tkrongold

We tried Mizu for the first time Friday night. Definitely a cut above all the other sushi places in the area. We tried the Pumpkin Seafood Soup which was delicious & very different. We sampled three rolls: Twin Roll, Sunset Roll, & Angry Dragon Roll - all were very good, but the Angry Dragon was amazing. There was about a 15 minute wait when we arrived. The host took our name and then suggested we have a drink at the bar. We would have loved a drink at the bar, however, there are only about 7-8 seats (all were full). So we stood behind some of the seats trying (desperately) to get the bartender's attention - no luck. She was totally overwhelmed. Finally two people got up & we took their seats. Now, we thought, we'll get a drink. Not so fast. It took at least 10 minutes for the bartender to acknowledge us and then it was to say "I'll be with you in a few minutes." Luckily, our table was ready so we left the bar. That area needs some major work.

Looking for a spot in the Summit area for Saturday dinner. Other suggestions? Thanks!

I can definitely second Due Nicola in Little Falls. Consistently good food. Small place with about 10-15 tables, personal service from the owner, fresh seafood, and delicious Pistachio Cake that is their specialty dessert (you won't find this cake anywhere else).

We were there opening night & then again a couple of wks later. The burgers are pretty good, but even though you request "rare," they really don't come out that way. The first trip I had a turkey burger which was OK. The fries are very good. Service is pretty good. The parking lot is not the best.

Gianna's in Carlstadt is very good Italian - not high end Italian, but very good. They have a liquor license. I've had good & not-so-good experiences at Tina Louise, also in Carlstadt. It's very small, the service is sometimes spotty, & the food has been less than stellar on some occasions. Cafe Matisse in Rutherford is wonderful, but very expensive. More like a special occasion spot.

It hasn't been there for at least 5 yrs (probably longer).

The Bay Crab House was indeed where the Drug Fair is now. It was a seafood restaurant/fish market, originally located in Clifton.

Was there about a year ago - very generic.

This restaurant is on Kingsland Ave in Nutley (across from Roche Labs). I think it used to be Michael's Pizza. Has anyone tried it yet? Thanks.

Richl2214: we felt the same way, we will not be rushing back anytime soon. When we had Chef LoPinto's food at Earth & Fortunato, we thought his cooking was very good & inventive but this seems to be very average. And the whole "club" feel definitely won't make me rush back there. It's funny, when I saw they had the word "lounge" in their URL I thought that was a big insight into how the owners were setting the stage.

We had dinner at Crave last night. We had drinks at the bar before dinner (those bar stools are really heavy & awkward) and then sat down a little after 8pm. I ordered the buffalo mozzarella stack, which was very good. My husband & our friends had salads which they enjoyed. For the main course, two of us had the Asian marinated grilled hangar steak, done perfectly. One friend had the pasta special which included clams & mussels, she enjoyed it. However, my husband ordered the rib eye which was tough & full of gristle. Very disappointing for $33. For dessert, I had the cranberry apple cobbler with cinnamon ice cream - the cobbler was very good but the ice cream had a very strange taste. The waiter was really pushing the French Toast dessert so we ordered one for the table - not great. There were 2-3 "balls" of fried French Toast with a chocolate mousse on the side. The other dessert we tried was the Poached Pear, which was good. We were also disappointed with the wine by the glass choices - very few & not a good selection. Given the scene at the bar and the general atmosphere, I couldn't help but feel like this was really a lounge masquerading as a restaurant. Overall, I would have to say the food was good, but the service was very spotty (it took a really long time between courses & getting the waiter's attention was no easy task). This is not really a fine dining experience (maybe my expectations were wrong). I don't really think Crave showcases Chef LoPinto's talents - hopefully he will land somewhere that is a little more serious about the food.

I just made a res for this Sat at 8pm, although it wasn't easy. On their site, they have an e-mail link for reservations so yesterday morning I sent an e-mail request. Then later in the day I thought I'd better call. No one answered but they had a voicemail system that didn't identify the restaurant at all (very strange). I left a message but go no call back. Today, I called & got somebody who sounded half asleep...After he took my name & # in party, he was ready to hang up until I reminded him that he might want to know the time of our reservation. I am encouraged by the reviews of the soft opening below (we enjoyed Anthony's cooking at Fortunato & Earth), but the front end seems a little shaky. I will report back after Saturday!

