mikec

Steve, Thanks for the notes. I always enjoy reading them and I've never gotten a bum restaurant recco from you yet. Yvonne & Steve, I too think that USC is ordinary. I feel the same way (even more so) about Eleven Madison Park. At both places I end up have a technically good meal with wonderful service yet I always walk out feeling like something was missing. I think both places lack a certain spirit that is neccessary to vault these places up to the next level. To be clear, I've never had a bad meal at either place. But on the flip side I've never had a meal that knocked my socks off either. The one thing that is nice about USC is that they seem to make an effort to keep prices down. When the ฮ+ entree was all the rage, USC managed to keep the prices below that even though with their popularity they could have easily gotten away with charging more. As far as Cafe Loup, nice room, bad food. I can think of a number of similarly priced bistros where a more enjoyable meal can be eaten. Yvonne, I don't want to put words in Steve's mouth, but what I interpreted his statement about Balthazar to mean was that many people go to Balthazar for the scene. They would go even if the food was just okay. However Balthazar (and Pastis) both put out some pretty decent food to accompany the scene that they have manufactured. Steve may disagree with what I've said, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it. :)

Wilfrid & Bux: My wife has been a trooper so far. We have a little less than five weeks to go at this point. Bux's point about the effect of the meal on the baby made me laugh. I never thought about it, but the baby seems to kick when my wife eats something sweet. Maybe Daniel will have an effect. :) Although with my luck, the baby will refuse formula and hold out for truffle sauce. ;) Steve: Great story about going back into the kitchen at Daniel. We had a similar experience at Po a few years ago when it was still owned by Mario Batali. We've eaten at Po often. However when we first tried it, Allison loved the white bean ravioli in balsamic and brown butter so much that she asked the waiter how it was made. The waiter disappeared for a minute and when he came back he asked my wife to come with him. After about five minutes I was wondering where she was but I didn't think too much about it. I figured she was writing down a recipe. I got up and went to the bathroom. If you know the layout at Po, the bathroom is across from the kitchen. I was about to walk into the bathroom when I looked in the kitchen. There was Allison in front of the stove, pan in hand, with Mario himself at her side teaching her how to make the dish. I'll never forgot it. I don't always make use of the sommeliers services when we eat out. However, when I do I have usually been very pleased. Jean Luc impressed me quite a bit. Take care, Mike

