tommy

surely this offer isn't valid for just anyone at just any time.

that post is over 2 years old. i *am* the egullet archives. haven't been back to P&O surprsingly since then. a good place to remember for a mid-week stop, however. i just hope they have upgraded their stemware. did you go for lunch?

and i say it *is* something special for the reason i gave above and which i'll repeat below. you yourself say that you have no idea what the chef's motivation is when sending out courses, so i question why you continue to offer (negative) possibilities/explanations. in the way of example once again, if the chef thinks that one course follows another perfectly, highlighting the contrast or similarities in taste and texture between those courses, then i'm all for having him send the courses out in a certain order, or even choose certain courses over other. that is what i'm buying into when i let the chef orchestrate my meal. this possibility does not, of course, negate the possibility that the chef is a lazy lout, looking to make it easy on himself, but in my experience it's the former rather than the latter when you have the kitchen decide what/when you're eating. again, it comes down to having faith in the kitchen. i've let kitchens choose my courses at many restaurants many times, and never expect that i'll be receiving dishes that aren't on the menu, with the notable exception of omakase which, by nature, i think isn't necessarily a menu-driven dining experience to begin with. it's clear that some people have different expectations when deferring control to the kitchen. my point, of course, is that i have faith in this chef. i just hope he trains those runners a bit better!

i think WTC's point was that the plateware was "redundant", not the menu necessarily. i didn't find that, but it's clearly a personal preference.

Carlo Russo is now closed. However there is a great store called Wine Country in the complex where Huffman Koos was located off Rt#4. ← carlo russo closed? that's pretty big news. they still have their (small) place in hohokus. Total Wine and More is next to the old Huffman Koos. they have a website (google it). deep discounts. large selection of most items. very inexpensive beer selection. great staff if you find the right person.

5 courses runs 75 dollars. that's 180/190 dollars, give or take, for a couple, without wine or parking. that's more expensive than 99% of the restaurants in NJ i'd think. Whitetrufflechick, i read the above quote as you suggesting that the chef would try to move stuff that *wasn't* moving for fear of it going bad, etc. i don't think Venue does that. i see now that you meant something entirely different. however, i still have faith in the restaurants that i choose to visit, and i have no problem letting the chef orchestrate a meal for me, as i trust them. the chef at Venue didn't open this restaurant to make things easy on himself, that's for sure. if he thinks the scallops follow the pear perfectly, well then i'm more than happy to let him course the dishes in that order. edit: cross-posted with WTC.

do you think that's the case at Venue? i'm sure that's the case some places, but at those places i don't let the chef orchestrate my meal. in fact, i don't eat at those places at all. i think diners need to be careful when judging a restaurant's ability to handle a full dining room after one visit. all it takes is for 1 server or 1 line cook to get into a car accident on the way to work, or to call out sick, to throw off what is normally a delicate balance. when the host says they were in the weeds, well, they were in the weeds. i should add that my one dinner ran longer than i would have wanted, although it seemed reasonably paced. having looked over the menu very carefully at Venue and then letting the kitchen send out courses, i can say that i experienced a sense of anxiety/anticipation as to what would be sent out next. i can't say that i would have expected what i received even if i took the time to study and memorize the menu. the runners are an obvious weak point for the restaurant. a restaurant like this needs knowledegable runners. and at those prices, they should be polished and professional as well (a little too much "reaching over" when setting the table at that pricepoint for my taste). hopefully they can work on that. it was very frustrating to have these incredible and complex dishes hitting the table, and having no idea what they were. i have to imagine the chef sees this and shares in my frustration. he's on this website, so maybe he'll take a look at that.

*HELP!!!!!* Does anyone know - please let me know...? Thanks. ← anonymouze, the restaurant is on street level with the restrooms apparently downstairs. the nearest parking is a multilevel parking garage about 2 blocks away. i'd call the restaurant for details: relying on an internet forum for information like this probably isn't the best way to go.

the "tapas" menu was not presented the night i went. just the 4/5/6/7 course tasting option. the concept is very ailnea/adria without a doubt, including the presentation. very cool for NJ.

don't forget to bring wine, if you want wine. the food leans towards the sweet side of the spectrum, so that might be a consideration when chosing wine. i don't see how corcoran gave this restaurant "excellent." i don't think that a BYO restaurant can be "excellent", but that's probably neither here nor there. the food is definitely interesting, and some of the chef's creations caused me to utter "what the f*ck?", in a good way. when the server came out with a glass of what she described essentially as "air", i didn't know what to do. the "air" was the coolest thing i've eaten in a long time. i'd recommend that people put themselves in the restaurant's hands. i chose a 5 course menu, and was quite satisfied and blown away. however, after close to 200 bucks and bringing wine on top of that (and parking if you can't snag a street spot), i would be surprised if this place can survive without "dumbing it down" a bit. i hope, for my sake, they don't have to do that, because i like it just the way it is. definitely request the scallops, short rib, and pear salad. and the squash soup.

for some reason the New York Times is interested in a media (TV, books, and who knows what else in the future) star that has amassed a fortune rumored to be in the 6 million range and who has sold hundreds of thousands of books and has a multi-million dollar contract on the table, all in a few years with no real "training." go figure. i wish i were as "talentless".

