Nockerl

Bertolli's Tomato Sauce with Burgundy Wine. Remarkably good for a jarred sauce with some depth of flavor from the wine

Nick, Could you tell me about more about these lentils? What's the flavor profile? are they similar in taste to DePuy? Brown? etc. Is the texture firmer than a Depuy or creamier? How did you utilize them and what combinations and preparations seemed to work best? Where did you find them and are they an heirloom lentil? Thanks, Nockerl

Stove Top smoked rainbow trout with apple horseradish cream

For the same reason people eat fugu or any other "dangerous" food--THE THRILL involved.

give me a holler if you're in the neighborhood. Who were you talking to? Me or Nockerl or both? Yeah! Who were you talking to? Or maybe it is better to ask who you weren't talking to?

The place may not be the most beautiful, but why does it need to be? The didn't have the budget for a huge makeover or for that matter did they want one. Claude and his wife are content with a simple, as Tommy put it, "MOM and POP" feel/loook. His regulars don't seem to mind. And after talking to claude I understood and could appreciate the personal attachment to some of the art/decorations, although they weren't my taste. The boats are a passion for claude andhis son painted the one hanging near the front door as a gift. If my kid did that for me, I'd display it proudly too. SOme of the other art work was also done by his son. The copper pots, as rosie pointed out were a nice touch. Yes, the lights were a tad too bright for the atmosphere I might have preferred for dining with my fiancee but i found the food and the company more interesting and distracting that the lights. ANd i'm sure if you would have asked claude he might have dimmed the lights just a bit.

The Ex-lax fish Escolar does indeed cause side effects in some individuals. Not everyone is effected. It's the same thing with olestra used in the WOW brand of Chips from Frito lays. Since olestra can't be digested by the human body it causes dirrhea in some people. Or as the labels reads "may cause anal leakage". A report on escolar from Australia And if you still want to try it, here's a recipe to make it at home

Here is the link to the NY Times Article on Fink's from a few weeks back.........

The menu is no longer split. It's all French now. Claude's back to what he does best.

Yes!

Florence Fabricant reported in Wednesday's times that Stage Left will be serving ( a heritage bird) Bourbon Red Turkeys on Thanksgiving.

I've met Lidia on a number of occassions and she is the absolute real deal

Starting off with the comment there are several authentic Italian cooking styles, since it's only been a unified country since 1870 or so, with substantial parts added in 1918. I think it some aspects of Italian cooking can be quite authentic in NJ, and I'll offer L'Alleghria in Madison as an example. I was exaggerating in my post. Just simply put, it's not going to be "authentic" down to the nth degree simply because it is removed from it's place of origin. So the food is "true to its origins" but not the absolute "authentic" real deal. In my opinion for whatever it's worth. With that said, i agree with you that there are fine examples of "authentic" Italian cuisine in both NY and NJ. Felidia's is a fine example. So was the food at I Trulli when Mauro Maffucci was there (prior he had been the chef at Felidia I can tell you that one of my "most authentic" and delicious meal in Italy was in Orvieto at a little roadside restaurant. The sun was just beginning to set, a peacock was walking by, the vineyards were coming into bloom and i had a simple mixed grill with meat so full of flavor it was like eating these foods for the first time. Topping it off was a bottle of Orvieto that we figured out later was about $2. It couldn't have gotten anymore authentic than that. I guess it's like having a Sachertorte in Vienna (the hotel-where it originated-name escapes me at the moment) vs. one in a Viennese restaurant here.

try e-mailing the webmaster at NJ.com and see if they'll correct the listings to include the ratings. That or start buying the paper on Friday's

How could it be authentic when you are eating it in New Jersey? You could have a reasonable facsimile of what is made in Italy but it will never ever be the same. So although people call their food authentic, I like to equate that to the places that say "we have the best......"

