Lreda

Gotta agree with everyone here. This place rocks!! I don't have to go all the way to Blue Smoke anymore. Had the pulled pork sandwich with 3 ribs. Good beer on tap from a place in Lambertville. I can't wait to go here with a bunch of people and share everything. I'm going back next Thursday as a matter of fact.

O.K. I really want to like this place but the food was average at best. It's a fine looking place and I loved the bar. I ordered some chips while waiting for my bud. Luke warm chips with a sour cream dipping sauce that had no flavor When said bud arrived we ordered the pizza special. Had spinach, Tasso ham and some other stuff. Flavor was good but dough was soft and undercooked. I ordered tuna with barley, corn, roasted peppers, green beans & watercress. Sauce was balsamic reduction and a roasted pepper reduction. Too many tastes going on. Said bud had a scallops dish. It was pan-seared with sauteed spinach and a potato pancake. He liked it, I don't know and this will sound stupid but to me it looked too bland. I feel like Goldilocks. This one's too hot, this one's too cold......... Cappuccino's were good, and thankfully hot. Vanilla Creme Brulee was good also. Funny thing, all the entree's on the menu were between $9-15 but the tuna was $27. That's a big price difference. I found it odd. Yeah, I'll go back but it'll be apps and wine by the glass. Could be a hip scene at happy hour I'm sure.

My friend wanted to know if it was appropiate to bring a 40 year old kid?

Anyone been here recently. Leaving to have lunch here in an hour.

Listen, this isn't an attack on any particular cuisine or establishment but an answer to the question posed on this topic. I'm a father of 4, all between 10 & 14. I cook for a living and it's tough enough to figure out what to cook for them at home, nevermind finding a place out where they all like to eat. Kids are fickel and I've tried to expose my kids to different foods but it comes down to both feeding the kids and us, the parents, at the same time and I as others have said it's easier to hit a Macaroni Grill or Chili's than a Penang......and you all know I hate chains. As far as your screaming kids, bring them up. You all could do what the other parents do when they bring them over. " You better quiet down, Lou's coming over". I take the hit from the parents as the bad guy, the scary guy, but at the end I'm coming by with the ice cream and the kid's all love the big guy in the end.

Yeah, I'm sure a lot of six year olds would love Penang or Saffron. Dad: "What would you like to eat tonight? How about a little beef satay or perhaps a little Pho?" 6 year old : "Dad, how about chicken fingers or Macaroni". Dad: Come on now. We'll try something different. It'll be yummy. 6 year old: O.K. Dad. 2 hours later while trying to get 6 Year old to sleep and they're hungry you're hustling your ass to Wendy for a Combo.

Thanks for all the good wishes folks and I'm ready to go back to work but The doctor told me to take it easy. I'll be in for a few hours this weekend and back full-time Monday. If you all look around this ISO crap ain't taking hold and we'll see what they the forum hosts will do. If you're planing a dinner at The Grill I see no reason you can't post a date and you can PM in the meantime. Schmooty, let me know when your B_Day celebration is and I'll help you the best I can. Paul, I'm lucky the support system is in place but it's never comfortable being away and worrying what the hell every one is up to.

1. O.K., Bogie's is 8 minutes from The Grill and exactly 6 1/4 miles. 2. I love kids and they are always welcome. The fruits of this are evident now as those parents that brought their 6, 7 & 8 yr old when I opened 11 years ago are now calling to let me know those kids are dating now and need a reservation. What better way to impress a date when you're 17 then to have the owner come over to say hello. 3. East Hanover isn't bad now traffic-wise as Ridgedale Ave construction is finished AND a extra lane has opened both East but most importantly Westbound. I left Best Buy in East hanover today at rush hour and made it to The Grill in 17 minutes. 4. Thanks for the interest. Lou

My bad. I'm sure the fries are fresh cut. I was just trying to make a point.

Well, here's the debate now. I don't want a iceburg salad, steamed veggie, damn sure don't won't frozen french fries or a choice of two desserts. I'll pay the $50 for the steak if it's good, I'll pay the tariff on a side of augratin potatoes & creamed spinach to share for the table but if you gonna include the accruments above I'd say I'd pass. Now though, that's Morris County, where something most come along with the meal or customers feel they're not getting they're money's worth.

The thing is there are no Morris County restaurants that offer that size & quallity steak. Pricing as I remember it when I ate in these places is as follows. Strip house ( Livingston ) $36 for a 16 oz Strip Ruth Chris ( Parsippany ) $38 for a 22 oz Porterhouse Sure a 32 oz should, with the bone and grizzle taken into account, offer about 16 to 20 oz of meat.....but it is aged and good. Most restaurants now offer a bigger steak so as to compete with the steakhouses. I now sell a 22 oz Cowboy Rib-Eye for $32. Cirelli's in Randolph offers the same at $36.

Originally, I was going to say that Sammy's is a little high priced but reflecting on the care that they take with their meat compared with what other restaurants get for a steak in Morris County and I think Sammy's price is fine. If you don't like the atmosphere that's another story. Now that I think about it, I'm due a visit to Sammy's as I haven't been there in years. I waited on Maryann and Phil when they got engaged years ago. Nice people.

