Rosie

Haven't been to either. If you happen to have address and phone #'s please post them. Thanks.

It's the only restaurant to my knowledge in NJ that is doing this. Nice change from an amuse.

It's on the corner.

Andyabramo--Be sure to give us a report.

We finally returned to The Frog and the Peach, 29 Dennis Street, New Brunswick and I am still gushing over our memorable, exquisite dinner prepared by the very gifted Chef Bruce Lefebvre and his staff. Did you know that this restaurant has been open twenty years? That is quite an accomplishment but no surprise as the service and food have been consistently outstanding since the first day that owners Betsy Alger and Jim Black opened the doors. We nibbled on a warm roll served with herb butter while reading the creative menu that is so enticing it took us a long time to finally decide which dishes to order. I am impressed that the menu items are marked with a “v” (no meat or fish) and “o” (prepared with butter or heavy cream) to help the consumer make an appropriate choice. Also, stated on the menu was that “items are available with alternate, lower fat preparation as requested.” This willingness to please customers is appreciated and The Frog and the Peach is to be commended for going the extra mile. We started off with a special spicy cranberry bean and escarole soup; pumpkin gnocchi with parsnips, toasted pumpkin seeds and sage brown butter; spinach salad with bacon, black olives vinaigrette, oven dried tomatoes and crispy red onions; and black pepper crepes with butternut squash confit, spiced pecans, and 24 year aged balsamic vinegar. At this point in our meal we were all swooning. Entrees were a spectacular special of black sea bass with a red wine sauce; an outrageously wonderful duck breast with Black Mission figs, corn, tamarind glazed duck confit and sweet potatoes in a toasted coriander sauce; lamb shank which was gobbled up; and organic breast of chicken with roasted garlic spatzle, braised escarole, sun-dried cranberries and truffle-Madeira pan sauce. I cook alot of chicken at home but this chicken was nothing like any chicken dish that has made it to my kitchen table. I think at this point in our meal we stopped talking to each other as we were “lovin” the food so much. When the desserts by pastry chef Rashad Bryant were tasted, we all sighed with pleasure. Do try the innovative sweet potato cheesecake (the pumpkin was layered under the cheesecake) with toasted almond, apricot chutney and mascarpone sauce. Not to be missed either is the apple strudel with hazelnut ice cream sitting on a corn flan. It was so fabulous that we were fighting over each spoonful. Also—what can I say about the chocolate tasting plate except it was a perfect ending to a faultless meal. And our waiter Richard was attentive to every need and charming without being obtrusive. He even heard everyone wishing me a Happy Birthday and QUITELY brought over a scoop of sorbet with a candle. Thank-you Richard. We left The Frog and the Peach with smiles on our faces and promises to each other to return to this superb restaurant sooner than a special occasion. Phone: 732-846-3216.

1/11 http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=e...UVFeXk2NDc0MjM2 See any familiar names?

Get mussels as an app. It's big enough for two to share.

Perfect! Perfect! Perfect! I don’t get to Epernay 6 Park St, Montclair often enough. Four of us shared an entrée sized order of mussels in white wine, garlic and parsley. We were using our spoons to scoop of the delicious broth after we finished all of the mussels. Also shared one order of French fries. I had the plat du jour, short ribs, which came with mashed potatoes and baby carrots—excellent. If you like tuna don’t miss the herb and pepper crusted tuna with lentil salad, and a shallot vinaigrette. Lowell had this and I kept stealing tastes from his plate. Friends had the free range chicken with mashed Yukon gold potatoes, tomato confit and braised mushrooms and the braised lamb shank with polenta, baby carrots and scallions. There was not a morsel left on anyone’s plate. Of course we couldn’t bypass dessert and had the chocolate mousse served in a soup size cup; lemon tart; crème brule; and apple tarte Tatin. BURP!!! Chef/owner Mark Papera is very talented and I love his cooking! Reservations: 973-783-0447.

Tapas de Espana will be opening in Englewood in the future.

