menton1

There are actually 2 Ligurias: The Ponente, west of Genoa, and the Levante, east of Genoa. Where will you be?

Since I prefer smaller portions of complex, interesting dishes, I never go to buffets. However, some friends have told me of a 1 year old Asian Buffet on Main Street just off River Road in New Milford. I don't have a report, but they said some positive things about it, and it is only 1/2 mile from the new Oradell Diner which I know you frequent.

Don't worry, Rosie, Humphrey Bogart and Alan Ladd were very short, and with skilled camera work no one knew!!

Lou, do you think you could get Andrea Clurfeld to come on?

My mistake, Vietnamese DO use chopsticks. Thai do NOT use chopsticks. My brain was thinking about the Vietnamese use of Roman l;etters, and I messed it up... Sorry.

Absolutely true-- same at Vietnamese Restaurants, they do not use chopsticks in Vietnam! Vietnamese language is in Roman letters, as well, also something unexpected. Thanks for your report, I wrote about this place and liked it as well, will be returning there when I am in the area.

You are mixing up Greek Village with Its Greek to Me; Greek Village is a one-store independent operation, IGTM is a franchise, all locations have different owners, so they are all slightly different. We have a separate thread on IGTM.

Made it over to this place last weekend. The first thing I noticed is that the place seems large and half-empty. Actually too big a space for the merchandise they carry. Some canned goods were in the center of the store on small wire fixtures. The jars and cans were all quite dusty, which is a turn-off, and also means they don't sell a lot of them (they shoud dust, though) Some family members were congregated at a table in the window playing cards. A woman behind the counter engaged us in conversation, letting us taste some things. No prices on anything, you have to ask. We tried the Sausage & Pepper, $9/lb., the antipasto salad, $9/lb., the Tabouli, $7/ lb.., and the Potato Salad, $6/lb. We bought all of these to take home, hard to tell how they are from a small taste. The woman was a bit too aggressive for our tastes, she kept calling us by "Miss" and "Mister", which got to be a bit annoying. On the real tasting at home, the Sausage & Pepper and the Antipasto were tasty but had way too much oil. The oil was either a corn or canola type.(Not an olive oil) The Tabouli was better, and the Potato salad was excellent. But at $7 and $6/lb respectively, they are way overpriced. I've never paid $6/lb for Potato salad, even in the best gourmet shops in the city. So all in all, between the dusty cans and jars, the empty appearance, the over-aggressiveness, and the VERY high prices, this place was a disappointment. I'm going to stick to Jerry's. (Smaller lines between 2PM-5PM).

Insane like foxes.

Anybody go to this year's Belmar Festival? Anything interesting to report?

Thanks for the report-- I always pass the place, and I was waiting for an Egullet review to motivate me to stop there. Probably do Eggs & homefries. Hope they still have homemade soup in the cold weather. Good BLTs as well. N.B. Charlie Brown's, just on the River Edge line, but still in Oradell, has a full bar. So that's another liquor license. As we have discussed elsewhere, they are VERY expensive. Hagler's probably retired on it. (Did they change the name?)

Monday is tough, but one of the better restos in the area, Citrus Grille, in Airmont NY is open. This is right over the NJ-NY line and is only 20 minutes from Haworth. Here is the website: Citrus Grille Website Otherwise, you can do Moon Street, Dean St & Palisade Ave, in Englewood. A much more casual place. If you can see to driving to Montclair, about 35 minutes, Epernay is open. A very good resto also. Epernay Website

Oh, Andrea, where are you? (Come out, come out, wherever you are!!)

Loufood, thanks so much for this comprehensive report!! I felt like I was there!! I will be in Paris in the middle of September, hope the "chaleur" is over by then, our hotel has no air conditioning. I saw on the French News (France-2) that the homes for the elderly, especially in the South, have no a/c, and the seniors are not doing well in the heat wave. We were in France in June 2002 and also experienced 4 days of a tremendous heat wave, without a/c where we stayed. Bisous to Karli!! (Is that her in the avatar?)

Apparently, based on my unfortunate experience with USAA, it is up to the issuing bank to decide on disputed charges. They are the judge and jury in disputed cases. I have always had good support from Amex in such matters. USAA refused to intervene. (They said I would have to sue the merchant in the UK) (Ho ho!)

One big problemm with USAA--- they will not fight any foreign merchants on your behalf; in other words, you have none of the typical protection against fraud as with other cards. I was charged a fraudulent amount by a merchant in the UK when I had this card, and they refused to investigate the matter, saying that "they can't investigate foreign charges." On the other hand, the larger bank VISAs and Amex will go to bat for you and make the merchant, foreign or domestic, prove that their charge to the card is valid. Another factor to consider.

Saturday night is the Fete de la Musique in Paris, the annual celebration of the start of summer. Last year I was lucky enough to be in Paris at this time. A wonderful feast. On just about every corner in the city were some musicians playing, surrounded by hordes of people. They also have big venue events, like at the Hotel de Ville and at the Tour Eiffel. Boulevard St Germain had a procession of artists from 10PM until well into the night. The only folks who are unhappy are those in cars, who just cannot get through the streets because of the throngs of humanity!! Can anyone lucky enough to be there this year kindly give us a report of the festivities... I will have to live vicariously through that this year!! Bonne fete!!

We here in the US are light-years behind the Europeans as far as sidewalk dining is concerned; In Europe, many restos with 10 tables inside, spill out with 50 more tables outside. They are allowed to use the front of other stores after those stores close; in Paris they even use elegantly-styled pole heaters for all-year-round outdoor dining!! Long live "en plein air"!!

Napa Valley Grille Website No finger food, but a relatively quiet place, they won't rush you, probably the best of the mall restos in North Jersey; Stay away from Legal-- noisy, overpriced, and they will want you to GET OUT FAST.

Pongsri Thai Restaurant Thread I loved the place!!

No, Blue Moon is a Mexican on Palisade Av. Not for you. This is Moon Street, an American cafe-type around the corner on Dean Street. (I think I said Engle before) (Not thinking) I'm sending a link to the website-- I've spent 2-2 1/2 hours in there at times. Menu has something for everyone-- finger food, sandwiches, burgers, main courses, salads. I think it's in the ballpark of what you are looking for. Check this out: Moon Street Website

Instead of Wondees, Bangkok Garden across the street, 1 block down, has a MUCH nicer ambience. And I, unlike some others, think the food is very good there. On the other thought, finger food, sandwiches, low key, no rush, I recommend Moon Street on Engle Street just off Palisade Avenue in Englewood. The only issue would be one or two steps, if I remember correctly. But it is relatively quiet, you can sit there for hours, and it is casual yet attractive, with burgers, salads, and more elaborate main courses as well. Enjoy!

Right on, loufood!! How is the doggie? Hope she is OK, give her a kiss for me!!

This really is not by design in New Jersey; it is a result of the finite # of liquor licenses allowed. Actually good for the consumer, because of the proliferation of BYOBs. In New York State, it is my understanding that there are no limitations to the # of liquor licenses-- a license in NY can cost under $3000.