Hank

A group of us (6/7) have been going to Scalini once a month for the past 6 months and their wine service could not be more professional. We bring mostly old wines so change of glasses, decanters and whatever else we need are most important. We have talked about trying another rest. but the consensus is why take the chance that another rest. will not be as willing or professional.

Hi Jason, I am the H.S. you mention in your post. First of all I am not sure who likes this restaurant better, you or my wife and I. In fact we were there last evening (first time since their renovation) and had a wonderful dinner. He gets his tuna from his brother Charles who owns the Wild Ginger sushi rest. just down the street and prepared it beautifully. Served with some couscous, eggplant, red peppers and cauliflower it could not be improved upon. We always bring a bottle of wine with us and share it with Benny and his wife. They happen to love wine and in fact gave us a wonderful bottle of Lebanese Cab. Sauvignon by name of Ksara. Last week it was mentioned in the wine spectator. It is hard to believe that in such a worn torn country they still are able to produce excellent wines. We go there almost every Saturday for lunch (loved to sit at the bar) and at least once during the week for dinner. Would love to meet you guys there. Always enjoy your posts and we usually agree on what we do and don't like about our neighborhood restaurants. Chow

For what it is worth I have never been asked to leave a cash tip no matter the size of my party. When I asked Rebecca about this she told me that it was only a suggestion to the diners but certainly not ever meant to be enforced. It is still the call of the people paying their bill. Personally, I don't care for the "suggestion" but that would never keep me from going back to this wonderful restaurant. To me the food and service is of utmost importance and yes, cleanliness in answer to another post about eating in dirty restaurtants. "If it doesn't shine I won't dine."

We went back to Rebecca's last night with 4 friends who had never been there. We were all extremely happy with the food and promised ourselves that we would be going back real soon. It had been a while for my wife and I. We all ordered fish for our main courses and they could not have been better prepared and presented. My roasted mussels for app. were as good as ever.The flavor of the caramel flan for dessert still lingers. Absolutely wonderful. Unfortunately my wife did not order any dessert but she did manage to eat half of mine. Oh well. I still love her. Next time, order your own. Rebecca did call me on the side and asked me if I were still friendly with John Foy. It seems that he reviewed her restaurant some time in November for the Record and gave her a most unfavorable review, even calling some of her dishes commercial. As a former chef he should have known better than to say that. Rediculous to say the least. Though marginally friendly with John at one time I have not seen nor spoken to him in 3/4 years. I would love to know what his problem is with Rebecca. I nor my friends and family have ever had a bad meal there nor any complaints. Thankfully it does not seem that his review hurt the restaurant. When we arrived at 7:00 it was half full and by the time we left at 9:00 people were waiting for tables. Not bad for a Thursday night.I would imagine that either foodies do not read the Record food reviews or they do not believe what they read. This is just another case of an amateur reviewer (a good chef does not necessarily make a good critic)who could have easily destroyed a very good restaurant. Fortunately, not this time.

Steve, I have to stop reading your posts. Every time I read one I have to run into my kitchen and find something good to eat. Frais de bois. The best thing ever. In answer to your question asking if I am still drinking good wine. Well, at age 68 I can assure you that I drink only good wine or non at all. Would love to meet you for dinner one evening. Let's set a date and place. Concerning soupe de poisons I actually prefer the one where they take the cooked fish, force it through a fine sieve (sp) and then add this fish mush to the broth. It makes the broth much thicker and I enjoy the additional taste. My wife and friends on the other hand enjoy the more traditional clear broth. I have ordered soupe de poisons often in this country and I am always sorry that I did. Just plain does not compare with anything you get in the south of France. What is your take? If you have found a really good one in these parts please let me know.