Because I grew up in The Bronx with a White Castle across the street. In addition this W.C. wasn't that good, burgers were flavorless, guess that hppen cause they don't sit on the onions enough due to the rapidness in which they're put in those cute boxes. I expect Harold & Kumar to be stopping by my house during my convelesence with the proper medication.

White Castle in Ledgewood on Rt 46 opened last Tuesday and has been packed. An hour wait on the average for the drive-thru and 40 minutes inside. Sue and I went Sat morning at 11:30 and waited 25 minute inside to place and receive our order which wasn't bad. As I finished work Sat after tallying the night, a less than average Sat ( Can't wait for the weather to change), I got to thinking how much White Castle will make this week. I figured if each person ordered a minimum of $10 worth of food and drink, usually people order for groups when they hit W.C. but I'll figure each person at $10. While I was waiting there were 60-70 people ordering and waiting during my 25 minutes not including the cars lined up on Rt 46 which in a hour I figure they'll served 80 cars. That's $1700.00 dollars every 1/2 hour and not at peak time, remember we were there in the morning. White Castle stands to make in it's opening week approx $230,000. I'm in the wrong business.

Kim, Didn't Alfred Portale take on the position of consulting chef here recently. I've eaten at Gotham B&G twice in the last year and have been disappointed. It used to be my favorite place in NYC. Too bad about Striped Bass as I intended to eat here while in Philly to see The Mets.

Overall, a very good dinner at Fascino's Monday evening, the food paired with exceptional service. 4 Guys, 4 bottles of wine. The evening started with a amuse of warm celery root & fennel soup. I really dislike anise flavors but this was the start of a great meal. The flavors seperated with the celery root initally, then pepper and finally on the back end the fennel, just suttle enough. We all ordered the tasting menu and our waiter PJ was great throughout. 1st course with our Chalk Hill Chard was a salmon tartar with cucumber was excellent followed by Ryan stopping over, saying hello and bringing a taste of Homemade beet ravioli. At this time PJ starts opening the wines. Newton Pinot Noir 99', Chimney Rock Cab 96' & Hess Collection Cab '92. All the wine were handled properly with changing of glasses. Next was the Foie Gras with fiji apples and balsamic reduction. A perfect combination which had me in my kitchen the next day working a similar but different combination. I'm missing a course, my bad but after the missing course was roasted veal with swiss chard and vadalia bread pudding. My group and I agreed this was the only mis-step by the kitchen as the veal was a little fatty and under-cooked. Ifwe sent it back, I think the veal would have been over-cooked. Easy to overlook though as everything else was perfect and we were filled anyway. I'm not a dessert guy but the chocolate cake with liquid filling was boo-koo. The ice cream was excellent and my aversion to nuts kept me from trying the peanut butter concoction but I hear that was also great. Overall, a great experience and I look forward to heading back shortly. A big thank you for The DePersio who bent over backwards to serve us.

Looking forward to dinner tomorrow. Have to head down to the cellar to pick wines.

I voted. On another topic, as most of you know I have a grudge with Zagat's and finally have something good to say about them. I'm on their mailing list ( How I don't know and it pisses me off ) when I recieved a email from the S.F. edition. Due to my usual anger fueled by a few glasses of Moon Mt Meritage, I sent my usual reply to any email sent by Zagat's, "Zagat's sucks". I recieved a query as to why I dislike Zagat's. I was impressed with this, especially from someone form S.F. as opposed to someone from the East Coast. We'll see if I get a response as I mention the woman from The Asbury Press.

Good luck dude. I'll bring a strange group one morning. All the best, Lou

Well as usual, I'll be the proverbial stick in the mud and say what gives with this ISO thing. We all seem to get along well in this forum and as we all know after sometimes burning 2-3 months organizing a lunch or dinner that draws 8-12 on average these events ( Unless it's a Ching 46 event) takes time. Now, I've read this ISO link and seem to think that it slows the process down and hey shit, NJ"s forum only has 15-25 regualr posters. Hello.................this aint Grammercy Park or Riverside in the Bronx where I also reside. Perhaps, this should be amended a bit?

Well Lou, you can count Vicky and me in straight away, regardless of day, date, snow (hey snow's possible in Jersey in April) Cheers Tom ← I might just have to plan a dinner party if George Orwell and the gang allow me. Date and menu to be announced. Lou

Question? What's a ISO? Next question? After I establish what a ISO is, why do I have to do it by Private Message?

If you all like we can do a dinner by me whenever you like April and after. I'm having knee surgery on St Patty's Day( I'll do anything to remain sober that day). I'll be home for a couple of weeks rehapping so it'll be easy to put together.

This week's prices are $4.82 a pound for fryer rabbits. Let me know ASAP as my delivery's coming in on Friday and I can add to it tomorrow. Lou

It's snowing!!! Too damn late. The roads were good til 6 pm and then I had to close. Wasted 4 hours that i could have trained to Hoboken.