menton1

The definitive place for cheese in NJ has to be Maywood Marketplace in downtown Maywood. Huge variety of interesting cheeses. Choice varies every week. Prices are outstanding-- half that of the cheese shops. Sometimes a designer cheese here and there as well. Last week I got the Holland Goat cheese Gouda for $3.99/lb. Many other imports, from France, Spain and Britain. Don't miss this place for cheese in NJ!!

I have heard from people who have mixed up Wondee's with another place, Bangkok Garden, right across the street, not nearly as good. Put the yellow warning signs up!!

Have heard some good things about Jocelyne's in Maplewood. Haven't been able to find any past discussion here, nor any reviews of the place in print. Want to go there for our anniversary in 2 weeks. We are latent francophiles as well. Could anyone please advise if this is a good choice, and what in particular is recommended to order. Thanks! P.S. Has Rosie ever reviewed this place?

Anybody see a review or mention of 77 Walnut Street in the past 2 years? This one seems to be overlooked by the reviewers. I had a wonderful meal there. Nice ambience and food. Didn't even make Zagat.

Amadeo in the 4th, on Rue Francois Miron. The food is wonderful, and if you catch them on the right night, they have free opera and chamber music concerts with dinner!!

Unfortunately, the better bagel places do not have seating-- this is probably due to increased rent for "dead space", and the extra licensing requirements for sit-down areas. Enjoy your bagels at home, or in the park (In the warmer weather). Remember, you could sit down and have a bagel at Dunkin Donuts, but that is NOT a bagel! Their bagels are NOT boiled!!

Rachel, in Bergen County I don't think there is a town WITHOUT one or more bagel shops. Which towns haven't you seen a bagel shop in?

Yes, I agree, with the ubiquitous bagel stores of today, "bigger is better" seems to be the rule. Pillowy and billowy. But I have found 2 exceptions: Hot Bagels of Fairlawn in the Radburn section on Fair Lawn Avenue is going for quality, not size. Their bagels are smaller and have a more traditional texture and a great flavor. Another smaller bagel is Goldberg's, in a shopping center in Closter, but the staff is so brusque I go there rather infrequently. But these 2 places buck the trend and have smaller, tastier bagels!!

Had a really nice meal at 77 Walnut Street Restaurant about a year ago. A nice "New American" menu and a nice ambience. Stay away from Marzullo's on Grove; an ordinary lasagne, veal parm, pizza place with big prices. 77 Walnut is under-acclaimed, in my opinion. Other Montclair restaurants get a big play but this one is quite good.

Any suggestions on what to order at Saigon Republic in Englewood? It seems you can finally get in on a weekend, but the menu on line has a lot of seemingly Thai entrees. Should you just get the "Pho" soup, as they say, a meal in itself? Only one dish with lemongrass, supposedly the key ingredient.

How did "Going French in NJ" transmogrify into "Gluten-free Dining"? Seems that this should have been a new topic instead of a reply. On the original topic, is it true that Stephen's in North Bergen has closed? That is sad-- Is that maybe because of the wrong location?

On a recent trip to Paris, we decided to go for a better restaurant. We had heard wonderful things about Jacques Cagna. On a stroll on the rue Grands Augustins, we passed a restaurant that had his name on the facade. We made a reservation for the following evening. When we arrived, we were puzzled to note that the place only had 5 tables occupied. The staff was rather standoffish, and we ordered seafood, which were the specialties. The scallops were tough and overdone, the cod stew was overly salty and almost inedible. After a 45 minute wait for dessert, we asked for the check and the desserts immediately arrived. We said we did not want them and the waiter went ballistic. I have since realized that this was not Cagna's original restaurant, but a place he owns called L'Espadon Bleu across the street!! But Cagna puts his name very large on the facade and we mixed it up. I have read that many celebrities go to Cagna's restaurant, but this was one of the worst restaurant experiences we have ever had in France; Is this typical for a chef that has overexpanded and can't keep an eye on all his restaurants? In spite of the acclaim, I will never go to a Cagna-owned restaurant again.

Yes, we have been to Venice often and for the most part the restaurants are disappointing. Two standouts are places mostly mostly frequented by locals-- Alberto Osteria in Canareggio Al Mascaron in Castello, but 2 mins from San Marco. We have had wonderful meals at these 2 places more than once!!

