Hank

Why would you want to become a regular when you have to start out eating mediocre dishes? ← I was very sorry to read the posts about some of you now being disappointed in this restaurant after having liked it so much. I definitely do not feel that way and have never had a bad meal here. Though we all taste food differently I cannot understand that anyone would call China 46 as serving mediocre food. I certainly hope that that does not influence the many who have always loved this restaurant to stay away. They need the business and are, IMHO trying very hard to please everyone. Also, to say that Cecil and his wife are not nice enough was a shocker to me. They have always been the most pleasant and cordial of people. Yes, they are both a bit on the shy side but have always greeted us most warmly and never forget to say good night to us or anyone else when leaving. I only wish that some of the top tier restaurants in NYC would follow their example.

Pan, First of all what was cryptic about my post? Secondly, the article did not say "not clean enough" but rather "in need of a good cleaning" which to my mind translates into filthy. That, more than anything else will turn me off to a restaurant no matter how good the food might taste. And, I repeat, there is no excuse for an unclean restaurant and I will always assume on the side of my health.

We were all set to go tonight but my wife read the Newsday review through to the last line and ofcourse we immediately decided not to go. My problem with restaurants has always been that if the bathrooms and diming rooms are not clean, which ofcourse are the public areas, how filthy is the kitchen where we normally do not have access to? There is no excuse in my book no matter how busy a restaurant might claim they are.

We went last evening and were very happy to see a bus pull into the lot and a group of about 30 people came into the restaurant. There were also a few other tables of 2's and 4's so at least they were doing some business last night. The advice about asking Cecil to help order is something we have always done. He will always recommend a special that we did not notice on those very overcrowded boards in front of the rest. which we actually never liked. Why not print them out and hand them out seperately or clip them onto the menus so that you can read them while sitting relaxed at your table instead of standing in the doorway and in the way of other people. Also, by the time you sit down you have forgotten half of what you might want to order. There is just too much to read. With that said we had another excellent meal. With Cecil helping us we ordered a fabulous Eel dish, the Clams with chives and with great greens that Cecil did not know the American name for, and a Tofu and shrimp dish that, with a dash of his hot sauce was wonderful. Vis a vis, we would never have known about the eel as it was at the very bottom of one of the boards which we only saw on the way out because we were looking for it. PLEASE guys. Keep coming so that this restaurant does not have to close down for lack of business. I for one do not want or ever again will drive to Chinatown for a Chinese meal. For Chinese food nothing, but absolutely nothing IMHO compares to this restaurant in Bergen county.

That is very good news since I did enjoy manya fine meal that was prepared by Gras. I only hope that they will also do something about the service. It was so bad that we swore never to go back (complained bitterly to management on our way out) but Gras may change our minds.

Great idea Rosie. My list is definitely growing and am very glad of it.

Met a friend here last evening for dinner and was most pleasantly surprised. Someone put a lot of money and very good taste in the decor. Definitely NY style. This is not a "store front". The food and service were also very good. (Rosie, another NJ winner) I started with perfectly prepared crab cakes that I could easily have ordered again as my entre. My salmon with julienne veggies was very good though a bit on the bland side. My friend ordered the goat cheese salad and the tuna, both of which he liked very much. He was also nice enough to bring along a 1974 Sterling private reserve which made me one happy camper. Could hardly beleave how young it still was. They were pretty full for a Tuesday evening and deservedly so. Dimitri, the owner, is a very likeable host and should do quite well. I will bring my wife here very soon and am sure that we will enjoy it very much if the kitchen is anything like last night. Unfortunately it is a 45 minute ride for me and my friends from my hood would not dream of driving that long for a meal. Too bad.

I would certainly be very leery to be served so much food for $10.00 knowing quite well how much two humongous chicken breasts must cost plus everything else they served you. There has to be a catch somewhere and I would suspect that it is the quality and possibly age of what they are serving. Next time you order them smell the chicken breasts before they are cooked. You just might get a nose full. Both of you have been going to restaurants for far too long not to know that what you are getting here cannot possibly be legitimate, but then again, as you said, they are large portions.

