Rosie

We had a memorable dinner at The Bernards Inn this weekend. We asked Chef Edward Stone to make a tasting menu and it was wonderful. We had no idea what we were going to eat and could not have chosen better dishes ourselves. Our tasting menu consisted of the following: We started with tuna tartare with quail egg and fleur de sel. The quail egg was in the shell and poured over the tuna at the table. Next was a warm oyster with spinach and saffron. The sauce was addictive. I could have had this as my main course. Perfectly cooked Florida red snapper rested on a goat cheese risotto cake and was surrounded by yellow tomato sauce. Then we had a loin of farm raised rabbit with a white bean cassoulet and Dijon rosemary jus. Thumper never tasted so good! Griggstown pheasant was presented with foie gras (what could be bad) and a poached pear with celery root puree. Cervena venison was our last tasting before dessert and it came with a pink peppercorn puree, baby brussel sprouts and a chipolte demi glace. Dessert was a crème brulee tasting consisting of a classic and ginger crème brulee and raspberries. We were there 3 1/2 hours and enjoyed every minute. Don't wait for a special occasion to try this restaurant. The service and food were excellent. For a very special evening you can stay the night. They have a special package that includes dinner, the room and breakfast the next morning. Phone: 908-766-0002

I await your details. Never been to this place.Do tell. What did you have?

The Iron Monkey has rooftop dining but not in the winter. Someone was talking about Le Jardin on River Road recently. Beautiful view and ok food.

Lowell recently had lunch at this diner and thought the place was great. I've never been. Have you? He brought home a page with the history of the diner. They serve between 120 and 2800 people on busy days. They use 300 dozen eggs for breakfast on Sat. and Sun and employ 160 people. What NJ diners do you like to go to?

It's 10% of total sales or more. Perona Farms in NJ is going to have a bruncheon 10/28 with 100% of the proceeds going to Windows of Hope. You just need to go out and order alot of food. That's what I'm going to tell everyone tonight!

I don't think so. I was at a charity event recently and Eccola and Eccoqui were there and I didn't see another name.

I was never at Alfredo's so didn't realize that some of the decor was the same. Rachel--I found your salt comment interesting. In the past Chef Joe was criticized for using too much salt. He must have cut back. Jason--I would be happy to give you a taste of my food anytime.

Never heard of this one. Is it new? Where is it located and is it BYO?

The old NJ fairgrounds/Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton Township--near Trenton. You need to call for directions. It is worth a trip.

Haven't been but I have heard it is very good. It's on my list. So many restaurants ......

I was at Sinclaire's once since the new chef came on board and thought it was very good. However, I have always had good fish at Basilico's which is just down the street. SIPiller-where else do you like to eat in NJ?

Tommy--I have been cutting out coffee at night unless I am at a restaurant that serves French Press. I am always disappointed. The most I will do is sip Lowell's coffee to see if it is as bad as it smells. However, the coffee last night was fine. Not great. But fine for NJ coffee. I sent you an e-mail about another matter.

Chef Joe Mucerino has opened Cinque Figlie in Whippany and will also keep Cinque Figlie Morristown open. We had dinner at the Whippany location last night. We haven't been to this charming house since Le Delice closed. The interior is lovely; a flowered carpet, floral borders on the walls, pink tablecloths and fresh flowers along with delicate lace curtains all add to the ambiance. Villroy and Boch china was used. The menu covers were drawn by Chef Joe's five daughters. Cinque Figlie Whippany has a full bar and we enjoyed a bottle of Carpineto 1999 Chianti Classico. When seated endive filled with a shrimp vinaigrette and bruschetta topped with juicy tomatoes were placed on the table. Bread was served warm--thank you-- and a bottle of fruity olive oil was on the table. For appetizers Lowell and I shared a pappardelle with fresh arugula and pecan pesto. Other enticing choices I would like to try next time are pumpkin and leek soup with grilled sea scallops or the grilled calamari in a fresh herb dressing. Lowell had a fabulous tilapia coated with pecans. It was the best rendition of this fish that I have had in a long time. I had tilapia in Israel fresh from the sea and this version topped that. Fresh vegetables and deliciously lumpy mashed potatoes came as sides. I had a pan seared salmon served over curried rissotto with sauteed shiitake mushrooms which were a delightful change. Other interesting entrees were grilled shrimp over black pasta; black risotto with mixed seafood and veal scallopini in a sweet and sour sauce with pinoli nuts. We were too full for dessert although the crème Catalana--Italy's version of crème brulee served with poached pears was tempting. Lowell had coffee. Cinque Figlie is located at 302 Whippany Road, Whippany 973-560-0545.

