tommy

i'm glad i ate *before* reading this. oy.

there was plenty of mustard on the sandwich i assure you. and subsequently, plenty all over my fingers. i suppose i could have been a little more artistic with the building of the sandwich, and had some mustard sort of hanging over the sides. but you and i both know that you don't make 'em like that! the chips were lays. uneventful, but supplied the token saltiness and slight crunch. the macaroni salad was from the same swiss pork store where i got the salami. very light mayo, celery, just delicious. this store is real old-school. the kind of place where the guys know you by your first name, and they even still give you a "snack" (a slice of whatever they're cutting) when you are on line. really neat, and unique, especially for the northern NJ area. bushey, are you making the fajitas yourself? if so, get yourself over to the "what did we make for dinner" thread and let us know how you went about it! thanks to all who participated in this little salami detour. it was transporting.

couldn't find sunbeam bread, but wonder did the trick. a simple yet elegant dinner i would say. everything i remembered it to be. below are two pics. the before and the after. you can see, in the second pic, that even after one bite, the wonder bread is crimping down on the sandwich. it was only a matter of about 20 seconds and a perfect bite-sized portion of the sandwich was stuck to the roof of my mouth as if by magic. click here for the before and here to see what that bread does after just one bite. freaky.

they're probably some kind of new-age crap. although, i can't do wise. they are just so salty. but the lower-salt wise chips aren't that bad. charles rules. they used to come in this HUGE tin. well, it seemed huge when i was 9 anyway. i don't see them around very much. utz makes a decent enough chip. i'm thinking one sandwich on wonder, and one on sunbeam, per your suggestion. full report to follow...

weren't there a joke in there that went ignored?

and you think i'm kidding... there's this incredible swiss pork store near my home that makes nitrate-free homemade salami. i'm splitting early so i can get there before it closes. mrs. tommy informs me that we have potato chips at home, and that they need to go on the sandwich. however, i'm concerned that this might interfere with the dynamic that allows for the sticking-to-the-roof-of-the-mouth bit. suggestions?

that's just not right. cinnamon is the secret ingredient in everything. i bet you've had cinnamon, loved it, and didn't know it. you are crazy.

bushey, that is sooo right on!! forgot all about the salami with mustard sticking to the roof of the mouth bit! you're right, i can feel it too. and using your tongue is useless. it just makes it worse. i swear that for dinner tonite it's salami and mustard sandwiches (on wonder, sorry), and ice cream sandwiches for dessert. *and*, perhaps i'll freeze a glass of coke, which was something i would often do. the top would freeze first, forming like a lid, and the middle bit would bet all slushy and cold. you'd have to stab the top really hard with a straw or knife to get through to the coke. and the water would separate from the syrup, so it would be really sweet. ok, so maybe i'll skip the frozen coke thing tonite.

well, it's not like eating pie, that's for sure. it's a thai chicken sandwich, with red peppers, cucumbers, and some greens on some sort of grain type bread. it's really tasty. the chicken, described as chicken breast on the sign, is actually chopped up and mixed with the dressing, which is clearly ginger flavored. the moisture level was just right. good overall, although i think i need another. but at 5.50 or whatever it was, i ain't doin' another. i'm quite impressed actually. a nice little snack. oh cool! it's noon...time for lunch.

i'm eating my first pret sandwich right now. hey, this isn't so bad!

i trust you aren't being derisive.

i just looked at this amazon thing for the first time. i'm at a loss for words. why didn't anyone tell me about this!?

the perlow's house would be, like, 2 million dollars in london. that's one 'spensive city you got over there! and 50 yr mortgages? yikes. rachel, my aunt has a house similar to yours, but they have the traditional dining room separated from the kitchen by a wall. i love the way yours is all open. way better for entertaining. you may have gone over this, but, are you keeping the island/breakfast bar? any other plans?

i had to cancel my previous reservation at GT due to illness, so i was really excited when macrosan wanted to go and we snagged an almost last-minute 6 pm reservation. (in lieu of GT, following the "illness", i had gone to another favorite, Tabla, and left happy, but not blown away). anyway, i was not blown away at GT this time either (my last visit didn't leave a great impression). yes yes, the company was wonderful, and we had a great time. but i keep on expecting more service-wise from this place, and i just don't think it lived up to my expectations. the wine service in particular seemed a bit lacking. i appreciate when a sommelier approaches the table. i had to ask for one this time around, as the server admitted to knowing little about what i was asking for after brief questioning. and believe me, i'm not a guy who knows or cares enough to bust balls about vintages or producers...i just wanted to know if they had any liore reds. it just seemed like an extra step that i would have just as soon done without. at this point, you get the feeling like you're being a pain in the arse, rather than being pampered and helped. once again i got a funny feeling when we ordred cheese. that might be attributed to the fact that i was feeling pretty "loose", or it might be because there was actually a funny vibe coming from our server. perhaps stef or macrosan will correct me if i'm being over-sensitive, but i really got the impression that the server felt like he was simply going out of his way to bring the cheeses over and explain each of them. hell, i don't even *like* cheese very much, but take 2 minutes out of your very busy schedule and humor me, aye? overall, a wonderful meal, a great night that i wouldn't take back for anything, and not too expensive either. i'll return to GT, but only because it's GT. but not before i try blue hill, craft, and the numerous other restaurants that have opened in the last 2 years that i haven't yet tried.

wonder bread balls. a staple for me when i was a kid. stef, maybe you were my mom? i totally forgot about that. i don't even remember what i did with the crusts. i suppose i threw them out. i was also a big fan of ice cream sandwiches. the really cheap kind from the really bad supermarkets like Shop-rite. i'd let it melt to it was pretty much as melted as the artificial ice cream could be...then i'd lick out all of the ice cream, until i was left with those two cookie things. then i'd proudly eat the cookies. i'm not sure if this talent helped me through adulthood at all. but i really don't know. i never drank out of cartons though. that's pretty sick.

i'll take that into consideration. i hate raw tomato pie, that's for sure! edit: no jhlurie and i are *not* the same person, although we sometimes think of the same inane stuff, and then take the extra step of actually posting it!

what NJ restaurants do you find incredible?

being direct is often a better choice than bad-tempered hints.

i bit wilfrid's lip once. but usually it's the classic burning-of-the-roof-of-the-mouth-from-pizza trick. the one that creates that distrubing flap of skin for 24 hrs.

and this to you should fall under "What's the BEST thing you DON'T eat?" topic. hmmm.

click me for microscopic pics of your favorite varietals. i'm not sure exactly what level of magnification this is, but approaching molecular one would imagine. pretty pictures nonetheless.

oddly enough, i was called a misogynist and vulgar then too. hmm. i can take a hint. :wow:

that would be great. any recs would be appreciated. maybe i can name drop.

some feel that it's better to see the good in everything. apparently there is good in all of the things we as individuals don't like (or else no one would like them), and it can be a personal challenge to figure out what that good is. you see, once you've figured it out, then you too can enjoy the good. more good = good in my book. personally, i am happier when i like things as opposed to when i hate them. but like wilfrid, i hate raw tomato. i'm not even sure i want to see the good in raw tomato. there goes my theory.

the chef/owner, lou reda, posted above. everyone knows who he is. even i do and i've never been to his restaurant.