TomDel
-
Posts
45 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by TomDel
-
-
The Trentonian reported yesterday that Pete Lorenzo’s in Trenton, NJ, once described as NJ’s best Steakhouse, has closed.
-
Yesterday, my wife, son, and I had lunch at the Dublin Square Pub on Route 130 N in Bordentown Twp. http://www.dublinsquarepubs.com/
My son and I both had the corned beef sandwich. It was served with an apple-onion relish, horseradish mayonnaise, and Swiss cheese on grilled rye bread. There was a choice of sides and we both had French fries. The sandwiches were excellent. The corned beef was tender, tasty, and lean. The fries were steak cut and also very good.
My wife had the fish and chips and said that it might have been the best she’d ever had. The fish was two thick pieces of Atlantic cod in a light beer batter that was neither greasy nor heavy. The fries were the same as those served with the sandwiches and just as good.
We all enjoyed the meal very much and definitely will be back. I think we’ll all be a little more adventurous on our next visit and try some of the more traditional Irish fare. The “Boxty” dishes look particularly appealing, as does the Shepherd’s Pie.
-
Hi - I'ved searched and read about NJ steakhouses and the thread is a little old. My husband and I are celebrating our 20th & we love steakhouses; we've been to a few in NYC and would like to try to stay in NJ this time. Can anyone recommend one? How is the River Palm Terrace in Edgewater or Edward's Steakhouse in Jersey City?
Take a ride down to AC and get a room at the Borgata. Try the porterhouse for two at the Old Homestead. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
-
Glad you had a good meal at OH. My experience a year back was pretty awful. I've enjoyed the NYC original for years, but my experience last year was terribly, expensively disappointing. Maybe they have righted the ship at the Borgata location.
Next time out, ask for an IPA or a pale ale with your steak. Hoppy beers are a great foil for a good properly charred steak. Troegs Nugget Nectar, Victory Hop Devil, Flying Fish Hopfish, Yards IPA and Sierra Nevada Torpedo are just a couple that would work well. So would Sierra Nevada Celebration, essentially a Xmas holiday beer, but if you stockpile it as I do, you have it available at home at least for when you grill your own steak. Best steak-beer pairing ever! Since you're in the neighborhood, feel free to stop over and I'll gladly share a few.
I really don’t care for “hoppy” beers like those you mentioned. I like the “malty” ones. In any event, their selection of even bottled beer was very limited. They had virtually no micro brews. The only ale was the new Budweiser American Ale which I think is terrible. I like most brown ales, English ales and beer, German Bock and Doppelbock, and the Belgian dark Abbey and Trappist beers/ales. Thanks for the invitation. Maybe you’ll convert me.
-
My son and I took advantage of a comp’d room and had another fantastic meal at the Old Homestead in the Borgata.
We started things off by splitting a half dozen east coast oysters and an order of clams casino. This was followed by a great Caesar’s salad. Like most steakhouses’, everything is a la carte but they do let you share salads and sides.
We decided on the porterhouse steak for two and were not disappointed. It was cooked to a perfect Pittsburg medium with a nice char on the outside and pink but not bleeding in the middle. You could cut this two inch thick steak with a fork and the aged prime meat had a wonderful flavor.
We complimented the steak with an order of their crispy hash brown potatoes that were also great. They’re cooked in a pan or casserole dish that gets the outside a beautiful golden brown. It’s then turned out, upside down, on a dish that presents it like a golden brown potato cake.
Dessert consisted of the big fat chocolate cake for my son and crème brulee for me, both were excellent. We finished this extraordinary meal with espresso and anisette.
About the only complaint that I have is that I’m not much of a wine drinker and prefer a good beer with beef. Their selection of both draft and bottled beers leaves much to be desired. I ended up with a pint of Stella Artois which was decent, but I would have preferred a Belgian dubbel or an English brown ale such as Newcastle.
The Old Homestead is expensive, but as a once or twice a year destination restaurant, I believe it is well worth the cost. If you like beef try it, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
-
Tattoni’s was a little known gem of a restaurant in the Chambersburg section of Trenton, NJ for years. It has since moved to the suburbs (Rt. 33 in Hamilton Twp.) and is now a BYOB. The menu is limited and not written down, but the food is great and more than reasonable in price.