Allison and I went to Daniel for dinner this past Friday. We were celebrating a combination of things, our anniversary, Hanukah, and what’s left of our social life for the next few months (Allison is due in a couple of weeks). We had been going back and forth about where to eat for our anniversary for a while and eventually settled on Daniel. We arrived a few minutes early for our reservation. The Host told us that our table was ready, but we elected to sit in the lounge/bar area for a few minutes to relax with a drink. It had been a hectic day for both of us and the few minutes that we took to decompress were helpful. Although we didn’t get a chance to talk to him, chef/owner Daniel Boulud was making his rounds through the lounge while we were there. Upon being seated, our captain gave us menus and explained a bit about the specials and the tasting menu options. We perused the menu for a bit and made our selections. The sommelier, Jean Luc le Du then paid us a visit. We chatted for a while about the sommelier at Pierre Gagnaire with whom we had a funny experience (he is a friend of Jean Luc le Du’s). After telling Jean Luc what we were planning to order and talking a bit about our preferences he opened the huge tome they call a wine list and pointed out a wine that he thought would work well. I was very impressed with the service we received from Jean Luc on multiple levels. He didn’t know much about us, but we did tell him that we had dined at Pierre Gagnaire (very expensive) and he could have made an assumption that we wanted to spend a lot of money on a bottle of wine. I mentioned a premier cru Chablis from Dauvissat that was on the list, but he chose not to upsell me. His choice, which I went along with, was the 97 Remi Jobard Bourgogne Blanc. Our waiter brought out a series of amuse bouche from the chef. There were three tiny morsels that set the stage for the meal. The first was a Parmesan crisp with a dab of herbed goat cheese and a single pine nut. The second dish was fried chickpeas with a touch of fennel sauce shaped into what looked like a thimble. Last, but not least was a citrusy bite of lobster. These tiny morsels were fabulous. Each had incredibly clear, deep flavors for such a small bite of food. For starters Allison had the pumpkin soup with cranberry coulis, ricotta gnocchi, and chanterelles. The soup must have been strained two dozen times to get it so smooth. It was absolutely delicious stuff that was topped with a drizzle of intense cranberry coulis. My seared sea scallops with lentils, wild mushrooms and bacon appetizer was one of those dishes that I’ll remember for a long time. Off the top of my head I can only recall one scallop preparation that bested this one. It was at Le Cirque in Las Vegas and it involved a hefty dose of black truffles. This dish was three seared scallops over tasty lentils and mushrooms. It’s topped with a slice of crispy, thick bacon. Without even seeing my main course I would have gladly ordered an entrée portion of the scallops for my main course. Allison’s entrée was a stunning black truffle crusted cod that was served over braised endive. Her entrée combined the meaty texture of the cod with the intoxicating scent of the truffles. It was an inspired combination of ingredients. I ordered the signature seas bass wrapped in potato served over syrah sauce. The potatoes were paper thin and sautéed to the perfect crispiness. The fish was served over leeks. Each bite was a textural masterpiece, not forgetting that it tasted pretty good too! I should mention something about the wine and the service at Daniel before I get to dessert. The 1997 Remi Jobard Bourgogne Blanc was the perfect accompaniment to this meal. The Chardonnay was crisp with green apples, yet still had a decent body that allowed it to stand up to the rich fish dishes better than a Chablis might have done. When I was discussing the wine choice with the sommelier, he never wavered. He was perfectly happy to help us chose another wine if we so desired, but he felt strongly that the Jobard was the wine for us that evening. He was absolutely correct. The level of food and wine service should be mentioned too. Before we ordered the wine I made a quick mention to the sommelier that my wife was pregnant and would only be having a few tastes of the wine throughout the meal. That was my only mention of her pregnancy. Even though several different people poured our wine for us, they never tried to overfill my wife’s glass even though in different circumstances it might be appropriate. I appreciated the fact that I didn’t have to constantly ward off an overly enthusiastic wine server. The food service was perfect. My standard of service is that of the Danny Meyer restaurants. It is usually impossible to meet that standard, yet the service at Daniel met it easily. The service was the perfect combination of formal French service combined with an easy going air that made the service feel comfortable instead of stiff. The dessert menu was set up perfectly for Allison and me. They split the menu in half. One side was for the fruit related desserts and the other side was dedicated to the chocolate desserts. I usually prefer something with fruit in it, but Allison is a chocolate lover. Mostly because she couldn’t decide between two chocolate desserts, I ordered Daniel’s version of the molten chocolate cake while Allison ordered a chocolate sampler. Both were outstanding. It was an exquisite meal that I will remember for a long time.

LOL! I must have missed that one. Carmelita's seems perfect for a couple of things. It's ultra-casual, cheap, and tasty. Plus they seemed very friendly towards children and since I'm going to have one in a few weeks that's important. I suspect my days of eating at Jocelyne's and Daniel will be few and far between for a while. Carmelita's and Syd's are looking like winners. I wonder how a nice Chateauneuf du Pape would match with a Syd's hot dog! :)

I'll be sure to try them, but my wife and I just went to Daniel for our actual anniversary this past week and I had scallops there that were to die for! I'll post something on the NYC board later. BTW, last weekend we at at Carmelita's and Syd's both in Maplewood. Cheap eats done the right way!

