enjoy.

i lost about 20 lbs in 2 weeks when i had strep. that was without exercise at all. in fact, i sat on my couch all day long, sipping water when possible, and eating nothing but a bit of white rice. i gained it back over the following few months. as an aside, you're much more handsome than i had imagined.

while i appreciate the explanation of my post from the several who've offered one, i don't think it's necessary as i included a . certain emoticons need no explanation, and if they do, well then i don't know what to tell you, aside from "don't take yourself too seriously, 'cause if you do, no one else will." cheers.

my short answer is/was "NJ". don't discount it. it's happening. and it's been documented in the new york times as well (so, you know, it *must* be true).

dude, you don't sound that big at all. maybe it's the southern accent that makes you seem so slim.

shill.