scarlet knight

I agree that it's rarely quiet at Il Mondo and Garlic Rose. That is my only criticism of them, generally.

My wife and I ate in Tim Schaefer's this spring. The food was okay, but not exceptional. I can't remember in detail. However, I thought that the prices were very high. Fish specials (not lobster or crab) were $30. The staff wasn't too great, either. If you catch Il Mondo Vecchio or Garlic Rose on a quiet night, I think that you would have a better experience.

As I recall, this restaurant permitted smoking in the main dining room and it was foggy! Not a food enhancer for me. Speaking of food, that was not very good, either. I was at this restaurant twice with relatives ( I will lobby not to go back). It was consistently below average in food. A much better choice in the general area is Jerry's Osteria in Tenafly. There have been posts about this which you can search on this site.

Rosie, give Aozora another try. We've been there about five times and we are 5 for 5 with successful meals. Also, Hank is right about Livingston. Il Ripasso is pretty good for Italian. Stretch's is good for casual or takeout. We like Sanyong, but based on the generally empty parking lot, we are in the minority. Other than that, it is a wasteland. Caldwell, Montclair, Millburn and Madison have more good restaurants per block than Livingston. I don't know why.

Where is Papillon? We have found Luce to be very uneven. Maybe the new chef has improved things.

In your category, I also recommend Liberte. Sometimes, it is a little unoccupied, but it is a good restaurant and they could use a little support. If you use search on this site, you can find past reviews.

I don't see how Duchapl can say that Rosie's review was inaccurate unless he dined with her group. The review was negative, but I do not think that it was mean-spirited. It seemed very factual. The restaurant business is very competitive. I hope that Rosie's criticisms lead to constructive improvements in this restaurant that enable it to be a better restaurant. The restaurateurs who complain that reviewers are mean, vindictive, partial and unfair--instead of rectifying the problems--will soon be in another line of work.

Was there on Saturday, November 1. We were there early, no reservation and casually dressed. Went on a whim. Could not have been treated better. Fantastic service, almost using ESP to detect our needs, by many staffers. The atmosphere is romantic . I agree that the portions are small, but they throw in a few intermezzos, amuses and cookie plates so that we left stuffed. One would have to be jaded not to enjoy this place if they had the experience that we did. I guess sometimes snags happen.

The Greek restaurant next to Mexicali Rose in Montclair is pretty good. The name escapes me, but I know that there have been posts on it here. Also, there is a Greek-oriented place on Bloomfield Avenue named Dmitrios (spelling?) which is okay, but not great, although the staff tries really hard and it is entertaing to try. It's near Liberte and Cafe Eclectic. The Muse site has been several incarnations of restaurants, all doomed to failure.

Aozora and Deja Vu are very close to each other. They are on Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair. I would say that they are about 1000 feet east of Udupi Village on the same side of Bloomfield Avenue. I think that you could easily find entrees at both places for $16-22. They are both BYO, which saves on the bill, also. If you are in that area and you want upscale New American with an Italian bent, Fascino is on the same side of Bloomfield Avenue, just another block east of the above two restaurants. Read the reviews of this board on that restaurant by using the search feature. We also like Liberte, a French restaurant across the street. Sadly, our hometown of Livingston has less good restaurants than that block in Montclair.

You could try Deja Vu in Montclair-Thai/French. Sometimes the service is bad. We like Tuptim in Montcliar. I can't tell if this is the Thai place that you didn't like so much. Farther from you, Bangkok Kitchen in Caldwell is good and it has a cool decor and atmosphere. The food is not hardcore Thai. Their BBQ spareribs and Half chicken dishes are approachable for people who are not into curries and other Thai sauces. Finally, Aozora is Japanese, but they serve dishes with a Thai or French flair. Also on Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair. Good service and decor.

I second La Locanda. Very fair prices, too.

we ate at le rendez-vous on Sat. 10/11/03, my wife's birthday. We did not tell the staff about her birthday...she hates that happy birthday singing of the staff.. I feel the same way. There was a loud , very operatic rendition of "Happy Birthday" in French for another table, so if you like this tradition, ask for it here. We find it sort of juvenile and self-absorbed, curmudgeons that we are. Back to the meal.. the appetizers were a "10." My wife had foie gras with polenta and black mission figs. I had lump crab meat (huge pieces) over watercress and avocado salsa. Both were great. For the entrees, I had a beef tenderloin, which was a filet mignon. I ordered it medium, but it arrived medium well. I didn't send it back because it ruins the timing of the meal, I don't want the meat to be wasted and I am fearful of the vengeful expectorations of the staff (not at le rendez-vous, just in general). However, the accompanying chanterelle mushrooms and basil mashed potatoes were great. My wife's rouget was a little fishy tasting. It was better if one didn't eat the skin, but still a day overdue for fish. The dessert was called a banana financier, but it was not too great. The bananas were not sweet; they were more like plaintains. The service was very good on a crowded Saturday night. Despite the so-so entrees and dessert, we had an enjoyable evening in a trendy bistro atmosphere with knockout appetizers. We would return, but I could see how others would not.

