scarlet knight

Correct. Daruma is on Alvin, they do have hibachi tables and we did go there due to popular demand of our nieces and nephews.

Curlz, this is with a minivan caravan of 12 people, so Edgewater is too far. We are having a bad day. We were supposed to be going to The Lion King in NYC and we were going to Cascina on Ninth after, but we got shut out by the stagehand strike. I'm now leaning towards Al Di La, which I think would make the kids happy (ages 4-10). Thanks for your fast response. Looking forward to a Crave outing!

I wanted to take a group of 12 to a Japanese hibachi restaurant. I previously took a group of them to Dai Kichi on Valley Road and Alvin Place in Montclair, but when I called them for a reservation, the woman said they don't have hibachi tables. I find it hard to believe they would take these out. They had them a couple of years ago. Did I have a language barrier problem? Is there another hibachi place in this area? We're going with 6 kids and they find it entertaining.

I drove by at lunch time on 11/9/07 and it did not appear to be open. No cars, lights not on. Do they plan on serving lunch?

Thanks for the suggestions. We booked Cascina. Anyone been there recently?

We're taking a group of 12 to The Lion King on Broadway for a Saturday matinee. My wife and I enjoy refined restaurants, but I don't think this crowd would enjoy it. We tried to book Carmine's, Tony's DiNapoli and Becco, but they were all booked. We're surprised, it's 2 weeks from now, but maybe tables for 12 are limited. We'd like to stay within walking distance of 45thStreet. Any other ideas?

Minado is in Hackensack/Little Ferry. I've been to the one in Morris County, which is a huge, all you can eat place. Carlstadt is not sushi territory, like Montclair or Ridgewood. For better atmosphere, I 'd go to one of the places in those towns.

Didn't know Lou no longer owns American Grill. What happened? I miss his posts, which used to be frequent. Hope all's well.

What is your shop, bshapiro?

IMHO- I find Starbucks' coffee to be bitter and acrid. It's my personal opinion and I think that many people agree with me. Obviously, many people disagree because there are quite a few people who go to Starbucks. I don't think that any one can dispute that the food offerings at Starbucks are paltry. I am sure that the company realizes it and will correct it. I agree that Starbucks is more than coffee. It is a culture and it is a meeting place and there is a sense of community about them. I think that that is their distinguishing characteristic. I like McDonald's coffee. I think that many people like to trash McD's, but secretly love their food. I noticed their pull at JFK Airport. There was a McD's and two other unknown restaurants next door to it. The multinational patrons formed a serpentine line for McD's and the other two restaurants were empty. Generally, people talk a big show but eat junk. I will note that McD's has decent salads. I also noticed that they offer yougurt and fruit. I think that they try to follow health trends to some small degree.

I've never been to one nor have I heard of it. They do have a menu of food, which is better than Starbucks. Their coffee has to be better than Starbucks. They are already on the road to success. Curlz, let us know how it is when it opens.

I'm looking for a decent mid-priced restaurant somewhere between Whippany and Fort Lee for a group of older (80+ years) diners. The cuisine could be Italian, American or Spanish. Any recommendations?

We've had nice meals at Ferry House. I don't recall a private room, but you could get a table in the back. I believe that they have a website.

Restaurant Nicholas is the best restaurant in the area. However, it is tough to get into. If you want to go there, I would get on the phone pronto to see if they have any openings. We were there in the last month and we thought it was better than ever. Great food, service and atmosphere. If you can't get in, Red Bank is your next shot. It's about 10 minutes away. Dish, Sogno and Thyme Square all are very good. The latter two offer outdoor seating. Again, try to get reservations asap. They are New American, Italian and New American, respectively. At Pier Village in Long Branch, 5 minutes from Monmouth Park, there is Avenue and Sirena. They are both on the water and if the weather is nice, you can eat outside on the ocean. We ate at both this summer and it feels like you are on a Carribean vacation instead of Long Branch. Have fun!