I heard they had a soft opening last week - anybody have any other info?

i was there about two months ago. good selection of fresh seafood, but very pricey. i believe i had the tuna, which was OK - not great. however, i hear their crab cakes are very good, but i didn't get to try them when we were there. might be worth another visit.

Hmmm...not sure I agree with you, Curlz. I think if you are going to run a retail food service outlet (or any retail business for that matter) then you need to know how to provide good service. Believe me, I would never expect the service I get at a "fine dining" establishment, but I do expect "service." And I expect the workers (the kids) to know how to take my order & deliver the product efficiently & pleasantly. If not, then the owners hired the wrong people to take care of their investment while they are not on-site. And I don't think you have to go to a corporate-owned giant to get that. Bluestone in Montclair (packed with young help) provides good, efficient service (not to mention good coffee) but that's probably because the owner (or owners) trained the help properly. If the coffee had been good, I probably would give it another try (& hope that the owners were working on the day I visited), but mediocre coffee + bad service = keep ordering beans from quality on-line vendors & brew at home!

Maybe we just hit it on an off day, but unfortunately, I haven't had the same great experience at Fine Grind as the rest of the world. We stopped by yesterday (Saturday) morning around 9am. There was 1 person ahead of us & the "barista" apparently couldn't take our order for two black coffees while waiting for the cappuccino machine to finish the other person's order. So there we stood for a good 10 minutes...waiting...for someone (anyone) to take our order. Around 9:10, another worker sauntered in & proceeded to tidy up around the counter instead of tending to the customers. Then she started buttering a roll for the customer ahead of me. Finally, the first worker asked the second worker to take our order instead of helping her! Then while getting our two black coffees, she answered the phone for a take-out order (first rule of retail: take care of the customers in the store first!). They had two coffees of the day listed: a mild roast & dark roast (Guatemalan). We ordered the dark roast, but that was still brewing. So at this point, desperate for caffeine, we took the mild roast. Sorry, but I find it hard to believe that these are "real" coffee people running this store - this coffee was awful. So bad, that on the way home we stopped at Dunkin Donuts because it had to be better than this. I know there are alot of *$ haters out there, but at least they know how to move the line along. The funny thing is, we were on vacation in Mexico last week & the NY Times story on the Fine Grind made the faxed hotel edition of the paper. When we read that, we thought "hey, this is right in our town, we really should give this place a try." I think I'd be hard pressed to go back.

Hi - NJ eGullet member coming to Providence for weekend in early October. Have never been before. Can anyone provide restaurant suggestions? I've heard Al Forno is good but service is bad unless you are a regular. Others? Thanks!

Zaides in Fair Lawn is outstanding. The challah is the best, but everything we've had from there has been great.

Was there about a year ago - it was very good.

We tried Euro Grill in Caldwell two wks ago - very mediocre. We were really hoping it would be good for a little change of pace in the area, but no luck.

We live in NJ, but have a house in Stockton Springs (about 45 minutes north of the Camden area) that we rent out. When we are up there, we love to go to Primo. Also tried Francine last yr for the first time & it was terrific. Very cozy, great food, wine, & service. We will be up there the wk of July 4th so would love to try some other places. I had heard about The Edge so maybe we'll give that a try this time. Any other suggestions? Thanks!

Fascino was our first choice, however, the friends we are going with live in Clinton & Montclair is kind of a hike - that's why we are trying to find a restaurant somewhere in the middle. I was thinking of Scalini Fedeli, as we've never been there & I hear it's wonderful. I'll call & ask about a corkage fee. Thanks.

Brought back a wonderful 2001 Brunello Poggiano from Montalcino this past October. Getting together with friends for dinner to enjoy the wine, but need a BYO restaurant somewhere in the Summit area with food worthy of the wine! Your suggestions are appreciated!

I only bought this book recently, but have already made the All-in-One Holiday Bundt cake twice (fabulous!) & today am making the World Peace Cookies for the second time in three days - they are incredible. I am a baker from way back, but it's been a long time since I've read a baking book cover to cover. I think I will try the Cardamom Crumb Cake next - it looks wonderful. Thanks, Dorie!

Hi - We'll be in Rome in early October & Piperno sounds wonderful. Would you recommend it for a special birthday celebration? Thanks!