Rosie

Oak Tree Rd in Iselin (Woodbridge) between Wood Ave and Rt 27.

Had a delightful lunch at Raymond's, 28 Church St, Montclair. They are only open for breakfast and lunch at this time and will be open for dinner in the future. Visually the restaurant is also a treat with a tin ceiling, white tiled floors, sky lights, colored seltzer bottles and counter which is perfect for the single diner. The Mediterranean salad with couscous, hummus and tzstziki was very good and I particularly liked the hummus as it had some texture and a hint of lemon. The vegetarian chili with sour cream, cheddar and cornbread had exuberant flavors. Anyone want to try breakfast which is served from 8 to 11:30 AM Monday through Friday? BYO (not for breakfast).

Actually, it was Seabra's Amory 200 Front St Perth Amboy 732-826-6000 I was thinking about not Portuguese Manor. If you go be sure to give us a report.

Kear--Where did you read this or learn about this?

Fyre--You may also want to check under Openings and Closings on Table Hopping With Rosie and call some of the newly opened restaurants. http://www.njmonthly.com/rosie/openclose.html New restaurants sometimes don't keep their initial staff. Also, check with Village Green in Ridgewood. Don't know if they hired anyone yet but they were short staffed.

3/21 http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=e...UVFeXk2NTAyOTcz

Probably Portuguese Manor 310 Elm St. Perth Amboy 732-826-2233 There are many restaurants in the Ironbound section of Newark that serve rodizio. Do a search for previous discussions, names and addresses.

Rail Paul-- Wendy (chef's wife) used to run the front of the house. Was she there when you dined at R&S? Good to see you here.

BarbaraNJ--welcome to eGullet. Was wondering which places in Ridgewood you found pretentious?

Fyre--Check out the Star Ledger which always has ads for waitstaff.

Beautiful--

Frank's Waterside, River Rd, North Bergen. See posting here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=39204 And welcome to eGullet Kear.

We'd love to have you join us tkrongold.

We do have get togethers and they are all posted on the board so check it daily!! Some on weekdays and some on weekends. Next one is at An American Grill on 4/21. Don't know the time yet but do try to join us.

Brian--Welcome. Happy to see you here again. Let us know where you have been dining.

We returned to Osteria Giotto recently and our meal had some ups and downs. We ordered a highly recommended side dish of potatoes, onions and peppers to have while we looked over the menu. Bread which was not worth eating was placed on the table with olive oil and a yogurt/cucumber sauce. The yogurt was inappropriate and didn’t go with the Italian cuisine. The bread was forgettable—a sin in NJ which has some outstanding Italian bakeries. The waiter listed the specials without the prices and when I asked the price of an item he said, “it’s either $8.50 or $9.” This means that in addition to not knowing the price he didn’t have it written down on his “cheat” sheet. Lowell had a fabulous mushroom risotto which I couldn’t stop dipping my fork into. Two of us had an excellent dish I seldom see on a menu which you should try if it is available; baby artichoke salad with a lemony vinaigrette. Another friend had an antipasto with Italian cured meats, roasted peppers, tomatoes and olives. One entrée was a mistake. A special pork rib chop was ordered and a roasted pork loin was served. The manager graciously offered to replace this dish but since it was almost finished the offer was declined. To the manager’s credit he had a pork rib chop cooked and wrapped for us to take home. I felt this was above and beyond what was expected and applaud the manager for truly trying to please a customer. Our waiter was replaced with what I assume was a more experienced server. Another entrée was actually an appetizer that was described as vitello tonnato, veal with tuna sauce, but the sauce had been described by the waiter as containing pieces of tuna. It was actually the classic rendition of this dish with a smooth tuna sauce. Although it was very tasty it was not what we expected. The other entrée was monkfish. Dessert was hazelnut ice cream and an apple tart which was more like an apple cupcake than a tart. Osteria Giotto has only been open about 3 months so they are still finding their way. It certainly is worth a trip. The restaurant can be very noisy and you need to call a few weeks in advance for a weekend reservation. Osteria Giotto, 21-23 Midland Avenue, Montclair BYO Phone: 973-746-0111

Don't forget that Fink does a mean pig roast!

Cook456--Welcome to eGullet and be sure to let us know where you like to dine. Are you related to Cook 123?

Is it BYO?

The following story was on the New Jersey Monthly site Table Hopping With Rosie 2/18. I thought the food/atmosphere/service were fabulous. Can't wait to go back. Place can get noisy. You can’t get any closer to the water than at Frank’s Waterside, located on the banks of the Hudson River at 7800 B River Road, North Bergen. The million-dollar view from the dramatic floor to ceiling windows includes panoramic sights of the New York skyline from the George Washington Bridge to the Statue of Liberty. An illuminated waterwall separates the bar/lounge from the main dining room and cherry red leather banquettes, tables with black leather and chrome chairs, and blue ceiling beams all create a dramatic ambiance. During the warm weather, Frank’s Waterside will offer outdoor seating and a pier for boats as well as ferry service from NYC is planned for the future. This establishment is under the direction of executive chef/partner Sam Mickail, formerly of the Highlawn Pavilion. One of the owners is Senator Frank Lautenberg who is the “Frank” in Frank’s Waterside. Start your dinner with one of the “Retro Cocktails” such as The Hudson Sludge made with frozen Bailey’s, Kahlua, Chambord, and whipped cream or a Garden State Iced Tea produced with Grey Goose, Bacardi, Tanqueray, Herradura tequila, and Cointreau. An extensive choice of wines ranging from $20 to $72 are available with many choices in the $20 to $30 range. A small select list has bottles such as Amarone, Betrani, 1996 for $112. Some of the appetizers offered on the current menu are: ahi tuna tasting; shellfish sampler; shrimp in a chimichurri sauce; a bucket of clams in a plum tomato and garlic broth; a bucket of mussels in a Chardonnay and sweet garlic sauce; and a classic Caesar salad. Frank’s Waterside specializes in fish which can be prepared grilled, broiled, or blackened with homemade olive oil marinade. Some of the signature dishes include swordfish steak “au poivre” with a cognac cream sauce; jumbo lump crab cakes with house slaw and basil aioli; and tilapia fish and chips with Frank’s fries and tartar sauce. Landlubbers can opt for the custom cut prime sirloin steaks charbroiled with compound butter or the garlic roasted Amish chicken with a fresh thyme sauce. Most entrees range in price from $14 to $22 with the steak costing from $24 for 12 ounces to $40 for 20 ounces. Sides such as lobster mashed potatoes, sauteed spinach, Frank’s fries, and sweet potato chips are also available. Of course you shouldn’t miss dessert especially the very light mascarpone cheesecake, lemon mousse served in a martini glass and topped with meringue, or the warm chocolate truffle torte. Frank’s Waterside is open Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday from 5 to 10 PM and Friday and Saturday 5 to 11 PM. They will be opening for lunch in the early spring. A banquet room is available for corporate and private events. For information or reservations call 201-861-0700.

Hank--I'm thrilled that you have found another NJ restaurant that you love. And how thoughtful of you to think of me and the polenta fries. It is true, I lust for them!

Been to all of the above. Thanks for the great list though. Also, do tell us more- "you can drive a little further and check out our place to treat your sweet tooth."

Wanted to remind everyone about this event. All are welcome.

Hank--we await your report.

Rat's is an excellent choice. Be sure to leave enough time to walk around the sculpture gardens. I'd love to go there also for my not 39th and not 41st birthday. Was at Ruga about a year ago. No need to run back. Not bad but not very exciting either.