scarlet knight

We really like Lorena's in Maplewood, Culinarianne in Montclair, Ebbitt Room in Cape May. Have not tried Uproot, but we want to do so. This is the NJ board, but the restaurants in NYC are hard to beat and we don't live far away.

We are "regulars" at several restaurants. We are really treated well there. If you are in the restaurant business, you have to recognize your regulars and show them appreciation. If not, there is competition right down the street that will care more. It's a tough and unforgiving business.

We went to Rosemary and Sage on 1/30/10. Our order was taken by a woman who seems to be the co-owner or spouse of the owner. I am sure that she is a perfectly nice woman in another setting, but her reading of the specials was lengthy, unintelligible and tragi-comic. The gist of it was that they were out of most kinds of seafood , both specials and regular menu items. I found this odd for a Saturday night at 7:30pm. A gentle reminder to another waitress produced our appetizer salads after a one hour wait. The food was rather uninspired. There was a quarter bottle of our wine left. The hostess portioned it precisely among the other three diners and gave me none of it. My wife noticed it and we don't know why she did this. I didn't ask or complain. I didn't want to make her any more nervous than she was. It was somewhat entertaining in its ineptitude, but I would not return. The staff meant well, but it cannot execute. The food was forgettable and that is more regrettable than the service.

I recommend Blue Point Grill or Ferry House. If you are willing to go to a restaurant with a bar, Elements is very good. I'd hustle and get reservations ASAP at these places.

The Grand Cafe is good for something fancy. The Famished Frog is casual. Not haute cuisine, but updated pub food. Origin is good for Thai. Provesi and Valentino's are Italian choices. Copeland always seems empty, but it's near the theater. For a real old fashioned pub experience, Dublin Pub. Japanese? Sushi Lounge or Aiko. I've worked in Morristown for 24 years!

Great suggestion, as usual, Curlz. Two concerns: My parents are old school and won't get it and I think it's a little far for the Leonia crew. We'll go with my sister and brother-in-law only, I think. Has anyone eaten at Basilico in Millburn lately? We ate at Giotto in Montclair last week and it was good, but it's a little cramped and noisy and we'll be a table of 8. I read a scathing review of DaBenito in Union. We ate there many years ago and enjoyed it.

We are meeting for dinner with our cousins from Leonia (Bergen County) and my sister from Belle Mead (Somerset County) and we come from in between (Essex). Last summer we met at the dear departed David Drake, which we all loved. Hope it comes back, although it seemed out of place in Rahway. No dis to Rahway, but I thought that restaurant would do better in Westfield, Cranford, Millburn, etc. demographically. We need a new centrally located place. Note that my parents are joining us. I think that they would find a place like David Drake too "fancy" and expensive, so if we can ratchet down the restaurant it might work. We like 3 West in the Basking Ridge area, but it might be too far from Leonia. Kenilworth? Westfield? Any ideas?

We enjoyed our dinner at La Petite Coeur on Rue Mabillon in the Sixth Arr. on 10/3/09. We were able to eat outside in a heat-lamped courtyard. The food was very good and the prices were fair. The non-adventurous eater can fare well, but the food was high quality and artistically presented.

KD1191, have you eaten in any Parisian restaurants lately that you enjoyed? If so , please advise. We are just looking for ideas to research further. I don't want to rely on Michelin, Zagat's, etc. I want to hear about people's recent experiences. I don't think that Taillevent will be bad becasue it went from three to two Michelin stars. If anyone has any other suggestions, I am open to them. I did not want to be doctrinaire about price, location, cuisine, etc.

Thanks for noting that the topic got "hijacked," Forest. We are looking for any French restaurant. We are going to go to dinner at Taillevent one evening, so if you have recommendations that are less expensive and fancy, we would welcome them.

Is the L'atelier to which you refer the Joel Robuchon restaurant? Also, we booked Taillevent for a dinner. Anyone been there? A friend heartily recommended it.

We are going to Paris for a brief 5 day leisure trip in early October. Restaurant recommendations?

