menton1

We drive by on Dean Drive regularly and saw it had closed; Went to Stancato about 5 years ago and it was awful-- can't explain how it lasted so long-- A mom & pop resto trying to imitate the chains-- like Caruso's in Paramus, or Cassie's in Englewood. For middle of the road "Red Sauce" Italian, you're better off at Big Red Tomato in Fort Lee, at least it looks lika a Mom & Pop, and they try hard; The best choice is New American or Ethnic restaurants-- much more reliable in this area.

Couldn't be Caruso's; an example of a non-chain restaurant trying to emulate the chains!!(About as "Tuscan" as Sbarro) Something like a place called Stancato, that finally bit the dust in Tenafly....

The latest on this subject from Expatica.com, a VERY good web site. All open until at least 1:30AM, and Au Pied au Cochon until 6AM!! Bonne nuit!! Au Pied du Cochon: 6 rue Coquillière, 75001 Chez Denise: 5, rue des Prouvaires, 75001 L'Ecluse: 15, Place de la Madeleine, 75008 La Coupole: 102, boulevard du Montparnasse, 75014 Le Select: 99, boulevard du Montparnasse, 75014 Korova: 33, rue Marbeuf 75008 Paris Le Dépanneur: 27, rue Fontaine, 75009 Paris

Scalini Fedeli, Chatham got some text here a couple of weeks ago.. some high praise.. Rosie has always raved about Corso 98 in Montclair.. Since traveling on vacations to Italy, we have sworn off Italian-American restaurants, they are always disappointing now, the bar has been set very high.

The food in Greece is very good and very cheap. They break all the American health codes, the prepare the food in the morning, and then it sits in the showcases at room temperature for hours. Never got sick, though. All the wine is served in jelly glasses, hard to get used to. No pita bread, either, to our amazement. Retsina wine takes some getting used to. All in all, the restaurants are mostly a peasant experience (in the best sense of the word) with pleasant, hearty food. N.B. While you are there, take note of all the starving cats. For the Olympics, they plan to do a mass-poisoning, very barbaric, in all the National parks. Please talk to as many people as you can to talk some sense into them, and get them to remember that they are a first-world country. This behavior is unacceptable in a civilized world.. More info here

On the digression subject, if you can get a diesel car, the fuel is much cheaper than gasoline. Oddly enough, in the US, where diesel is about 30 cents/gallon HIGHER than gasoline (defies logic); In France, the "gasoil" price is about 10 Eurocents/liter LOWER than gasoline. I rented one last trip, and it ran quite well, was not noisy, and got great mileage. menton1 Posted on May 14 2003, 08:07 AM Actually, most cars in the lowest rental category are underpowered-- both gasoline AND diesel; You have to build up speed gradually in all of those. For more power, you have to move up in category-- I also get chills when standing outside the car looking at the tires-- they look like toy tires!! When you get in and do 140 km/h with those tires, it gives you pause....

Love pissaladière, love pan bagnat, love socca; Can I get a ride to JFK for flight #82 leaving 6:55?

Went to It's Greek to Me in Englewood last night and asked there about Jimmy, the owner of Greek Village. He used to work at IGTM and these folks all know each other. They did confirm his demise, at only 41 years old, a sudden heart attack. Possibly some member of his family will take over the business. (He wasn't married). Such a nice person, and he had worked hard for a modicum of success in Northvale in only 4 years. A real tragedy. I still can't get over it, still very shocked.

As we have discussed ad infinitum, The Record gives just about every restaurant and grease pit it reviews 3 stars; Not reliable, and not a proud achievement. The place might be good regardless....

Jason-- Glad you enjoyed the place-- my fave is the Fried Scallop sandwich-- Interesting about the guy expanding-- sometimes, though, expansion is NOT a good thing...

Haven't been to North American in several years, used to be decent--What's wrong with it now?

You need to go to the Oyster Bar, in NYC, where they have about 20 types of oysters. Blows away Legal..... Have you also tried North American Lobster on Rte 17 in East Rutherford? Haven't been in a while, but they used to have a very fresh raw bar as well. You won't see me at Legal or Red Lobster or any chains any time soon. I would feel like a lemming waiting on those lines.

not the oysters. I think this answer got "lost" in all the other digressions... 'Sea Shack on the Hackensack/Hasbrouck Heights border has oysters cheaper than Legal and with tablecloths!

