Rosie

Never been to Hard Grove but the floor of barns are covered with dirt and straw for a reason. For Cuban food I like Rebecca's in Edgewater.

Geiger's is gone.

Is that legal? Would the health department be concerned if they knew?

There were many children dining with their parents at Saffron, East Hanover last night.

Welcome to eGullet whitetrufflechick and be sure to give us reports on all the places you dine at.

Are the dishes at lunch the same caliber as those served a la carte at dinner?

We finally made it to Saffron. Service was excellent. Silverware and bread plates were replaced between courses. Let me just say that Indian food is not at the top of my list of favorite cuisines and I would certainly try this restaurant again. However, I need to go there with Curlz and Jason as they are the experts! We started off with: Samosa—didn’t care for the spices used Vegetable stuffed green peppers—delicious Garlic naan—addictive Entrees were: Dahinwala Baigan—cubes of eggplant cooked in yogurt and tempered with mustard seeds and spices. Loved the eggplant but there was a spice I didn’t care for. Lamb biryani and basmati rice cooked in a sealed pot with saffron. Lamb was gamey and tough. Lowell liked it. I didn't. This would be a great place to go with a crowd in order to taste the many dishes on the menu.

We go to American Grill via Rt 10. It's not that far from West Orange and we are near Pleasant Valley Way.

Dinner at Fascino was extraordinary—as usual. I know to order the mascarpone polenta fries as soon as we sit down as they are so special and munching on them keeps me away from the delicious bread. For appetizers we had the cornmeal crusted calamari with a tomato/fennel compote; hearts or romaine salad with creamy roasted garlic vinaigrette, prosciutto de Parma, and grated ricotta salata; scungilli and red onion marinated in lemon and extra virgin olive oil and Vidalia onion soup with smoked mozzarella ciabatta croutons. The fresh cut ricotta gnocchi with a sweet sausage bolognese was so scrumptious that we kept stealing tastes from my brother’s plate. Equally delectable were the halibut with romaine hearts and crumbled parmigiana with black trumpet mushroom sauce; porcini dusted sea scallops with faro risotto and a spicy bell pepper jus; and the black sea bass over an eggplant and fennel caponata with a parsley emulsion. Of course we could not bypass desserts made by pastry chef extraordinaire Cynthia DePersio. So after consuming the pistachio praline bread pudding with a caramel sauce; the apple crostata; and milk and bittersweet chocolate parfait with peanut butter panna cotta swirl we rolled out to the car. Chef Ryan, his family, and staff are to be commended for the gracious and attentive service and memorable food at Fascino. It is truly a delight to dine there.

Wishing you the best.

Penang Ombra, East Hanover where Bella Rosa was located.

The steak for two is tremendous at Sammy's and it is covered with a mound of French fries. I'm pretty sure it's more than an inch thick. BTW--I forgot to mention that Lou has the BEST steak sandwiches ever.

Are you going out? Where? Or are you cooking?

Sammy's French fries are one of the best in NJ. Also, Tommy--there are many "steaks for 2" that come out of the kitchen. Also, the loin lamb chops are excellent. And I like the fact that your bar bill --from the downstairs room where you wait --is added to your check. If you go check out the handmade wooden bar in the basement which dates back to the 1920's prohibition era when Sammy's was a speakeasy.

Dinner at Sammy's includes a salad, vegetable, French fries, dessert and coffee or tea. Most steak houses are a la carte.

Varka Fishhouse

Your best bet might be to dine in downtown Newark. Call these restaurants and see if they have vegetarian entrees or if the chef can accommodate you. The Savoy Grill, 60 Park Pl, Newark 973-286-1700). Theater Square Grill One Center Street Newark 973-642-1226

Can you tell me more about The Seasons? Address? What do you like to order there? BYO?

If you haven't made reservations for Easter yet I heard that Fascino has some openings between 2:30 and 7:30 PM. Their Easter menu is a lacarte. Phone: 973-233-0350.

They are not answering the phone.

March 20, 2005 http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=e...UVFeXk2NjY4MzUz

Your prices appear to have gotten garbled -- at least on my machine. Can you try reposting? Thx. ← I noticed that also but since the posting was from 2001 I don't have the info and if i did it would be out of date.

Fredbram--Thanks for the information. I know the wine list at Hell's Backbone is small. Any comments on that or should I ask about a corkage fee?

Sesame Raymonds

I respectfully disagree, Rosie... 90 Grand is NOT about food-- it's about the car you came in (Lincoln or Caddy) your cuff links, and who you had lunch with. A place to tell your colleagues that you went to. Same M.O. as his former place on 9W in Englewood Cliffs. Not a restaurant for people who really care about food. Stick with Latour or take a journey to American Grill. ← For the record we drive an old Toyota and Lowell doesn't have a shirt that needs cuff links! My report on my dinner at Ninety Grand is here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...91&hl=Englewood