Tom, is Dom's son still cooking and is the food still as good as when they were on Chestnut Street? I used to love this place, especially the limited menu and the almost surly all business waitresses that delivered the food. Where else can you get a 3 course lunch for 8 bucks anywhere and really great food to boot.
I was there for lunch shortly after they moved and it seemed like everything was the same except they don’t have a liquor license. I’m not sure how much it cost since my buddy picked up the tab, but he didn’t comment on it and he was a regular Burg customer. I see that Rich below had a bad experience. That’s the first I’ve heard of anyone complaining about the food. The service has always been a little surly, but I can’t ever remember waiting too long. I guess I’ll have to give it a try for dinner on a weekend night.
-
hello everyone,
I was just looking for a little help. I was wondering if anyone knew of any really good hole in the wall italian restaurants in central to northern nj. Something nice to go to but not exactly babbo if you get what im saying. Thanks for the help.
Tattoni’s was a little known gem of a restaurant in the Chambersburg section of Trenton, NJ for years. It has since moved to the suburbs (Rt. 33 in Hamilton Twp.) and is now a BYOB. The menu is limited and not written down, but the food is great and more than reasonable in price.
-
Last night my wife and I found a little gem of a Chinese restaurant in Bordentown, NJ called Jade Island www.jadeislandrestaurant.com . It’s in a really weird location on a little spit of land between Rt. 130 and Rt. 206 where they cross over each other near Mastoris diner. They have all the usual Chinese dishes plus a number unique ones plus a sushi bar. They also have a liquor license which is in itself unusual for a Chinese restaurant in this area. If you decide to try it, be careful entering and leaving the premises as getting on either highway from there is a little scary to say the least.
-
I forgot to include their website http://www.delorenzostomatopies.com/ .
-
If you decide to go, I’d recommend going to their new place on Route 33 in Robbinsville, NJ. It’s a lot nicer and safer than the one in the Chambersburg section of Trenton. I’d guess that you’re about forty five minutes to an hour away depending upon traffic. You could either take Route 33 all the way or go south and pick up 195 which is longer but should be faster. If you go, let us know how you liked the pie.
-
I guess “fine dining” like beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Having said that, I think there are still a few good restaurants left in the Chambersburg section of Trenton. Amici Milano’s and John Henry’s come to mind. Rossi’s known predominantly for its burgers also has quite a few other excellent entrées on their menu.
I agree with Jeff L on both counts. The “Burg” isn’t nearly as dangerous as the papers would have you believe and both Amici Milano’s and John Henry’s have off street parking. Unfortunately, the last two times that I ate at Pete Lorenzo’s the steak was less than memorable. I don’t think I’ll be back.
-
Has anybody had dinner recently at Amarone’s Windsor Inn? I believe that at one time it was called Scarotta’s or something like that. The menu looks pretty good http://amaronesrestaurant.com but the reviews are mixed but most of them are pretty old (circa. 2004-5). Their website indicates that Bobby Vitella (aka Bobby V) is the new manager. I think he was associated with the now defunct Grecco’s in the Chambersburg section of Trenton. Any info would be appreciated.
My son and I decided to try Amarone’s Windsor Inn last night after reviewing the menu’s and specials on their website http://amaronesrestaurant.com . They were advertising a special “Steak House Night” with half prices and since we both felt like a steak, we decided to give them a try.
A hint that we were probably in for a bad night was the fact that even though we arrived somewhat early, around 6:00 PM, and it was raining, the place was empty. Literally no one else was in the dining room and there were only 4 or 5 people at the bar. Only one other couple arrived while we were there.
Unfortunately, it seems we were a victim of the old bait and switch scam. After reviewing the menu, I asked the waitress about the half prices for “Steak House Night” that were advertised on their website. She mumbled something about a mistake and went into the kitchen. When she returned, she had a single page menu that listed the 18 oz. N.Y. Strip Steak at $24 or $26 but not half of the regular menu price of $30/2 or $15. The Filet Mignon was $28 not $34/2 or $17. At this point, we should have just got up and left or at least I should have asked to see the Manager. However, we were both hungry and I didn’t want to make a scene or go look for someplace else in the rain.
After ordering, the busboy brought bread and olive oil for dipping. Butter was never mentioned as an option.
My son had the marinated portabella mushroom which he enjoyed and I had the crab cake which was decent and the anisette sauce worked well with it, but it was not lump crab meat as advertised or if it was, they shredded it during preparation.