This place came up on another thread but I thought it deserved its own. This is a retail seafood store that prepares and cooks all the seafood it sells. They have an extensive menu including Broiled Entrees, Fried Entrees, Sandwiches, Soups, and a Raw Bar. I have had the Fried scallops and they are AWESOME; The Clam Chowder is terrific. Prices are incredible, for example, a dozen Cherrystones, opened, for $9. Pint of soup, $3.50 The Scallop sandwich is $4.95. Entrees are from $6-$12 and come with fries, rice, or a fresh vegetable. Everything homemade, on the premises. Definitely worth a trip. A unique place in New Jersey. Call ahead, most items take 10-15 mins to prepare. Everything cooked to order. Seafood Gourmet 103 West Pleasant Avenue Maywood, NJ 201-843-8558

Sea Shack in Hackensack/Hasbrouck Heights border has oysters cheaper than Legal... and tablecloths!! Don't eat too much fried seafood, but the Seafood Gourmet, a retail store that has cooked entrees, has the best Fried Scallop sandwich I've ever eaten. On the main drag in Maywood. They also will fry any seafood they sell, and will do it either breaded or battered. Their Manhattan Chowder rocks as well.

We have discussed this restaurant pretty extensively on the Restaurant Chain thread-- I reiterate that I think this place is overrated, overpriced, looks like a diner inside, and there are always (indredibly) lines. Invariably the seafood at other "better" restaurants is prepared better, priced the same (or less) and you get tablecloths and good service and no lines. Still a mystery why these chains are so popular....

Yes, we, too, were always unable to use our credit cards in the self-service gas stations. This discussion has been quite enlightening in that regard. On the digression subject, if you can get a diesel car, the fuel is much cheaper than gasoline. Oddly enough, in the US, where diesel is about 30 cents/gallon HIGHER than gasoline (defies logic); In France, the "gasoil" price is about 10 Eurocents/liter LOWER than gasoline. I rented one last trip, and it ran quite well, was not noisy, and got great mileage.

Wow, this got more complicated than I expected when I brought this up-- I was only commenting on the actual practice of bringing this multi-tasked wireless machine to the table, and, as an American, being wide-eyed at all its capabilities. It just seemed so futuristic compared to our system of taking the card over to a wired swiper and printer. Is it true that all Visa/Master Card/Carte Bleue in France are debit cards? Can they use Amex as an actual credit card?

When paying by credit card in a restaurant in France, I just love those electronic machines they bring over to the table!! They actually use a technology that seems more ADVANCED than what we use in the US; (A VERY rare occurrence!) These machines are quite sophisticated, they use a wireless technology to communicate over the phone lines, and then a printer prints up a charge slip, all at the table!! It is particularly interesting to see the 2 different ways they use the machine as well-- for a credit card, they swipe the card; for a debit card, they insert the card into the machine and wait while it processes the information. It is also my understanding that all the Visa and Master Cards that the French use are debit cards, as well as the Carte Bleue; these charges are taken right out of their bank accounts. So they can't run up any debt!! I think anyone introducing these machines into the US might have a windfall!

Traffic Fumes? Noise? What dilettantes!! Anyone with these complaints ever been to Europe? In Paris they actually "heat the street" with tall kerosene heaters to eat "En Plein Air". Eating outside rocks!!

IMHO, Baumgart's does not succeed either as a Chinese restaurant, nor as an Ice Cream/Breakfast luncheonette. Also, at $4.25 for 2 plain eggs, no meat, they are WAAYY overpriced!! Chinese selections are also overpriced and very ordinary. With Cosi next door now, they might have a serious challenge to their "dessert crowd". The only positive about Baumgart's is the Art Deco/old Ice Cream parlor ambience. P.S. My favorite place for breakfast and burgers in Bergen is Louies Charcoal Pit, on Cedar Lane in Teaneck. Great eggs and home fries, very good char-broil burgers. Basically a GOOD storefront Greek diner.

Actually stumbled on quite a good tasting pizza at a local pizza joint. By the slice was good and the whole pie was VERY good. Not oxidized, nice thin crust, good seemingly homemade sauce, and a nice cheese that was a little stringy like I like it. The best pizza in a pizzeria I've had in NJ in a long time. The place: Uncle Gio's Pizza Union Avenue, Downtown Cresskill (Next to Cresskill Bagels) Cresskill, N.J.

L'Univers/Christian Plumail in Nice just got hightly touted in a French newsletter. Any comments on this restaurant? P.S. Want to stay outside of Nice, in Villefranche. Anybody ever stay at the Versailles? Seems to be the best in a town of few hotels.

Do you know the name of the restaurant?

How can you tell it's greasy then? They just did a major renovation--