There is an interesting place called Pub 199 on Howard Blvd., Mt. Arlington. It's just a few minutes off Rt. 80. It's a huge place with a prominent bar. The main dining room would not be good for PETA members, beacuse it is festooned with deer's heads and other bits of taxidermy rendered animals. I guess they are appealing to the rural crowd. The interesting part is that they frequently have specials such as lobster for $12 or a dozen clams for $6. For a landlocked place, their seafood is surprisingly good. They also have standard pub food that is pretty good and they serve every beer known to man. Is it my ideal type of restaurant? No, but it has an interesting, hunting lodge kind of vibe, the food is far above average, there's almost always amazingly cheap and good specials and it is a fun place to be. If you and your business partners don't require haute cuisine, you could have fun here.

As far as local, homey places, we like CoccoBello in Livingston, Gastronomia (now Divina) in Caldwell and Marra's in Roseland. Forte in Caldwell is good, also. Il Mondo's food is great. It's more expensive and noisy, but their food is worth the hassle.

We were in the area on Sunday and looked for Germania Park, but we couldn't find it. I didn't print out the directions because I thought Germania Park would show up on my navigation device, but it didn't. What is the park near? Any other Oktoberfests of note coming up (since it's still September)?

Rail Paul, thank you for triggering our recollection. We plan on going to 3 West in Basking Ridge, the sister restaurant of Huntley Tavern and Trap Rock Brewery. We ate there exactly a year ago and we enjoyed it--both food and atmosphere. Curlz, thanks for Trattoria Fresco. However, we ate there this spring and it was not as good as it used to be. Also, one of our Princeton relatives has had some health problems and we'd rather take a drive than make him go too far . Speaking of TF, across the street is Nori. We had 23 people over our house for the Jewish New Year and we had a beautiful sushi platter from Nori as an appetizer. It was a big hit, even among professed non-sushi eaters who tried California roll and Philadelphia roll(smoked salmon and cream cheese).

You're not far off. Someone suggested Maggiano's Little Italy. Isn't that like the Olive Garden? We have higher aspirations. We would like something that is individually owned and chef driven. Is Highlawn Pavillion pricey?

My wife and I have been invited out to dinner for a big birthday with 12 other relatives (14 people total). It will be a Sunday night in October. Four people are from Fort Lee, six live in Livingston and four are from the Princeton area. The organizers asked us to pick the restaurant. A couple of the people are not at all adventurous. Some are big complainers. My sister suggested a private room. We are really into great and innovative restaurants. The rest of this crowd isn't. Also, we don't want to take this group down for a lot of money. Any ideas?

We agree. Total wines is much closer for our Canadian friend.

I noticed that they were driving these small telephone booths. Didn't get a chance to try them. In addition to Dish and Thyme Square, Red did look good. Sogno is good, but eat outside or you'll go deaf. I've heard Bienvenue and Two If By Sea are good, too. It's hard to miss in Red Bank. Sorry the Murphy Grill didn't work. It was crowded when we walked by. The stores are fun to look in , also.

I've been to Total Wines in West Orange and I have to respectfully disagree with Menton 1. I think that Wine Library has more good wines and a better selection of collectible wines. Also, I have never met an informed sales associate at Total Wines in West Orange. Maybe it is a different story at the Route 4 store, but I doubt it. The staff at Wine Library is well informed and if they can't answer my question, they find someone who will. As to our questioner, please go where you want. Also, I was stopped from bringing wine on a plane in Vancouver, so I hope that you are driving back. Has our Canadian friend tried wine from BC (Okanaga Valley)? I found them pleasantly surprising.

We were at the NJ shore this weekend and we had two great dinners--Brandl in Belmar and Dish in Red Bank. We also had a very good recent dinner at Thyme Square in Red Bank. If you haven't been to Red Bank lately, you must go. There are a ton of nice restaurants from casual to fancy and the people walking all over makes you think that you took a wrong turn and wound up in Europe. I used to go there in the 1980s for business and it is an entirely different place. If you haven't been there recently, you must go. Hope this helps, I realize it's not on the way back to northern NJ.

The store that used to be owned by Carlo Russo is still there under new ownership , last I checked within the last several months. It is in the Linwood Plaza mall with Kings Supermarket. It is very big. I prefer their wine selection to Total Wines. Wine Library may be the best wine store in the metro NYC area, but it isn't close to Fort Lee. If you are going into NYC, visit Sherry-Lehman, Acker Merrill, Morell's, Italian Wine Merchant and Burgundy Wine Company. I'm sure they are all on the net.