The salads were nondescript, room temperature and wilted.
The plus side of all this is that we ordered the aforementioned steaks and they were cooked as ordered and okay, but they were nowhere near as big as advertised.
There was no choice of potato but the mashed that came with the steaks. They tasted okay, but I would have rather had a baked potato or better yet, the traditional steak house home or french fries. The steaks were also served with a barely cooked sprig of steamed broccoli with no butter, lemon or anything else to put on it.
We both had espresso and my son had cannolis which I tasted and were quite good.
Needless to say I was more than a little annoyed with the bogus “Steak House Night” specials so I voiced my complaint this morning by sending an e-mail to the address listed on their website. This is the response that I received this afternoon.
“I appreciate your taking the time to send this email. Constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated. In our defense, we requested the menu be taken off the website, du (sic) to the fact that we were creating a new streakhouse (sic) menu. Unfortunately once requested, it can take 2 to 4 business days for the update to occur, and for new menus to be added. Sadly, with the increase in our providers prices, along with the inflation in our food cost, we simply had to eliminate our previous steak house menu, hence the new one with new prices. I apologize (sic) for the inconvenience, and am happy to hear you enjoyed your meal, despite the misleadings (sic). If you have questions reguarding (sic) menus or anything else, always feel free to contact the restaurant with inquiries. Thank you, have a great day.”
As of 3:30 PM this afternoon, the website has still not been changed. I don’t think we’ll be back any time soon.
-
Has anybody had dinner recently at Amarone’s Windsor Inn? I believe that at one time it was called Scarotta’s or something like that. The menu looks pretty good http://amaronesrestaurant.com but the reviews are mixed but most of them are pretty old (circa. 2004-5). Their website indicates that Bobby Vitella (aka Bobby V) is the new manager. I think he was associated with the now defunct Grecco’s in the Chambersburg section of Trenton. Any info would be appreciated.
-
My wife and I went to the Borgata in Atlantic City on Monday (5/12/08) and had dinner at Bobby Flay Steak that evening.
We started things off with cocktails. My wife had a V.O. Manhattan on the rocks and I had a Stoli on ice with a splash of Kahlua. Both drinks were made as requested and were very good. Our waiter then brought us a very nice selection of rolls with butter. They included a cheesy sort of Parker House roll and miniature ciabatta loaves, both were excellent.
For appetizers we both had the Lobster-Crab Cake with Tomatillo Sauce and Saffron Aioli. This is an excellent dish but the cakes could have had a browner or crustier exterior. We were somewhat amused in the manner in which they were served. They used a bowl that looked like it was meant to be a serving bowl for vegetables or potatoes in a family style service. It didn’t detract from the cakes but it was absurdly large for a relatively small appetizer.
We both ordered a Spice Rubbed Steak. My wife had the boneless Ribeye and I had the Filet Mignon. We both ordered them medium and they arrived exactly so. A word of caution however, both steaks were charred black. This wasn’t a problem for us since we both like a blackened or “Pittsburg” exterior. The spice rub may have contributed to this as it does with Cajun dishes like blackened redfish. I was a little disappointed at the size of the filet. I doubt that it could have been more than four or five ounces. My real disappointment was with the flavor and texture. It just wasn’t that good, not bad mind you, just not what I expected from a top of the line steakhouse. When I got home I checked their website and they don’t advertise their steaks as being prime or aged and I don’t think they are either.
My wife had the Sweet Potato Gratin for a side that she enjoyed. I had the Brooklyn Hash Browns that I thought were terrible and IMO virtually inedible. It was as if they took fried hash browns, mashed them up with onions (?) and whatever and then put the resulting concoction in a gratin dish and heated it up. When I complained, our waiter replaced them without a problem with the Black Pepper French Fries with Chipotle Aioli which were decent if a little too peppery for my taste. He said that a lot of people had complained about the hash browns. He indicated that they were trying to duplicate the hash browns served at Peter Luger’s. Well, I haven’t been to Luger’s but I’m pretty sure that theirs are a lot better than these. I also had a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale with dinner and my wife had water.
We decided to forego dessert and finished the meal with coffee. My wife had a cup of decaf and I had an espresso with an anisette on the side. The coffee and espresso were excellent.
I’m glad we tried Bobby’s place but I don’t think we’ll go back. For over a hundred dollars a person, there are simply too many other restaurants in AC to try first.
