Rosie

and Passover.

Last night we had an outstanding wine dinner with Lorenzo Boscaini at Berta's Chateau, 7 Grove St, Wanaque. I had never been to this restaurant before and can’t wait to return. This restaurant is off the beaten track but well worth the ride. Chef Peter Bernstein created the following dinner to go along with the wines. Reception and Antipasto La Cros Pinot Grigio Valdadige DOC 2000 Dirada' Merlot IGT Veneto 2000 Dinner Crespelle (crepe) with organic Italian ricotta San Ciriaco Valpolicella Classico DOC 1998 Pappardelle al Cantuzein with sweet peppers, luganega sausage and basil Santo Stefano Vino di Ripasso 1997 Loin of vittelone (grain veal) with mostarda di uva(grapes) Marano Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOC 1996 Ca’ De Loi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOC 1995 Cheese and Dessert Course Boscaini Ca’ Nicolis Recioto della Valpolicella Classico DOC 1999 Berta's Chateau is open for dinner Monday through Saturday at 5 PM and Sunday at 1 PM. Upon advance notice Chef Peter will be happy to prepare the specialties of Piemonte or other regions of Italy such as bollito misto, fonduta (fondue made with fontina cheese), rabbit or game in season. Call 973-835-0992 for reservations.

Never been to Topps. Years ago we went to Chiafullo's on N. Bridge Ave. and it was fine. I think =Mark likes Juanita's on Monmouth St. There is also a place called Murphy's which I have heard about but never been. I did like Two If By Sea.

I had deep fried Rocky Mt. Oysters at the Perona Farm Game dinner in NJ. They tasted like chicken Mc Nuggets to me.

If I had a choice between Ryland Inn and Gramercy Tavern I would go to Grammercy Tavern. I was at the Four Seasons once and was disappointed. I wasn't awed by the food and found the room to be very cold. It wasn't worth the money.

The last dinner I had at the Ryland Inn was fabulous. If they go there they should let them know this is a special occasion. Chef Shelton has a tasting menu that they might want to inquire about. Another suggestion would be Bernards Inn as they can stay overnight.

that's it. you and me are goin' round and round. you will feel the pain that the garden state can inflict, hardcore. Tommy--should we bring The Sopranos with us? They are always filming behind my house.

In Austin--Hudson on the Bend specializes in game. We went to a dive near Houston called Cajun Shack. It was wonderful. Also in Houston is Cafe Anna. In Dallas, Mansion on Turtle Creek was worth every penny. Outside of San Antonio there is a place called Blue Bonnet. They have cowboy dancing, a mechanical bull and a rodeo all under one roof. It is worth seeing as is the Nimitz museum in Fredicksburg and LBJ library in Austin.

going out this weekend? Where? Be sure to give us a report on Mon. Tomorrow we are going to a World Trade Center fundraiser at Il Mondo Vecchio and Sunday we are going to a wine dinner at Berta's Chateau in Wanaque.

Steve P "I guess the other solution is to eat in one of those all you can eat places like the people in Jersey did. But then again it's Jersey and this is NYC. We are too sophisticated for that here." Well??? That was a nasty remark. Are you saying that NJ people are not sophisticated? BTW--I ordered off the menu at the dinner.

"FWIW, I can take or leave wine. A good wine can add a lot to an Italian or French dinner, for example. In point of fact, though, I rather seldom drink any alcohol with a meal." GEE--I hardly have a meal without wine! I would say the same is true for Tommy also. Hey STEVE P --That was not a very nice remark about NJ.

If you enjoy dining in an airplane hanger or high school cafeteria Park and Orchid is fine. They do have an award winning wine list. If you drink enough you can overlook the surroundings and noise. To be fair, some people love this place.

Tommy--Is there anything that we agree on? Baumgarts is in Englewood. Chinese.

Other options--America in Tenafly--upscale hip restaurant. Wild Ginger in Englewood--expensive but those who have been say it's worth it. Remember NJ has alot of BYO's so ask when you make a reservation.

Quote (Rosie @ Feb. 26 2002,08:42) You can choose a house wine that is inexpensive and figure on 1/2 bottle per person and 2 bottles for Tommy. OK--One bottle for each person and 3 for Tommy.

The only place I have been where the sommelier tasted the wine first was The Mansion at Turtle Creek in Dallas. But the waiter also had a business card that he gave to us after the meal.

Can you preorder the wine at the restaurant? You can choose a house wine that is inexpensive and figure on 1/2 bottle per person and 2 bottles for Tommy.

The restaurant in Morris Plains is City Streets Cafe.

Tell me more about Managano's. We go to the afternoon performance at George St. and ate(?) at Opah Grille afterwards.

Food Snob--Welcome to the board and thanks for your comments. Don't hesitate to give us your 2 cents. Everyone is welcome here. Where else do you like to dine?

You don't mean us, do you? 'hic No. Did you drink my wine??? I was talking about friends we have had for over 20 years. The pattern has been set. And Tommy even if they aren't frequent drinkers don't you think that after 20 plus years it might occur to them to bring one bottle? :wow: Now we have other friends who bring their Turley.We go out with them as often as possible.

We have friends who never bring wine to a BYO. When they get to the restaurant they say "We're not drinking wine tonight and then proceed to drink." We always have two bottles--just in case. When we meet these people we bring inexpensive wine because we know they will not bring any and they will drink ours.

Paul- The menus/cuisine at Scalini and Serenade are completely different. You are taking about apples and oranges. Also, Scalini is BYO and although they are not cheap they are certainly less expensive than Serenade.

Has anyone been to Opah Grille in Gladstone? We heard such wonderful things about this restaurant and finally got there tonight. We were disappointed. The place is lovely with sunshine yellow walls and a deep blue ceiling. The bar has blue glass bricks and a beautiful mural of fish. Garlic bread was brought to the table with sweet butter when we were seated. Salad comes with dinner. Lowell ordered the chopped salad and I had a spinach salad with bacon. When Lowell tasted his salad he said to me "this tastes funny. It seems to have an iodine taste." I smelled his salad and it smelled like chlorine or bleach to me. Also, the spinach salad was bland with what tasted to me of an oil only dressing. The menu listed the dressing on the spinach salad as being a smoked tomato vinaigrette. We called the waiter over and he took the salads back without a problem. The manager came over and told us that what we tasted/smelled on the chopped salad was a lemon/pepper dressing. The waiter came over and told us that they put the wrong dressing on the salad. Two new salads were brought to us and the chopped salad still tasted/smelled as if it had been washed in a chlorine solution. We sent it back. The spinach salad was a little better but full of oil. Lowell ate it. I couldn't. For entrees Lowell had a panko crusted scrod which was ok but overcooked. We have had better. I had a salmon special that was listed on the menu as being spicy with cilantro ginger sauce and Vietnamese noodles. I did ask that the chef use cilantro sparingly but the sauce was bland and certainly not spicy. The fish was good but not cooked medium rare as I requested. Also, the Vietnamese noodles tasted and looked like egg noodles to me. I was told they were rice noodles. For dessert we had a key lime pie that we were told was made in-house. It seemed to have too much cornstarch. Lowell's coffee was fine. When we received the bill we were told that dessert and coffee were on the house. Did we hit this restaurant on an off night?

No. Be sure to give us a report and let us know if it is worth a visit. I was at Frankie and Johnnies in Hoboken recently and the food/steak was very good. Place is smokey and noisy though.