tommy

you can only imagine where i spend my time. this sounds like my kinda place. i'm going this weekend and i'm told we'll be getting something called "shrimp beats", which may or may not be on the menu. this should be fun.

any thoughts on this place? famous for its "chicken savoy." stick to the chicken?

I've had both the 1972 and 1975 PX from Toro Albala as well, and wholeheartedly concur with your assessment. The 1972 is in a separate class that is far above the 1975. ← what is the difference between the 72 and 75? from a wine-making standpoint. also, the 75 seems very readily available, although i've not noticed the 72. is it hard to come by? thanks.

did you look around at that point to see if you could find the hidden camera?

i too framed my post with ted's in mind. exactly. everyone knows that knowledge is good, and no one here is suggesting otherwise. there's already so much exclusivity and intimidation in this industry. i'd just hate to see people walk away from this thread thinking they need to further their education in order to adequately function in a diner's role. as glenn suggests, you can get on just fine at whatever level you're comfortable with, *especially if the staff is properly trained and good at their jobs*. if my position or statements seem extreme it's only to make that point clear.

yeah but glenn started it.

the state of wine "programs" in NJ is dreadful. it's actually dreadful just about everywhere. and when you come across someone with even just a bit of knowledge, it's such a relief. like otto, for example. i sat at the bar with a friend and we got menus and started looking at food and wine. the bartender (dennis, i believe), comes over, unprompted, and sets three bottles up on the bar and 3 glasses. and he proceeds to pour a taste of each, keeping the labels faced away, and then revealing them along with some dialog on each. it turned what would have been a pretty good experience into an awesome experience. the server knew about wine, and engaged us immediately in wine. i mean i can't think of many things i'd rather be engaged in. unforunately you don't find that very often in NJ, although you can. it's just such a pleasure. i'm going to Otto for lunch.

i love this stuff. it's like candy. but can someone briefly explain the naming convention as far as the year goes? they have a 75, and then a 99 or something silly like that. i have to think that they made some inbetween.

it seems like you don't like this critic's particular style.

phil, i remember reading somewhere, probably on egullet, that more merlot is grown in bourdeaux than cab. i don't know if stats referenced acreage, gallons of juice, or what, but my thought that bourdeaux = mostly cab is apparently not true (and another examlpe of a little knowledge being dangerous). fat guy, thanks for the compliment. personally, i'd like to see people involved in NJ's wine programs to step up a bit more and be knowledgeable/talented enough to handle the situations that they're no doubt put in every day. i've not recommended a non-participatory know-nothing approach, nor do i think anyone would.

The diner has no responsibility to anyone except for the diner. The diner should not be required to do his “homework” when going out to eat (for example, the diner need not know that Niman Ranch is a fine purveyor of pork…the restaurant/server should make sure this is understood if it’s questioned), or, when ordering wine. The diner should not be required to understand the “basics”, such as “sauvignon blanc with non oily fish and chardonnay with salmon and cream sauce-based fish dishes”. As an extension, the diner has no responsibility to know that “white burgundy” means chardonnay, and that whites from Boudreaux likely imply more steely sauvignon blancs. The diner shouldn’t need to know going in that red Boudreaux means “cabernet sauvignon” (and I say this only because I recently learned that most red bourdeaux wine is merlot dominated). The point here, of course, is that knowing a few grapes doesn’t necessarily help the diner, and sure doesn’t help the diner make a decision if he studies “cab, SB, chardonnay”, and he’s in a restaurant with a mostly-french wine list. The diner, to me, has no responsibility. This is the job of the person taking the diner’s money. It’s really that simple. Don’t complain if you don’t like wine, but don’t feel like you have to study. Beyond that, if the New Jersey diner is interested in maximizing his/her wine/food experience, it doesn’t hurt to have a little bit of basic knowledge. That, to me, might come in handy for several reasons, perhaps not the least of which is that the diner might get taken advantage of if he/she shows little or no knowledge (and granted, little or no interest) in wines entering a restaurant – and in this case it shows lack of regard/respect for the customer. Additionally, of course, when one *does* come across a sommelier at a New Jersey restaurant, there’s a good chance that the sommelier will get a bit pumped up to have a discussion beyond the perhaps usual “would you like red or white”. However, if the discussion doesn’t go beyond “do you like red or white”, that’s a sign that the sommelier sucks. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “red or white” when I ask for a “list of wine by the glass”. Right then I know that I’m done with this person. If I’m not making the wine person’s job easy by throwing out words like “bright, non-oaky, buttery, acidic”, then the wine person should step up to the plate. That’s the job. When I suck at my job, I don’t get paid. Isn’t this the way it is elsewhere? If not, I need a new job. As a diner, I don’t, and won’t, take responsibility for a wine steward’s lack of talent to read the diner. That’s the job. No ifs, ands, or buts. I’ve often played “dumb” at very expensive (sommelier staffed) NJ restaurants to see what the wine program had to offer. Now, as most of you assume, I don’t know much. But when I know more than the server or the sommelier after a very simple exchange, I know that it’s all on me to make the choice. As an example of an unfortunate (to me) exchange…: this past weekend, I attended a bourdeaux tasting at a local wine shop. The person pouring was very nice. I announced that I didn’t know much about bourdeaux and would appreciate any comments about the 5 wines that were being served. I inquired about the blend of a particular wine, and I was told that it was “probably cabernet sauvignon”. At that point I knew I was on my own. I read the supplied notes. What occurs to me, as I look back at many situations where I’ve ordered wines at NJ restaurants is the following: 1) you shouldn’t feel embarrassed to order any wine off the list, including the least expensive. Don’t apologize for your wine order: if there’s any reason to be embarrassed (and there ain’t), the restaurant shouldn’t have it on their list. Make no apologies for your wine choice. 2) The server most likely (in 99% of NJ restaurants) knows about as much as you, and probably less, and most likely hasn’t tasted the wines on the list: don’t feel embarrassed to ask for a “wine guy” for help in “pairing”. 3) You’re paying. If you like it, you’re right.

