Rosie

Someone has to go to this restaurant ASAP so we know what the story is!

"Oh yeah, may Sol rest in peace. You've got to love a guy that probably ate thousands of Peter Luger steaks and lived to be 98." Paper said that Sol ate a steak or two everyday. I like Sparks also. There is a restaurant in NJ called The Park in Park Ridge whose chef worked at Sparks for 35 years. We go there rather than NYC.

Haven't been but you must be the third person who has asked me about this restaurant this week. There are two other postings on the NJ board about China 46. Scroll down. One was 9/30. If you go there be sure to give us a report. And--welcome to eGullet.

Lowell makes breakfast daily which involves cutting a bagel in half and toasting it. On weekends he sometimes makes eggs or on a cold winter day hot cereal. This is not often though. For lunch I usually have yogurt and an apple. I cook dinner about 4 times a week. It's important that I dine out alot so that I can tell everyone about NJ restaurants! ;) When we had a garden we grew all of our vegetables.

Admin: The current discussion thread for Peter Luger Steakhouse may be found here. Sol Forman, 98, owner of Peter Luger Steakhouse has died. His obit is in today's NY Times. Many people thought that this was the best steakhouse not only in NY but in the world. Do you agree?

Rebecca's has an interesting reservation policy. You call, leave your number and they will call you back. I have never had anyone answer the phone and take my reservation. Why do you think they do this?

Tommy--Do you have a grill? I put my turkey in a pan on the grill and close the top. It cooks much faster and is very juicy. Rub the turkey with butter. Add whatever spices you like-- poultry seasoning, sage, garlic salt, paprika etc. Some people start there turkey breast side down for about an hour. Figure 20 minutes to a pound but that all depends on your oven. Use a meat thermometer and plan on letting the turkey rest 20-30 minutes before you carve it. Oven can be 350 degrees but you can raise or lower it depending on what else is cooking. Oh--be sure to take the innards out and clean the turkey!!! Hope this non-information helps.

I have a corkscrew story. We always carry a corkscrew with us and have one in every wine bag that we own. For some reason we like to have our wine opened sooner than the waitstaff can get to it at a BYO restaurant. We also travel with a corkscrew. Well--actually a swiss army knife that has a corkscrew but the only reason we travel with it is because the corkscrew works well. So--last week we went to Florida for a few days. We took carry-on bags which we never do.We always check our bags. Lowell was stopped when we went thru the checkpoint. You know--the area where there is a big sign that says "no knives past this point." They took his carry-on and passed a wand over it. Then they opened the bag and in his shaving case was the corkscrew. Neither of us even remembered or thought about it being there. So-yes we were happy that security was good enough to find this piece of equipment. And yes--we checked our bags through. Just wanted to let those of you who carry corkscrews around like we do that to remember to pack them when you go on vacation and check your luggage!

Right. Consider me one with milder sensibilities! ;)

I'm going to start a new posting on cash tips on the General board.

We were at Mie Thai tonight. And since =Mark said that they can't make the food hot enough we ordered it mild and medium. My lips are still numb and Lowell has never seen my face so red. But I have never seen his ears so red.;) In any case, the food was great. The one disappointment was the coconut shrimp which was a special appetizer. The steamed dumpling were delicious as was the bean thread noodles with vegetable soup. For entrees we had the crispiest duck ever with onions, asparagus and cashews; a chicken dish with a fresh chili sauce and rice noodles with shrimp, roast pork, peppers and onions. No dessert. Next time I go here I will order the food extra mild!

" And really, it's no big deal" The fat-guy is soooooooooooooooooooo modest. It is a big deal . Congrats to you Steven.

I like red wine with everything so matching is not my forte. But we brought a George Duboeuf Beaujolis Nouveau 2001 because I wanted to taste it and see if I should buy some more for Thurs. Also, we had a Cerasuolo Di Vittoria, a dry red wine from Italy. And where did you go last night?

Of course I will save it for you Steven. When am I going to meet you???? ;) And if you want I will mail it to your house. Send me your address. (Edited by Rosie at 11:08 am on Nov. 18, 2001)

