tommy

what type of cut would you use for pok adobo? not quite yet.

i don't mind the apostrophe thing in writing so much. but when it's on a sign, i have to wonder how much thought these people are putting into their business when they can't even be bothered to spellcheck their sign. there's nothing wrong with not knowing. but they should know better when it comes to presenting their business to the public. i should add that this doesn't apply to chinese or vietnamese restaurants, when funny spellings and errors on the menu are part of the charm.

i've seen a disparity in the amount of soy people are using. i'm doing equal parts vinegar and soy. i've seen recipes call for 1 cup of vinegar and a few tablespoons of soy. it seems to me that the results would be completely different.

i will say that i say the same about CB's. although, i haven't been to a CB's since college. but i do remember that salad bar. i used to go to one that was near montclair. it's been so long that i have no idea where it might actually be.

i misread the question as one referring to those horrible places in NYC where you pick all of your ingredients and have a guy heat them up. as for salad bars, mrs. tommy jokes that Charlie Brown's is great. she's yet to convince me to test out that theory, though.

as for your first question, it sounds like the typical "mongolian grill" might fit your need. Gobi Grill, in hboken at 746 Park Ave is one of those places. in my experience, it's just as horrible as any other mongolian grill. but they seen to do a steady business, so maybe it's decent. i love red hair. what types of places discriminate against red hair?

soba and prasantrin, thanks for your input. i'm in the middle of the "marinating" step: overnight, skin on, with everything. i've read some recipes that suggest cooking the chicken until just about tender, and then frying the chicken separately. i don't know if this is "traditional", but i'm leaning towards this, as i think i'll like the texture. that said, this stuff is hitting the heat tomorrow. now i'm thinking that i might be better off cooking it tomorrow, and letting it sit in the fridge one more day before serving. but, given the frying step, that doesn't make much sense as the texture would be lost in the fridge overnight. open to suggestions.

i remember my one dinner there that was just ok. i don't even know that i'd characterize it as "ok" considering the truffle risotto smelled of nasty mold, instead of truffles. given the circus outside, a nice view, though.

the flaw with that beef, as i see it, is that not everyone is you, and a lot of people are seeing the show on carmel apples, cheese curds, and the peanut festival for the first time. TVFN needs to appeal to a wide audience. it's a business. if it wasn't for the fluff, we wouldn't be watching the few shows that we think are the bees knees. although, for me, those shows are on PBS, DVD/video, and in books, to extend the thought a bit.

there were a handful of technique oriented shows that appealed to a handful of people. it also aired for a handful of hours a day, and probably not even 7 days a week. i've always watched PBS when i wanted to watch technique oriented shows. PBS always delivers if that's the sort of thing you're into. when the pundits complain, i have to wonder where it's written that the "food network" should focus on technique, which seems to be a big part of the complaint. i would never assume that this was its initial goal, nor do i expect that at this point. i'm interested in the history of food, including candy and hot dogs, as well as travel. they seem to fill the void for programming like that.

chicken adobo: skin on or skin off. there's this dude that i met who's filipino (is that the correct usage of the word?). i've known a lot of filipono folks over the years, but haven't really talked with them about food. but for some reason we got to talking about adobo and menudo and things of that nature. i promised him i'd try to educate myself on some filipino dishes, and i'm starting with chicken adobo. for my first round, i'm going for a very simple version of it, with vinegar, soy sauce, peppercorns, bay leaf, and garlic. does anyone have any tips? skin on or off?

jesus, you're sure a blast from the past!!!! it must be what, 4 years or so?? good to see you around, karen. jump in and get involved! on the NYC board as well if you find yourself grabbing lunch or dinner after work. and best to cook123 as well.

do you see this place giving our boy Fink a run for his money? this place definitely has an advantage from a size perspective. and they're pretty damned close too. but, i don't think you can have too many BBQ places, especially considering fink's is the only one worth going to in most of northern nj.

congrats and the best of luck. you're apparently doing what i don't have the balls to.

it's simply one of the best restaurants in northern NJ. and even my wife commented on how young Cynthia looks. (i just kinda agreed, at the risk of coming across as inappropriate). it's not just the food. they're hitting every mark. there's clearly a "family run" vibe, and even the servers, who don't seem to be related, come across as people who are really interested in you having a great meal and an enjoyable experience. i recall my first visit when the waiter asked if we wanted fresh ground pepper (which doesn't happen enough imo): i said "only if you think the dish needs it", and he responded with "i think it's fine as it is". right on brutha. where's my fork.

i agree that there's something to be said about the "italian banquet" setting. i also agree that the owner might be known in the area. from what i read, the chef/part owner (?) was the chef at Mezzluna in Glen Rock, which was not very good. as far as waiting on line, you clearly didn't understand the thrust of my post. but i'm not so worried about it that i'll go into any further detail. edited to add that this particular diner doesn't "wait in line" at good restaurants.

thanks for the update, rosie. so what's going on at Bacari then?

i just walked by the Campbell Apt the other day and thought "i guess that place is a little more bearable now that there's no smoking". i guess i was wrong.

