tommy

is this place notable in some way? FL is close to me.

Just so we're on the same page, drop their names, puh-lease... ← fascino in montclair. rocco in glen rock. that's all i can come up with right now. neither uses steam tables or sternos as far as i know.

well the freakin trip is off. but thanks so much to everyone who made my research that much easier, and that much more interesting. the next time i'm in morgantown, i'll know exactly where to go (although i'll likely never know who changed the sub-title of this thread or why, but why question these things when the answers are never really given). and i'll know to not stay at the best western because they're effing me out of several hundred dollars without cause. cheers.

thanks mr. roger troutman. that beanery place jumped out at me when i was doing some outside-of-egullet research. i notice someone changed the sub-heading of this thread to "what's good there besides pork", or something similar. since i haven't seen any mention of pork in this thread, and i certainly didn't pen that phrase, i have to ask if pork is something i should be looking out for. what's the deal?

i don't expect to see anything in a buffet in NJ that i wouldn't see on a menu in NJ. and i haven't seen much on italian menus in NJ to convince me to line up at a steam table for a meal. but i want a full report.

i'll have what he's having. the point of course, brian, is that any "italian buffet" that might possibly pop up in NJ is likely going to be a big pile of shit. but please go and give us a full report on your findings. has anyone experienced an italian buffet that this might be modeled after? i've had sliced meats and cheeses and bread in italy, and i do love it, but i don't think that's what we're thinking here. or is it.

exactly. i've adjusted my perception to take into consideration that the star ratings are now completely meaningless. right now there are a handful of "4 star restaurants" in NYC. soon, perhaps, there will be more. i just hope people pick the right when when they're deciding on what 4-star restaurant to visit on their honeymoon, or they might end up with paper napkins and no wine list, but one helluva BBQ brisket.

what would one expect to see at an italian buffet in new jersey? i can think of about 3 italian restaurants that are serving decent and interesting food during normal service, so i can't imagine what i'd see over sternos.

i love that. happens all the time. eventually after the server says "merlot, chardonnay, pinot grigio" and i start asking the very basic questions of "from where", or "which producer", they inevitably say "hold on, i'll get the list." two questions come to mind: 1) why not just give me the list to begin with? 2) is the percentage of diners who are satisfied with the response of "umm, merlot, chardonnay, and i think pinot grigio" really that large to have this approach as the standard procedure? if i'm a server and i know dick about wine i think i'd take the easy way out and just give the diner a list. don't get me started. again.

somoma grill was quite good the last time i was there (somewhat of a report starting here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=299000) it's not a place that i'd eat at the bar, however. although i'm sure some people might.

thanks for the link, curlz: Liquor License : No, Please Bring Your Own Bottles (BYOB) Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant 515 Bloomfield Avenue; Montclair, New Jersey 07042 (973)655-9000

can i assume this is byo? i mean, i know i can, but i'm just checking. also, do we think reservations are necessary on a thursday night?

trust me when i say, morela, that no one is laughing harder than me right now. laptop for sure. thanks for the recs so far people. once again you've met and exceeded my expectations.

dunno. but you'd better tell hitmanoo when you find out.

i'll be spending a short amount of my life in morgantown, west virginia. i know it's a long shot, does anyone know of any decent places to eat and/or drink? and/or anything? it's a college town, so i assume there's *something* going on, even if it's just pitchers of beer and good wings. [crosses fingers...] edit: i hope i didn't come across as bashing WVa or morgantown. it's just that it's about 8 hours from me and doesn't seem to be near many big cities, where the bulk of egullet likely reside, hence the "long shot" comment.

it's thursday, and that begins with a "t" just like tuesday. any ideas? keywords: "bar", "belly up", "wines by the glass". basicall those words identify the requirements. had thai for lunch, so that's right out.

i hear that if you're known to the restaurant, you get potatoes in the chicken murphy. why they make that distinction i have no idea. i hate having to or feeling like i have to tip someone to get a table. although this place is old-school, so i suppose it's part of the charm. but i'll keep my fin and wait a little longer i suppose. i've got a date to go back in 2 weeks. woo-hoo! i spoke with one of the servers who's been there for about 15 years. i asked what the deal was with Stretch's. apparently there's no love lost between these two restaurants. this fella claimed that the Stretch's people (Stretch's son, from what i've read), is basically diluting the name, the dishes aren't as good (the gravy, specifically), and he's selling the savoy recipe whatnot. a sign in the Belmont forcefully proclaims that they are *not* related to any other restaurant. another indication i suppose.

mock you? yes, most likely. actually, i questioned your unqualified assertion that the belmont is a "better italian restaurant" than trattoria fresco. "better" is subjective, of course, but i'd certainly hesitate to send someone who was looking for a good italian restaurant to the belmont without a brief explanation first (which you then went on to do quite effectively i'd say...so my work there was done). and if there's ever a place that needs an explanation then the belmont is it. the post. i'll be back. and probably before i get to trattoria fresco.

i generally don't get too bent out of shape about a star system, but if Sripraphai gets 2 stars, then i will admit that i have no idea what stars mean, other than "very good". yes, Sripraphai is very good.

my understanding, from this thread, is that the "1975" on the bottle doesn't imply that the grapes came from 1975. if so, they must have had quite a bit of juice, because the "1975" bottles keep showing up on the shelves. above, jesus states: when you say "what Mother Nature gave the winemakers", do you mean the grapes from 1972 and 1975? or do you mean something else. i'm still confused. thanks.

Don't go for the ambience. Don't go for the service. Go for the escarole salad, cavetelli with pot cheese and chicken savoy. And go early. The place is packed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. ← actually, for me, the ambience and the service played a very important role in the experience, and i'll likely return because of factors beyond how tasty the food was. as far as what we ate, aside from the several carafes of cheap red wine: shrimp oreganato clams oreganato - the oreganato dishes were like none i've ever had, although i rarely eat things like this. simply excellent. that mixed salad of theirs - just pefect hot peppers - mostly not hot. apparently they're hit or miss when it comes to heat. pasta with clam sauce - not enough sauce/clams shrimp beeps - this dish was excellent. slightly fried shrimp in a red sauce. pork chop in vinegar chicken murphy chicken savoy i probably missed a dish or two in this list. the savoy was less sweet and acidic than i had expected. it was a dryer dish than i expected as well, which is fine. i was very full by that point, but it was pretty good chicken. unlike most chicken i've ever had, which makes it worth the trip right there. there was about a 45 minute wait on a friday at 8. i'd take the recommendations of others and get there early.

they add a bunch of butter before it goes back in as well. no resting for the old steaks at luger's, that's for sure. that must drive the steak cookers, who insist on resting, crazy.

i ordered a Bud from jimmy the barman and he said "they got bud around the corner" and walked away.

i've never made, and subsequently lost, so many friends in such a short time in my life (both, i think, attributed to my propensity to speak my mind regardless of how unpopular my opinions might be. oh the painful irony). more importantly, i hadn't realized that roasting just about any vegetable makes it incredible. and the more those bits of brussel sprouts get burnt, the better they taste. and picking restaurants when traveling is a breeze now that i don't have to rely on zagat.

and can someone tell me what chicken murphy is? as much as i want to try the chicken savoy, i don't like cheap balsamic, which i think they must use. and the acidity will have its way with my cheap eye-talian red. perhaps i'll try someone else's savoy and get the murphy for meself.