tommy

Since Thai food is usually spicy, (anyway the dishes we order) we generally drink beer with it so BYO is really not an issue with us nor should it ever be if the food is very good. Though BYO is a huge plus it has never been the reason why I would go or not go to a restaurant. ← when very good/same food is across the street and i get to decide what wine (usually a riesling with spicy food for me) i will enjoy with the excellent food, and that wine is 8 dollars instead of 20, yeah, i'd say for me that it is and will always remain a reason why i would go or not go to a restaurant. i'm spending less, drinking better wine, and eating comparable food. it's a no-brainer. however, i'll concede that this situation is exceptional.

feel free to name names. i can only think of 3 or so. fascino, rocca, and the jefferson come to mind, but not many more. perhaps that other place in Hoboken makes the grade too (can't think of the name). but when i think "creative italian", i don't generally think northern jersey. in fact, i can't even think of many in NYC outside of the Batali empire, which to my mind does a great job carrying all of manhattan.

Bangkok Garden isn't BYO as far as i know. a huge strike against it in my book.

no luck on tonight's broadcast?

thanks, paul. although i hope he does more than just speak. i'm sure he's a great chef, but he's about a charasmatic as a mailbox.

what's the story with this. the ryland inn's website has next to no info from what i can see.

i'd sure hope so! my point was more to rationalize why they'd serve steaks in 32 ounce portions. is a "steak for 2" twice as thick? 32 ounces is pretty much standard for a "single steak" when you're looking at porterhouse or t-bone. those cuts have such an enormous footprint that you have to have a slab that large to get a decent thickness. but, again, lugers and wolfgangs don't bother serving a single serving of porterhouse, probably partly for the reason i just stated. so, when i wonder why this place might, i have to assume because they have an audience for single steaks. lugers and wolfgangs not so much...not porterhouse at least. if you want a single serving at one of those places, you get a steak with a smaller footprint, like sirloin or strip. that said, i picked up a porterhouse tonight for dinner, and i really want to try this place.

jeesh it was right on the menu! good work, rosie. in that case i'd say it's a reasonable price. although i would guess that a 32 ounce t-bone is barely 1 inch thick. i prefer larger t-bones/porterhouses at abuot 1.25 to 1.5 inches thick. which comes out to about 48 ounces. my guess is that they don't have a huge market for "steak for 2", so they have to serve single portions, which turn out to be about 32 ounces. not a bad deal for 50 dollars i'd say.

Can anyone finish that 3 pound portion? Do they wheel you out? Is an ambulance standing by? ← don't know. unlikely. what?

if i'm not mistaken, luger's porterhouse for two is about 48 ounces. same with wolfgang's. seems reasonable. that said, a 32 oz for 1 serving seems odd. methinks their steak for one could feed two, but i'm guessing they won't let you do that. although, i think if you cut a t-bone to 24 ounces you're going to have a steak that is much too thin to my mind at least. as far as ironbound places serving large pieces of meat, that's probably for another thread, but i rather enjoy them on occasion.

i've never eaten at sammy's, but i'm wondering how they're charging more (30% more give or take, although i don't know if they're the same weight) than luger's, wolfgang's, and some other NYC steakhouses when they're serving meat that doesn't even get billing as "prime." is it a testament to how good their angus beef is and how well they treat it? or is it a testament to the affluence of morris county and the lack of other steakhouses in the area.

the Franklin Steakhouse's burger is one of the best i've had. i have to worry about what a $1.50 hamburger tastes like.

i've had french food in NYC, CA, chicago, boston, france, and probably a few other places, but i'm still not sure what "french overtones" exist at thai chef to set it apart on that basis, with the exception of the souffle, which may or may not be "french" (sounds french, though). but, i can appreciate their marketing angle, and the chef's background, perhaps, if it happens to be "french", but i don't really buy it. and kratiem seemed to have a similar menu. have i been missing the foie gras with ginger and scallion on the thai chef menu? perhaps the cassoulet with basil and chili? as far as the relative success of either of these restaurants, i have to wonder how many thai restaurants, and perhaps even "asian" restaurants, englewood can support? (especially given the thai chef in riverside square, which is probably less than 10 miles from englewood, and certainly closer to a lot of their potential customers as well...and with valet parking) additionally, i suppose englewood is a "restaurant town" by most standards, but englewood's location seems somewhat limiting with regard to how much outside traffic they might receive, especially when compared to montclair and ridgewood. englewood can draw from the north, south, and west, but to the east, well, there just ain't no people. perhaps they're working with a 25% potential-diner deficit right off the bat. a few things to chew on, although the answer might lie with parking lots and whatnot. or maybe thai chef is just a shell of its former self, and not very exciting or interesting given the other options. i've been saying that for more than half a decade, and i'm starting to think that i'm right.

Rosalie, what's the story with the Trackside Inn in ramsey? i see it's closing. that's a big place and always seemed to be doing pretty well. any word on its future?

devi got a nice review in the feb 28 print edition of Crain's NY Business. nice picture, too.

i didn't read anything into ryderpond's comment on the level of spiciness as far as how it relates to the restaurant being filled or not. i'm in the same camp as ryderpond and find this type of food isn't something i'd return for very often. it has nothing to do with levels of spice. personally, i find the food too sweet. regardless of if it's supposed to be that way. no, not something i would fit into my monthly schedule as i might meals at vietnamese restaurants or C46, for example. edit: i'm referring to dragonel, not dhaaba. having 2 resturants in one thread might be a tad confusing.

you might try that international food warehouse place on 17 where it meets 80 in what i think is rochelle park.

← ab-so-lutely.

you sure said somethin there.

as jaymes suggests, let's not confuse PF Changs with a typical "chinese restaurant". or an "authentic" chinese restaurant. it's not. to ignore this generally accepted fact when criticizing it probably doesn't serve much purpose. if you're looking for "authentic" chinese food, go to one or the 2 places in NJ that are actually serving it, or one of the handful of places in NYC that are actually serving that type of food. otherwise, PF Changs and its fans don't deserve any more criticism than fans of, or restaurants like, most of the places in NJ to begin with.

curlz, my thought is that this is simply a compilation of old reviews. with the filter of "comfort food." just like a year-end wrap-up, or a "best NJ italian" list, they'll compile old reviews for the copy. they're not applying stars at this point, but rather including them in the copy, which may or may not be based on earlier reviews. i agree that some fresh words about the specific food are in order, but i think the inclusion of the stars acts as a baseline for those who may not be familiar with the other aspects of the restaurants. i'm just making this stuff up. and i know you well enough. you *are* losing sleep over this. and i'm losing sleep over your sleep loss. only one thing to do: let's hit the jeff.

he's (apparently) doing a very traditional pizza. haven't been to naples to sample the (few) places that likely still produce pizza like this, but i'm guessing this version isn't too far off. as far as price, it's 'spensive. although i had dinner there for 20 bucks, and enjoyed it. 20 bucks for dinner in NYC is pretty good. for me. if he starts selling wine, which is the plan as far as i know, i'd hope he'd keep the list priced *extremely* reasonably. otherwise i'll likely return only when not drinking wine, which would be, oh, about never.

is that where la carbonaria used to be? if so, just noticed it the other day. i'd like to hear some reports.

curlz, my guess is that's is basically a piece based on one or two people's opinions. just as if you and i came up with a list, and had to remove 50% due to space considerations, the list would be vastly different than 2 other peoples list.

finker. thanks for some great food over the past few years. i hope we'll see you around in some form or another soon.