Helena Robinson

We'll be meeting my mother, sister/brother-in-law, and niece at Restaurant Nicholas in Middletown. Since they live in Toms River and we're in Hillsborough, this is something of a central location for all. Since we'll be coming home from a dance weekend in Northeast PA in mid-afternoon, we couldn't ask for an early reservation (and my mother hates buffets anyway). Ken was fortunate enough to get a 6:30 reservation when he called Monday afternoon; but it seemed as though they still had plenty of openings at the time. And the place was still getting calls for Mothers Day reservations when we arrived a little later for the walk-around wine tasting. (Of course, who knows if anyone's got a chance by now, though.) Looking forward to another meal at Nicholas... Helena Robinson - Hillsborough, NJ

Thai Chef is in Somerville. Thai Kitchen is in Bridgewater, in the same strip center as Sushi House en route to Bridgewater Commons from North Bridge Street.

Funny, we never recalled its earlier instances... What did we have? I didn't write things down this time, but as I remember, we started with Tofu Tod (fried, but not greasy, tofu wedges accompanied by a pleasant peanut sauce) and Chicken Satay (which Ken always likes). Entrees were a beef with garlic and black pepper for me; and a spicy chicken of some sort for Ken. He said mine was more flavorful. What made these disappointing were the things that accompanied them. Ken's featured carrots, mine had broccoli - the veggies each of us hate (Ken likes raw carrots, but despises cooked ones). Granted, we could each swap veggies (and did), but it left little else to enjoy. Like I said, no fault of the restaurant - we've simply made better selections in the past. I don't know about this restaurant's reservation policy, but if you don't call in advance on a Saturday, best to arrive before 6 - that's when the crowd seems to stream in. Although the food quality may be a little below Origin and Thai Kitchen (our new local favorite in Bridgewater - that's also become very popular), it's a great alternative to the places we used to frequent in Clark (The Rice Bowl, the deli, and the diner on Raritan Road

Our weekend featured one great meal, one pretty good dinner, and one bummer. The great meal was at Baslico on Thursday. As a side benefit of sorts, Ken forgot the wine he was planning to bring - so he wound up exploring the Wine Library as we headed ot Millburn. He ran back to the car, two bottles of zin in hand, exclaiming, "We found another good place!" The meal and service at Basilico were great - glad we finally got there. We'll surely return! Our pretty good meal was at Thailand in Clark on Saturday. We've had dinner there before. Although service was as good as usual, we simply selected items we wouldn't try again. Not that the food was bad, mind you - we've just enjoyed other previous selections better. The bummer of the weekend was Chilli's in North Brunswick. Again, another place we've frequented in the past; but service on Sunday was abysmal. Food in general took longer to reach us than it should've - one soup never arrived, and a dessert showed up only after someone complained that it (and the soup) were on our bill (both were subsequently removed). Highlight (!) of the meal was when a manager approached our table while we were waiting (and waiting) for our entrees) asking how our meal was. One person replied, "Well, it would probably be nice if we'd get our food." Entrees began to arrive within 5 minutes. Oh well.

The 18th (Saturday) would be great for us; the 19th might be possible, but we'd be coming for a further distance.

Well, there's always finding someone selling Passover candy for a religious school fundraiser. :) That's how we've been getting our annual "fix" of fruit slices and chocolate matzah - my niece.

We celebrated Ken's 50th birthday at The Ryland Inn several months ago. It was the first time we had been there in several years, having been somewhat disappointed the last time we'd been there. When I made the reservation (about 3 weeks or so in advance), they immediately asked whether it was a special occasion, and I told them it was a "milestone birthday." (I've never quite forgiven The Ferry House for neglecting this detail a few years back.) A representative called me two days before the appointed date, indicating something about "a customer service program" and asking whether there was anything I'd like to request to make the dinner more special. When I asked, "What do you have?" she mentioned such things as champagne, flowers, tours of the gardens or the wine cellar... When she got to "tour of the kitchen," I told her to stop right there - after all, Ken's the cook; so I knew he'd LOVE that! :) The meal was lovely... (And the service, which I've heard can be overbearing, was just fine that night.) And when the captain came over just before dessert saying, "I'm here to take you on your tour..." Well, the reaction was priceless! (After all, I rarely get to surprise him.) He's still raving about it! :) All in all, a meal to remember... And I was pleased to be able to recommend this place again for a special occasion.

