GoodEater

For some people who are excessive complainer the question should be: Is anything OK!! Stolen from an old joke!

I see they blend home study and classroom work!

I don know for certain, but, I think the health department has stepped in and the sauce is being kept refrigerated instead of being left out to properly ferment. The same thing has happened at Johnny and Hanges. The sauce just isn't the same as in the old days. Fear of lawsuits and the need to protect us from ourselves has led to the loss of flavor of the sauces. They should give us a choice of "safe" or "flavorful" and have us sign a waiver that we won't sue if we get sick. This is the same deal as getting unpasteurized milk cheeses- which were banned for years. The powers that be don't understand and appreciate that some of us are willing to take some chances when it comes to eating.

Went here last night for the first time. (Second time for my parents) Even though the place is not much to look at the food was excellent. The food is as good as Wondee's but their menu is more limited. Prices were very, very reasonable. The owner said that she closed the restaurant temporarily because there were too few customers coming in. She reopened in April but said that business is very slow. I agree with Tommy that if you are at the GS Plaza it is well worth it to drive around the corner for this place than to eat at the food court. Hopefully all of the E-gullet people can help her keep the place open. I know that my family will be going back soon. They use the perfect amount of oil and they adjusted the spice level (read heat) of the food to our tastes. (We like the food to be very spicy but not so much that it overwhelms all of the other flavor components). Every dish we order was a winner. That is a very rare happening at most restaurants. Please give this place a try. As has been stated on many E-gullet posts, we can't let the chain restaurant knock out all of the hard-working independent owner who deserve a chance.

Here's the solution: Go to a French restaurant and sit on the east side...Your eating Swiss. Go to a German restaurant and sit on the south side...Your eating Swiss. Go to an Austrian restaurant and sit on the west side...Your eating Swiss. Go to an Italian restaurant and sit on the north side...Your eating Swiss -or- Go to the Melting Pot... Your eating Swiss.

The pizza place on the right is called Soprano's (A very good Jersey pizza place name indeed). Porcini is located on the extreme left end of the plaza. It's windows are usually completely covered with drapes from almost the top to the very bottom of their windows. Porcini is another "new" (new for me I mean) place I will have to check out. FYI: I had one slice at Soprano's one time and it was OK. Much better pizza around the corner at Linwood Pizza (Next to the Appolo flag place and Office Depot on Route 46 West.)

What a loss to the radio industry. I enjoyed listening to him for years. As far as him being "full of himself" I do not think that is the case. He just got impatient with people who did not listen well or who did foolish things in restaurants and expected the restaurant to bend over backwards to bail them out. He taught me a great deal about food, cooking, baking and the history behind all of these subjects and more.

Yes I guess I knew that but at least I thought he was trying to hawk higher quality items. Live and learn.

Sorry to say this but it appears as if David Rosengarten is a sell-out. I'm not going to say that Romano's is the worst of the chains but I had a different image of David when he talks about food on his own shows or in various apperances. RMG is not high-end. This is a review that explains my point: http://www.washingtonian.com/dining/Profiles/romanos.html This is like the mismatch between Martha Stewart and K-Mart. High-end meets low- end. Look where she has ended up!! I fear for David Rosengarten's future. Edited to add: It depends on which area you are talking about. In and around NYC and Northern NJ there are some great mom and pop places for low cost basic Italian food. In the middle of nowhere a MG might be a welcome sight - but not around where I live.

I called the corporate office too and just got a voicemail message for Stephanine as well.

I don't really remember what channel I was on as being a typical male I was flipping around all over the place. It was around 10 or 10:30 last night. Sorry I can't be more specific.

I think I really saw it but my focus was not fully on the commercial. Just wanted to know if anyone else saw this and what they think. I think it smacks of the shameless Rick Bayliss(sp?) and Burger King promotion.

I don't disagree with that at all. In fact one of my top 3 favorite restaurants is in the suburbs....of Gary, Indiana!!! (and when I say that, it's setting aside the once-in-a-lifetime places that I've eaten) However, it has been my experience that those restaurants in the suburbs that are great tend to bring with them an approach to food that one might generally call "urban". Rarely does that work in the opposite direction. I see what you are saying. It's just that the attitude of certain (but not all) New Yorkers can be overwhelming and disturbing to those of us who grew up and live in Northern NJ. Sorry to be so New York-centric. I guess the attitude has spilled over from NY on to me. Things are probably very different outside of other cities!

Last night I thought I saw a TV commercial for Romano's Macaroni Grill featuring David Rosengarten. I could not believe it! Did I really see this or was it a bad dream?

I am sorry to say that I think there is an inherent snobbiness coming from this idea that the city is so much more sophisticated than the suburbs. I have had both excellent and shitty meals in NYC and the same is true in Northern NJ. It depends on the individual chef to make the meal great. Arrogance and attitude can really get in the way of just creating great meals and a wonderful dining experience. In addition, many of the people in the city restaurants really live in the suburbs and are just visiting for the day.