Yes, David Drake is an exceptional restaurant. The ambience is great. We were a group of six and we were seated in a small room with two other tables for two. It was like having a private room. The decor is very attractive. The service is attentive, respectful and the service of the plates is well-choreographed to insure simultaneous serving of all table members (no such thing as "Who ordered the filet mignon" here). Impressive, although this shouldn't be so hard to do. On to the food.Three of us had halibut over peas and cavatelli with a dash of pesto. It was light and refreshing and a dish that seemed suited for spring. Another of us had seared scallops that looked great. A relative had squab, which he enjoyed but he said that he was a small squab. The other ordered entree was a flat iron steak at the other end of the table, which my brother-in-law liked. The wine list was extensive. We had a Sancerre that we enjoy at home and it was a hit with the group. Slight disappointments: no pork, veal or chicken on the menu. Did have rabbit, duck breast and squab, which are more unusual. We were a group of six and they automatically added 18.7% to the bill. Why do this ? I would have left 20% or more. Do large tables really stiff the staff? Also, no disrespect to Rahway, but the area seems to be in disrepair and the locals do not appear to be prospective customers for restaurant. Good for Rahway if this restaurant helps their economy, but the restaurant seems out of character for the neighborhood. It's not an affluent area. Don't mean to be a snob. We all enjoyed the experience and we will return. My cousins want to bring business associates. I recommend it as one of the best restuarants in NJ and on a par with many in NYC.

We make our David Drake debut tonight. What did people enjoy on the current menu?

What did you order?

We are from Essex County. We are meeting a couple from Bergen County and a couple from Somerset County in the middle, which I would say is in Essex or Union County. We like chef owned, small places like Lorena's, Orbis, Culinarianne, Blu, etc. However, one of the couples likes mixed drinks. We could make due with wine at a BYOB, but we would like to go to a restaurant with a full bar to accomodate the couple that likes mixed drinks. Any suggestions?

Does anyone know what Neil Elsohn is doing now? I haven't heard of Restaurant 1919, so I presume that that restaurant is kaput.

We miss Water's Edge , also. Although I once ate outside and the mosquitos ate more of me than I ate of my food. I think they posted on e-mosquito. Is the chef from Water's Edge now at Copper Fish--pure rumor, not sure if it is correct info.

We ate at the Ebbitt Room on our first night in Cape May last Thursday. The food was superb. I had Alaskan Salmon. I enjoy it because it is lean , dry and intensely flavored. My wife has equally awesome Mahi Mahi. The atmosphere is very pretty (it's been redecorated since we were last there). Our waitress tried very hard and we compared notes on our mutual Romanian heritage. The second night we went to the Black Duck. We arrived a little early for our reservation. Another couple who seemed to be regulars arrived after we did, but they were seated first in a nice area.We were castigated to a noisy hallway/atrium that was somewhat dark. Remember in the movie Animal House when they took Flounder and the Tom Hulce character to the living room in the frat house to sit with the nerds and kids with turbans? It felt like that. We didn't complain. The food was good , but the seating and the fact that we were eaten alive by mosquitos while waiting outside took some of the enjoyment out of it. We had our third meal at Union Park. More spacious and comfortable than the other two restaurants. The food was good. My wife kvelled over her foie gras with apple "cake." My Caesar salad was conventional, but good. My filet mignon was better than my wife's lamb rack. Profiteroles! They also accomodated my request for fresh fruit at dessert. Finally, we enjoyed our lunches near the beach at Sean's and Coffee Tyme. Mad Batter for breakfast! Go to Cape May! Swim and walk off your meals!

I meant to add that Saffron is in East Hanover. They have many good Tandoori options. I went there with a business associate who professed to dislike Indian food and she enjoyed the tandoori chicken and their rice.

There are a zillion on Oak Tree Lane in Iselin. Other posters should come up with some names soon. You could just walk down the street and browse. If you are in my area, Saffron on Rt.10 East is very good. It is across the street from Dick's Sporting Goods.

We're not big fans of the Lobster House. Massive resto with mediocre food. I'm sure their freshly-caught to-go fish is good, but we're staying at a hotel, so it won't help us.

Thank you in advance for your scouting report, Mark!

We will be going to Cape May in a couple of weeks. We enjoy Black Duck, Ebbit Room, Union Park. We haven't been there in a couple of years. Any new and noteworthy restaurants?

Famished Frog, Washington St., Provesi, South St. or Copeland at the Westin/Gov. Morris Hotel. My office has been in Morristown for over 20 years.