Those who've followed my posts have no doubt noticed that Thursday is our usual night for dining out. (Although Friday night we wound up having an early dinner at Managano's, which was great. Then Ken spent the weekend suffering from a bad case of stomach flu.) We've decided it's time to start returning to the Italian restaurants in Somerville that we haven't set foot inside for the past few years. So, we began with Ciao Bello - and had quite a pleasant evening. It's still small (about 30 or so seats), and while the dining room appears to be non-smoking, one can occasionally feel a whiff of smoke from the bar down the hall. The Valentine's Day decorations were still up - a nice neon heart on one wall (which added to the attractiveness of the room), mobiles of hearts hanging from the spot lights (which blocked the light just enough to give Ken problems when trying to read the menu/wine list). Had a great Burgess zin with the meal. Appetizers were a mix for us. Ken had an onion soup that was served too warm for his taste. I had a great portobello mushroom appetizer that featured sage and garlic. Main courses were a fettucini with mushrooms and tomato sauce for me (some of which came home) and sesame-crusted tuna for Ken (a correction, if you saw my post on NJO), which he enjoyed. Desserts were freshly-made (no sure whether made in-house, though) and wonderful. Ken had an apple pie that he said was one of the best he's had in a long time. I had a light chocolate mousse cake that was garnished with a dollop of whipped cream and a bit of chocolate sauce right from the cart - a nice touch. Service was pretty good - all the staff seemed to work as a team, so it was sometimes difficult to determine whose attention you needed to get, but that's a minor quibble. All in all, a nice evening - and another place to return to some time in the future. So, Rosie - where did you end up having dinner before George St. on Sunday? We're trying to come up with something for our next pre-theater meal as well.

Hmm... Now we see two posts expressing disappointment with Opah Grille. We like to think Rosie and Lowell may have gone on an "off" night, but if someone else expresses similar concerns, one has to wonder. Two things come to mind: 1. Although we haven't had any problems with the fish - and Ken once had lamb there, which he said was good - the real problem Ken's had with this place has been the salads. While I usually order (and enjoy) the one with the blue cheese, Ken hates blue cheese, and the only choice he has left (from among meager choices) is to ask for something plain. In return he's gotten what amounts to a wedge of iceberg lettuce with dressing that does nothing for it. 2. Unless I'm mixing up names, the chef seems to have been moving around these days. Opah is related to Main Streets in Madison, and the group has recently opened another restaurant in Morris Plains (alas, the name has escaped me). Perhaps someone is being spread too thinly?

We usually stay at the Farmington Marriott when we're heading for New Hampshire for selected weekends, and have had dinner at The Grist Mill. We're looking for some place different for our Farmington dinner at the end of the month. If anyone knows of a suitable place about 15-20 minutes from the Marriott, we'd love to hear about it! Thanks!

Rosie, we've been to both Girasoleand Opah Grille... Girasole is an attractive BYO that's become very popular - but our meal last fall (which took several tries to get reservations) left us feeling somewhat underwhelmed, both in terms of food and service. We'll probably try it again to see whether it was them or us. Opah Grille is becoming a favorite spot for us. Quite a variety of fish, though some of the other choices can be somewhat limiting (salad is something of a weak spot, particularly for Ken). Nice wine list, good service. We'll be interested to see what you think of these places!

Tommy, the restaurant (yes, named "Bisque") opened a few months ago - I'm thinking either late summer or early fall. The few comments I've read seemed to be mixed, so we've hesitated to try it thus far.

Indigo Moon is a VERY nice place! If we still lived in Leonardo, we'd be there quite often. We could even stagger home. :) Be sure to bring a bottle of wine, as it is BYO. We ate there late last summer (after a dental appointment in Middletown), as they were about to transition to a fall menu. As the menus are seasonal, things we had may not be on the menu you see next week. I just remember packing up leftover appetizers and my dessert to take home. :) Now that I think of it... The dessert menu featured a root beer float that Ken said was awesome. I believe I had something chocolate. Alas, I don't think I took notes that night, but we thoroughly enjoyed everything we had; and would love to find the time and/or the right excuse (another trip to the dentist? <g>) to return. :)

Is this dinner a foursome - just you two and the in-laws, or are others joining you? If noise level is a consideration, I'd stay away from Soho. (I would also be hesitant about Stage Left, another great place in the area, but it can get noisy.) If you're looking at a group of more than four, the Frog and the Peach can accommodate a larger table (say 6 or more) quite nicely. We had a table for 6 there on Mother's Day. Depending on the exact location in Central Jersey, you might also want to consider the Old Mill Inn in Spring Lake Heights or The Molly PItcher Inn in Red Bank. (Heven't personally tried the Molly, but have read nice things about it.) Now that I think of it, another consideration is Indigo Moon, a lovely BTO in Atlantic Highlands. Good luck!