I misstated the name of Hunan COTTAGE. It is better than Sanyong in that its food is more authentically Chinese. But I think that a lot of diners prefer more familiar Chinese-American fare and Sanyong provides a modern take on this style. I'm just surprised Sanyong doesn't draw a better crowd on Saturday night. Maybe the locals tried it as Feng Shui and found it to be lacking. My wife and I, not huge fans of Chinese, really liked Sanyong.

My wife and I felt like Asian cuisine. We didn't feel like venturing to Montclair (Sushihana, Aozora, Deja Vu) because the parking in that area is a nightmare on Saturday night. We went to Sanyong, a Chinese restaurant that was formerly Feng Shui and formerly Friendly's. The parking lot was so empty on Saturday night at 7 PM that we almost left-- this is a bad sign. However, we gave it a shot and it was very good! The egg roll was not the least bit greasy and a wonton soup was very hot, the soup tasted like a chicken broth and it was not salty or food-colored. For entrees, we had a special of Grand Marnier shrimp. These were huge shrimp that were flash fried with a sauce of Grand Marnier, mustard and cream or something that made the sauce a little creamy. Quite good! We also had Yang Chow fried rice, with shrimp, pork, chicken, etc. Very light brown with not the least bit of greasiness. The service was also very attentive. The host talked to us without being intrusive. A waiter was intrigued by our Belgian ale which comes in a bottle that looks like a wine bottle. Overall, a winnning experience. Even my wife was enthusiastic and she is not a big fan of Chinese cuisine. Is it as good as Hunan Taste in Fairfield? No, I find that to be more authentic and interesting. However, Sanyong is darn good. I am mystified as to why it was nearly empty on Saturday night at 7pm. I highly recommend it.

Johnh91011-You sound enthusiastic about Verjus' brunch. Did you feel that it was a fair value-$20- for a breakfast entree, appetizer, juice and coffee?

Mid-level food is ok. Has anyone had brunch at Verjus in Maplewood?

Does anyone have any Sunday brunch recommendations? I want a place between Fort Lee and Livingston, preferably not in Hoboken due to parking problems, and not the Short Hills Hilton ( I think that's over $60/person).

I would appreciate it if Always Dining Out would post a disclosure if she is connected to Tassert's or a denial if dbrociner is incorrect. It is a good restaurant and I wish it success, but I want to know if the posts I read are from fellow diners or insiders. I enjoy posts from Lreda and others who are in the business, but they make full disclosure.

Aozora has a website at aozoranj.com. Their menu is on the website. Ironically, Aozora means "blue sky." It is located across the street from the former Blue Sky in Montclair.

Aozora has both Japanese and Western items on the menu. I found both types of cuisine to be well above average and fairly priced. I found the staff friendlier than Nouveau Sushi and the surroundings and noise more comfortable at Aozora. If you tried Nouveau, try Aozora and compare. I preferred the food, service, prices and atmosphere at Aozora, but it's personal taste.

We tried it and we were not that enthused. I think that Aozora (closer to Deja Vu) is better.

I hope that less competition helps Sweet Basil's. However, we've found a lot of restaurants that we never would have heard of on this board and we just wanted to contribute our "discovery."

It was Tassert's first week open as a restaurant. I would think that an espresso machine would work during its first week.

We tried Tassert's on Saturday night 9/13. A mixed green salad with pears , gorgonzola and pears was very good. My wife had the pan seared salmon with spinach. It was fine, but not memorable. I had a Black Angus sirloin steak ordered medium. It was slightly overdone, somewhat dry and not very flavorful. The garlic mashed potatoes were very good. It struck me as odd that my dish did not come with a vegetable, other than the mushrooms which garnished the steak. The entrees were good, but they did not elicit any "wows." However, the dessert was superlative. It was a molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream . Wow! Also, as a previous poster noted, the coffee was exceptional. However, we found it odd that their cappuchino machine did not work. Overall, a good place for its first week. Unfortunately, on Saturday prime time, the place was poorly attended. They need some PR help. We do prefer Sweet Basil's, Chelsea Grill, Liberte and Fascino, but I would encourage people to give it a try. Also, this was Tuscany Grill before it was 973.