A word of advice for Bobby, don’t challenge the Old Homestead to a steak throwdown. You’ll lose big time.
-
My son stopped at the new Tony Luke’s on Rt. 33 in Trenton, NJ the other day and picked up three cheesesteaks on his way over to my house. They were pretty good, but quite frankly they didn’t knock my socks off. I’ve had better at a number of area bars and take-out places. The steak was a little dried out. This sometimes happens if the grill is too hot and they’re trying to cook them too fast. Excellent roll though.
My son had to laugh though because he said that it reminded him of the soup nazi from the Seinfeld show. You have to go in a certain door and then he tried to order by saying, “Three cheesesteaks all with American cheese….” No good, you have to order each one separately and completely before you go to the next one. LOL.
-
All I can say is WOW!!! What an amazing steak. Their dry rub is phenomenol.
They actually sell it, but for some reason it doesn't taste anything like the steak in his restaurant. I will try it one more time, but Im pretty sure their canned dry rub is a hoax
Anyway, if anybody wants to try one of the best flavored steaks out there, go to Atlantic City, and try Bobby Flay Steak. You will not be dissapointed. It is in the Borgata. Side dishes were not great, but the Lobster bar was awesome.
Has anyone eaten at both the Old Homestead and Bobby Flay’s in the Borgata? I’ve only been to the Old Homestead and had a great steak there, but I’d like to hear from someone who can compare them to each other.
-
Not to belabor the point but when most people order steaks Pittsburgh style, they generally mean to have it very rare inside. Notwithstanding what is on the Pete Lorenzo site, I think it is generally understod that Pittsbugh style is the same as black and blue unless of course you order a steak Pittsburgh medium as in your case.
Okay, whatever!
-
One question: What does "Pittsburgh medium" mean?
I’m not sure where I first heard the term “Pittsburg”, but to me it always meant a charred or blackened outside and did not address the degree of doneness for the inside. The menu on Pete Lorenzo’s steakhouse website defines it as, “Pittsburg Style is Heavy Char Grilled, Black or Burnt Appearance on Outside”. They go on to define blue as, “Very Rare (Blue) – cold, raw throughout”
-
Sunday night my wife, son and I went to Chick and Nello’s Homestead Inn on Kuser Road in Hamilton Twp., NJ to celebrate my son’s birthday. The restaurant is set back off the road in an old farmhouse. The Homestead Inn has been in continuous operation since 1939. The décor inside is plain and simple, very old school, but warm and comfortable.
After being seated, we ordered drinks and the waiter brought us bread and a small plate of roasted banana peppers in olive oil. This was a nice and unexpected treat on the fresh and crusty bread,
As you may or may not know, there are no menus at the Homestead. I find this very annoying, but I guess it’s a tradition and I doubt that they’ll have one anytime soon, so you have to pay attention. Our waiter was very patient with our questions and provided excellent service throughout the evening.
I don’t think the waiter mentioned any appetizers or soups, but I could be wrong since we weren’t interested in either. They have a house salad with vinaigrette and a choice of cheese toppings. I chose the house with bleu cheese. It was simple but very good. The vinaigrette was not too tart and the oil to vinegar ratio was right on the money. My wife chose the string bean salad. She thought it was excellent. My son passed on a salad. They offer a choice of salads with an assortment of roasted vegetables, e.g., asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, etc. You choose one of the vegetables which is then featured in the salad. They also have a baccala salad.
They have a number of different pastas and sauces that you can mix and match. I think the sauces were a marinara, a meat and a special or house. Your can either order the pasta as an entrée or as a smaller side dish. When the latter, you can have it as a second course or served with the entrée. My son and I had pencil points (rigatoni). He chose the house and I the meat sauce. I think we both ended up with marinara, but it was cooked al dente and the sauce was very good. I shared mine with my wife, who also enjoyed it.
My son had the strip steak. It was cooked exactly as he wanted it, Pittsburg medium. He thoroughly enjoyed it. I had a bite and also thought it was excellent. My wife had the chicken cacciatore which was done in a white wine sauce as opposed to the usual tomato based sauce. She enjoyed it, but was slightly disappointed in that she was hoping that it would be a recreation of the white chicken cacciatore prepared by Marsilios restaurant in Trenton some thirty years ago. Unfortunately, it was not, but it was still good. I had the veal tips and mushrooms. The cubed veal was braised with mushrooms in a very thin sauce. My guess is that the braising liquid was simply water which gave it a very clean, refreshing flavor with just a hint of rosemary, a nice change from the heavier stock and butter based sauces.