Dinner last night was at Rebecca's, 236 Old River Road, Edgewater, a lovely BYO serving Cuban/Caribbean cuisine. We stared with chorizo quesadilla containing spicy sausage, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, goat cheese and jalapenos served with a pico de gallo (chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and cilantro) and avocado salsa. I could have eaten the whole thing myself. Then we had black bean soup and pumpkin soup both of which could have been more assertive. A few twists of pepper helped but neither soup had any "oomph." The roast pork came with mojo an aromatic dipping sauce made with garlic, lemon, oil and white wine that will transport you to garlic heaven. The other entrees were a spicy special of red snapper; a special of sea bass with mango; and salmon with a grapefruit butter sauce. All were excellent and worth ordering. If you go here don't miss the side of lumpy coconut mashed yams with slivers of unsweetened coconut served as if they were a scoop of orange sherbet. White rice or dirty rice were other options. We always ask for the back room here that is separated from the main dining room by heavy velvet curtains. It is a bit quieter than the main room but this restaurant is still noisy from the Cuban music. The ambiance is lively with dramatic dried flower arrangements, wood floors and high ceilings. Specials were recited without the prices and a note on the menu and when you are brought the bill asks that you leave a cash tip rather than putting it on your credit card. I like that a carafe of water, warm crusty bread and butter are placed on the table when you are seated. For dessert we had a fabulous flan topped with coconut and a flourless chocolate cake and of course Cuban coffee. The bill was ไ per person. The restaurant is now open on Sunday. Call 201-943-8808 for a reservation.

Our very own Steven Shaw has a restaurant review in the NJ section of the NY Times 11/18/01. Great piece Steven.

It's illegal to charge a corkage fee for wine in NJ. Who could I ask to find out if it is illegal to charge a glass/corkage fee for water??? ;)

In NJ we bring our own wine. I wonder if we could BYOW (water)?

I walk when I go into a half empty restaurant with a reservation and am ushered to the bar. This is the restaurant's way of getting you to buy a drink. I hate sea legs. If crab is in a dish I ask if it is real crab and tell the waiter that I am allergic to sea legs. I am often surprised at how many restaurants list crab and serve sea legs.

Tommy--the place has gotten good reviews. The menu reads beautifully. That's it. Let us know what you think. We were only there once. TOMMY--I just found this in my notes. Rosie We were warmly greeted at Zarole, a beautiful BYO restaurant at 20 East Ridgewood Ave. Ridgewood. The dining room has padded chairs and tables set far apart making for a comfortable dining experience. The décor is contemporary American with oils on the walls, flowers on the tables and Villeroy & Boch place settings. Tall undulating candles surround the room. When we were seated we were immediately brought a crabmeat eggroll with a cilantro essence as the amuse bouche. I thought this concept was interesting because it sets the mood before you even look at the menu and as the eggroll was delicious we were anxious to try the other dishes that the chef had on the menu. What do you think? Do you like the idea of the amuse bouche being given to you before the menu or after you order? When you go to a restaurant the décor, service and food all play an important roll in your experience. At Zarole the décor and service were excellent. My problem is that some of the food didn't taste as good as it read on the menu. Appetizers were two ample crab cakes with an avocado puree, tomato salsa, and basil essence (ผ) which were very good and without filler but I would have preferred a more assertive sauce. The soft shell crab, a large one, with asparagus, grilled eggplant, roasted pepper and a basil coulis (ผ) was tasty and while the sweet pepper sauce was interesting I would have preferred a spicier sauce. Entrees were disappointing. The duck with foie gras, a potato shallot cake and duck jus (ส) was tough and I didn't care for the sauce. Lowell liked the sauce but not the duck. The potato cake looked like a fat potato latka and was delicious. My halibut with chewy Israeli cous cous, julienne vegetables surrounded with a warm balsamic vinaigrette was overdone and tasteless. We opted not to order dessert although there were some tempting items all priced at ű such as: apricot bread pudding, orange crème brûlée, rhubarb soup and lemon mousse napoleon. My decaf cappuccino was perfect. Lowell didn't like his coffee. After we finished our coffee a plate of 5 or 6 miniature desserts were brought to the table. They were ok but not anything I would run to order. Another note, when we entered the restaurant there was a fishy smell. I don't know if this was because it was so muggy outside or not. The dinner was 贄 for the two of us with tax and tip. Phone: 201-670-5701 6/17/01 (Edited by Rosie at 9:48 pm on Nov. 15, 2001)

Haven't been there but I have some info on Chefs on the Move on my Table Hopping With Rosie site at http://www.njmonthly.com

It's a contempory restaurant with fish and meat entrees.it received a very good review recently. I was there once and it did not awe me.Food was good but not very different. Ho-hum. If you go let me know what you think. I would try it again if I heard good reports. In that area I like Jocelyne's in Maplewood.

Where can you get wild turkey if you are not a hunter? Also, I buy a kosher turkey which is already brined.

When we were in Hawaii we were told that some of the cattle are sent to Canada to be fattened up and then sold as Alberta beef. Do you think that Alberta beef is worth seeking out? Is it considered a name brand such as Black Angus beef?

The last time we were in SF we took a ride to Half Moon Bay and had dinner in a lovely Italian restaurant. I heard that a large hotel was built in the town. Does anyone have information on this?