tommy

i'm not so smart to know if they're fresh, but C46's pepper and salt soft shell crabs are well worth the price of admission. the restaurant also sent out some sort of preserved bean curd. most excellent. i thought i tasted ginger. great texture. great flavor. nothing like i've had in the past year. never a bad meal. never a bad dish.

i go to the theater about once a year. i go out to eat, with reservations, about 50 or 80/100 times a year. i'm not sure those numbers are too different from the average theater goer/diner. i can see a disconnect here. perhaps it's worth discussing with repsect to the analogies presented here.

i dunno, but i make both pretty well. and i know fascino will be busting out some out-of-character food in a few weeks on a sunday. if i knew the restaurant, and felt like a roll with my pasta, i might. demand will fix any issues with that. but i don't have any reason to doubt that the kitchen can't make both well. i do, however, take issue with the explanation, which, to me, is indicative of a level of cluelessness or misinformation with which i'm not completely comfortable.

if they were serving crudo it would make a bit more sense. but i applaud any restaurant serving decent raw fish. i just wish they'd get their story straight on why they're doing it. i wouldn't even mind "because they chef likes rolls". or, "in italy, there is something similar often refered to as 'crudo' and we just kind of expanded that idea because we wanted to."

it just keeps getting better.

of course not. but it is sometimes effective in keeping people away. although there's always a huge audience for such a huge mediocre place like that.

you said something there. i'm convinced that a good amount of restaurants open because they want to go under. i mean, they seem to do everything the best possible way in order to guarantee failure.

i am certainly willing to continue posting on any food websites (well, the ones i'm allowed on at least) that Republic (NYC) is a joke of a restaurant. there, i just did it again. and i'm not even stretching the truth.

so that means i'm an ignorant customer? that's pretty far-fetched, and probably not very accurate by most reasonable measures.

19th works for me. not the 20th (thursday). 26/27 work.

jersey section.

i've met very few foods that i don't like. i'll send it back if the product is in some way flawed. although i support anyone's right to send back anything at any time, as the restaurant is there to please the customer, even if they have to deal with a random pain in the ass every now and then. and i have little interest in getting into a debate with a server over whether or not the food on my plate that he/she is not eating is flawed, cold, or whatever.

i think it's a grand idea. i'll have to check on the 19th tomorrow, though, at which time i'll post regarding my availability. 7 courses can be a lot. and a long dinner as well. for us, on a wednesday, i'd vote for 5. but we'll go with the majority.

i really don't think so. and i think mine is probably a popular opinion, and one based on experience, judging from the comments here from what i can only assume are experienced diners and cooks, at all levels.

google "saigon republic".

pcbilly, thanks for that background. after reading your post, i remember cecil telling me that there was "dried fish" in the dish. that was a new one for me. i'm not sure what that is, but it made for an interesting flavor.

do i look the same? doubtful. although i know to never try this at your place.

they have a special called something like sha cha beef. that's probably way off, but you get the idea. it's very intense. served in a piping hot clay pot with a deep, rich sauce. the beef was very very organy. i forget what cut it was, but all around, this is a full-flavored dish. split it with several people (not two like i tried).

that's good to hear.

and the international food mart on 17 north in what i assume is maywood or hackensack might be an idea. i wouldn't actually buy food there, but it's got some high ceilings. right off of rt 80.

yes. yes. yes. yes.

the Times reports in tomorrow's paper that the people who own Republic, the place on union square in NY, want Saigon Republic to change their name or they'll face a lawsuit. note to the people who own Republic: don't worry, no one is going to confuse Saigon Republic with that crappy bland restaurant that you have, and they're certainly not riding on your coattails. get over yourself. and i see steven shaw is doing some pro bono work for SR. interesting bits at the end of the article with the lawyers going back-and-forth. good stuff.

unless i'm misunderstanding your requirements, i'd say that Fairway is exactly what you *don't* want. tiny aisles. low ceiling. wegmans in woodbridge seems to be an obvious choice. you might also consider Han ah Reum in ridgefield or little ferry.

Maybe that's why it closed? i think it had something to do with the fire. but believe me, they got plenty of money out of my wallet. in my experience, freebies for regulars are pretty standard. some of us are just a little more regular than others.

i can do without any unnecessary clutter on the table. i can't imagine having to navigate around a menu during my meal.