menton1

That's not what I've been told. Its Krinos. ← Nope. You can see them making it if you peer in in the morning.

Hope this place survives, it seems to be absolutely empty, when I have passed by, at different times of day. They tried a Sunday opening, and then mysteriously cancelled that. I still prefer, although it is a 15 minute ride, Greek Village in Northvale. This is a high-volume place that is busy from opening to closing 6 days a week. And they make their gyro mixture from scratch themselves! Jimmy's sister is carrying on an excellent little restaurant...

It seems that some Eg-ers have posted on other threads briefly about their Harvest Bistro experiences. Any first hand info about this place, whether brief or detailed, would be appreciated. After all, it's 1 of only about 4 serious restaurants in this part of the county.

Let me re-post this. PAM is pretty awful stuff. Chemicals, propellants, and the like. Highly flammable!! (Somehow I don't want to consume anything flammable). The Misto sprayer is a stainless steel canister that you pump up with air yourself. You fill it with your favorite oil; (You can use the best French olive oil) The result is the same fine, minimal quantity of oil, but you can use great oil and get nothing else-- no chemicals, no propellants, and non-flammable. A terrific product. No need for that horrible PAM. I don't know if they will ship overseas, but here is their website: Misto Sprayer

A majority of restaurants in Paris close on Sundays. There are several threads that discuss this issue, here is a good one: Sunday Night in Paris

Sounds like you are looking for only high end, top-of the line. Personally, I also love the middle ground, bistro-type, family run places that can often excel in France. Christian Etienne and Europe in Avignon come right to mind as top drawer. Domaine de Valmouriane in Saint-Rémy is a gem, La Regalido in Fontvielle is a gorgeous restored mill. N.B. I don't think the 3+ hour drive each way to Paul Bocuse is worth it, there are great restos all over France. See some of the Lyon threads, lots of folks have varied opinions about Bocuse.

Could you kindly give us a complete report of your experience at Harvest Bistro? As has been indicated herre, info about Northern Valley Restos is scarce and any and all input is needed! Here: Harvest Bistro on Egullet N.B. Major roads? Hmmm. Everything's relative. When I moved out here, I had originally tried to rendez-vous with friends a couple of times at Andiamo. When both times, the people were an hour late and lost, I decided that was the WRONG place to try to meet at! IMHO it's a bear to find that place, especially at night. Yes, those two roads have a line down the center, but they are hardly major. ← Hank and MHassett: Please post Harvest comments, good or bad, on this thread: Harvest Bistro on Egullet This thread is about why Tenafly restaurants go bust.

Well, all is not lost, you will ALWAYS find a plethora of BYOBs in New Jersey...

Could you kindly give us a complete report of your experience at Harvest Bistro? As has been indicated herre, info about Northern Valley Restos is scarce and any and all input is needed! Here: Harvest Bistro on Egullet N.B. Major roads? Hmmm. Everything's relative. When I moved out here, I had originally tried to rendez-vous with friends a couple of times at Andiamo. When both times, the people were an hour late and lost, I decided that was the WRONG place to try to meet at! IMHO it's a bear to find that place, especially at night. Yes, those two roads have a line down the center, but they are hardly major.

Actually, the inaccessibility to major highways is, to me, a very appealing aspect of living in the Northern Valley. "Off the beaten track" does have its advantages. Andiamo, just on the Demarest border, is impossibly hard to find, yet it has a loyal and dedicated following and is now going on over 20 years in business. Samdan and Ciao Bella in Cresskill are going on 10 years. So I don't know if easy access is much of a factor...

Well, that's a debate for another thread; However, Xaviar's is an iconic resto well known all over the Northeast. Fascino is not in the same league. Nothing outside of Manhattan or in NJ can compare to it...

I think you hit the nail on the head with this one. Can't explain it. "Northern Valley" as it's known, has about 200,000 residents. It seems that 3 years ago, there were so many more engaged discussions about food in this area. Don't know why we lost all our NV "readership". (log on-ship?)

Yes, it's 2 miles over the border and about 95% of their customers live in Bergen. Why do you mention this?

"Destination" restaurants were another contentious topic here a couple of months ago. People got caught up in what exactly that term may mean. I don't think there are many in the entire State. It just seemed that Tenafly restaurants seem to have a higher failure rate than those in the surrounding towns, and I was puzzled as to the reasons; As far as your 2 choices above, I would disagree with those as meeting my criteria for this label. My destination choices in Northeast Bergen would be Xaviars, in Piermont, and Harvest Bistro in Closter, which, in spite of the puzzling disinterest about here on Egullet, has a filled parking lot every night, got raves from Corcoran at the NYTimes, and is attracting folks from far away.