I wonder how many times you've been there? The Times reviewer found the place inconsistent. If you were there on one of their better nights, then your experience is not necessarily inconsistent with hers. But I suspect she ate there at least three times, and maybe four, before writing the review. ← you wonder? would you like to know? quite possibly more than the reviewer. quite possibly less. i wouldn't make such a statement without having what i would consider a reasonable sampling and forming an informed opinion. would you? Luger's and Wolfgang's are "inconsistent" as well vis-a-vis that minerally taste that i look for in a dry-aged steak. it's the nature of the beast in my opinion. one of the two steaks i had at wolfgang's earlier this week had little-to-no mineral notes. regardless, Ben and Jack's serves a "better" steak than the Palm in my estimation. stylistically they're quite different. and my preference is the "Luger's-style".

the focus got lost when people started opining on the very subjective "what makes a great steak" issue. i agree that it's probably naive to simply go by an assertion that a restaurant serves dry-aged USDA prime beef when choosing a steakhouse. as as been suggested by others, i think more goes into that. (although, i think a proper dry-aging is key element, and a USDA Prime certification can't hurt. it's a very good baseline, and one which i don't drop below when buying steaks for home cooking.) Ben & Jack's serves a "better" steak than the Palm in my estimation, regardless of that questionable review. my preference. frankly, i have better taste than that reviewer.

More details on the bridge please. ← LOL! while it's clear that many factors go into a great steak, least of all not personal preference...*certainly* not least of all personal preference..., i prefer the minerally flavor that comes from dry-aged steak. with or without butter, charred exterior and USDA grading aside, i've enjoyed that flavor at Luger's, Wolfgang's, and Ben & Jack's. not recently at the Palm. or any of the 3 in NYC. or are there 4 now. who can keep track.

much better. looks like a different version, though, with a lot less cheese product. are they consistent?

am i becoming too high-minded or does this look disgusting.

i suppose my question really entails the issues of what comprises the value of a business (specifically a restaurant in NJ, sans liquor). but i'm sure this will be forced to some other thread where it will be magically lost. creepy

what is actually for sale at Epernay? the building? just the contents of the restaurant? or is the business somehow worked into the equation. i ask because Rosie suggests to get there before the chef leaves, but if the chef leaves, what's left? is there still outdoor seating? might be a good one for me to hit in the next week or two before it gets too cold!

"susci" is an italian take (and most likely spelling) of "sushi". rice and raw fish. "sascimi" the same for sashimi. possibly not in italian dictionaries, but used occasionally. crudo in my experience something different yet again. went to two italian restaurants in the past month that had wasabi as a part of their dishes. perhaps not so crazy afterall.

i didn't notice anyone being "snobby." i wish them all the best. you're right when you say it's a tough business.

i'm more interested in good tapas and interesting spanish wines. Bergen County could use a place dedicated to this type of thing. the scene is sorely lacking in this regard in my estimation. but at least i know where to go for good sized portions of good chicken parm, salad and dessert, all for 10 dollars before 6 pm. speaking of edgewater i noticed another newish place down there. looked pretty interesting with outdoor seating and whatnot and i made a note to check it out. come to think of it i think it was spanish. maybe i'll end up at Sangria Tapas afterall. just not for the italian-american food.

i can't say that chick parm with a side of vegetables really does it for me, regardless of the portion size.

non-spanish "early bird special"? sounds like another place to miss.

i find the TVs to be a distraction. the concept isn't executed very well in my opinion. remotes are not available. they're not easty to work. etc. surely there's something more interesting to hang on the wall in front of every customer other than a TV.

"susci and sascimi". Corcoran refers to the above as "cutely named". Gintzler calls it "cleverly named". 3 stars in the Star Ledger out of? the website doesn't make mention. so, you know, it's even more meaningless. 3 out of 3 i would think. curlz: i spent 10 minutes trying to find this online. couldn't. i was probably thrown off by the decidedly un-food-like title of the article.