RO94

Going to Vong this weekend and was wondering what your experiences have been like? Would you recommend anything in particular? Thanks in advance. Link to Vong (and his other restaurants as well)

Found a great little hole-in-the-wall with authentic Mexican food in Bogota. It is called: El Gran Mexicano 64 West Main Street Bogota, NJ 07603 (201) 489-0905 or 1-866-MEX-TO-GO It is located right across the Post Office on Main Street. Bogota is not very large so it should be easy to find. I believe there is a sign out fron that says something like "Kitchenette". I am originally from South Texas and let me tell you this is good food. I have been lookinf all over for authentic Mexican and this has some Tex-Mex flair to it as well. hey have a great lunch special. ŭ.50 which includes your choice of entree, rice, beans, and chips & salsa. Everything is home-made (except the tortillas - probably to save money). They cut the corn tortillas right in front of you and place them in the deep fryer to make the chips. They have a good selection as well: enchiladas (red, green or mole), tostadas, flautas, burritos, quesadillas, tamals, mixiote, carne asada, and much more. I highly recommend stopping in for a bite. When you walk in, there is a table to your right and a table in the back. The rest of the seating consist of a diner bar with approx. 10 stools where you sit and watch the cooks make your meal. Very little English is spoken and the cooks are friendly. Enjoy.

The Market basket recently went through a major renovation. It is quite large now. The one I am referring to is located on Franklin Lake Road right by the circle. I know there is an "original" Market Basket but I believe that one is located in Wyckoff but am not positive. The "original" one is quite small. We have never had a problem with any of our orders for meat. We usually make large meat and fish orders during the holidays. Definitely worth the trip.

I was reading a discussion on NY board and started wondering if there was a particular butcher that any of you would recommend. I recently moved to Union County (on the border with Somerset) and I have found two close to where I live: The first is New Providence - Barth's Pork Store. Pretty good selection of pork & beef. I love to grill and have been pretty happy with their cuts. The second I found was John's Meat Market in Scotch Plains. Again, very good cuts of beef. I will say that the last time I was there I asked for 2 inch thich sh*ll steaks and it was ridiculously priced. Here is there site: http://www.johnsmarket.com/ My favorite so far is located in Bergen County. I love the meat at "The Market Basket" in Franklin Lakes. The butchers really know there stuff and the meat is always excellent. Only prime cuts. Any opinions??

Thanks so much for all the input. I called around and finally went with: Aquilla Cucina Italiana It's in New Providence and they gave me a good price for a prix fix dinner. 12 people and I can drop off the wine and champagne early. :-) I will let everyone know how it goes.. Here is their site if anyone is interested... http://www.aquilarestaurant.com/Aquila.htm Thanks again.

Help. I am trying to plan a birthday dinner for my wife. I would like to take a small group of her friends out for dinner. I've narrowed my restaurants to the following BYOB's. Would you recommend any others?? What do you think of the ones I have listed? I know Scalini has a prix fix for about ็. I would love to stay under 1K. I'm think 10-12 people?? IL MONDO VECCHIO 72 Main Street Madison, NJ (973-301-0024). AQUILA CUCINA 30 South Street New Providence, NJ (908-464-8383) TWENTYEIGHT 28 Church Street Montclair, NJ (973-744-9263) SCALINI FEDELI 63 Main Street Chatham, New Jersey Any help would be appreciated.