This is a delayed write up from a meal earlier this month... My anniversary is coming up this month. As in previous years, we have gone out to dinner with our parents. This year we went to Jocelyne’s in Maplewood, New Jersey. I’m beginning to lose my preconceived notions of what dining in New Jersey is all about. My past two meals out in New Jersey have been at Le Rendezvous and Jocelyne’s. I’ve already mentioned how much we enjoyed the former meal. Now I can say the same about the latter meal. From the outside Jocelyne’s is easy to miss. It’s just a storefront on the main street of Maplewood with the inside obscured by the blinds. However once inside, the restaurant is tastefully decorated and very small. There were only about 10-12 tables in the whole restaurant. Reservations are a must. The restaurant was full the entire time that we were there on Sunday night. My only complaint was the uneven temperature. I actually enjoyed it when someone opened the front door to let in some cool air. Allison started with a salad of Provencal vegetables topped with toasted goat cheese. I can best describe this dish as ratatouille topped with goat cheese. The vegetables were formed into a round, topped with the cheese, and drizzled with a balsamic reduction. It was artfully presented and tasted even better than it looked. My appetizer was rabbit ravioli in a foie gras broth. As soon as I saw this appetizer on the menu I knew that I would be ordering it. The ravioli were delicious and the chucks of sautéed foie gras that were in the broth made it heavenly. Allison had the sautéed red snapper with a ragout of mushrooms for her entrée. The snapper was cooked to perfection with a golden crust on one side while remaining moist on the inside. I had the duck cooked two ways. The breast was seared to medium rare, just the way I like it. The breast was accompanied by the duck leg confit. The skin on the leg wasn’t as crispy as I’m used to, but I just removed it along with the fat and enjoyed the meat. For dessert Allison and I shared the crème brulee and the pear tart with caramel sauce. Both were very good. The pear tart wasn’t what I expected. It was essentially a cheesecake type filling topped with a thin layer of pear. Either way, it was quite tasty. Since several of us were fighting colds, we held off on wine this evening.

Steve, While I've never eaten at the Ryland Inn, you would be surprised at the quality of some of the restaurants in NJ. When Allison and I moved this past August I was skeptical about the quality of the restaurants and the markets in NJ. While many of the markets still leave a good deal to be desired (they are cheap though) I have eaten at two places that provide a great meal at very un-NYC prices. The kicker is that neither have a liquor license and you can BYO to your heart's content. Check out my review of Le Rendez Vous lower on this page and also on the travel page at WLDG. The other restaurant is Jocelynes also reviewed on the WLDG. I'll post that review here later. Both places are about 40 minutes from midtown depending on traffic. Sorry I missed you at Beacon. Mike Cohen

I have an anniversary coming up soon. We usually go out (just the two of us) and then go out again with our family. I think that we will be going to Jocelyne's with our family. My Mother-In-Law is taking care of the reservations. She's a great planner so I have no doubt that we've had reservations for months. :) Still trying to decide where to go for just the two of us. It will definitely be in NYC and right now I'm torn between a couple of places. I've heard positive things about Ver Jus, but I've only heard it from one source and also the review in the NYT. No specific places in mind for Montclair although I'd like to try 28. Had a problem with the reservation (or lack there of) last summer when we tried to go. I've eaten at Taro and thought it to be very good. I loved Orbis. We have some very close friends who live in Montclair and we usually just let them pick the place. Take care, Mike

Hank & Rosie: I firmly believe in producer over vintage. 1994 wasn't that bad a year in the Rhone (north or south). It was however, quickly overshadowed by the great 1995 vintage. The 94 Beaucastel is a very good wine that won't live up to the 95, but surpasses the 91, 92, 93, 96, & 97. All of this is MHO of course. I've had very good bottles of 94 Chateauneuf du Pape from Fortia, Charvin, Vieux Telegraphe, Clos des Papes and a few others. This was my first time at this restaurant. I was very pleased with the food and the atmosphere. I also found the staff to be very friendly and helpful even though they seemed a bit harried. Even though I've had many very good meals in NJ, it's not often that I can say that a NJ meal has surpassed many of my experiences in NYC. Some of the wonderful things about NJ dining are the BYOB policies and the fact that you can find very good food at bargain prices. Le Rendez-Vous had wonderful food, a pleasant staff, and even a nice looking room. I have a few other places to try on my list including Jocelyn's, Ver Jus, and a few of the big names in Montclair. Hopefully I will find more experiences like this one. Take care, Mike

