tommy

because it is the customer's responsibility, that's why. when you order a meal at Jean Georges, no one tells you all of the ingredients. if you ask, you'll most likely find out. i think this analogy is close enough. no one is responsible for you except you. simple as that. as for BK misleading the public, that's probably a separate issue altogether. however, i don't imagine that a high profile company like that would want to completely piss off a huge amount of people just to get $2.89 out of them once (or until those who were fooled realize that they've been, um, scammed). it's just not good businss.

of course i'm all for full disclosure, coming from BK itself (not the kid at the register). i mean, we need to see this in writing in case we one day find our vegetarian selves in line at BK and realize we've left every ounce of our common sense at home. :p hell, if vegetarianism leads to the profound level of cluelessness that some of these posts have suggested, get me a steak ASAP!!!

NO NO NO NO!!! no self-respecting, aware, reasonable, rational person, much less a vegetarian, would make an assumption like that!! if they do, eff 'em! i didn't make the freakin assumption. i'm sure most of the people i know wouldn't make that assumption. why in the world would we think that those who are actually passionate about animal products *would* make that leap of faith!?!?! i just makes no sense.

bravo.

i'm still stuck on the following point: BK never said they are offering a "vegetarian dish," nor is the burger named "the BK vegetarian." (although Ron and i disagree as to the degree that "BK Veggie" leads one to believe it's strictly vegetarian). if i were a vegetarian you can be damned sure i'd be very clear on what i put in my mouth, especially at the obviously questionable BK. i'm just a pain in the butt.

i'm assuming that's sarcasm, and i appreciate it either way. but to be clear, i think "veggie" implies vegetables. if i were a strict vegetarian, i would not assume it meant vegetarian in content or cooking process. actually, aren't there several different "grades" of vegetarian? that is to say, what is "vegetarian" to one might not be vegetarian to another? i could be completely wrong on that. this, of course, wouldn't be the first time. buyer beware. *yes*, in restaurants. i would say *more* so if you're putting the product in your mouth. :)

steve, i'm missing your point. sorry! :(

i'm very happy you enjoyed yourself. and thanks for reporting back. note to you: don't get too excited about vong? ;) actually, vong is fun, and good, and nice looking, but it's probably less thai than tabla is indian, which some will argue is very little. do, however, try pam's thai, on 49th off of 9th. very good stuff. cheers.

fyi, i don't know what the local stores are advertising, but this press release makes no claims that this product is "vegetarian". i suppose it states, or at least implies, that there is no meat in it, but that's about the extent of the claims. Click me, i'm meat-free.

with all due respect to this person whom i've never met, i honestly don't feel bad for a person who is a strict vegetarian and 1) orders *anything* at burger king 2) asks a 5 dollar an hour high school dropout about the ingredients and/or cooking procedure (which it sounds as though your friend skipped over) of a product that might possibly make him ill if it contains animal product. and i though the McD's hot coffee incident was absurd. c'mon!

we returned to this italian in ho-ho-kus for the second time last night. it is where Pourquoi pas? used to be. i don't recall the room at pourquoi pas?, but it looks as though the new owners haven't changed it much. it's got that "how i might re-do my basement on a budget" look, but it's not horrible. just casual. i think this is a husband and wife team, with the lovely and gracious wife working the front room, and the husband heading up the kitchen (i could be wrong, but hey). the menu consists of shell fish (mussels, clams), pastas of all sorts, meats (steak, pork, lamb chops), whole fishes, salads, a soup, and a couple of other offerings, not to mention nightly specials numbering upwards of 15 or 18. for the size of the restaurant, i think the magnitude of the menu is quite ambitious. and they seem to pull it off. delicious bread is served right off the bat, with some good green olive oil. the bread apparently comes from balthazar in soho. it's one of my favorite types of bread (i don't know the name, but it's light and airy, with a good thick crust). last night we started with clams in a red broth and "meatballs and mushrooms". mrs. tommy loved the clams and the broth. the huge bowl was served with a single slice of delicious garlic rubbed crouton for dipping. i thought the dish was a bit too fishy, but i was assured by the expert that it was very good. the meatballs and mushrooms were insipid (i just love that word). i figured you can't go wrong with the two, but here we did. the meatballs were probably made from veal and pork, or some other lean meat. the mushrooms were sliced and the whole thing was in a rather bland red sauce. i think it could have used more salt and more zing, not to mention maybe more herb. however, it was a big portion, and probably would have been better if shared btwn 3 ppl so each could have a little "taste". i just didn't "get" the dish quite frankly. on to a roasted pork stuffed with sausage, herbs, and prossuito (sp?). quite good, and served with a zippy and flavorful brown sauce. i couldn't figure out what the "secret" was to the brown sauce. it was quite interesting. a person who i believe was the chef came out to see how everything was. mrs. tommy asked about the pork, and he was more than happy to explain every little detail about it, basically telling us exactly how to make it (but not the sauce), and summing up with "that's it," as if to imply that it's not rocket science, and if i can do it why don't you give it a try. i thought that was quite gracious as so many chefs seem to think their work is that of a higher power, and protect their "secrets" like nasa. we also had cornish hen, which was just incredible. a good sized bird, split open, and roasted til crispy. it was juicy and delicious. i think i'll start ordering this little sucker from now on. both entrees were served with roasted potatoes and sauteed broccoli rabe. total before tip was 59 dollars or so. the last time we were there, we had pastas instead of meats, and the bill was only about 45. pastas go for about 13 or 15 dollars here, and they are pretty good. the place rocks on weekends, and the service was overwhelmed on our one saturday night visit. byob. there is a carlo russo liquor store across the street with some good deals. 6 Sycamore Ave ho ho kus (201) 251-8008