have all of the other reviewers for the NYT (and i assume this is the standard to which you're holding Bruni) never mentioned the impressions of their dining companions? i haven't done the research. perhaps you're right.

i just don't know how to react to something like this, even given the rest of this poster's comments. moderators should note that my proclamation that i don't know how to react to this statement should, by any reasonable barometer, constitute a reasonable response. and i think that comment makes for a springboard into an interesting dicussion.

"based mostly" i would imagine.

i recall the raw bar looking thing not having anything raw on it. aside from some basic sushi, i don't recall raw oysters or clams or whatnot. the place is expensive, loud, and a stone's throw from better options. not a bad place if you're 27 and on an expense account. and you're not too concerned about food. or service. edit: this comment is about REG. i misread nicole's comment about the raw bar as being about the REG raw bar. so ignore that part of this post for sure.

a friend of mine who lived in Thailand (who i happened to dine with at Klong) tells me that people in parts of thailand do use chopsticks, mostly for noodle dishes. i asked the same question when i saw the chopsticks here, although i was hardly bothered or annoyed by their presence or the gesture.

rosie, i popped in to Mangia Trattoria in Glen Rock (see above). it's an above-average italian-american place with way-above-average pizza. byo. a little too family friendly for my taste, so i mostly do take-out. which brings me to tomorrow, which is tuesday, and i'm trying to figure out where to eat. i might be in the clifton area, so that might be a consideration. hell, i might even have some food at the bar at Dish, although i'm a little afraid.

anyone been? http://www.tuscanytrattoria.com/index.htm i know it's probably not fair to judge a place on its website, but there are so many misspellings and typos on this thing that i'm embarrassed for them. the menu doesn't seem very exciting either, although it might be a decent enough local pasta place.

ended up at Mangia Trattoria in Glen Rock, who does a decent job with some pastas and meats, and serves a pretty good faux-brick oven pizza. i say "faux" because i notice that they start it in a gas oven and finish it in the wood-burning brick oven. it's still some of the best pizza around, though. considering marco and pepe tonight. does anyone know if the bar at marco and pepe is a reasonable place to sit and have dinner?

i'm sure you're employing hyperbole, but yes, software can handle this.

had a very good meal at this place recently. the steak, though not prime, was very good. flavorful, tender, and perfectly cooked to m/r. a big fat bordeaux style blend (from CA) was surprisingly served at something approaching cellar temp. i almost fell out of my chair. zardetto prosecco served by the split. service was excellent and friendly. as i guessed up-thread, it's a great place to have something other than steak as well. i didn't have very high expectations of this place and was pleasantly surprised. the valet parking didn't even annoy me. perhaps i was in a better-than-usual mood.

good god, my head is still spinning from the few hours i spent at Blend the other night. i don't know what to make of this place. it's enormous. there were more people there than in all of Ridgewood combined. bands were playing. people were dancing. some were eating. others were drinking. some were outside. and the basement part of it isn't even done yet. didn't eat here and don't suspect i ever will. but that's quite a bar scene they have going. something tells me most dem folk weren't from ridgewood. and i have no idea where they all parked.

it's expensive. but most korean places are expensive for some reason. regarding the "japan" part, do they have japanese dishes? or is it just the sushi that makes you think that. probably for another discussion, but sushi is part of korea's culture as much as it is japan's. i think at least. that confused me for a long time.

there's that korean place in rutherford. i'm not sure of the name, but it's not bad and a bit different than other options in the area. it comes complete with cold, dismissive, rude service just as any good korean place should.

rich, blend, in ridgewood, is opening a cigar bar on its lower level soon. blend might be worth a look for cigar lovers.