I’m still getting used to living in New Jersey. The differences between an apartment in New York City and a house in suburban New Jersey are vast. One of the positive things about New Jersey is the abundance of good restaurants that don’t have liquor licenses and thus encourage customers to bring their own wine. With all the craziness in our lives (move, pregnancy, etc.) we never seem to be able to make firm plans for dinner. Often we’ve decided to go out at the last minute and many places that we want to try are booked. We seem to end up eating at the same few places in our town. Don’t get me wrong, the meals are always good, but a little variety doesn’t hurt. This past Saturday we went to a French bistro called Le Rendez Vous. We had been told that the food here was very good, one of the better places in New Jersey. Coming from the foodie heaven also known as Manhattan we were a bit skeptical. Le Rendez Vous is tiny. The restaurant seats about 25-30 people at most. It has a very comfortable feel to it. I believe that the owners are the front room staff. After we sat down and perused the menu we were brought a small amuse bouche from the chef. It was a small crostini topped with tuna pate made with Thai spices. It tasted wonderful. I was actually surprised how well the differing tastes married together. For an appetizer Allison had a house salad with shallot vinaigrette. The vinaigrette was a bit heavy on the garlic, but that’s about the only misstep the kitchen made all night. I had a frisee salad dressed with raspberry vinaigrette and served over duck prosciutto. I normally don’t like frisee because of the bitterness. This salad’s bitterness was nicely balanced by the sweetness of the vinaigrette. Plus how could you go wrong with any kind of prosciutto? While our appetizers were very good, the entrees really stood out. Allison wanted the salt crusted salmon over risotto, but they had just served their last portion. Instead she got the cod with black trumpet mushrooms served with a leek and potato gratin. The cod was perfectly cooked, seared on the outside while the inside remained moist. The mushrooms added a very earthy component to the dish. I was torn between the duck served two ways (seared breast with confit leg) and the rabbit civet served with cocoa tagliatelle and chanterelles. I ended up with the rabbit since I had duck as part of my appetizer. The rabbit was cooked perfectly, but the really interesting part was the cocoa tagliatelle. It didn’t taste sweet or chocolatey, but it had a rich taste that I find hard to put into words. My entrée was truly outstanding. To complement this meal I brought the 1994 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape. Even though the 94 vintage is hardly old when talking about Beaucastel, it is always revealing when trying a wine with some age to it along with food. I wanted to bring a good bottle of wine for this meal, and having had an incredible run of bad luck with corked wines I brought the 1998 Coudelet de Beaucastel Cote du Rhone as a backup. Luckily the Coudelet was not needed this night. The wine was a medium purple color with plums, prunes, and a touch of barnyard courtesy of the high percentage of Mourvedre. The initial glass showed the wine to be wide open for business with the barnyard only playing a small part, yet adding some complexity to the mix. The plums that were evident on the nose showed in the palate along with a pronounced earthiness. The second glass showed a touch more closed and the third glass was open once again. I finished the bottle the next night and it was just singing in the glass. If I had more of these I would suggest holding them for another two years and then drinking them over the next ten. It was simply a wonderful wine that was the perfect complement to a great meal. Last night I wanted another glass of wine and opened the 2000 “The Fifteen” Grenache VdP. Although I had previously enjoyed a bottle of this wine I didn’t like it very much last night. However, I think that it’s my fault since the wine was out of context. It was very bright with an overt perfumed nose that just was all wrong after having the mellower Beaucastel. I look forward to trying it again tonight. FWIW, during our meal on Saturday I noticed that there were several people drinking very nice wines like Leoville Poyferre and several other Bordeaux. However I could help from giggling when the table next to us opened up the current vintage of Marilyn Merlot. The had an animated discussion about how cute the name was and then proceeded to put spoonfuls of ice in their wine. I often thought things like this were urban legend, but now I’m a believer. :)

It's a tough combo to beat! Add an appetizer portion of chopped liver and you have a winner though. :) Ruby wrote: "Hmm, brisket and kreplach! Wow, what could be better!"

