menton1

The Cafasso Fairway market in Fort Lee, having gotten wind of the impending opening of Fairway of Manhattan in Paramus, has decided to sue, according to the Bergen Record. The lawyers will be very happy, but this move seems to have no return whatsoever for the Fort Lee place. This will be a/ a very tough lawsuit because the Fairway in NY has been using the name for almost as long as the one in Fort Lee, and b/ The Fort Lee place should be overjoyed if anyone mistakenly thinks that they are affiliated, because the Manhattan Fairway is certainly well received and has a wonderful reputation far and wide. (as well as caché)!!! It sounds like more of a hissy-fit than a lawsuit based on any practicality. Any mistaken association between the 2 places could only HELP the Fort Lee place. Of course, any true foodie could never mix up the 2 places. What's the latest skinny on when Fairway will be breaking ground at the Fashion Center?

I think that a 45 minute wait between courses is excessive, and is definitely defined as "service" even though this is perhaps not to be blamed directly on the wait staff. Actually, I'm a fan of time between courses. Nothing irks me more than the American tradition of whisking away your plate the moment you take the last bite, and getting the next plate a mere 30 seconds later. While some may like this system, this is not my idea of a restaurant meal. I like a good pause between courses, and time to savor the experience, the way the Europeans dine for the most part. However, I would agree that 45 minutes is much too long!

The 2 standouts in this category in Bergen County are: Swiss Pork Store, Fair Lawn and Karl Ehmer in Hillsdale. You will love either of these.

Saddle River Inn leads this category. Only "regulars" get treated decently, this place is way past its prime, and continues to get top ratings...(???) Tuscany Trattoria in Westwood, always packed with Sopranos "wannabees" and it features mediocre food at big prices, a deadly combination. Legal Seafoods, a very diner-esque formula place that is overwhelmingly overpriced yet I always hear how people love it... Chakra, Paramus-- All "scene" and very poor food and service. (Can't stand places without windows, either) Sanzari empire (Tenafly, New Milford) More "scene" and little else.

I really have no idea what part of the cow that is. I took a look at their takeout menu and the appetizer Eric had is indeed listed as "beef". If I were to guess, it almost looks like the gristly part of chuck-eye steak. ← Wow, "mystery meat" is very scary! It conjures up images. Just today in the News, they reported a Chinese tradition (In Beijing) of grinding up cardboard, flavoring it with pork fat, and stuffing it into sticky bun appetizers that they sell on the street. Aaargh. (Edited to provide this link): IHT Story about Cardboard in Steamed Buns

Harvest Bistro in Closter. Gorgeous, gorgeous environment, has won several design awards for the spectacular interior. Food is creative and matches the ambience. A good choice, and often overlooked, the location is "off the beaten track". http://www.harvestbistro.com

I recommend sitting in the garden, where they have a small special garden menu. The interior or the patio menu is overpriced and not a good value, IMHO. In the garden, you can enjoy salads, personal pizzas, and some special small plates. (This menu not on the web site). It's not a really serious meal, but the ambience is so wonderful it hardly matters. A glass or 2 of wine helps alot, too!

When you say "non-professionals", are you implying that there is a way for people not in the trade to attend this show? If so, give us Eg-ers a heads-up!

Thanks. Well, it got mixed reviews, sounds a little ordinary; perhaps we should just stick to China 46. Certainly not a substitute for Chinatown NY or Flushing, it seems. Too bad.

Rooftop-- Cannot find this on Baristanet!!! Could you please provide a link?

Slightly afield but worth a mention is the extraordinarily-situated Harvest on the river in Hastings-on-Hudson. Just over the TZ bridge, the setting in the gardens (where they grow veggies to use in the kitchen) is magnificent. Just sitting in the garden, looking at the boats on the river, is a peaceful experience. A special garden menu includes sandwiches, personal pizzas, salads, and special small plates. All washed down with a glass of wine, this is a terrific way to spend a couple of hours on a nice afternoon or evening. http://www.harvest2000.com/hoh/

The real turn-off to Jerry's in Englewood, for years, has been the ceiling. Peeling, chipping paint, loose insulation, an absolute mess, and you always wonder if those paint chips fall on the food, and do they have any lead? Jerry's has moved the place around on the ground level many times, on a fairly regular basis. A real makeover would be the ceiling, I don't know how it gets past the health dept. (Guess they don't look up). I have my doubts that the ceiling is going to be improved. A relocation of the ground departments is pro forma.