Steve, I absolutely agree with you about the Rascasse. The broth is just not the same without it. For my money though you can give me a couple of heaping bowls of a great "soupe de poison" with good bread and some wine and you can forget about the fish. By the way, are you the same Steve that I have met twice up at Camp Taconic while visiting my grand children? If you are then I know that you are a wino but never realized that you are also a foodie. Loved your restaurant reviews and can honestly say that I agree with about 95% of what you said. (That's not bad) Hope that you post more reviews. Your style of writing is very "correct". Besides you the only other person I knew who ever used that word in that context was my father-in-law. Whenever he spoke about someone he liked and or admired he would say that that person was "very correct". Come to think of it he would also say that when I served him a special wine.

Miramar and Tetou serve wonderful and quite authentic Bouillabaisse but another restaurant I would like to mention is Bacon in Antibes. It is a bit more expensive than Tetou (also quite expensive) but since it is larger you do sit much more comfortably. Their fish has always been impecably fresh and their soup to which they add all the fish and safron potatoes is marvelous. I could easily make a meal out it by itself. For dessert they serve a berry fruit tart that makes me want to fly there right now. We usually order a bottle of Cassis and sometimes a Domaine Ott Blanc. (Lately though a bit too expensive) Both perfect with the Bouillabaisse.

Rosie, don't fret about the parking. If you get to the restaurant a few minutes before 7:00 you can park at countless meters on the north side of the street where the restaurant is located. Went last week and it cost me four dollars. Just remember to bring along enough quarters. Four quarters per hour but that certainly beats ์.00 to park in a lot. We have been there many times and I am sure that you will have a wonderful time, especially if you sit in the main room with the magnificint waterfall. Call in advance to make sure. I have never ordered the tasting menu (much too much food)but have always been more than happy chosing from their marvelous menu. A votre sante.

Just a bit of additional info about Siam. The owner is a caucasian and his Thai wife and sister-in-law do the cooking and his daughter and he do most of the serving. There is also a young man out front but I am not sure if there is any relationship. The food has been very good the 2 times we have gone but I hope that it being fairly pricey for a Thai restaurant won't turn people off from going there. Right or wrong, many people think that a Thai rest. (likewise Chinese) is a cheap night out. Would be interested to hear your thoughts, comments, about this.

Rosie. I go this restaurant quite often and I am very happy that you and your party enjoyed the food. Would you tell us though, what wines did you drink with dishes that ran from a bit on the sweet and acidic side (grapefruit) to the fairly spicey red snapper? My personal favorite, along with the jerk chicken. I usually bring a Zin or a Gewurtz or both.

When my wife and I have lunch at a restaurant we never opt for anything more than a glass of wine each. True, it does hurt to pay 7/8 dollars for a glass of wine but I can assure you that they must pour the wine in our glasses at the table. If the wine list by the glass has, lets say, a Mondavi Red and I order that then that's what I will pay for and not some jug wine poured behind the bar. Check it out next time. You may be surprised. Not long ago a waiter at a restaurant on Columbus Ave. actually came back to our table and told us that he did not have an open bottle of the wine I had ordered and I should choose another one. When I made a fuss they did open a bottle for us and management did apologize by not charging us for the wine. Even so, I was not happy and wrote the owner a letter and let him know that that practice stinks.

One restaurant that uses the tumblers is Tabla. (A favorite of ours.) I have complained to management about them a few times but to no avail. More than once when trying to swirl the wine I have spilled some. It is impossible to get the aroma of the wines with these glasses. I am sure that Danny Meyer can afford decent stemware and next time I run into him at one of his restaurants I will certainly complain to him directly.

Personally, I never order bottled water. I will not flinch about paying 200/250 dollars for a wonderful meal but 7/8 dollars for bottled water is to me crazy. To compare water to wine is wrong since the restaurant does not have to store the water for 4/5 years until ready and no one charges 7 times retail for their wine. The other evening at a dinner party I asked if when paying their bill (and if they had bottled water) they included the price of the water in their tip? Also, did they realize that they were also paying 8% tax on the price of the water. Honestly. You could hear a pin drop.