Have gone twice now, each time a 40 minute drive for us. The first time we had the specials they had listed on their blackboard and we had a very good meal. Last night they had no specials. Since the only fish they had on their regular menu was the salmon (neither my wife nor I eat any kind of meat) which we had the first time we went we had to opt for the crab cakes which nornally come as a sandwich but our waiter Jeff (a heck of a nice guy) suggested we have two of them served on a plate with a salad. They happen to have been good but not worth 40 minutes to get there. We were told to call in advance next time to find out what, if any specials they had for that evening. A bit of a pain. Next time we decide to go to Hoboken it will be back to The Jefferson where we have been 5 times now since we first read about them on this site. A very diversified menu and our food has always been cooked and served to perfection. They also have some real winners on their wine list for not too much money.

Rosie, I am really curious about your question as to whether this was a BYO. What type of wine would you bring to a rest. that serves mainly hot dogs?

We went for Brunch yesterday to celebrate a birthday, 12 of us in all, and had a fabulous time. The service we received was wonderful, the kids went wild over the marshmellow and peanut butter paninas's and also their pizza's and all the grown ups thoroughly enjoyed everything they ordered. As a gift to us all for dessert Michael sent to the table two large plates of beautiful petite fours that disappeared in seconds with plenty of ooh's and aah's. What a SMART business man besides being a very fine chef. Being brunch and a celebration we drank NV Veuve Cliquot yellow label which, at $57.00 is practically retail.

Jason, there is no excuse for your experience. I am sure that ownership will be glad to hear from you so that they can fix the problem so that it does not happen to anyone else again. Isn't it terrible that you do everything possible to invest and build a good restaurant (cafe) and you are still at the mercy of uncaring or unprofessional waitstaff. Believe me when I say this is not the first one I have run across nor the last with this problem.

Had dinner here this evening and must say that it was quite good. My wife summed it up by saying "New Jersey is alive and well." (Rosie, I hope that you are listening.) Our fish, the salmon and tuna, were perfectly prepared and expertly served. We spoke with Michael for a while both before and after our dinner and let him know how very much we enjoyed his cooking and that we would certainly be back very soon, especially with our friends and family. I also let him know that I found out about him from eGullet. If I had one complaint it was our coffee which he said he knew about and was making a change. It was really quite bad. Not to forget the wine list which is in my opinion very fairly priced. We had a 2003 Barbera D'Asti for $34.00 that was bursting with fresh fruit. Also, being able to park in the open parking lot a block away (and free at that if you remember to have the restaurant validate your ticket) is a great plus over other places in Hoboken where it is almost impossible to park.

Since Thai food is usually spicy, (anyway the dishes we order) we generally drink beer with it so BYO is really not an issue with us nor should it ever be if the food is very good. Though BYO is a huge plus it has never been the reason why I would go or not go to a restaurant.

The fact that you "have not been back in ages" argues well that you should try BG again. Have now been there twice in the past few months and we had a good experience each time. As good as Wondees? I would now say yes.

We went back last evening after much too long of an absence and our only excuse is the ride to and from Englewood Cliffs. Is it worth it though? Absolutely and we won't wait this long ever again. Three of us had fish, there was one fillet mignon and all were cooked and plated to perfection. The service was impecable. And the greetings we received from the whole family is worth the visit alone. Their new dinning room is perfection itself. Rather than one large room they very smartly divided it into two smaller rooms. Makes it feel much more intimate and blessedly very quiet. Also beautifully decorated by the chef's mother and some terrific paintings by one of the waiters. This is definitely a destination (as per Michelin) restaurant and hopefully they will continue to be successful. They certainly deserve it and work very hard at it.

The food at Kratiem in my opinion is just passable but the biggest pain is that there is nowhere to hang your coat. In the summer that is not an issue but in the winter with everyone coming in with heavy coats, WOW. Please name me another restaurant that does not have a coat check or at the least hooks where you can hang them yourself. Who designed this space? Not too bright.

IMHO, Petite Patisserie is just not in the same league as St Michel; StM literally blows away this other place. Just look at the photos here, the pastries are works of art. (And they taste even better!) ← DITTO. In our minds and many of our friends this is absolutely the finest Patisserie this side of the Hudson. We have ordered deserts from them whenever we have had dinner parties and have never been disappointed. Originally he opened a beautiful shop in Fort Lee (very close to our office and home) but moved to Teaneck quite a while ago, which, come to think of it was a good move for me as I would probably weigh twice as much today. How can you possibly keep your fingers off this stuff if it is within easy reach? This place is definitely worth a detour.

Many thanks for all the suggestions. Have decided to try Uni Friday and Clio on Saturday as we are leaving a day earlier. Will be happy to report back to every one and let you know about our experiences as I am sure they will be very good.

