Wiener

I used to go to the market in Montclair but now I question the concept of a Farmer's Market in New Jersey , because when I can home I had tomatoes and peaches in the back having California stickers on them. To top things off, all over the market there were signs reading "Jersey Fresh". Made me feel like the vendor went to PathMark and bought the produce and then sold it at a mark up price. I tend now to wait until I am in western or southern Jersey and go to the farm stands myself. Perhaps this was an isolated instance but it got my goat.

I am down here now for the remainder of this summer and still enjoy The Mad Batter for breakfast on the porch. It is by far, not great, but it is decent and the location is charming. They boast <fruit smoothies> on their menu and they appear so appetizing, however, they are merely fruit and ice. I still love the Blue Claw for a nice quiet dinner , a bit on the outskirts of town, and the Water's Edge is worth a trip for that special dinner you might want to have on your trip. So far , I haven't seen too too many traffic jams, crowds , or long waiting lines in most of the restaurants.....I hide out near sunset beach. Try the Ulgy Mug for a seafood burger. This might not sound good but it is to me. Burger topped with swiss cheese or provolone, and shrimp salad. Delicious.

If I remember correctly, they list Gray's Papaya....yum !

What happened to Arthur's in Hoboken? I haven't been there in a few years and had a steak last week. It was horrible. I remembered the place to be decent, not great. I was really put off by the food, service , and dirty back dining room. No wonder people are heading for places like Outback? They are usually obnoxiously clean and remain consistant-good or bad as that may be. Not too many places in and around Essex County that serve good steaks. If there are....let me know. thanks

Spikes is one of my favorites in the off season. Not sure how it is in the summer. Fresh seafood in a casual seafood store. Benches and tables. Real casual. Inexpensive lunches and great pies .

This is not a complaint, however, I have called at least 5 times for a reservation in April and can never get one. Have tried for a Tuesday, Thursday and a Friday, in April, always called over two weeks in advance, and could never get a reservation. Even bought an excellent bottle of Italian wine for the occasion. People on the phone are always pleasant to deal with but could never accomodate me. Unfortunaley, April is my limit for dining out in northern NJ as I will be in Cape May for the summer. Hopefully, I can get in sometime in the fall. What's the secret?

The shoppe in Ridgewood, if we are referring to the same place, was closed down, the last time I was in Ridgewood, before Christmas. I have been to the shop in Montclair , and they carry the usual Brisitsh staples on a minimal scale. A great store in the city is Myers of Keswick in the Village. They have a lot of fresh sausages, meat pies, cheeses etc etc.

Casual place to have lunch is Ike's Crab cakes. Some of the best crab cakes in New Jersey. Great fruit iced teas and Excellent fried potato chips. Otherwise, Cape May is only 25 minutes south on the Parkway , however, most places will be booked .

I do not know much about restaurant food preparation, however, I have to admit, several people had the mussel risotto and I was wondering how they turned it out so fast. The two times I have made it , it came out wonderfully, hoever, I had to stir for almost 1/2 hour. Ans reheated risotto is worse than the concept of reheated oatmeal. MUSH. Still, I enjoyed the halibut and scallops. Perhaps the halibut overpowered the other dish. Ciao

Had an excellent dinner here tonight. Called around 4 for a7:30 reservation and were immediatley seated . Warm pepper roll was served with some honey butter. Delicious combination of flavor. We were both boring and ordered the simple seafood duo, where we were able to have two half portions of two seafood entrees. We had the halibut over salad greens topped with a delicious citrus dressing made from a small Japanese cirus fruit which tastes like a combo of lime , lemon and mandarin. The other dish was sea scallops with a French Asian fusion sauce, light and clean tasting. The mixed sauteed veggies were delicious! Too full for anything else. Enjoyed a Riesling with dinner. Really nice place . Having lived in Nutley for most of my life, it was very difficult for me to go here for dinner, knowing it was a beauty salon throughout my childhood. Glad I got over that. Will return soon.

Tick Tock is decent for breakfast(s) and late night road trips. How they prepare those huge dinners in less than 10 minutes is beyond me. Almost scary. My favorite was the Clairmont . If you are ever in Cape May county and want a diner breakfast, try the Rio Diner on Rio Grand.

Hi Last question before I go to Phili. Any good German restaurants you can suggest? Just curious.

thanks....reading all the comments....Devon sounds good for the Friday night. Saturday , I am thinking about Matston....

