tommy

this was clearly an entertainment piece. the numbers really don't matter. it is clearly stated that it was an "unscientific poll". read btwn the lines: a handful of people responded to their survey, and they came up with some decent enough copy to fill a page and get people talking about subs. nothing more. nothing less.

this is key. positive *or* negative reviews do very little to sway my opinion when i don't know the person's taste. no, not even very little. i'd say more like nothing.

and my wife said "if you're going to do that and expect me to sit here with you, I'd prefer that you just get up and get the bottle yourself." as it turns out, jason rarely has dinner with your wife. edit: as far as you know...

prager's port works, in napa. a wonderful, personal experience. plan to have food right before or certainly right after, as you'll no doubt be feeling pretty good.

paul, where would you find garlic on a "sub"? that is bizarre to me. clearly the best sub in NJ is Mike's in Pt Pleasant. but i'll tell ya that Frills in clifton is pretty good as well, and much closer to bergen county. obviously Frills wasn't included in the survey because it's, like, 5 minutes down the parkway from bergen cty.

if they insist on taking it, i explain that they'll get one chance to get it right. after that, it stays. i also will often not order until the first bottle shows up at the table. especially during lunch in NYC, the apps will come out long before the wine. generally after the second approach by the server "are you ready to order", i'll say something to the effect of "when i'm ready, i'll call you over, thanks." again, i see nothing wrong with controlling a situation to insure that the outcome is enjoyable. those who don't and complain that their experience was less than perfect are destined to a life of not getting what they want, and complaining.

have i made myself clear!? hehe. washed my hands this morning and can't do a thing with 'em.

well, sort of. i've actually met liza. it's just that i don't remember much...and that's *NOT* because she was unmemorable, but rather because i was drinking, as it was a pub crawl. plus, she ignored me so i really didn't get a chance to chat.

p.s. the number in the article for the sub base is wrong. it's 201.796.7272.

balance, yes. but i've seen subs ruined by horrible bread. even with good fillings. rarely, however, are the meats/fillings so bad that a great piece of bread is ruined. so in that respect, if the bread ain't good, the sandwich blows. edit: "scene"? yikes.

i made veal chops with a morel sauce that i got from epicurious. the sauce sounded good, but i think it was overkill for the veal, which is fine simply grilled with s/p/rosemary. i realized that the best part of working with morels is that point when you're sauteing them in butter. i think God invented humans just so they could enjoy that aroma.

you must pick up a lot of chicks with smooth lines like that. yikes!

i'm more curious about liza than humus.

i'd be curious what the Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label is going for. it might be worth it for me to sign up just for that.

esca is designed for people who are predisposed to either loving it, or hating it.

i find the above completely disparate explanations of the "control of the wine bottle" issue somewhat revealing...but not surprising. servers have rarely been able to keep up with my consumption. edit: i shouldn't be allowed to type before 10 am.

yeah, that's mrs. tommy's in fact. i'm secure enough to admit it. she also puts walnuts (or some other nut that i can't remember) in it. edit: the answer is pecans. walnuts would be too strong methinks.

i never doubted you. i was just curious.

dried cherries (or any number of other dried fruit) in a salad of arugula, red onion, and goat cheese with a lemon juice dressing.

may i ask what your sources are?

i prefer generalities myself.

the waiter the last time i was there seemed knowledgeable enough about the offerings by the glass. i was happy with his suggestion. there is a new thread on the media board about david lynch's new book on wine. he is the wine guy at babbo, and seems to know quite a bit about the italian varietals. the book has an impressive "thud" factor as well. click here for that thread. i'm looking forward to digging into this thing as i only know those 2 'B' wines and chianti.

adam, do you generally serve hand medium-rare?

christopher, that was brilliant.

someone seems to have a hard-on for sonoma grill. one might suggest that one eats there before posting several disparaging remarks. ignorance is no substitute for experience.