I don't wish to push the envelope too far on this topic but I must tell you that I personally cannot see how you can taste any food, or as in your case an egg roll when it has been dipped in sweet, cloying duck sauce and very hot mustard and still taste what the chef has been trying to convey to you as far as taste goes. Unless ofcourse you just love the taste of these condiments. With that I have no argument. You eat or taste whatever turns you on, even if the taste of the food has been obliterated. Another comparison is the person (and I have seen many) who empties half a bottle of ketchup on a very fine and expensive steak and washes it down with a coke. Do you really think that he/she has any idea what that meat really tastes like. I would think not . One more point and then hopefully we will put this to bed. I have been to Hong Kong three times (Great Chinese food, especially Dim Sum) and have never, ever seen any mustard on the table, both restaurant and private home. I do hope at some point you would explain why you would call the Silver Pond a hard core Hong Kong style restaurant. I have a better description but I will only whisper that to you the next time we meet.

Rachel, I thought that I had said a a mouthful about Sally Ling when I said "Thank Gd for China 46." If you want me to elaborate then I will gladly do so. Every dish that we had was tasteless, some very greasy, others overly salty, others that were supposed to be spicy were not, and yes, as you so aptly put it,"Americanized". Service was beyond fast. We asked our waiter to please slow down. Since I did not pay I cannot comment on the price. As for the amount of people that were there I would have to guess that they have a very good location, (walking distance for many) and I would also have to guess that a lot of people have not a clue as to what real Chinese food tastes like or China 46 would have lines around the block. When I see diners drowning their food in that horribly sweet duck sauce (as Chinese as Borcht) I am amazed. Please tell me what they are tasting when they cover their food in it. The same goes for the hot mustard. My wife and I have just come back from 4 weeks in South East Asia. We never, ever saw any duck sauce or mustard on any table nor could you order any as some Americans at another table tried to do. They did serve different types of Soy and Chili sauces that complemented the different dishes we were served and were they ever delicious. Please, I am not trying to say that all Chinese restaurants have to be 100% authentic but why can't they serve different tastes, some innovation, originality and character to their dishes. Why do so many dishes taste the same as the one before or after it. And yes, some spice, please. In my opinion China 46 comes very close and that is why this is the only Chinese restaurant in my area that will get my money. You asked me to talk about Sally Ling. OK. Forget about it pal, I don't have a kind thing to say about them or others in Fort Lee, Englewood, etc.

My wife and I were invited to dinner at this restaurant on Thursday evening and we truly scratched our heads why we had never been there even though it is very close to home. Our comments to each other on the way out was "Thank Gd for China 46." What a world of difference. So, this brings me back to the same question every time we go to China 46. On a Thursday evening at 7:30 Sally Ling was packed with hardly an empty table and on Saturday evening at the same hour China 46 was almost empty. Four banquets and our table of two. What a terrible shame as we had once again a fabulous meal.

I will be in Boston on March 5th and would like a recommendation for the best seafood restaurant. Price no object. Staying at the Four Seasons but willing to take cab where ever. Many thanks. Hank

I disagree. 1) They did not mention in the ad that it was a review of their NJ restaurant so it was difinitely IMHO extremely misleading. At the time I wrote to them and told them so but ofcourse never received an answer. It did anger many people at the time and many of them did not go there for that reason, including myself. 2) You seem to imply that because a restauranter receives a very good review any or all of his other restaurants should also be very good. Sorry, but it just ain't so. Take Jean Georges. He now owns 16 restaurants and we have been to 7 of them and the quality is just not the same or even close in any of them as compared to his signature NY restaurant Jean Georges. The same may be said about quite a few other chefs who have turned themselves into factories. On WQXR this morning Frank Bruni of the NYT discussed an article in Q2 addressing just that problem.

I have been a fan of David Corcoran for some time now and was most happy to read that he gave the Village Green a very well deserved "excellent". What I was not too happy about was that, in his review, he needs to mention two friends who went there and left hungry. WHY? I have gone to this restaurant with both friends and recently my family 4 times now and no one has mentioned that they were still hungry after having 5 courses. In fact the comment most often heard is that they were happy not to have orderd the 7 course dinner. IMHO the 5 course portions easily compare to a very healthy 3 course dinner anywhere else. (Is it necessary to walk out of a restaurant stuffed and discussing the huge portions rather than the food.) With that said I am delighted to have a restaurant of this caliber on this side of the Hudson and even more delighted when I recommend this restaurant and receive such wonderful cudo's for the recommendation.