Actually, I know a guy who services these machines, and they are "on call", like doctors, on weekends. Maybe a crack reporter should have checked back on the following Tuesday to see if there was still a problem. SRI purports to be one of the top restaurants in NJ. Can you imagine dining at Daniel, Gramercy Tavern, Babbo, or the like, and being told that the espresso machine is broken? Perhaps this is not such an unreasonable complaint...

I went to SRI a few years ago and haven't been back since. The food was passable, service lackluster, and after we paid the check no one noticed our leaving, no one thanked us. My impression then was that this place devoted itself to its regulars, and that occasional customers get short shrift. I also thought that it was overpriced for the value at the time. Needless to say, I haven't been back. No plans to ever go back, either. Just up the road a piece, however, is Citrus Grille. Anyone been there lately?

That's amazing. Chain-Resto heaven, Northern NJ. Great! What happened to our sophisticated taste? Nothing from Manhattan has rubbed off when you cross that GW Bridge? Aaargh. So near and yet so far. I know of some chefs who were actually reprimanded and later FIRED at a chain for trying to add a personal touch to a dish in the kitchen. That's what chain food is all about. But to me, it's not what dining is about. I want someone with a brain, someone creative, someone turning out wonderful dishes and making for a terrific dining experience. But not in NNJ, it seems.

A couple of comments: I, too, have dined here recently and found the place very nice and food was excellent. I will return, and I found this to be one of the better choices in Northern NJ and highly recommend it. As far as amuse, how does a place "merit" this? If they choose to serve one, and it is good, I will gladly enjoy it and find it quite acceptable from any restaurant. Also, as far as timing: I found it refreshing and wonderful that the service was deliberate here. I absolutely despise restaurants that serve the next course at the moment you finish an earlier course. I want time in between, I want to savor what I've eaten, and I want to enjoy the dining experience. Bravo, Passionne, and please continue to take your time! Great place, go!

Just what we need, another chain burger place. We already have Fuddrucker's. How about a creative chef-owner more into food than "scene" in Bergen County. That's what we're sorely lacking!!

Respectfully disagree, Iron Horse to me is a tired old "joint" that is in desperate need of a makeover. Not a big selection in this area, up the road in Hillsdale is Cornerstone, a new place in an old bank building with the basics, or more upscale would be Bacari Grill in Wash Township, which is a very good lunch choice, IMHO.

Isn't that an FDA regulation now?

From an EG thread last summer:

It's only an imposter because it's less famous than the Fairway in NYC. They also do nothing to dispel the fact that they are a different store, different owners, and a different MO. But the Ft Lee Fairway hopes that you think it's the same as the one in NY. Actually, nobody (including myself) cares one whit about the Fort Lee Fairway either way. This thread is not about the Ft Lee "Fairway". It's all about being happy about the idea of the NY Fairway coming to Paramus! Great news! One of the best cheese departments anywhere, olive bar, myriads of prepared foods, smoked fish, and a great service deli dept. Should be a gala opening!

The Record reports that the REAL Fairway from the UWS is coming to Paramus, at the Fashion Center, circa Fall 2008. It will be about 50K sq ft. This is not to be confused with the imposter of the same name in Fort Lee. This also means that one will no longer have to trek into NYC for great Nova, great cheese, and all the other great stuff at Fairway. Welcome to NJ, Fairway!

As I've stated, the "propping up the vendor's business" doesn't fly for me for selling 8 month-old fruit. We might as well let them sell lottery tickets and grapes from Chile to increase their profits. I guess I'm spoiled by my encounters with the markets all over the towns in Europe. There the vendors' wares are usually sold less than a week from picking time. That is, to me, what a Greenmarket should be.

There's something wrong with selling 8 month old apples at a Farmer's Market. If it's just to keep them in business, well, we can let them sell bananas, grapes, and all the standard stuff from the NY Wholesale markets as well, I suppose. In Europe, they have street farmer's markets everywhere, and everything in those markets is grown by the vendor and picked within the last few days. I don't see those vendors going under, either. And their prices are quite reasonable. EDITED TO ADD: In reading over the Greenmarket website, it says that Greenmarkets' vendors are there to showcase "homegrown, seasonal crops." So I don't know about being against the rules, but "seasonal" to me doesn't mean apples in May...

Somehow, "storage apples" sold at a Farmer's Market just doesn't cut it for me. I want homegrown, as-close-to-picked as possible. Isn't that the theory of a Farmers Market?