Well, I did not mean for this to get contentious; It was intended to be on the light side. It just seems that an inordinate # of nice restos close in Tenafly. (See list in my first post) High end people are residents of the town, so high end restos should have a chance of doing well (?) As far as your list, here are some comments: Cafe Cafe. 7 tables. Started out as a lunch/sandwich place, morphed into better food, and then they opened Griffin's (yikes) Charlie Browns? Friendly's? Nah. Not serious places. Chinese/Korean/Ethnic. Yes, they persist, but they are niche restos for a particular audience. Not general appeal. Well, I don't know too many that would say that closure is an indicator of success...

Another disease affecting France has not gotten any attention in the US, but is all over the French media. In the TOM of Réunion, Chikungunya has been contracted by upwards of 140,000 people on the island. While not as worrisome as la grippe aviare, it has affected a huge number of people on this French island. Caused by a mosquito, it seems that the government did not act quickly enough to protect the population. (Sound familiar?) If you planned a vacation on Réunion island, y0ou might want to think about a change of plans...

Actually, in Northeast Bergen, Tenafly is the most recognizable name to people that are not from this area. "Near Tenafly" always gets an "Oh, OK." when describing where you live to folks not familiar with the area. And yes, restaurants are a risky busines'; except the odds for failure in Tenafly seem higher than in the surrounding towns. In Cresskill, Samdan and Ciao Bella have been there over 10 years. Englewood has many long term restos. The only non-fast food place that has stayed open for many years in Tenafly is the resto in Clinton Inn, Christinos. (Never been, I don't go to restos claiming to be "Tuscan") Could it be witchcraft?

I think that mainly lists home prices, not restaurant rents; However, rest assured that Ridgewood, as an example, has equivalent or higher rents per square foot, and a much, much worse parking situation than Tenafly. Yet Ridgewood restos do very well. So I don't think rent costs or parking are the root of the restaurant problem in Tenafly.

Well, it's no more expensive than anywhere else in Bergen, I'm sure. It also seems that parking is not really that bad, most of the restos I mentioned above either had their own lot or plenty of on-street parking nearby... Certainly no worse than Ridgewood in those respects, but Ridgewood has restaurants that thrive and endure. YOu mentioned fast-food places, those have no problem-- you left out Piermont Resto, the best "greasy spoon"in town; Also Cafe Angelique, that bistro type place in the restored RR station, seems to be doing quite well. It is packed to the gills with customers from morning to night. Deservedly so, IMHO. N.B. Tommy-- Aren't you an oyster afficionado? You can give Sanzari the oyster test, see if it does better than Legal.

The lovely, upscale town of Tenafly, the town everyone has heard of, is not particularly restaurant-friendly, especially in the past few years. Many restos have come and go, from the fancy to the sublime. Villa Cortina-- Closed last year. Stancato's- Closed a few years ago, space is fallow, weeds all over the parking area. Jerry's Osteria-- Gone with the wind. Max's-- The latest of several failed incarnations in this space. Sapphire-- Closed last month, they have posters announcing another Korean resto opening soon. (Preceded by "Kervan's ") America-- Closed last year, very upscale, recently reincarnated as Sanzari's Oyster Bar. (Are their oysters better than Legal's?) Is there anything endemic to Tenafly that makes for restaurant failures? It seemingly has everything going for it-- great demographics, near the GW, parking generally good, upscale crowds. Why is Tenafly such a curse for restaurateurs? Forum Host Note: Max's Italian Grill is NOT closed. It is open and doing business at this very moment. I apologize to Max's for allowing an unsubstantiated rumor to be spread on eGullet Forums. - Rachel

It is very accurate, IMHO. This has been widely reported in European news media. American news usually misses the boat on any news not US-centric. It is a story on "Le Journal" every day. (The French evening TV News). Yes, the "Grippe Aviare" is threatening to become a pandemic. The good news is that cooking the "volailles" thoroughly will kill the virus. The real worry is the spread from birds to humans, and then it morphing into human-human. There is also an EU issue now about ordering flocks inside, and farmers losing the ability to call the eggs "free range". There is also a bird vaccine, but the numbers and quantities available are but a fraction of what is needed for the billions of birds being farmed.

Look's like there is absolutely no interest in this place on the NJ Egullet. Sad, because this seems like a promising newcomer in Bergen, where good restaurants are few and far between. Guess I'll have to wait for a Bergen Record review to get some details...

I'm not sure I get the gist of this reasoning. Isn't enjoying BBQ part of the palate? Or is it an experience? Sure, there are Regional differences in terms of what is acceptable. Deep Dish Pizza and Dunkin Donuts Bagels don't go over here in the NY Metro, either, but that is a matter of what tastes we find acceptable. Is a Regional Difference what you mean by "" state of mind"?

If you haven't been to Newark lately, be advised, not only is it very safe, but quite attractive, especially around the NJPAC and Penn Station area. Lots of new office towers, glass and steel, with a bunch of white collar office workers that go along with that. No need to travel and deal with traffic and parking and "getting lost" issues. Stay downtown, it is great! Newark is totally changed!

See my recs above; they should suit you well.