ShawtyCat

Are any of these places family friendly??: Houlihans Outback Steakhouse ....what the heck is that place that's next to the Cheesecake Factory??

PS took only 2 kids to Cafe Matisse (was pregnant then). My son was actually very well behaved and more ninterested in eating the filet mignon with lobster mashed potatoes. experience was almost ruined when some rich lady dripping in jewelry leaned down by our table on her way out the door to say, very snottily, "most people don't bring their kids to places like this. Why don't you go to McDonalds next time?" Took a lot of effort not to slap her.

Thanks a bunch! Im scribbling all this info down in my "Place to Eat in NJ" notebook. As a response to some of the previous replies: 1. We hang out with the kids at Brooklyn Pizza all the time. I love their pizza...must be all that mozzarella and fresh tomato sauce. 2. My hubby is Greek and we get a lot of Greek food when we visit his mom. 3. It is very true that no one will hear you scream at the Cheesecake Factory 4. Our family owns a diner in NJ.....so we are looking for more of a restaurant or...well ...anyplace that will put up with our brood. We are fabulous tippers if that counts for anything. 5. I will in no way, shape, or form EVER like eating at the Olive Garden. I swear my ex boss put that place as the Employee Dinner spot just to get us to work through lunch. 6. We've already hit: Friday's California Pizza Dairy Queen Suburban Diner Plaza 46 Diner The Cheesecake Factory Cafe Matisse Yop Sing (sp?) downtown Manhattan (did not like the food) We have plans to go to Carmine's (sp?) in NYC, I think. Definately should get a babysitter for this place, right??? BTW: My 5 yr old daughter is rather quiet...and so is the newborn for that matter (all he wants to do is eat, sleep and poop). It is just the 23 mth old that is the problem. He been in a restaurant setting since he was born and thinks that every place we go to is his. Our main problem is when he wants to get down and socialize with the other diners at the restaurants. You know...he kinda walks around like an owner would and hob nobs with the guests.

Biscuits....biscuits....BISCUITS!!! Fresh, hot, just-out-of-the-oven, melt-in-your-mouth BISCUITS... (Where's the drool similie?? ) Collard Greens with Smoked Pork Neckbones Grits with loads of butter, Bacon AND Eggs mixed in Chicken & Grits smothered in gravy with cornbread and a side of buttered green beans with crumbled bacon on top.......Damn IM HUNGRY! I Love buttered green beans. Pan fried catfish Sorry....I've made myself so hungry...I can't think! Edit to add: Gawd! Almost poisoned myself when my hubby decided that we should try out the Ihop.... I will never again order the dish they have with biscuits and sausage gravy. My stomache still quivers at the thought. Hey...when are you going to get a similie that's green in the face??

Syllabub A drink made of sweetened milk or cream curdled with wine or spirits. A dish made by mixing wine or cider with milk, and thus forming a soft curd; also, sweetened cream, flavored with wine and beaten to a stiff froth.

Thanks for posting the title Simon. I found it at Barnes and Noble.com. Weird how one copy is $20 while another is priced at $24.95 Here is the link in case anyone else is interested: Curries and Bugles: A Memoir and Cookbook of the British Raj by Jennifer Brennan (B&N) And of course you know that Amazon just has to have it for less : Curries & Bugles: A Memoir & Cookbook of the British Raj by Jennifer Brennan (Amazon)

I love Oistins! Flying Fish Cutters are great! Although my grandmother once substituted the Flying Fish with Red Herring... Oistins at least HASN'T changed much. I love the Fish fries. I remember buying fried chicken gizzards somewhere....can't quite remember since it was about 15 years ago. Speaking of Flying Fish...I should post ingredients and the method for making Cou Cou and Flying Fish sometime soon.

Cassava Pone grated coconut sugar salt half an orange rind shortening eggs vanilla milk mixed spice cassava flour Stir together all the dry ingredients, add shortening, milk, eggs and vanilla. Mix till everything comes together. Put mixture into a baking pan and bake for an 1 1/2 hours at 350F. Slice into portions and serve. Shugga Cakes ...err..Sugar Cakes grated coconut sugar water Add sugar and water to a pot and simmer till the sugar melts. Add the grated coconut and let it go to a slow boil. Make sure you stir so the mixture doesn't burn. Cook it till it looks greasy, then drop it by the spoonful onto a plate that you've wet with a little water. Let it set.

Ham Cutters and Cheese Cutters What else is there to do with leftover Christmas Ham?? Make sandwiches! That is essentially what a "Ham Cutter" is. Fresh, sliced ham on a hard roll with hot sauce. Hard to imagine that a simple ham sandwich could become an unofficial national snack. When you substitute cheese (for those Seven Days Adventists who don't eat pork) for the ham, then you have a "Cheese Cutter". You will find these two sandwiches at many shops throughout the island. Jam Puff If you have ever visited a New Jersey diner and have seen the Apple Turnovers then this is what a Jam Puff basically looks like. It resembles a Turnover but is filled with what I believe to be raspberry jam, glazed and sprinkled with sugar. Very sweet. Tamarind Balls A sweet-tart treat loved by school children everywhere. Composed of Tamarind, Brown Sugar and a spice I will ask my mom to identify. I never asked....I've always made mine with only tamarind and sugar. Tamarind Jam Tamarinds Sugar Water Cinnamon Stick Add everything to the pot and reduce. Dont reduce too much or you will end up with Tamarind Paste. Strain to remove seeds and cinnamon stick. Gooseberry Jam See tamarind jam.