Ruby, I should have explained myself better. If it was a first date I wouldn't send people to any of the places I mentioned. I don't mind the cramped seating. Many places in NYC are saddled with the same seating dilemnas. Frankly it's very Parisian. :) Forgive my bias. However, Tartine is one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants in NYC. I've only had the salmon there once and thought it was okay. The spicy chicken and the beef mignonette both with frites are very, tasty. I love the play between the spice of the chicken, the heat and saltiness of the frites and the cool, smooth sensation from the guacomole. Tartine is also a BYOB which allows me to bring a good bottle of wine to enjoy from my collection and not have to put up with the 3x retail wine pricing that is so prevelant in NYC restaurants these days. The waiting outside never bothered me (although we tend not to go to often in the winter). If you go by 7:00 PM there is usually no wait. Many of us (including me) don't like to eat that early, but for good food at the bargain basement prices of Tartine I make sacrifices. Tartine's biggest drawback is that they are forced to turn their tables very often. Thus lingering is not encouraged. Titou is not as good as Tartine. Part of this is due to the fact that you can't BYO there. I still put the food on par with CF though. Of the trhee places I mention it's by far my least favorite. I agree that Lucien is more of a scene, and the service is okay a best. The icy blast of cold air would bother me too. Lupa used to have that problem and so did Prune. They need those outer tent type things. I've never noticed a smoke problem although it would surprise me. The food is very good though, especially when you factor in the price. Capsouto Freres has a beautiful room. However we were seated in at a corner table in the upper part of the dining room. That's about as far from the bar as you can get, and I still smelled the smoke from the bar. The table (even though I thought it was a good spot for a quiet conversation) was wedged in between two other tables. Also, their steam heat was excessive. I didn't think that the food was any better at Capsouto Freres than the dishes that I've enjoyed at Tartine or Lucien. Thanks for the tip about passover at Capsouto Freres. However, unless they make a better brisket and kreplach than my mom and grandmother they aren't going to get my business during Passover. :) Take care, Mike

It's restaurant week in NYC again. This time in addition to the many restaurants featuring ฤ.01 three course lunches, many places were adding ฮ.01 dinners. We saw this offer later than usual and most of the places that my wife and I were interested in were already booked. However, Capsouto Freres has always interested us. It's located in Tribeca, one block from the Hudson River. Previously we had avoided this place because from what I understood it was an "old school" French bistro (which we love), but according to Zagat its prices were much more in line with "new School" thinking. We took the subway down to Tribeca and stopped at Chambers Street Wineshop (just a few blocks from ground zero) to chat with Mike Morris, pick up a bottle of wine for the weekend, and to get something for this morning at Taylor's bakery next door. We hadn't been downtown since the September 11th tragedy. The first thing I noticed upon exiting the subway was that I felt an acrid burning at the back of my throat. I wondered if it was just much imagination, but Mike Morris told me that although it wasn't a bad day down there, it had been really bad last week. Capsouto Freres is a large brick walled place in the hinterlands of Tribeca. The restaurant itself is very nice looking with a huge mirror behind the bar. We were seated at a corner table by the window. We were given menus, and when I opened mine up I was surprised by the prices. Appetizers ranged from ŭ-8 and entrees were ฝ-19. This was not what I expected at all. It's very, very cheap by NYC standards. Zagat's suggests ใpp with a drink and in my experience Zagat is consistently lowballing restaurant costs by about ฤpp if not more. This was one of the reasons that I was interested in trying the ฮ.01 deal. I wonder if Capsouto Freres slashed their prices in light of the economic downturn and the events that are currently affecting NYC and the rest of the country. Allison wanted some of the things on the prie fixe menu and I wanted some, but not all. Thus we decided to do a bit of mixing and matching. I had the Provencal Terrine, which I expected to be some sort of pate. It turned out to be a vegetable and goat cheese terrine that was very good. Allison started with the artichoke ragout. This was a classic dish of vegetables including turnips, carrots, and artichokes in a vegetable broth. It was also quite good, but very basic. I had the grilled quail with raspberry butter for an entrée. The quail was good, but not great. It was a bit boring and needed more of the raspberry butter than I would have liked. It was served over a bed of wild rice and arugula that was both skimpy in portion and fairly bland. Allison had the beef bourgonion for her entrée. It was better than my quail, but still not that great. The stewed beef and onions were served over the traditional egg noodles. For dessert we shared the banana profiteroles which were delicious. I had a glass of the 98 Daniel Rion Bourgogne with my meal. It was a simply wine that was fine for the meal, but nothing more. The wine list is not bad, but as expected, a bit overpriced. Interestingly enough I saw a number of good bottles on the bar that weren’t offered on the list. There might be a reserve list or the regular list might need to be updated. It should be noted that the service was excellent. In short, I found Capsouto Freres to be a good looking restaurant that would be suited for a nice date. However the food didn’t live up to the space. There are a number of other bistros that I prefer more including Lucien, Titou, and Tartine.