Jerry's in East Rutherford got 1 star from the Bergen Record.

WHEN???

CONGRATULATIONS ON A FABULOUS JOB Steven. YOU were great. I heard all but the last ten minutes.

La Viet--I lived in Edison for many years and never got there. What did you like to eat there?

We've been to Rat's three times and love the ambiance and food. This is my posting from last spring. We went to Rat's and were awed. J. Seward Johnson has created an art lover's paradise with 22 acres containing sculptures that are magnificent. Be sure to leave enough time to walk the gardens before or after dinner. Don't miss the life size sculptures by the gazebo and Monet's bridge. Be sure to walk into the nooks and crannies as they are full of surprises. The picnic scene with two men, a nude woman and another woman washing in the stream will put a smile on your face. We also loved the pond in front of the restaurant with its gigantic head sculpture that will mesmerize you. This place is well worth a visit. The restaurant is gorgeous. The entrance is a gypsy wagon taken from the book "The Winds in the Willows" where the character Rat's comes from. We sat in the upstairs room among original artwork. The tablecloths were red, the glass dishes blue or yellow and the salt and pepper mills were multicolored. Tables were spaced far apart. Chef Eric Martin sent out an amuse bouche of eel with a spicy Korean salad. Bread is brought in a tall silver bread basket with a hot rock on the bottom to keep the popovers, raisin and sour dough bread warm. Lowell had a marinated seafood salad with roasted peppers and baby arugula dotted with picholine olive tapenade and I had grilled quail for an appetizer. For entrees we had two specials of the evening. Lowell had pistachio crusted wolf fish with sautéed ramps, hedgehog mushrooms and fresh pea puree. I had skate with a fantastic wild rice served atop of sautéed spinach. We had a few desserts but my favorite was the rhubarb spring roll with vanilla ice cream. I was tempted to try the cheese plate but was too full. Rueben our waiter was extremely attentive and provided outstanding service. Coffee was good. Sommelier Anthony Accardo gave us helpful information about the wine list while the manager gave us the history of the restaurant and information about the artists, sculptures, grounds and future plans for enlargement of the kitchen and expansion to include a hotel. Their input made our trip that much more enjoyable. Do try this place. The whole experience was so unique and pleasurable.

Some people love Mexicali Rose. I'm not thrilled with their food. Try Carmelita's in Maplewood.

That's a hard call. The food was exotic without being "strange." Interesting sauces made with tamarind. I'd give it a shot. Bring a good bottle of wine so if you don't like the cuisine a least you can enjoy the wine. Maybe you should stick with the French part of the menu. I think they had steak frites.

Origin, 25 Division St., Somerville (BYO) serves fantastic Thai/French food but avoid this place on a Saturday night. We had an 8:15 reservation and weren't seated until 8:45. We considered ourselves lucky, as while we were on our entrée there were still people with an 8 PM reservation waiting for a table. Service was rushed and we had to tell the waitstaff more than once to come back in five minutes. We were also asked if we were ready for our entrée while we were still eating our appetizer. The place is also noisy and crowded with tables very close together. Ask for the round table by the kitchen. With that being said, the food is innovative, the use of spices, sauces and textures memorable and the presentations lovely. Specials were printed out with the prices. For appetizers we had a puff pastry filled with ground chicken, sweet onions and potatoes served with a cucumber relish; sautéed flat rice noodles with Asian broccoli and beef; grilled calamari with a mango salad and a tangy duck salad. Entrees were a crispy boneless duck with bean curd, green peas and pineapple in a curry sauce; Chilean sea bass with mushrooms; fried whole fish with a tamarind, chili and garlic sauce and a rack of lamb with an oval of mashed potatoes. For dessert we shared a refreshing sweet sticky rice with fresh mango and coconut milk sauce. Some of the other choices were fried ice cream; Fuji apple spring roll; pear poached in wine and chocolate soufflé cake. An interesting selection of teas were available that were beautifully served in a cast iron teapot and triangular cup. I had the blood orange and pear tisane which was pleasantly tart. I am anxious to return to Origin but never on a Saturday. Dinner was ื a person with tax and tip. Phone: 908-685-1344. Where did you go this weekend?

It's BYO. New menu should be in place the end of next week.

I'll try to find out. I just drove by there last week and it was Mezzanotte then. Thanks for the info.

Was it good? When Lowell was there last year the place was empty also.

Blame my mother. I obviously had a deprived childhood!