menton1

Newburgh, exit 17, is only 40 miles from Bergen County. Alot less than 2 hours. Check the website above, it links to individual restaurants on the waterfront and the menus.

This 2 hour boat ride is great, and they go out on Wednesday. http://www.prideofthehudson.com/ When you get back, there are about 8 restaurants sitting right out on the river, gorgeous views, and if the weather is right, a wonderful environment. This waterfront area has undergone a fantastic gentrification in the last 7 years, and the new restos are terrific. My favorites are Cena 2000 and Cafe Pitti. Here's a guide to all of the restos: Newburg Waterfront Restaurants Weather forecast is great for this whole week!

Without some hints as to what types of activities you like, this is difficult. I mean, my mind raced around from things like a boat ride on the Hudson (boats leave from Newburgh waterfront), visiting the fabulous Rockefeller Mansion, Kykuit, (Westchester) Whatever's ripe for picking at Race Farm in Blaristown, NJ, Kayaking at the Delaware water gap, and so on. Great food around all these places too. What are your parameters so as to narrow this down a bit?

Happened to spot a new restaurant opening while driving on Piermont Road in Tenafly today. Called Sidebar, it appeared to be open for business. It is occupying the space vacated by a retro Chinese that was well past its prime. Any reports on this place? Menu, type of food, etc? What does the name mean? A meeting place for judges and lawyers?

I agree. How about a REAL restaurant opening in Bergen County? The lack of fresh, exciting, creative new chef-owned restaurants here is really disappointing.

I don't know, but the "restaurant listings" section in the back of the magazine is a paid section. And it has the appearance of a real, unbiased listing, but only advertisers and restaurants that pay get listed. Very sneaky.

Could you please elaborate on this statement? I always thought that Teaneck had the best selection of this type of cuisine...

How does this place compare to the Swiss Pork Store in Fair Lawn, and the Karl Ehmer in Hillsdale? Both of those stores have gotten kudos on Eg in the past...

I respectfully disagree. We had a wonderful meal at Barking Crab. The community tables offer a unique opportunity to share and converse with (otherwise) strangers. Our table partners when we were there were both locals who said they go there often. The mix is about 50-50 / tourists-locals, so I can't imagine it being the MOST touristy place. It is fun, it is right on the water, and the food is excellent. We loved the place. P.S. I also noticed that their chowder won the Globe's "Best in Boston" survey last year... Barking Crab Gayot Review

My friends in the Boston area all rave about Barking Crab, about 50% tourists and 50% locals. A "down home" experience, go in good weather and eat in the outdoor tent right on the Boston Harborfront. On a trip there last May we thought that the steamers were among the best we'd ever had. The chowder was very good, can't say if it was the "best", though... Barking Crab Website

Yes, there seems to be some missing details... perhaps it's just a matter of being unable to come to terms on a lease renewal? There is a long-established pharmacy still there, and a recently-renovated and expanded deli, a pizza place, and a year-round HR Block. They all seem to be staying. Is there a link to this article?

Howard Johnson's Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, and Howard Johnson's Fried Clams... Wetson's (Everything on the menu!)...

Yes, you are correct, sorry. I just called, and they have 12 tables, seating for 26. Been going for years, was just an "eyeball" count.

I've seen this attribution "kid friendly" often, but the meaning of it seems somewhat ambiguous to me. Does it mean that the restaurant has crayons and placemats, games on the placemats, and provides child accommodations like highchairs? Does it mean that the restaurant allows kids to run around the tables and the aisles, and they just smile? (I've been to places like this, unfortunately) Does it mean that they have a "children's menu"? I would presume that if these children are "well behaved", as you mention, that they would be welcome at 98% of all restaurants. After all, they are a business, and this is a revenue-producer.

The Europeans are really way ahead of us in this matter-- In France, for example, a typical market has about 2 dozen varieties of bottled SPRING wter, average price (rough exchange rate) is about 15 cents/liter. Reasonable enough. They seem wiser there, as well, the are no bottled tap waters. In the UK, in 2004, Dasani went right down shortly after introduction after some test labs found bromate in their bottled tap water. It was subsequently banned from sales as well.

