beachcove

Suzz, where do you live? What towns might be convenient for you?

Mmm...Pie-neapple.

Julie must be quite a trooper... I posted the link about a month ago in a response to a question on another thread - much better idea, StefanyB, to start a thread of its own. Not to go too far off topic, but who else reads Salon around here?

I like to use one medium russet per person, peeled, then THICKLY sliced. Put in the pot with a thin slice of raw onion, cover w/cold water, add some salt, (enough, as the previous poster wrote, to make it taste like sea water), bring to boil, then turn down to simmer with the lid on. When you can easily pierce the center of the thickest slice with a fork, drain and return to the pot, and put the pot back on a low flame. Mash the potatoes in the pot with a fork, and fluff, then start adding copious amounts of butter, salt, and pepper. Taste. You'll find that the onion slice has disintegrated into the potatoes, leaving a very subtle flavor. Add the butter quickly so the potatoes don't scorch. Then it's time to break out the hand mixer, and start adding milk or (mmm) cream as you whip on a low speed. Don't want them too airy! These potatoes should still be able to absorb gravy or more butter at the table.

Wow! Please keep posting your menus. Last time I had oxtail was in a Basque stew in Reno. I'd love to taste it again.

My sainted sister-in-law is making two meals, one to satiate the Italian side of her family, and one for the Irish side: Stuffed mushrooms, stuffed Italian peppers, sopressata and other salamis, cheeses from Jerry's in Englewood, salad, lasagna with sausage and ground beef, plus meatballs with "gravy." Then roast turkey with bread/celery/onion stuffing, giblet gravy, Mom's Mashed Potatoes, baked sweet potatoes with brown sugar, corn and peas, cranberry sauce (from the can, of course!). Then homemade cheesecake, apple pie, pumpkin pie, and cookies. Wine, beer, Sambuca, and dry Manhattans.

I've gotten some excellent, perfectly ripe cheeses from Whole Foods in Edgewater. Haven't been there in about a year, though.

This is the second time I've noticed this situation lately. Check out the next-to-last graf in the review below: http://entertainment.mainetoday.com/dining/lunch.shtml Also, saw a letter in the Record recently claiming that 2 servers at the Stony Hill Inn were fired due to a Record review. Lemme go see if I can find a link. Here: http://www.northjersey.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?id=5485869

Freelance is incredible - but I can never get in the place! Have you been to Xaviar's next door? It is mind-blowing. And they take reservations. Their cheese course is the standard by which I judge all others.l

I fondly remember Black Label - "Hey, Mabel, Black Label" was how I think the ad went. When I was a teen, it was sold only in pints - perfect for the budget-conscious babysitter. Anyone remember Narragansett (Nastygansett)?

Wow, Eagan's is no more?? I am heartbroken. I loved the fact that they had a regular restaurant in the back, with a full bar, booths, and table service - decent turkey sandwiches, too! What is the world coming to? I hadn't noticed a shortage of drugstores in the area.

I'm afraid we haven't tried any of the Peruvian places - and if we did, it would be our first experience with that cuisine, so I don't think we'd be in much of a position to recommend...sorry. What can you tell me about Peruvian? Any places that you especially like?

I love Mundo Latino too! They have a very nice cheese platter appetizer, and a dish called "Solomillo al Mundo Latino" that I enjoy. It's basically two huge filets mignon with a lot of mushroom gravy. Sort of comfort food, with the boiled potatoes. We used to go there about once a month. There's only one dining room, and it is not non-smoking, which is fine with me, but I know is awful for others. My husband and I started visiting Tapas rather than Mundo for a few reasons: Tapas' menu changes seasonally, i.e. the baby squid in ink sauce appetizer that was occasionally available this summer, but is now, sadly, gone. The appetizers and entrees are a bit more assertive in use of spices, seasonings, and vegetables. Tapas has a bar that welcomes and accommodates diners - the bartenders are as knowledgeable about the food as the waiters are - Mundo has a sort of garishly lit lunch counter instead. But, you can get Cuban sandwiches at that lunch counter! But those are all very personal kinds of quibbles, and I wouldn't expect anyone to agree with us necessarily. That said, I love both places, and I don't think you could go wrong in either one!

Rosie, you might not need a reservation earlier in the week. But I think later in the week you'd definitely want one, if only to avoid a wait at the bar. The bar is beautiful, but smoking is allowed in that section.

They're at 7909 Bergenline Ave., North Bergen. (201) 453-1690. They are open every day for lunch and dinner, but I've been avoiding them on the weekends because it just gets SO packed! Parking can be tough then, too. But the food and sangria (!) are worth all the hassle. Can't wait to hear what you think.

I, too, have been disappointed with Newark restaurants lately. Would you consider a trip to North Bergen instead? I've found the food at Tapas De Espana to be far far better than anything in the Ironbound, and I believe their dining room is non-smoking.

P.S. I can't stand the place either.

Myself, I don't place much stock in Record restaurant reviews. With the exceptions of Jeff Page, Lindy Washburn, and Pat Mack, they are all written by woefully underpaid freelancers of dubious background and unfathomable taste. And Nick, I've had that chicken salad sandwich, and it is very, very good. (I get extra mayo on the side, though!)

We were in a restaurant in North Bergen last year, a "sports bar" that shares a kitchen with a fairly well-respected Italian restaurant. We had read the dinner menu, the server asked if we were ready to order, and the conversation followed thusly: Me: "Can you tell me what the soup du jour is?" She: (perplexed) "It's the soup of the day." Me: "Hmm...yes...can you tell me what KIND of soup it is?" She: (now annoyed and glaring at me) "It's the soup of the day!" Me: (Now also perplexed) "But what KIND is it??" She: (smoke coming out of ears) It doesn't MATTER what kind it is! It's the soup of the DAY! It's NIGHTTIME now, we don't serve it anymore!! Me: stunned silence. I could not marshal an argument against that kind of logic.