Rosie

La Viet has been around for about 20 years. It's on the second floor. Never been.

I love skate and prefer the way it is cooked in the US rather than the way it was served in Paris. In Paris they left the bones on. Here it is served as a fillet. I find it to be mild tasting.

Sergeantsville Inn is especially lovely during X-mas.

I heard that the rents were too high in North Jersey for Wegman's.

Hi Crispy, Long time no see. Welcome. Last time we were in Cleveland we went to Fire which we heard was the "best" and is a James Beard restaurant but we weren't impressed. Be sure to give us a report on where you dine.

We were there once about 3 years ago and all I remember is that the plate was very busy with too many ingredients. Also, Lowell enjoyed the meal more than me. Let us know what you think.

We got to Plaza Bistro, 2 White Deer Plaza, Sparta (BYO) by deciding to try a restaurant in a town we had never been to. Sparta also has a few other restaurants that I have never dined at: Arthur's St. Moritz, Krogh's and Il Porto. The room looks like a double storefront with clothed tables, some pictures on the wall and an open kitchen. Service was attentive. When seated a lima bean paste and an amuse of ratatouille on a toasted slice of bread were brought to the table. There were two dishes which I would have tried, roasted butternut squash soup and braised lamb shank, but they seemed too heavy for a hot summer evening. Lowell had an eggplant and chorizo sausage in puff pastry ($8) which was a disk of pastry, slice of eggplant, slice of mozzarella cheese and two discs of sausage. It was good but too small a portion for the price. My grilled Caesar salad was great and I loved the slightly charred flavor of the lettuce with finely diced roasted peppers, pine nuts and grana padana ($7). Chef Stephen Nolan has a great hand with sauces a special entrée consisting of sliced duck breast with sweet potato and carrot puree, black barley rice and a plum sauce was a winner ($21). The Vidalia onion sauce on my grilled hanger steak upgraded and added interest to this piece of meat that seems to be on so many menus. Along with a potato pancake and fresh vegetables this entrée would have been better if it wasn't served lukewarm ($19). Dessert was not what we expected. We ordered a walnut cake and expected a layer cake. It was a slice of cake without icing that looked like half of a layer cake. It contained some spices we didn't care for. It wasn't bad; it just wasn't our taste. The ice cream in a cookie shell and whipped cream were served with it and enjoyed. Lowell didn't care for his coffee. Dinner with tax and tip was $77. I would certainly try this place again. Phone: 973-726-9399. Have you been anyplace interesting lately? Be sure to give us a report.

Hey David---haven't seen you here in a long time. Welcome back. Let us know where else you have been dining.

Medina, 15 Park Ave, Rutherford recently opened serving French/Moroccan cuisine. The decor is lovely with red Moroccan fabric couches and pillows surrounding a low table. Exotic Moroccan music adds to the ambiance and there is a belly dancer on weekends. When seated herbed beets, carrots and olives are brought to the table. This and an appetizer of zaalouk which resembles ratatouille were the best part of our dinner. For entrees we had lamb tagine m'khaddar ($16.95) which was a lamb shank cooked with Moroccan spices served with potatoes and vegetables. The lamb had a very strong/lamby taste and there was a hint of cinnamon in the sauce. Otherwise I don't know what Moroccan spices were used. The Chicken Medina ($17.95) consisted of a breast, wing, leg and thigh in a bland sauce. The chicken looked like it had been roasted and then put into a tagine pot with some sauce. It came without vegetables or couscous. Both of our dishes were served in a very pretty tagine pot which is a flat round terra cotta dish with a rim and a cone shaped top. Lowell had American coffee ($3) and we opted not to have dessert.

You can bring wine or beer to any restaurant that doesn't have a liquor license.

I called and the owner wasn't there. Whoever was on the phone sounded very young. I'll try again.

Tuptim just received a Highly Recommended from Anthony Giglio in the August issue of New Jersey Monthly.

I returned to Corso 98, 98 Walnut Street, Montclair recently and as always had a very good dinner. Started off with bruschetta topped with diced cooked eggplant, onion, zucchini and tomato mixture and warm bread that I dipped into olive oil. Appetizer was a half order of chitarra (homemade thick linguini) with a Bolognese sauce and a friend had an asparagus soup. Chef Dino makes this soup without cream and it is fantastic. We were told to try his peach soup next time. Entrees were perfectly cooked black and white sesame encrusted tuna over an Asian slaw and soft shell crabs over greens. The crabs were listed as an appetizer special and the kitchen was accommodated our request for an entrée size portion. We shared what was listed as a peach tart which was actually fresh peaches ensconced in pastry No matter what it was called it was very good especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. BYO. Phone: 973-746-0789

I didn't care for the brunch food at Molly Pitcher Inn.

Haven't heard anything and will check it out as soon as I have a chance. You do know that the "F" word "Food Bytes" and the name Rosie are not allowed on NJO?

Steve--NEW JERSEY Monthly only polls readers on NJ restaurants. Readers were able to vote on the internet and with a form that was in the magazine.

How about something with noodles and eggs etc. and call it noodle pudding?

Thanks for the report. I haven't been to Joe and Maggies in a long time and will try to get there in the fall.

New Jersey Monthly's Reader's Poll came out today. Chefs who post on eGullet get a special congratulations and I would like to say CONGRATULATIONS to Chef Lou Reda from An American Grill who won Best New American (North). Some of the other winners were Andre's in Newton-Best of the Best-North; The Ryland Inn, Restaurant Nicholas and The Frog and the Peach who received Best of the Best-Central; Il Mondo Vecchio Best Casual Italian-North; and Scalini Fedeli Best Fine Italian North.

If you go to Green St. Iselin /Oak Tree Rd in Edison there are at least two Indian restauants on each block.

Meatvegan---Where do you like to dine in NJ?

We hope to go to Moonstruck after the summer rush.

Trap Rock is a brewery that serves sophisticated cuisine. The first time we went there we were surprised as we expected to see burgers and casual food on the menu.

Gee--When I started to read your post I thought you were inviting all of us to your dad's birthday party! An American Grill has outdoor dining also. Right?

Cafe Matisse--Rutherford