Although we HAVE tried to block out most of the lousy dining experiences we had this year <g>, here are our disappointments for 2001: Le Plumet Royal at The Peacock Inn (Perhaps our "Bummer of the Year") Dan's on Main (a close second) Panico's Stage House Inn While the first two were REAL bummers that we'd NEVER place on a list of suggestions, the latter two ARE fine establishments that we'd still recommend to others - they simply didn't work for us .

OK, here we go... After convincing Ken that we HAD to limit it to New Jersey (so that leaves out all the great places we tried in California this summer), here's our list - in no particular order, or you'd NEVER see this. :-) Restaurant Nicholas Stage Left Restaurant Serenade Brothers Moon Indigo Moon Ryland Inn Origins Big Fish Opah Grille Limestone Cafe Places with Potential: Cafe Colore Good Times Metuchen Inn Napa Valley Grille (new chef) The Frog & The Peach (new chef) Soho on George OK - someone else give us ideas for places to try in 2002! :-)

Hi Kim... Sorry to see you didn't have the best of experiences at Stage Left. We've been going there since it first opened 9 years ago, and it's one of our favorites in the area. And the decor, believe it or not, is actually quite improved in the past few years, since they expanded next door. Maybe I've seen wine lists that ARE as big as the average family Bible, so I don't find Stage Left's nearly as thick. (Try the Kingston 1876 House in New Hampshire, a Wine Spectator Grand Award winner, where it REALLY took over a 1/2-hr to get thru the wine list!) Last I looked, it also has an index by regionvarietal; so if you know you're not going to be interested in a certain type of wine, you don't need to go there. (BTW, they did have a separate reserve-type list at one time, but I have a feeling that having the two lists bound separately may have gotten a bit unwieldy.) Another alternative is to ask the server for a recommendation if you find yourself getting overwhelmed. We've done this at Stage Left, and haven't been steered wrong yet. (If the server pleads ignorance - which isn't often - he/she will often send someone more knowledgeable over to assist.) And, speaking of wine, if you find you REALLY like the wine you had and want to get some for yourself... Mention this to the server, and he/she will give you a card with the info - that's also good for a discount on it the Old Vines wine shop next door (yes, related to Stage Left). Of course, the night we made this discovery, it turned out we must've had their last bottle with dinner. :-) Then again, there's always sending e-mail to Francis...

Mark, don't wait too long to try Indigo Moon. It's a great place, and BYO. And if we still lived in Leonardo, we'd probably be there at least every other week, LOL.

Although we never got to Tarragon Tree, we did enjoy Townsquare during its run - and still enjoy its replacement, Restaurant Serenade. We were truly saddened to learn that EQ closed within the past year - it was one of our favorite restaurants in New York! Maybe some day we'll be able to get to that place on the shore... Helena Robinson - Hillsborough, NJ

Kim, maybe you'll be more successful in getting folks to post than I was... :-) We've made reservations at Tre Piani - now we just hope my cold is better enough to actually go. <sniffle> Here's hoping someone will report on tonight's Dine Around in New Brunswick - as well as the other experiences from tomorrow... Helena Robinson Hillsborough, NJ

Hmm - I can't help but wonder... Could this place be a relative of Eccola and Eccoqui? Anybody? Helena Robinson Hillsborough, NJ

Glad to see you liked Origin, Rosie! :-) Last time we ate there was the Tuesday after the NY Times' Jersey section gave them the rave review. (The restaurant is closed on Mondays.) Ken tried calling for a reservation for that evening and thought he was trying to call The French Laundry, it took so long before he got an answer at the other end of the line. :-) By the time we had arrived for our 6 p.m. reservation, about 1/3 of the tables were already filled. The place was just about packed an hour later - and this was a Tuesday, mind you. Folks without reservations were being turned away; and when we left, shortly before 8, there were a few people waiting on the bench outside in hopes there might be a cancellation. Yes, Somerville is becoming quite a dining destination! :-) We tried the new Thai Chef on Thursday and found it OK - a little light on vegetarian entrees, but very tasty food. However, beware of the desserts; which seem to be French-inspired, but variable. I ordered a chocolate souffle, which was very pleasant despite the small size. Ken, though was disappointed in what was billed as a Tart Tatin - and came out looking more like apple filling atop sliced blueberry muffin. In spite of that, we'll probably try this place one more time. The Find of the Week, though, is Masala Grill - a new Indian restaurant in Princeton. Best samosas I've ever had, nice variety of selections, and prices that are less expensive than we've seen. We'll definitely be back there! Helena Robinson Hillsborough, NJ