I will also be at the flower show this coming weekend. Staying at the Rittenhouse Hotel. Am arriving around 9-9:30 Friday night. Any suggestions for a light late night dinner close by? Something not too heavy. We were thinking of Lacroix but would they provide light fare? Otherwise, we were thinking of going there for dessert and coffee and a drink, would they accomodate us. Or is there something else , close by? I have only been to Phili as a child and remember only the huge heart you walk through at the Science Museum. :) Am printing out all of your other suggestions for Saturday and Sunday/ Any ideas would be great. Seafood a plus!

The dining room. Great place. Have to try an evening dinner there sometime soon. But the quiet and rlaxed atmosphere were perfect! As was the food.

Off topic: didn't want to start a new thread . Had dinner at American Grill today and really enjoyed the food and reataurant decor. Although there were not too many people in the afternoon, we had good service, two excellent entrees: scallops provencial and scallop and shrimp creole, both were delicious, fresh-tasting, and very very good. I had the chocolate chip mint cake and my friend had the Tartufo. Both were excellent. The drinks were made well and even the coffee was very very good. Cannot wait to return . Wish we lived closer, here in Nutley. Will be back soon. Made for an fun , easy going afternoon. Thanks

I don't know, guys. Those photos make the food look so delicious, however, I finally ventured into the place on Sunday afternoon (after waiting 45 minutes to be served at the Village Gourmet in Rutherford, where we walked out) and I was not all too impressed with the place. The soup contained a lot of thin oily fatty beef and seems to have been seasoned with some type of sweet spice, I could not recognize. We had the fried pork eggrolls, which were not all that wonderful, and much heavier than the delicious eggrolls at Little Siagon. The salted plum soda, a favorite of mine at Little Saigon, was extremely salty and small. We decided to stop with the soup and get out of the place. The three staff members were on cell phones throughout the afternoon and most tables were empty. It was mid-afternoon, afterall. I would be willing to try this place one more time and try the items in the photos, which did look tasty. Maybe we just made bad choices. I know the soup we had was the house specialty.

Now that I figured out where this place is, how hard is it to get in on a Friday night at around 7, let's say this Friday night? Are the waits as long as Little Saigon?

It is more common here.

What annoys me most about your post is the consequences to serious customers, who are turned down because the restaurant is booked. This has always been a very sore point throughout my life. In high school I was selected to live in Moscow for a year as the first AFS student in America to live in the Soviet Union as an exchange student ever. I was the runner up and the girl who was chosen, cancelled, five days before the trip, too late for any new arrangements to have been made. People need to commit or be accountable for their actions. I had called several restaurants for an early dinner at five and they were all booked. Walked by a few of them at 5:30 on Saturday and they were almost empty. I even explained to the reservationist that we would be in and out , so to speak and would require no longer than an hour for dinner. Hoping I will not be bombarded here, I really think it is an American thing. Many Americans simply cannot commit to engagements, plans, or even dinner reservations. Perhaps it is a cultural thing. Having spent many years in Vienna, this was a major complaint of frieinds and family: many Americans always cancelled at the last minute, something unheard of in Austria. Lou, I wish there was a solution and I feel for you. Had I been in NJ I might have even called for availability. Anyway...we ended up at the 2nd Ave deli on the Lower East side and had delicious matzah ball soup and half a pastrami sandwich. No wait, good service, and fun. Romantic? Well, yeah, I guess it was.

Thanks, where TASTE is, I think.

This weekend we really craved Little Saigon. Ended up having to eat at home both days. I live in Nutley and was one of their frequest visitors. After reading all of the reviews of this new place , I am willing to give it a try . Where is it? I am in Nutley. Thanks

Just walk by on a Friday night around 10. It smells like a dump. I think they slow cook them for weeks, making them tender. Have eaten there twice and enjoyed them , however, I must add that whenever I eat in a place so close to home, it is because I am very very hungry and do not want to cook.

Interesting. It will throw in some competition for Jim Dandy's. Jim Dandy's has decent ribs but the place is quite dirty and the food is expensive. The ribs are always tender but there is just something about the place that irks me. I cannot pinpoint it. Service is fair. They have that -we don't need your service -attitude. Wonder if the Jim Dandy's in Rutherford is better or the same?

The Bella Napoli spinoff is still on Broad St , right off of rte 3 near the Brookdale section of Bloomfield. Some of the original waitstaff is there and the food is about the same. I go about once every 2 months and enjoy it. Fresh hot bread is abundant and served piping hot. Problem is they often take too long to bring it to the table. I love the mussels and also the eggplant parm . Their fish dishes are minimal in size but very very tasty. Service is average and inconsistant . Prices are reasonable. I keep returning because of the location and quick service....most of the time. Still is very odd with the original place closing, then reopening, then closing , and now opening with a new name. I am talking about the original location near Styertown in Clifton.