Thanks RPerlow I never knew this place was there. I know where B&W is but I've never gone inside. Usually just driving by to Brooklyn Pizza or to the Pediatric bldg.

Ok...ok after this post I promise to let this thread die a natural death. I guess I did go there on a good cook day. It's 3:41 in the morning and I just got a news alert that the Cheesecake Factory is pulling their cheesecakes because they may be contaminated with Listeria. :blink: We were asking around since someone here posted that the food is prepackaged and got a confirmation that it is indeed shipped here from California. SO....Tommy you win. I just don't want to know how many preservatives they used in order to make the food seem so.....fresh. Do you have any suggestions of places to eat in Jersey? That's only about 15 minutes away from Hackensack? I'll have 1 screaming baby and 2 loud kids in the car...so I NEED a short trip.

I have grits with lots of butter, bacon and eggs.... I also eat Cream of Wheat. One day I ran out of Cream of Wheat and used Grits as a substitute. A little different but good. Other than those two...I can eat Raisin Nut Bran directly from the box anytime of the day.

Did Simon ever find the name of that book?? I'd like to add it to my "Christmas Wish List".

I can honestly say, being West Indian, that you can blame the whole Curry Powder snafu on us. Yes, so the British made this stuff but we are the ones responsible for cooking it into submission. For example: Curry Chicken, Curry Goat or Rotis made with a Curried Potato/Beef/Goat or Chicken filling. We add it to soups, stews and ((gasp)) Rice on occasion. I do believe we are very overzealous with this Powder. You know....maybe the British really ARE at fault here. If they hadn't given us such a short cut to adding spices. I can say, however, that the Powder you find in the supermarket is NOT the one we cook with. If you want to find the favourite brand of Curry Powder that the West Indies uses look for Indian Head. You will only find this at the Asian market. The Curry Powder (from the local supermarket) that I have had the misfortune of buying tasted like chalk. Bleah! The one ingredient I have always identified with Indian cooking was Yogurt. I kept seeing yogurt (plus Garam Masala) everytime I cracked open a cookbook and located an Indian or Indian inspired recipe. I wonder why no one noticed that Curry Powder is used (probably by the tonnage ) in the West Indies.

I thought I was the only one who thought that. I've only had a sip of White Rum and a sip of the beer. After that...I was convinced that drinking was very underrated. Edit: If anyone actually likes our beer, please explain why.

You know a Bajan who does!?? I've never seen a Bajan with a bottle of wine. Unless the Bajan came here soon after birth. I personally have never had wine and neither has anyone in my family. With the exception of my mother recently.....she just discovered Chardonnay.

Wow! Not many people, outside of Barbados these days, know who Gary Sobers is. You were a tourist after my own heart. I should have known that I'd have the government to blame though. Do you know that when President Clinton (I think that was him) took a trip to Barbados we were advised not to waste any water....it was punishable by fines and a trip to Glendairy Prison if you couldn't pay. Right before the President's visit the Government ordered the roads to be washed! Very offensive to Bajans. You can be sure the Prime Minister heard about it during Crop Over. Ah..the making of political songs.

Just curious if anyone has tasted our beer and their thoughts about it.

Thanks Anil. I glad you don't lump us all together but it does still happen on occasion when I feel like using my accent. Otherwise, everyone believes I am Dominican. I just can't win.

Just curious....but can you buy a tandoor oven in the US??

I have measuring cups and spoons for baking. My grandmother still uses an enamel mug for scooping flour. So when she says 3 cups of flour...she usually means that enamel cup. I thought about sending her a real measuring cup but know that I'll just go to visit and find it buried in a drawer somewhere.

Actually Tommy, Brooklyn Pizza was my choice that evening. My hubby had heard about the Cheesecake Factory and wanted to try it out instead. I read a few things that others have said about it so it lived up to my expectations. Actually, it exceeded it a little. I was expecting non spectacular food and great cheesecake. My hubby classified it as an upscale diner. Oh by the way....stay away from the Chicken Nachos...he was in the bathroom for a full hour. Edit: The food isn't absolutely terrible so I'll probably go back.....even if you think Im a sucker for punishment All I have to say is this: Have you ever eaten a 5yr olds cooking?? Especially when she serves you breakfast and you know you dont have any pancake syrup in the house??

Suvir, just a small question: Do you conduct accurate measurements when cooking? I noticed when I go to dinner as a guest, and Im allowed in the kitchen, that many people are taking out their measuring spoons and cups. I find no need for this. I add a palmful of this, a capful of that, a pinch of this or that spice or a soup spoon of something else. Do you find yourself cooking this way or do you use accurate measurements? Actually I find that to be accurate measuring in my book...unless you are in a professional bakery no one has measuring cups or spoons...simply cannot afford them or know nothing about them. Our recipes are passed on by word of mouth or by watching the person prepare it a few times. Occasionally ingredients may be written down and given to the person requesting them. I remember my grandmother saying to add a gill of water! Now I call that old-fashioned measuring.

That is the cooking style on my island.....very close to Suvir's cooking style. Our cooking is rather intertwined with Indian food. A blend of African & Indian with a little European thrown in for good measure. But mainly African and Indian. So I believe we have adopted the Indian cooking style. I also never taste. It is as if you develop a sense of what is going on in the pot. BUT, as Suvir also stated: ... I only do this with my own cooking and will follow a recipe step by step the first time.

That is exactly what I expected it to be like. So when I say the food is great...it ranks right up to what I expected it to taste like. Now if I were going to a fine dining restaurant I would be upset if I received Cheesecake Factory food. Do you think people are expecting way too much from this place? It isn't fine dining.