scarlet knight

I concur. Something is missing there. It does look trendy and it attracts the crowd that talks on cell phones in restaurants, but the food is subpar. No intent to go back.

If I recall correctly, as of last year, they did not accept credit cards. Still true?

We are going there this weekend. Haven't been there since last summer. What did you eat there? Like it?

One other note on Lulu's. The service was very good. The waiter was familiar with the menu, unafraid to make suggestions and he was attentive. I alerted a busboy to my copious water consumption habit and he was there at the ready. I give them credit for great service when the restaurant is very new. They obviously practiced. By the way, I think that this is the crew of the former 3 Central restaurant in Madison.

My wife and I ate there and I have a similar view to the previous poster. However, since the restaurant is only open for a week, I would give them another chance to get the kinks out. Our mesclun, mandarin orange and brie salad was acceptable. We skipped the salad ordered by the previous poster because we feared that the raspberry dressing would be sickly sweet. However, the dressing on our salad was sickly sweet. My wife ordered a farfalle with crabmeat. It had an odd spice that I did not find appealing, but she liked it. I had a Provencal Fish stew. Unfotunately, it seemed like an amalgam of leftover fish parts that fell off of other people's plates (maybe I'm naive and that' s what fish stew is). In particular, the salmon tasted "off" and I only received two small shrimp. Some of the monkfish was tough, although there was a lot of it! We brought home a slice of Tiramisu cake. It was pre-fab and uninteresting. I would give this place 6 months to get its act together and give it another shot. It was very crowded, since Livingston is a restaurant wasteland. However, Il Ripasso, which is across the street from Lulu's, is much better and it appeared to be half-empty on the same night Lulu's was packed. Go to Il Ripasso and keep it going! They deserve it. I will review them after the next time that we go there.

My wife and I ate at Liberte twice recently and we enjoyed it. I was intrigued by the escolar, but I did not order it because we brought heavy red wine and I thought that it would clash. Maybe I made a good move!

Chef LoPinto was at Sweet Basil's in West Orange last year (before Adagio). We ate at the Ryland Inn one week and we went to Sweet Basil's the next week. We enjoyed Chef LoPinto's food better and we told him so. We have friends in the Denville area, so we will get to Casa di Amici. We are also fans of Doug, formerly of Due Amici. He's funny, friendly and he doesn't miss a beat.

Udupi Village is very good. It is a vegetarian Indian restaurant on Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair. It has some unusual dishes, notably "dosai," a crepe-like item filled with various fillings, such as potatos and onions. It is a fun restaurant for an atypical Indian food experience.

My wife and I enjoy the Hunan Noodle House, 1551 Route 46 East in Parsippany. You must try their noodle soups, including the Shrimp Wonton Noodle Soup, the Chicken, Scallops and Shrimp Noodle Soup and the cut noodle soups (noodles are very homemade). When we are in a gutsy mood, we will try some of the authentic Taiwanese items on the menu. The fried chicken leg rivals the old Chicken Delight or Chicken Holiday for a tasty and decadent experience.

1. Orbis, Upper Montclair, 2. The Show, Chatham, 3. 28, Montclair, 4. LeRendez-vous, Kenilworth, 5. Udupi Village, Montclair

I recommend Carlo Russo' s World of Wines in Fort Lee. I'm not sure about the extent of their Champagne collection, but there are good prices at Bertelli's in Clifton. If you want to take a ride, I think that Wine Library in Millburn/Springfield has the best balance of a good collection and good prices.