An unlikely spot for very good seafood is the Marblehead Grille, just over the border when you cross into Easton, Pa. Terrific raw bar, oysters and clams, and some really good crabcakes and fish n chips. Great place to stop for lunch! EZ on-off Rte. 78 Marblehad Grille Website P.S. They are closing the express lanes of 78 between the Tpke and the Pkwy for several months, and the traffic is expected to be horrific. You might take an alternate like 287 or the Parkway, if possible.

You forgot to mention that they only have 4-6 tables. I always thought of it as primarily a takeout place. The food is good though. I also like Asiana on Route 1 (Putnam Avenue near the Whole Foods), owned by the same people. ← I think they have 14 tables/seating for 30. In this space, it makes for a lot of room and comfort, and the space is quite attractive, brick walls. I've spoken to the folks at Penang and they say the the city of Greenwich has strict rules about restaurant capacity because of parking space allotted to the restaurant on the street! It's not a fire law, or anything like that. So it's a really pleasant dining experience. No reservations, but there never seems to be more than a 10 minute wait, if any, and the food is awesome. Bring your own wine.

I have nothing against bottled water in general; my specific gripe is about Dasani and Aquafina. I'm convinced that a majority of buyers of these products think that these tap waters are high quality spring waters. Aquafina furthers the ruse with the mountains on the label. "Purified" is an ambiguous term. These companies are very secretive about where their tap water comes from and just what they mean by "purified". If there were regulations forcing Coke and Pepsi to be more transparent about these waters, I would feel alot better. I'm pretty sure, though, that the power of these mega-Corporations would preclude anything like that coming to fruition.

The British government issued the ban, there was a public outcry, and Coke decided not to fight back, they just went away with their tail between their legs.

Oops! Chez C and Mojave both say that they are open Sat lunch on their website. Guess they don't update their sites regularly. I haven't had too much trouble parking in the large municipal lots in Westfield. Getting the parking paid ticket and putting back on the dashboard is a little inconvenient. Have you thought of Garlic Rose in Cranford? Actually a nicer place than the name suggests...

Using Wikipedia as a sole source of information is like using a blog. It is "peer produced", and the information there may well have come from a highly placed source at Pepsi or Coke themselves! Some other more reliable sources have a diferent opinion. Consumer Reports says that the sources of Dasani and Aquafina are a closely guarded secret, but they suspect that a prime source of Dasani is Detroit municipal water supply. ABC News did a report a couple of years ago saying that although these waters may taste good, the purification techniques used may consist of nothing more than a paper filter!! As a matter of fact, Dasani was banned completely in the UK in 2004 for containing high levels of bromate, a known carcinogen. (They advertised the product as "the purest water to be found".) Sierra Club has had a long campaign against these waters, saying that they are a "big hoax on the public". I think that most just buy these waters because they are available, they are cold, and they taste good. No thought process involved as to value or quality. I, personally, would never buy these 2 waters. I might, however, buy spring water if available.

I think the ruse part of the idea stems from the way these products refer to themselves as "purified water" instead of the more accurate "filtered tap water". But of course, that would cut sales drastically, probably. P.S. How do you know that these are New York City tap water?

Saturday lunch is a tough time to have a nice meal... However, why not go to Westfield? Once you park in the municipal lots, it's a really nice town to walk around in. Open Saturday for lunch: Chez Catherine, 431 North Ave. Lighter on the wallet: Mojave Grill, 35 Elm St Sweetwaters, 43 Elm St. I agree, Saturday lunch can be as difficult as Monday dinner!

A close inspection of the labels of Dasani and Aquafina bottled water shows that these are merely "purified" tap waters. (What does "purified" mean?) These products have become ubiquitous in food stores throughout the US due to the marketing power of the giants Coke and Pepsi. What, pray tell, is the reason that so many people are willing to pay so much for tap water in a bottle? Are they subconciously thinking that these are better waters? That they are spring water? Is there a good reason to buy this water that I am missing? I am truly mystified and amazed.

I disagree. I don't think any of these chains are particularly cheap. A dinner at these chains can cost the same as a moderately priced chef/owner restaurant. It's more perception than reality. They are just "easy". Finding an individual restaurant takes some time, research, and also a test run to find out what kind of meal you will have there. I am willing to spend that time. For me, there is always a better choice than a chain, and for the same price as well.