i finally got around to trying this place the other night. my first impression was that it was much bigger than i expected. the stuffed zucchini flowers were good, and "fun", if only because you can't seem to get them anywhere else in the area. i forget what the other app was, although i think i recall it being really really good. ordered the suckling pig after reading so much about it here. it could feed an army. it's unfortunate that i've made a long-time-cooked pork shoulder twice in the past month. in fact, had i had this dish last year before i first started with the pork shoulder routine, i would have been blown away. as it turns out, i was still very impressed (if not only becaus they offer such a dish). it was really crispy, and nicely seasoned. additionally, i couldn't figure out what parts of the pig it was. there were clearly a few different pieces of animal on that plate, and it was all good. mrs. tommy had a gnocchi dish. i think it had some sort of smoked cheese in it. it definitely tasted of smoked cheese (i don't like "smoke" usually). it was very good dish. the gnocchi was as light as it should have been. the broth was very tasty. dishes like this tend to become "the same again" after a while, though. i'd be tempted to ask for an app-sized portion in the future. service was friendly. the room is really sharp. i really liked the place.

looking at the above post, i see it has been almost 1.5 years since i last ate at Zarole. it's very frightening to realize how quickly time moves on as you get older. but that's not important right now. had a "really good" meal at Zarole recently. an amuse was brought out to the table. a spring roll of some sort. another restaurant that understands the fact that presenting an amuse is a good idea. this type of consideration and service sticks in my mind. crabcake app - mrs. tommy wasn't pleased with it. i thought it was very good. i, however, prefer ingredients in my crabcake. i'm not of the thought that crabcake should be "all crab". if i want all crab, i'll eat a crab. it's as though they're expensive, precious, or hard-to-find. the crabcake was served with, among some other stuff, a lump of guacamole. completely unnecessary to my mind. tasty, but unnecessary. for entrees, we had a cod dish and a tuna dish. the cod was cooked perfectly. and it was a generous serving. i don't remember the details. the tuna was sashimi quality (fat guy loves when i try to pass off that phrase). it must have been 8 ounces or so. served sliced, with a piece of foie gras on top, and in a deep demi glace of some sort. i don't know that i'd be tempted to make something like this, as i don't think the dish works in theory. however, the tuna was great, and i wanted foie gras, so i killed two birds with one stone. ideally, though, i would have had a foie gras app, and then had some sashimi delivered from Kumo down the block. we shared a dessert sampler, which consisted of a chocolate cake (dry, should have been molten to save the damned thing), an excellent vanilla "shake", and pot de creme (sp?). the latter two were delicious. there was another app, but i forget what it was. service was very friendly and eager to please. and she seemed like she was into food, which is nice. nice bathroom here. 2 apps, 2 entrees, 1 dessert sampler, for about 120 before tip iirc.

every time i drive past the Village Green, i eagerly look in the windows with hopes of seeing some sign that they'll reopen. last night, on the way to Zarole, i saw a sign. there was 1, maybe 2 tables, with people, and people walking around and whatnot. i heard from a reliable source that they might be reopening with a new chef, after the untimely passing of Tom Goodman, who was just wonderful. any news?

i just had what i would say was a mediocre meal here tonight. we showed up at 6 o'rock, because we were starving for some reason, and were seated immediately. by 7 o'clock, people were lined up at the door. by 7:30, there must have been 14 people waiting for tables. not usually a good sign, to me. and let's just say that the crowd looked like they might visit the Olive Garden every now and again. anyway, fried calamari was OK. unfortunately for this restaurant, in the past week, i've had two excellent versions at Legal Seafood and McCormick and Shmicks, or whatever it's called. a cold antipasto (for two) was ok. some flavorless provolone (i'm spoiled. i don't waste my time on cheese that's not exceptional, although i'm guessing that many do, and for them this would have been completely acceptable), good hams, muzz, feta (why?), roasted red peppers, pickled veggies. all-in-all, a decent enough dish if that's what you're looking for. the meals come with a salad, and it happens to be a very good salad. well, that is to say it's a good version of the typical "italian" salad. for my money, it's exactly what i want at a place like that: lettuce, onion, olive oil/vinegar, oregano, cheese, s/p. bruschetta is brought at as well. fresh tomatoes, although there's not much to say about tomatoes in general this time of year at this price point. however, it was a nice way to kick off the meal. zuppa di mare was OK. requested sans salmon. arrived with salmon. pappardelle with shrimp and artichoke and tomato is something that i'd never order. however, i wanted pasta, and nothing else jumped out as much as the artichoke did. the pappardelle was gummy and overdone to the point where it was inedible. the shrimp, which i'd not usually eat with pasta at all, were large and nicely cooked. server was friendly and handled the opening of the wines well enough. it's the type of place where you're most likely left pouring your own though. which i don't mind, because most servers can't keep up with my consumption. 54 before tip. will i recommend this place? probably not to most people. will i return? i might, but not if i have to wait in line.

close enough. montclair is minutes from many parts of passaic in no more than 20 mintues from many parts of bergen. well worth the drive.

i always enjoyed it for lunch. but in 10 or so visits, i don't recall many people in the place at all. that might be telling for a midtown restaurant. certainly a good place for a duck and armangnac fix.

well those preliminary tests on small groups are always very telling.