Have often peered in but never ate at Alcazar, in the 6th. Can anyone give some feedback, please. Also, heard a lot of good things about Les Bookinistes. Merci!

Ole Ole wholesalers in Belleville, NJ opens their warehouse on the 2nd Saturday of every month. Not only do they have Boquerones, but a plethora of hard-to-find specialty items from Spain. Absolutely authentic!! And on this once-a month opening, they have a spread of samples as good as any NY party-- a veritable feast of tastings!! The next opening is Nov. 9, they open around 10AM. I never leave without 2 bagfuls of goodies!!

Ate here last week and wanted to report. A restaurant town, lots of choices here, but the reviews made us want to try this one. When I called for a res, Matt the owner answered and we had a nice conversation. I said I was looking forward to his frisee salad that was in the reviews and he said it was a special but he would be sure to have it. The place is on a side street and is a lovely storefront with ceramic bowls of fresh vegetables all around. The service was warm and attentive the entire meal. The frisee salad was served warm with lardons that was the best salad I have had this side of France. We also had a scallop appetizer served in the shells that I have never seen before; quite beautiful Another appetizer is the potato and goat cheese tart-- wonderful. The entrees were also a wonderful combination of tastes and textures. We had the pork chop, the short ribs were fantastic, and a trout was cooked to perfection. We had no room for dessert, but the coffee was also very good-- hot and strong. For a terrific dining experience, I recommend No. 9 in Lambertville, just over the bridge from New Hope.

No trip to Whitehouse should be made without considering one of the best restaurants in NJ, the Ryland Inn.

I assume you need this for cooking-- Trader Joe's in Westwood has Ghiradelli in bulk-- a wonderful cooking chocolate, and Trader Joe's has great prices. For eating, I recommend Neuhaus chocolate, available at the liquor store in Tenafly. Enjoy!!

Went to this restaurant Sunday night, and would like to report. I have had my eye on the place since peering in and looking over the menu posted in the window. We were first timers, and Joel himself came out before the meal and sat down and chatted with us for 5-7 minutes. A charming, warm guy. An eccentric place with lava lamps and cross-cultural knick knacks hanging on the walls. Salad starters were excellent, crunchy, and atypical of the boring salads at most places. He then sent out Tomato Bisque soup, complimentary, a nice touch. A wonderful soup, made with shrimp broth, we were told. The 3 of us then all had very interesting entrees. "Godzilla Stir Fry" was a wonderment of different flavors and textures. The Panko coated Trout was delicious, with mashed potatoes made bright with beet coloring and a bright green color derived from basil and parsley juices. Also the pasta with porcini mushrooms was a cut above the ordinary pasta entrees. The coffee was weak, but it didn't matter. The rest of the meal was too good to let coffee spoil it. For a refreshing, great-tasting, interesting experience, I recommend Joel's to everyone!! (Go to Ridgewood Coffee co. for coffee). T

One of the best totally vegetarian restaurants in France is on the Riviera in Nice-- It is actually an Italian restaurant called La Zucca Magica, right on the port. There is no menu, and for about 26 Euros you get 6 courses of wonderful creative Lacto-Vegetarian dining!! A fun, wonderful place. Lovely, dark ambience with a "Pumpkin" theme.

I heard that Les Bookinistes on the quais of the Seine is supervised by Guy Savoy, but at a fraction of the price. Any input?

They have about a 2 week wait for reservations. I live in North Jersey and on several spontaneous visits to Philly, we were unable to get in. We had to settle for Fork, Astral Plane, and Jack's Firehouse on the last 3 visits. Not shabby, but is Django that good? 2 weeks is a long wait-- very few restaurants do that well.

Would "Sonoma" in Rutherford qualify as "New American"? I guess New American is a new category to distinguish the Anachronistic American Steak & potatoes low creativity type. It is our "nouvelle cuisine". (It does qualify as a category in Zagat)

This place sounds like another restaurant anachronism, Stony Hill Inn. I love the more eclectic "New American" that has been mentioned in other threads, but they are hard to find and expensive.

Any feedback on Isabella's on Columbus? Heard that this is a true "bargain" with creative food at reasonable prices. Thanks.