Like you're throwing up. you know, i was going to suggest that as the only other possibility. i'll stick with "blue".

yeah! what he said! and really, how do you pronounce "bleu"?

you have a point.

ironically, most people with mullets, smoke.

including all of the united states?

which begs the question, was *is* a BBQ friendly wine list. is this BBQ the dry rubbed kind or the saucy kind. pairing wine with that sweet spicy saucy stuff would prove interesting. i gotta go with beer on this one. at least that's my initial thought. i know how my face and fingers look after chowing on some ribs, so i can imagine what i'd do to a wine glass!

i glanced quickly through the first bit of the article in the NYT this morning...am i crazy or did i read that this is a danny meyer restaurant??

a bit off-topic, but this reminds me of something i've been thinking lately... i've become very hard to impress. this is not to say that i've dined at so many of the finest restaurants that i've become numb, but i think that it's just a bit more difficult to impress me now as compared to when i first go into this whole dining trip. when i think i the best meals i've had, they generally took place a while back and not recently. it kinda sux actually.

john, your url in your signature is a bit messed up. for some reason when you click on it my browser doesn't assume the "www" and it's not translating correctly.

sorry for the confusion. order anything you want, it's all good! i was suggesting that while the crabcakes are one of their signature dishes, it never wowed me. however, it's different than any crabcake you'll get elsewhere, and it might be worth a shot. it's quit good actually, but i guess i'm a purist when it comes to crab cakes. hmmm, giving it some thought, i guess i don't really like crabcakes all that much to begin with. :D

good for you. i've never had anything bad here. in fact, it's one of my favorites, on many levels. there will be 2 or three tasting menus offered (one vegetarian, and probably 2 "regular", perhaps a 5 and a 7 course). the 7 course is a *lot* of food. chef cardoz doesn't skimp on portions. i've found it's too much, but very good. pace yourself if you go this route. it might not be the season yet, but he generally has a fish in a watermelon sauce of somesort. sounds offputting, but it's very good. he does fish well (although the crabcakes, which have been on the menu since day one, don't "wow" me). he does meats well. he does everything well! :p if you could, give some feedback after you've digested. fyi, it's generally not that difficult to get reservations here during the early part of the week, or on sundays.

i certainly understand the space restrictions that a restaurant comes up against in cities such as new york. with that in mind, i'm not horribly offended by "cramped quarters". however, if the table next to me has to move a considerable distance for me to get up to use the restroom, my anxiety level shoots way up. i'm not a small fellow, but i am by no means tipping the scales size-wise. i can't imagine how some people fit in airplane seats comfortably, let alone navigating a cramped restaurant with any ease.

one of the nice things about growing up in the US, which is barely over 2 centuries old (a drop in the bucket compared to most cultures) is that we aren't forced to learn other languages to compete in the world market. you see, we actually *define* that market. i suppose if we weren't the most powerful and arguably most "successful" country in the world, it might be in our best interest to learn several languages. as it turns out, we're doing just fine without, save the occasional snide remark from arrogant foreigners (who generally are living in the US taking advantage of our economy and various freedoms). as far as those foreigners becoming grouchy over our perceived ignorance, all i can say is, awesome dude cheers maytes. :p

an interesting corollary to this question, and one that has peeked out here a bit, might be the following: what *types* of slip-ups are "forgivable" at top restaurants. i would let a slightly underwhelming dish goes without *too* much punishment. after all, i wouldn't claim to know what everything should taste like and if the product actually met the vision of the chef and if the kitchen performed it faithfully. however, the type of human error that comes out in the form of rudeness or snootiness goes heavily punished in my book. it is simply unforgivable to be obnoxious in any way to a guest.