Rosie, I am glad that Hans picked up on the shrimp but I am disappointed that you choose to ignore that part of my original post and mention again about Corcoran's having gone there on weekends. I wrote about a very unpleasant experience on a weekday evening and that should be the bottom line. Corso 98 is not a simple diner and reheating returned cold dishes is a NO-NO, no matter what night of the week it is. And let's not forget the tough as nails veal chop that went back hardly touched without a word said from the staff. (That was not a cheap dish.) Some comments please, from a very competent and experienced reviewer about the real problems with this restaurant.

Great post Mickec. Can you tell us where this restaurant is located? By the way, coming from a supposedly iffy year in the So. Rhone the 94 Beaucastel is a wonderful wine. I'm glad that you enjoyed it.

About a year ago I reported on the NJ Food Forum how unhappy I had been at this restaurant. My wife and I went back about a month ago (a Tuesday evening) and once again we were disappointed. I have just read David Corcoran's review in todays NY Times and could not agree more. I realize that Rosie has written some very nice things about Corso 98 and her last post about this rest. made us go back but unfortunately there is nothing that justifies my driving 45 minutes to go there. This last time (and I mean it) my wife's shrimp were very cold. She sent them back and were returned so well done they had the consistency of card board. Rather than make a fuss she just left most of them on her plate. My veal chop (as Mr. Corcoran's) was very tough. I ate less than a third and yet no one bothered to ask us what was wrong with all the food going back uneaten. The rest. was less than half full the entire time we were there so the staff and owner were not that stressed not to notice. On leaving the rest. we did not even receive a "good night" from the owner who was sitting at his desk right by the door. Sorry to say this again (you Jerseyites will once again jump all over me for this) but this is just another of so many very ordinary Jersey rest. With the exception of a few and a couple of very good ethnic rest. I will only go to NY. Edit by RPerlow: Here is a link to the NYT review.

Fat Guy. I began reading your reviews about a year ago and since then you have become my absolute bottom line, top line restaurant guru. Your recommendations and marvelously unbiased reviews have steered me to some amazing restaurants including The Peacock Alley, Grand Sechuan Int., Tocqueville and Aquavit just to name a few. With that said and with all due respect, I have a problem with your saying that the Silver Pond dim sum is as good as Ping's which I think is first rate and how about the Shun Lee Cafe after the theatre crowd leaves. I said we had not been back there in at least 4 years and the reason was simply that to us the food had gotten pretty bad and does not come close to some rest. in NY. Also, your comment that at least the restaurant immediately did something about the dead fish I CANNOT buy. Why did I have to make them aware (lots of waiters and the owner constantly walking by)that they had dead fish, and in an absolutely filthy tank that stunk. Were they all blind and with stuffy noses? I don't think so. No wonder the fish died. With that said Steve, I still love you and hope that you review restaurants for many more years and continue to make those invaluable recommendations. You are by far IMHO, the best NY has to offer and that certainly goes for NJ also. P.S. Just got back from some great Sushi at the Wild Ginger in Englewood. We go often. Just heard tonight that Daniel and his sous chef (lives in Tenafly) frequent it also. They have good taste.

Mr. Perlow, I only read your comments about the Peking Duck restaurant after reading your list of favorite NJ chinese restaurants. I and every single one of my many friends and family are of a totally different opinion of this restaurant so there is absolutely no merit in our continued discussion of chinese restaurants as we seem to be worlds apart in the taste and preparation of chinese food. P.S. I did try 2 other restaurants on your list and never thought to make the effort to go back.

In answer to Mr. Perlow's list of favorite chinese restaurants I must relate to this forum what happened to me and my wife a few weeks ago at the Silver Pond in Fort Lee. We went back there for the first time in atleast 4 years and were seated towards the rear of the restaurant close to the fish tank. After a few moments we realized that there were 3 dead fish on the bottom of the tank. We also noticed that the water in the tank was absolutely filthy and when we walked over the stench was horrible. I called over the owner (a tall rather heavy set man) and showed him the dead fish he immediately called a waiter over to remove the fish. When I turned around my wife was already out the door and needless to say I quickly followed her. My poor wife almost gagged thinking that, had we sat in front of the restaurant away from the tank we might actually have ordered a whole fish from that tank. In my mind there is no room for filth.