dumpling

Checked out Silver Oak yesterday for lunch. Thanks White Truffle Chick for the tip. There was no one there when we got there about 12:30. In the time we were there only two other parties arrived. Apparently lunch is not as busy as it dinner may be. They served us(myself and Alanz) some nice Italian bread with herbed olive oil. We tried three appetizers and one soup between us. WTC had it right on the mark- 3 appetizers and a soup meant we had a fair amount of food; we did not leave hungry. The soup, a creamy potato with corn and bits of spinach, was excellent and enough for both of us to have a reasonable amount. The first appetizer, "Rags and Fungus" was a lovely dish- wide homemade noodles(wider than most pappardelle), cooked al dente, with big pieces of wild mushrooms, all in a subtly bitter white truffle sauce. The next item was "Crabby Chicken", a melange of different taste sensations. There was a lump crab cake with a pumpkin seed crust served atop some green apple slaw that tasted something like a kim chi. On either side of the crab cake was a piece of smoked chicken boudin sausage. The crab cake by itself would not have been out of the ordinary but combining it with the slaw and sausage made it a more interesting dish. I liked the slaw more than the other parts;it was spicy but not overwhelming. Our last appetizer was the crawfish etoufee. Served over spinach rather than rice, the etoufee was vibrant and quite filling. Very nice. We probably could have done with the soup and two appetizers. Each appetizer was really an appreciable amount of food for an appetizer. They have a prix fixe $10 lunch that we did not get because the description of the appetizers seduced us. Good place.

Alanand I checked out Stickey's for the first time today for lunch with another friend. Fink was in the kitchen and gave us the rundown. He will be there for lunchtimes. Between the three of us we had the Pulled Pork Pork Ribs Beef Rib Baked beans Coleslaw Mashed Potatoes and Gravy and our sauces were Honey Garlic Raspberry the regular BBQ sauce We were completely unimpressed with the pulled pork which was quite dry. Alan's and Fink's are just lightyears better. The pork ribs were good not particularly thick, not particularly outstanding. Perhaps a tad oversauced but I like them drier so my own personal preference. The beef rib recommended by Fink was the best thing there; a gigantic slab of beef. He got us an extra big end cut. Quite juicy and tasty. Worth the trip and that's why you should go here. The mashed potatoes were also quite nice. Tried a taste of the mac and cheese -seemed vinegary and didn't thrill me. Honey Garlic sauce was interesting, festooned with a ton of garlic. Regular BBQ sauce was also nice. Both were perhaps too sweet. Raspberry sauce did not grab me at all; take a pass on that. On the whole, their stuff seems to me to be excessively sugary but of the stuff that we tried, the beef ribs and potatoes might tempt us back. And Fink and trying some of his stuff....

Looks like we were all there on Saturday!

I tend toward the steamed things at Silver Pond too. I think that when I went duirng the week at DSD that some of the stuff was actually better than the weekend because it was made to order. When I went recently on the weekend, the cha siu bao and a couple of the steamed things were still good, but not quite as transcendent as during the week. That said of course there isn't the selection during the week that you can get on the weekend.

Jason wasn't able to access your pm.

Hey Jason Sorry again that we couldn't sit with you guys. Scott was home from school and that was kind of our private time together. We have a tradition of just having some private time when he gets in and the rest of his family doesn't even come. That way he gets to talk about his parents if he wants too I guess I'm kind of like the favorite aunt. Anyway thanks for sharing-that triangle thing and the galbi like ribs were nice.

Hey, we didn't forget-we noted you in the earlier post. Yes, Picnic is a cool place with nice stuff to go. Good chef. Alanz and I have been in there frequently.

← I agree. Pimaan is good. It gets a bad rap from a couple of people because I think that they thought there were other places in Hackensack that they liked better. It has a good lunch special, friendly people and is a nice place.

You mean A Taste Of Greece. It's Greek To Me is in Englewood, Maywood and Cliffside Park. ← Actually she's right...She was referring to the "It's Greek to Me" in Westwood(near the Melting Pot), not Taste of Greece in River Edge next to Midland Ave. But good point to bring that up since that's a nice choice for lunch too.

Now it's Kumo? or something like that I used to love Panda Forest but it's been a different name & management for about 5 years or more - but I may be wrong? Sounds like you and I love all the same places - LOL! But you're probably 1/3 my size so you can eat one of each and be fine at the end of the day! ←

Address for Lodos, the Turkish place: http://local.yahoo.com/details?id=28323789&state=NJ Rainbow is in the same strip mall as the Asian market in River Edge.

My neck of the woods too. I must be right near you White truffle chick, I'm in Oradell too. In addition to what WTC said, although not on KKKRd, I would recommend Lodos Cafe in New Milford(across from Wine and Roses). Great lunch, $7.95 for a goodly amount of lovely Turkish food.