i've always wanted to try that restaurant. i've been intimdated for some reason. the fish at matsuhahahas is very freakin good. it's the only place in this area that i can find sashimi grade (yes, marketing term, whatever) fish. do you know of any others nockerl? It's the only one I know of, alhtough they could probably special order sushi grade for you at Whole Foods in edgewater. It's one of the only places in the area that I feel comfortable buying fresh fish (I was met their buyer in Gloucester, MA and their operation and committment to quality is quite impressive)(As a matter of fact you'll never see catfish in a whole foods because they feed it bone meal!). Seems that north jersey is devoid of top quality fish markets ala Jakes, Citarella, etc. As for Matsushima, they are quite user friendly and will take the time to explain the dishes to you. When you walk in there is a table with one of each of the cooked dishes for you to look at. Our favorites icluded Magura Kama, which is the richly fatty tuna neck-- sort of a Japanese version of osso buco. His Aji Tataki (he has aji flown in from japan twice a week) was one of the best I've ever sampled. If you are lucky and MR. Matsushima is there, be sure to strike up a conversation about sake, one of his favorite topics. He did a great impromtu tasting for us one evening and even broke into his personal stash.....Now that is personal service and it was spontaneous and unrehearsed. Hope this un-intimidates you.....

It's now called Mitsuwa. Not as good as it used to be, less selection but better than anything else around. The fish, though pricey, is very pristine and is mostly for sashimi. Good selection of meets cut for shabu shabu, sukiyaki, etc. They even have a restaurant court for a quick bite. The Japanese restaurant, Matsushima out in back of the market, on the Hudson, has incredible cooked food and a nice sake selection.

If old man Bridge were still alive and found out that you posted this on a public internet board...well...He'd have your balls for a wall trophy. Nick That's for sure. He was one mean SOB but man did he know equipment. I was in there one time and he taps me on the shoulder to introduce me to the head of Wustoff. Was the only time I ever saw Fred have a nice moment. But for other grumpy b*stards in the equipment business just go to New York Cake and Baking on W22st for some abuse. Jeez......

is that the place whose sign you can see from route 80? i've always been curious. what kind of stuff do they have? No, that's restaurant depot. Not bad, fairly competitive. Sort of the costco for the restaurant industry. (I think you need a tax id number to get in) Haackensack restaurant supply is in Bergenfield on New Bridge Road. Worth a looksee.

prince is pretty competitive. But the best deal used to be the once a year blowout at Brdge. people would line up starting at 5 in the morning. Plus if you were a food service professioinal they would give you an additional 15% off. Chef Central, even though it is convenient, is rather overpriced if you ask me. I'd rather huff it down to the bowery and save some bucks. Hackensack Restaurant supply (for nonequipment needs) is fairly competitive.

A pint of ben and Jerry's would have been better

but you see, in our circle of friends, it *is* considered rude and inappropriate. and no matter how many times you, or bux, or a frenchman tells us otherwise, that isn't going to change. got it? ediot: chance? huh? Here here. I very much agree. This is NOT, I repeat, NOT France. (and being in a French restaurant is not excuse for poor manners)

I hear what you. However, our dining companion never asked us to wait, and we waited of our own volition. That the dish was delivered in her absence, in error, by the restaurant is what started this debate. While there have been circumstances where all present but myself have been served and I've told my companions to please start without me before it gets cold. I do find this different in that I was present to set them at ease that i would not be offended at all if they started without me. But when the food is delivered in error and a guest is not present it is rude and obnoxious to start without them. And I am sorry that y ou feel otherwise.

You know, if the whole meal were a Candid Camera stunt I'd feel a heck of a lot better but I'll be damned: Alan Funt never did show up

Recently had a Fife Mendocino Uplands Zinfandel. Very Nice, good fruit(cranberry, cassis, blackberry kind of on the jammy side. Had a fair amount of spice but not as prominent as some other zins. Nice complexity, with a decent finish and what I thought was a good buy at $19 a bottle.