I've had the fried tofu skin wrapped pieces of flounder or maybe it was cod at Hunan Cottage and it was fabulous.

OK. As long as it isn't snowing. What day of the week is good for everyone? Who else can join us? BTW--Lou brings good wine!

What happened to the Montster Sushi and Steak eGullet lunch we were suppose to have? Lowell and I were there for dinner recently and there are many items on the menu we would like to try next time. We started off with a garden salad with a ginger dressing and a seaweed salad with sesame dressing. It was freezing outside so Lowell had a delicious udon with chicken, egg, and vegetables. It came with shrimp tempura on the side. I had an appetizer portion of tuna and salmon sashimi which was great. The portion was tremendous so I guess they don’t call this restaurant “monster” for no reason. Also had the Alaska roll which had salmon, avocado and cucumber. Enjoyed everything. We were too stuffed for dessert. The menu is on their website at www.monstersushi.com

Was there once years ago and just remember that I had a stuffed artichoke which I liked. Never ran back. Do let us know what you think.

Chris Quintile is the new chef. Check "Chefs on the Move" on Table Hopping With Rosie. http://www.njmonthly.com/rosie/chefs.html

Haven't heard a thing about Ocean King.

What did you eat??????

Try to drive to the Tewksbury Inn, 55 Main Street, Oldwick when it is light out so you can enjoy the scenery on Route 517. Our dinner there was very good but I would have preferred to view the farms on our ride there rather than the dark rural roads. The restaurant has two dining rooms. One dining room is smoke free and the bar, which was hopping, is not. We started with a mixture of rolls and bread along with butter and olive oil followed by salads. My salad, a vertical presentation of bloomed fig with baby arugula, hazelnut vinaigrette, Stilton blue, and port syrup, was tremendous and could have easily been shared by two people. Lowell had the Caesar salad which was fine but uninspiring. Entrees were excellent. Pork lovers should not miss the maple glazed double cut pork chop with whipped sweet potatoes, cranberries, haricot verts and applejack sauce. I had a special of barramundi, a fish from Australia. Chef Chris Quintile sautéed it and served it with a leeks and mussels. It was as good as the dishes I had when visiting Australia and New Zealand. Try it if it is on the menu. For dessert we shared an apple crisp with vanilla ice cream and a berry tartlette. Lowell reported that the coffee was excellent and we did find out that the restaurant grinds it’s own beans. With tax, tip, a bottle of wine ($43) the bill was $140. Lunch Tuesday through Saturday 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM; Sunday 12 noon to 4 PM. Dinner Tuesday through Thursday 5:30 to 10 PM; Friday and Saturday 5:30 to 10:30 PM; Sunday 4 to 9 PM. Reservations are accepted for lunch on weekdays and for parties of eight or larger and on holidays. Phone: 908-439-2641.

Jan 4 http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=e...UVFeXk2NDcwNTkw

I found the Hunan Cottage take out menu. They have 12 casseroles listed. We had the seafood with vegetables in an earthern casserole. Didn't like it. Perhaps we should have had the fish head; buffalo fish pieces with bean curd; lamb and cabbage; or assorted meat and vegetables. If anyone tries the casseroles let me know your opinion.

They have many casserole dishes. I think we had the one with fish. If you try it let me know what you think. It's similar to a tremendous bowl of soup.

Haven't been to Felice. It's on my list. Ditto with Christian's. Last week we tried many new restaurants (all were very good) and this week I am paying for it by spending as much time as possible on the treadmill.

How was your New Year's Eve? Did you have a good dinner?

Happy New Year to you also Kim. LOL!!!

Meat dumplings. Pork shoulder. Leek box if they have it. There is a fish that is wrapped in tofu skin and deep fried. Salt and pepper shrimp. Whole fish. The only dish we didn't like was a casserole. Otherwise never had a dish we didn't like. Vegetables are great also.

Thanks for the list. Been to Enzo's and thought the food there was great.