tommy

anything new in PP that i should know about? i'm making another pilgrimage to the homeland very soon. definites are Red's and Mike's subs. and the tiki bar.

how does this burger compare to the Shake Shack? will you even respond?

i've actually found Mario's testa quite notable. not sure what you mean when you say "secondi are still secondi", though.

i find it odd that someone in the broadcasting business for that long would characterize someone as successful as Rachael Ray as "stupid".

if you're saying that you don't like the sauce they use well then there's simply no debating that. alhtough, i've never picked up a tinny flavor in the sauce or any sort of overwhelming "canned" taste. it should be noted that Hunts tomato sauce contains no additives. it's basically tomatoes and water. if you're saying that by virtue of using canned sauces Kinchley's is producing a somehow inferior product then i'd ask what places use fresh tomatoes instead of canned. i'm guessing there aren't many.

it's a small chain. they have a website. i can't for the life of me figure out where it is in hackensack. although yahoo maps shows it over by the mall, by that big japanese place. unless it's where the japanese place is/was.

no problem. that's why i stick around. so what about the steaks at Pal's?? anyone? don't make me go to Flemings instead.

My steak description was "tongue in cheek" humor used to illustrate the over analyzing some of us can do to something as simple as a steak. Eric ← something as "simple as a steak"!?!?! say it ain't so, eric. steaks range from inedible to sublime. (note: i couldn't think of another word so the ridiculous "sublime" was thrown in)

from the little i've read i wouldn't think of ordering anything but the burger, steak, or mushroom soup. this isn't the type of place in my mind that i'd go with high expectations. my burger-at-the-bar was quite a pleasurable experience. pal's is often mentioned in the various "best burger" roundups in the various publications. there's something to that i think. order anything else at your own risk. rosie, go for the burger soon. it's just about up there with one of your favorites, Gaffer's. and the fries are better. and they have a restroom attendant, so i avoid that at all costs. zeman, good seeing you around again. i'd like to hear more from you about the various places in the paterson area. i seem to recall you making a few stops in and around that town a while back.

what does "char-broiled" mean anyway? i suppose i know the flavor you're talking about, but i'm not sure how they get that. i went to the Hearth the other day, on your seemingly endless recommendations. the patty is about 3 ounces and has that "char-broiled" flavor. but, given how quickly that thing must cook, i can't imagine the cooking process imparting much of the fabled char-broiledness to the patty. i'm thinking is some combination of a bath of salt and liquid smoke or somesuch silliness. (don't get me wrong, it was good. they should offer a double for eff's sake) pal's burgers don't have that flavor profile. not even quite a steakhouse burger, which generally has more "char" (real char, from high very direct heat). probably cooked on a griddle. it's a shame there's so little traffic on the nj board anymore. i'd really like to hear about those steaks without making a trip all the way down there.

rosalie, what be the word on the chef at the ridgewood la cambusa? the pasta has been top notch in my experiences. i have to think this person didn't come from a regular old italian-american restaurant background.

somebody tells me that this la cambusa isn't related to the one in Fairlawn. if it isn't they need to change the name. if only because i find this location pretty good and i've been tempted to try the fairlawn place of the same name. thread1 thread2 edit: according to ardore.com they're related. although it would be nice to have discussion on the ridgewood place on its own thread. i took care of that for you.

it's pretty clear to me that menton1 realizes that. he's just hoping for some feedback on the evening, and assumes nizza might be able to provide that feeback if even in the form of "my friend didn't like it very much" or "my friend looked at the map and realized how far out of the way montclair was and wondered what all those people on egullet are smoking".

poster anonymouze suggests here that even a dog deserves better than Pal's cabin. i have to disagree, if only because they have good burgers, and it's a bit of a landmark. Pal's has been family-run for what seems (and looks) like 300 years. i think some of the servers and customers date that far back. the back rooms by the bar are transporting, and even on a slow wednesday night you might find a piano player doing his thing. i am curious about the steaks. anonymouze suggests that steak-lovers might enjoy the steaks at Pal's. this reinforces what i've heard, which is that they're serving prime beef that they're dry-aging on premises. does anyone have any firsthand experience with these steaks? sounds like they might be worth a shot. our friendly bartender tells the story of well-heeled clientele who've eaten at "top NYC steakhouses" and claim that Pal's is serving better meat at half the price.

she works for the CIA. shhhhhhh...

perhaps a friend has had it or she read about it. i've never had the 9 course tasting at the French Laundry, but i can make some reasonable assumptions about it given what i've heard, but not necessarily experienced. i'm in agreement with adegulio on this one.

if you write like an advert we'll make fun of you even after 10,000 posts.

it's just different. most pizza is different. kinchley's is different than brooklyn's which is different from pizza i've had in italy which is different than the pizza i cook at home. they'll all good. there is a lot of bad pizza out there, and by and large it's accepted that kinchely's doesn't fall under that umbrella. just because they're not using fresh mozzeralla (and many people feel that fresh mozzerella has no place on pizza) or fresh basil doesn't make it bad.

every one of cola mecco's shows highlight one particular type of food or neighborhood, usually in NY or NJ. that's not stereotyping. that's focus. i'm sure if you back bourdain with a couple of hundred grand he'll be more than happy to produce a show on blueberries and tomatoes, salt water taffy and jersey corn, assuming he cares about those subjects enough. bourdain lived in NJ for 17 years. my guess is that he's comfortable with the level of research for this show. i like subs. i like Satin Dolls. i like the Sopranos. i like being italian-american.

am i the only person who read those links and thought that they weren't in the least bit offensive? come to think of it am i the only one who read those links? edited for typo.

← i'll take full credit for suggesting she be tarred and feathered. however, that was back in 2003. i like her very much now. and others have moved way past her on my list of people who should be tarred and feathered. foodie til death, tommy

my first thoughts exactly. but if they're for real, i guess they're taking a porterhouse, cutting off the strip, and trimming the bone next to the filet. i've never had a filet on a bone without the strip, though. and if they're aging this filet, even better i suppose. they can keep their blue cheese, however. not on my steak thank you.

thanks for all of the suggestions everyone. i honestly had no idea that all of these places existed. very helpful, and good for future reference. i won't say who i picked, but i will say that i totally ruled out everything menton1 suggested.

menton, good call on the details thing: afternoon pool party. elegant if at all possible. no children. bill, thanks for the rec, although you know i have no tolerance for annoying people. i'd show them the curb halfway through, and we just can't have that. but where is Above the Salt? not only do i want good food (and hopefully interesting food), but i'm hoping to get a place that actual handles the execution of the party well as well. anyone can cook good food, but i need someplace versed in catering and whatnot. like Fink, for example, comes walking in with tents and tables and coolers and in 10 minutes he's up and running and people are chowing down having a grand ol' time. worry and hassle free for the host.

anyone know any good caterers in Bergen County? or at least a caterer who would take a job in bergen? normally i'd just get Fink, but this event calls for something a bit different. i considered The Market Basket, but their catering menus don't do it for me. even a good restaurant who has experience catering would be nice.