Hi, My name is Mike. I am a new participant here. To give you some background, for the past six years I have lived in the Gramercy Park neighborhood in NYC. This past August, my wife and I move to NJ so we could have some more space. We are expecting our first child in January and the 1BR, 1Bath, no matter how nice it was just wouldn't do anymore. We now live in Westfield which has many positives, including being much closer to the golf course. However we miss the NYC markets. I have found that the general quality of the food at the supermarkets is average at best. I remember growing up in NJ. Everyone thought that Kings was the best market. I went to the one in Garwood last week and thought that the new Shoprite in Garwood was at least twice as nice. The produce at Kings was depressing. The best market that I have found in our area is the Whole Foods in Milburn and even that is just decent. Two weeks ago, WF didn't even have leeks. I am in desperate need of suggestions. I suspect that I'm just shopping in the wrong places. Currently I'm still doing a once a week market run in NYC when I need cheese, fish, or some harder to find produce. Help me! Mike

Steve, Thanks for the welcome. That was my first post here. I have been a regular reader of your website and lurked here for a bit. You and I have actually had some nice e-mail correspondence via your site. My name is Mike Cohen, until this past August I lived in Gramercy Park for the past 6 years. My wife and I bought a house in NJ and while we miss NYC a good deal, the added space will make things easier for us since we are expecting our first child this January. Quality, meat, cheese, produce, etc. is much harder to come by in NJ and I will have to post a request for places to shop on the NJ board. Currently I'm still making a NYC market run about once a week. I am an active participant on some of the internet wine boards and have a number of friends who enjoy wine. We go out for dinner quite often as a group ranging from 4-12 people and thus have a good deal of experience dealing with corkage issues. We've had some serious problems finding places to accomodate us when we are more than 6 people. Frankly I can understand the issue for restaurants. Many of the places that used to be corkage friendly have since changed their policy or their attitudes. I suspect that things will change with the downturn in the economy and all the other factors affecting NYC right now. Also, even though it may not be a well known fact, there are a number of wine lovers who like to enjoy a bottle from their cellar with a nice meal in a restaurant setting. What happens though is that as soon as a restaurant is determined to be corkage friendly, many overzealous wine lovers flock to the place bringing their own wine. Usually they are willing to buy some wine off the list as well, but when it becomes a common occurance it must annoy restaurantuers quite a bit. Some examples from recent memory include Po changing corkage from บ to ฤ, Irving on Irving going from บ (but often waived) to ฤ, and The Place going from ฟ to not accepting it at all. Like I said above, I bet that more restaurants will be willing to allow corkage for a reasonable price now that the economy has faltered. Take care, Mike

It has been my experience that bringing your own wine to a restaurant in NYC that allows corkage (even if it's expensive corkage) usually results in an uncomfortable situation. When I do it, I call ahead to confirm that it's okay. However, once I get to the restaurant I'm usually dealing with someone else. This person, be it the waiter, maitre 'd, etc. usually seems shocked that you brought your own wine resulting in an uncomfortable situation. When I go out to eat I want to relax and enjoy myself. I don't want to go through a stressful scene regarding the corkage policy, who I spoke with to get permission, etc. FWIW, the only places in NYC that I've been to without any corkage hasle are the Danny Meyer run restaurants. But that shouldn't surprise anyone. I've recently moved to NJ. While I miss the NYC restaurant scene tremendously, I certainly enjoy the preponderance of BYO friendly places in NJ.