tommy

yeah, they just kinda ask it. i mean, did the server open the billfold, count the amount, refer back to the check, do the math, and think "hey, maybe i can get 40% of out this diner." no, i doubt it. even if it didn't go down like that, the server just asked as he/she always does. they just say it, like robots. makes for efficiency at the end of the day, and i'm all for efficiency. however, i once had a server take the cash and not say anything and *not* come back. we approached the manager, and he sided with the server. my friend said something along the lines of "listen, *i'll* decide how much i tip if that's ok with you and your restaurant." we never, ever, ever went back, nor i have i recommended the place (and we did actually like the food - korean place in midtown manhattan for the curious).

"i have nipples greg, could you milk *me*?" - Bobby DeNiro, as Jack Byrnes.

so torakris, is it safe to say that japanese people eat raw fish several times a week? i've worked at japanese companies, and i noticed a lot of sushi being served and eaten in the cafeterias.

i'm not sure that's the case.

Yes, but your neighbor has to face you for a while--- the restaurant owner could be thousands of miles away and never see any of the customers again... you're missing the point. every bone in the neighbor's body wants to believe that he's just moving on as this particular situation wasn't working out. not to mention that it doesn't matter if you'll actually *see* the owner. you most likefly know who he is, he might live in town, etc etc. obviously we all agree that it's somewhat ambiguous to post "closed for renovations". but i don't think that the people who post those signs are necessarily concerned with how you're feeling, but rather how they're feeling, what with losing their business/hobby/passion/means of income and all. the answers, of course, lie within you.

right. similar to when your neighbor gets foreclosed on, he's "moving", rather than "destitute". there's a website called www.egullet.com. you should check it every now and again out to keep up with all of this stuff.

sigh.

they may very well be calling from different phones. aw hell, why speculate. there are a thousand possibilities.

went to a cheese shop before lunch and by the time i got out of there there was no way in hell i was having anything *but* cheese, pate, and bread for lunch. i managed to not even touch last night's leftover half bottle of red, much to my surprise. so yeah, i didn't go. it's just as well as i wouldn't have appreciated it on this particular day.

i think you missed the spirit of my post, and manybe mongo's, as he/she *must* have been joking...but regardless, it sounds like you're suggesting that if a group of people gets loud, without realizing it, and is asked to temper their behavior, then they are asses and shouldn't be allowed out without supervision? does that include laughing out loud at Daniel? not that anyone says anything funny there, but in theory it could happen.

am i to understand that perhaps they've been trying very hard to reach you all but there's a good chance you ignored the calls? that changes the game a bit. however, there's really no reason to not leave a message.

so i'm poking around the internet searching for some stuff the other day, and i come across "japanese fisheries" in Ridgewood. now, i'm pretty familiar with Ridgewood, but never saw anything like "japanese fisheries". i finally got a chance to go find it today. according to the address, it's right between Village Green, and an asian place that i always get delivery from. "surely it can't really be there, can it?" i ask myself as i'm heading downtown. yup, it is. it's called "Ridgewood Fisheries", with a japanese name under it. the store isn't very large, but they've got a lot of essentials, like nori, rice vinegar, some fresh vegetables and roots and things, and also raw sushi-quality fish. i they didn't have a huge selection of fish, but it was early on a friday morning. i'm definitely going to have to check this place out for fish for sushi, as the only other place i know of close by is han ah reum. this could mean i'll be eating a lot more sushi at home. 30 Prospect St Ridgewood (201) 670-0882

he'll probably tell you the same thing he told me: they use a blend that they make downstairs. pink, white, black, green. the a-hole opened up the pepper grinder to show me, because to me it was clearly white pepper. when he poured out about 20 peppercorns, 15 of which were white, 2 green, 1 black, and a pink, he pointed, all proud like, at the peppercorns and said "see, it's a mix". i wanted to slap the piss out of him for being so stupid. after his third insistence that "the chef likes white pepper" i asked if the chef cooks the steaks with white pepper. the answer was obviously 'no', but that didn't stop him from trying to force absurd logic and tall-tales into the discussion.

this has tomorrow's lunch written alll over it.

they looked terrible. but it was an indication to me that there's a sizeable filipino population in that area, so hopefully there something decent somewhere. marco and pepe is next on the list. i've spent more time in JC in the past few weeks than i did in the 15 years i lived in hoboken.

i had the 7 course tasting a few weeks ago. i still like this place after countless visits. i usually tell people to stay away from the 7 course dinner, as it has been, in the past, way too much food. however, the current version (or at least the one i had a few weeks ago), seemed an appropriate amount of food. service was excellent, as you would expect. the room is still very cool, and if you snag a table by the window, Madison park is now actually attractive, rather than boarded up and filled with crack dealers. edit: i see that you aren't planning on going, but rather you wanted details. well i just don't have any. sorry.

i had no choice but to make this dish tonite. i grated the shit out of a big ol' hunk of PR and it was damned good.

after reading so much about the City Hall burger for the last 2 years, i had to try it. came out with a bun that was hard, i'd say stale. city hall, apparently, keeps a peppermill on each table (good). mine was filled primarily with white pepper (bad). in fact, we asked why the hell they'd put white pepper in a pepper mill and not have an indication on the mill stating as much. the waiter gave a half-assed answer of "that's what the chef likes". i told him that i thought it was odd, and how it basically ruined my burger (yes, white pepper does not taste like black pepper). he offered to get the chef, and i thought that was nice. but a cocky "manager" came over all defensive-like. right off the bat he was a complete asshole, even though we made it clear that we weren't complaining, but rather we were curious. the transaction was so inappropriate that i can't even put it into words. suffice it to say, i won't be returning, not because the burger sucked, but because the manager sucked. strike up another horrible experience to horrible service/management.

you don't want to be around me and my boys when we get going. however, most adults know when it's inappropriate to get loud, and also, occasionally, respond to requests from the management to keep it down to a low roar. children, i'm thinking, don't have those capabilities. but yeah, some adults should clearly not be allowed out in public.

let's try to pick up the pace around here and start pulling your own weight. m'kay?

thanks, mark. that answer only took 2 years.

Quite agree.

that's a good one. i've never ever ever been very pleased with my pad thai. it used to be mashed potatoes (dumb, i know). i finally broke the code and make pretty damned good mashed potatoes (hint: a ricer is the key to make-ahead and fluffy mashed)

returned because i was craving the same meal that i had had. started with the pate, ended with the steak au poivre. exactly the same, thankfully. also had the steak with shallot sauce. the sauce wasn't too sweet, as i had thought it might be. more meaty than sweety. and i don't know where they get their frites, but they're freakin good. i have to say that their au poivre isn't so peppery. this visit was early. it was still light out. the place really does remind me of france. a coupla guys came in and just seemed to have some coffee, and casually order some food, just kinda hanging out. a nice place to be, overall. took the short cut through JC on the way back and stumbled upon a strip of filipino restaurants that i had no idea existed. my experience with that area of JC, up til that point, consisted primarily of White Castle at 3 am.

brine, dry, s/p, cook skin side down in a good amount of oil. pour off excess when skin is crispy. flip. finish in oven. aside from brining, about 10/15 minutes active cooking time.