tommy

the author's purpose seems silly. why go to OG to see if it's really an "authentic experience" (even though they might claim that on commercials). we all know it isn't. she knew. hell, 99% of "italian" restaurants in the states don't offer an "authentic experience". as an aside, i'm pretty sure they actually do send their chefs to italy for training. i know Macaroni Grill does. i know this because i was in the Hard Rock in Rome (don't ask), and spent a good amount of time hanging out with a bunch of Macaroni Grill chefs who were there training. they were really soaking up that italian culture.

sometimes mediocrity can be pleasantly surprising.

the thing is, that's probably not the case in the area where AAG sits. chains cost as much if not more than AAG, even factoring in a few kids' meals.

lou, if you offer a pizza with lardo i promise i'll drive out there at least once a month. as far as the rest of your question, i think it comes back to the discussion we've had a few times: your audience out there expects a certain thing and probably doesn't want to be challenged all that much. that said, i think there is a trend recently of younger (and presumably more adventurous) people moving out of places like Bergen county and more out your way. so maybe the tide is changing.

but i'm betting you never left hungry, which would seem to be what the poster was suggesting. at least i hope that's what the poster was suggesting as that's clearly the only factor that matters when discussing "quantity". unless one likes doggy bags. in which case they're probably at the wrong restaurant to begin with.

a 7 course meal there proved to be too much food. i've never left hungry. i don't expect quantity in *any* restaurant, much less a good restaurant. 5 courses have seems just about right. different strokes, but given my size, i can't believe that i've got a smaller appetite than most people.

my link above (first post) has a typo in it. and what the heck is that ardore site anyway??!?!?!!?! i use it and see it all of the time.

it's a nice thing to do. especially if the staff is providing a service vis-a-vis your wine.

'zactly. and for every person who has heard it 1000 times, there's a bunch who haven't heard it at all. i suggest those who know put their fingers in their ears. and for those who haven't had it pounded in their brains, open their ears. i'm sure we can all coexist.

i recently read otherwise. i'll try to find where.

imagine my surprise tonight when i noticed that there's a new addition to the menu: Mint Love Letters with Spicy Lamb Sausage. additionally, after reviewing Babbo's menu online, i noticed even more similarities. frankly, i don't care, as i love Babbo, and like this restaurant. it's just that i've never seen this much blatant similarity between Babbo and a NJ restaurant. i mean, it's not as though this place is in the middle of nowhere. clearly there is going to be some crossover business of savvy diners who are going to wonder themselves. could i buy all of mario's cookbooks and have a go at it as well? i don't recall mario's mint love letters, as it's probably been 5 years since i've had them. but, Rocca's dish was quite good. really really good in fact. i don't recall Babbo's version coming with a tomato-based ragu, but as i said, it has been a while. the two-minute sicilian lifeguard blah blah blah was super as well. and i don't usually like calamari. the celery leaf was a nice touch. something that isn't used enough, imo. they were in the weeds tonight. a rainy sunday night. i'm pretty sure this restaurant will be very very hot in no time at all. "food the caliber of NYC" for sure.

for the heck of it i resized and adjusted some of the food pics, with debatable payoff. i don't think i had the originals to work with.

what did you think? just so i'm clear, i've based my comments on only 2 meals, which is not enough for me to really say that this place is excellent. they might have problems with consistency or a variety of other issues that i've yet to uncover. it could be luck so far. it could get worse when the summer's gone and kids (servers) go back to college. a lot of things could happen. but i think the chef can cook, and he's put together a menu that reads great, especially for this area. i should also mention that the pasta dish from my first meal didn't have cinghiale as i reported, but rather guanciale, which bacon from hog jowls. it wasn't pancetta as far as i could tell.

great captions. looks like a missed a good one. it's clear to me that *no* one rolls like the NJ crew.

well, i couldn't make it, but it wasn't as though i was going to skip a freakin' meal. we ate, watched "School of Rock", and were in bed by the time you guys rolled out of Caldwell. no doubt.

i don't usually edit my posts. i think my eyes are getting bad, though. and, i'm using a smaller font on my screen these days. so i usually fick up the typing and don't notice until later (i oftentimes don't look at the screen or at the keyboard when i'm typing, which might explain why i type so much nonsense). i should add that i returned to Rocca tonight and had another really good meal. business was booming.

goodeater, how well do you think it stands up to Wondees? i suppose it's like tuptim, but i've never been there.

if stone's not going i'm not going.

it's true. that man is complete idiot and should be ignored.

i can assure you that i'll be wearing a white t-shirt and shorts. and black socks. a sexy look that would surely have been the hit of the night.

hopefully it won't be a problem with a few people plus or minus, no? i think that perhaps zeman spends some time on the road away from the PC, so you might not be hearing from him. just throwing that out there.

probably. zeman's name is not james. this is fun.

it might be interesting to note that the menu includes "spicy two minute calamari lifeguard style", which i assume is a classic sicilian dish, perhaps made most famous by Batali and Babbo.

you can certainly post your comments here.

gotta try the place in bloomfield..... i live too close not to.... the Town Pub. i couldn't remember the name last night.