For desert, my son had a perennial favorite of his, the peanut butter ice cream from the Artic Ice Cream Co. of Trenton, NJ. My wife had the tartufo that we shared. It was excellent. My guess is that it was also from Artic. We finished things off with espresso and anisette. They put the bottle of anisette on the table, a nice touch from the old days.
All in all a very enjoyable meal, and at $160.00 including tip, not outrageously expensive. I would definitely recommend that you take a step back in time and try it. I’m looking forward to going back and trying the veal chop which a nearby diner had and looked delicious. I just wish they would reconsider the menus or maybe a website menu but I won’t hold my breath waiting for either.
-
This week's Princeton Packete magazine has a decent review of Chick and Nello's, with the caveat that the reviewers in questions wqere discovered at the outset of their dinner.
Rich - Thanks for the info.
For Rich or Jeff L. - Do either of you happen to know what the specials are for Sundays?
-
Has anyone been to this place http://www.ristorantegiangela.com in Crosswicks, NJ? I think it used to be the Upper Crust Pub and before that the Hilltop Tavern. I guess the previous owners sold the liquor license as it appears to be a BYOB. It looks a little expensive for the area. But then again, the only other restaurant nearby is the Chesterfield Inn and there’s an awful lot of new housing going up all around this area.
I guess they fixed the “expensive” problem. They took the prices off of their website menu!
-
Has anyone been to this place http://www.ristorantegiangela.com in Crosswicks, NJ? I think it used to be the Upper Crust Pub and before that the Hilltop Tavern. I guess the previous owners sold the liquor license as it appears to be a BYOB. It looks a little expensive for the area. But then again, the only other restaurant nearby is the Chesterfield Inn and there’s an awful lot of new housing going up all around this area.
-
We need a super bowl of pizza. I’m Trenton born and raised and I’ve sampled them all – both Delorenzo’s, Papa’s, Top Road, Bartolini’s, Conte’s in Princeton, Palemero’s in Bordentown and numerous other wannabees. Jo Jo’s in Hamilton Square is the best pizza/tomato pie in the world period. The Ivy Tavern on S. Broad St. is a close second.
I agree that Jo Jo's makes a damn fine pie but best in the world? Delorenzo's hands down for me when they are on point. By that I mean nicely charred and not too much cheese. Can't beat Hudson Street.
Have you tried the pie at Wildflowers in Pennington (formerly the Wayside) it's also right up there quality wise though not a traditional tomato pie
I did some consulting work for a company near there and had lunch at Wildflowers many times but never thought to try the pie. I'll check it out in the future. Do they make a bar pie size?
-
You should try any night but Saturday. You will wait a very long time at the crowded (although now thankfully smokeless) bar.
For starters we always get the string bean salad- great dressing as is their house salad. If you want to, get a baccala salad too, the best I've had anywhere.
I really would skip the pasta course because the salad and entree should do the trick and the marinara sauce now really sucks. You could get it with garlic and oil tho if you wanted to.
My all time favorites used to be breast of veal (a Wednesday special) and roast pork (Thursday I think) Failing that, this is gonna sound weird but, you really have to try the meatballs and lima beans,.. out of this world good. Also really good is veal chunks in white wine and the steaks are usually good too.
The food here is still good just not close to what is was with Primo in the kitchen.
I read the 2003 NYT review and noted that Chick’s last name was Peroni. I'm curious. Do you know if he was any relation to Larry “Sheikie” Peroni who had a restaurant in what was then Sky View CC and is now Miry Run and later a restaurant on River Rd. near Washington Crossing.
Erini Restaurant
in New Jersey: Dining
Posted
My son is considering going to Erini Restaurant on River Road in Ewing Twp. on New Year’s Eve. This is the latest incarnation of what was once Landwehr's, then Peroni's, then it was Merlino's Waterfront until fire closed it in 2002. It reopened in 2003 as Diamond's Riverside and in 2007 it became Erini.
I know that NYE is not a good night for dining out, but I’d appreciate any comments, good or bad, and any recommendations any of you may have. Thanks in advance.