Glad to see that Jason and Rachel have made it here too. Although this restaurant does not have the carts during the week, they still have a reasonable selection of dim sum. I agree, the char siu bao are perhaps the best I have ever had too. I note that Jason had the baked. I had the mini steamed ones. Just wonderful. They also had chrysanthenum tea, an uncommon occurence among Chinese restaurants not in NY. This may have been the tea with the floating flowers upon which Jason commented. Alan and I had that when I was last there. While it was not served with the sugar in it as it is often served in NY, it was nonetheless nice to try since I haven't had it in a restaurant in quite some time. Most people would like it with the sugar in it, but it is fine for me served plain this way too. Tommy, you're missing out if you're not trying some of the other things.

I've eaten in and had take out from there. I've had their lobster with ginger and scallion, manchurian rack of lamb, their Cantonese chow mein as well as a variety of dim sum on prior occasions. I went there today for lunch and had a dish off their lunch menu - Seafood in XO sauce, as well as a variety of dim sum. The verdict? Interesting place. Dishes you wouldn't find elsewhere, interesting high end items. But a mix of things, not just high end. But certainly different menu. The lamb was excellent as was the lobster. They forgot the spinach that was to go with the lamb and the lobster dish was a little small. But both dishes make me think of them fondly anyway. The Cantonese chow mein was also very nice. If they were uneven in things at that time, I think they have worked it out based upon my visit today. Service was attentive and flawless. Their hot and sour soup with the lunch menu was good(and not just "brown"). Seafood with XO sauce cme with big pieces of seafood-shrimp, scallop and squid, and a very nice XO sauce. Of the dim sum, they are all solid, though some not as good in my mind as Silver Pond in Fort Lee. Lovely cha siu bao-mini roast pork buns, great ratio of filling to bread and light wonderful dough, better than the cha siu bao at SP. Siu mai and shark's fin dumpling not quite as good. Not bad, just different, and I prefer the SP mix of ingredients on the siu mai and shark's fin dumpling. Nice crabmeat money bag dumplings. Crispy, crunchy quite tasty when topped off with a little dipping sauce. My feel is that the dim sum is solid but strangely, given the name of the restaurant, I think it is the dinner menu that may have more to plumb, rather than the dim sum menu. Not that that was bad. All in all, a place well worth exploring. (Don't be afraid, Jasper, go in).

AlanZ and I went there yesterday for lunch. Had the wonton soup, honey walnut pressed eel, the salt and pepper calamari, and the chilled coconut lemongrass soup. The broth of the soup was good though not especially outstanding(clearly homemade and a bit concentrated). The soup had udon noodles and bits of vegetables including cabbage and strips of carrot. The best thing about the soup was the wonton. The skin was good. The stuffing was pork, shrimp, mushroom and I believe hot mustard. Lot o things going on in it. Quite a nice little dumpling. $7.00 for the soup? Perhaps a tad expensive for soup and four wontons. Alan liked the eel a lot, I thought the sauce on it a bit much in the sense that the flavors were not subtle and overwhelming for the eel. And perhaps too many walnuts, that also overwhelmed the eel. But still, all in all, a fun, nicely presented dish. We both were very pleased with the salt and pepper calamari. Served in a takeout container(very cute), with a mayonnaise based tartar-like sauce that was quite tasty, the calamari was crispy and quite flavorful. Interspersed with little bits of Thai bird chilies and a little kick in the coating on the calamari, it had a very nice subtle yet present kick to the dish. Again nice complexity of things going on in the dish. For dessert we shared the chilled coconut lemongrass soup that has been so highly recommended. And continuing in the theme, many things going on in this bowl of soup, again lovely presentation. There was the coconut liquid and the lemongrass scenting it all, but also little chunks of pineapple, swirls of basil oil, a mint leaf and a spoon of mango sherbert in the middle. All the flavors combined together to make a lovely light refreshing whole. Nice meal, obviously well thought out and put together dishes, creative menu that invites exploration- we will be back.

Went back to Lodos yesterday. Not as busy as on Sunday. Interestingly, for a two month old restaurant, the other people all seemed to be repeat customers, and all quite happy with their dishes as I caught the general comments around the room. I was with a friend. We ordered one appetizer and two entrees. Entrees are big here and things are served family style. So bring your stomach. The appetizer, lebni, was thickened yogurt with mint, parsley and walnuts. Again nice pairing with the bread, which itself was crispier and better than on my prior visit. Our entrees were 1)Lahana Dolma, cabbage stuffed with lamb and rice served in a tomato, mint and yogurt sauce with a little kick, and 2)Istim Kebab, lamb kebab draped with strips of eggplant and coated in a little brown sauce. Again quite satisfying, the tenderness of the lamb kebab was wonderful and the taste just lingered in your mouth. For dessert, we had the kadayif-the shredded wheat, honey and walnuts. When I told my friend she really should have tried the baklava, the waitress overheard us and brought out some baklava on the house so my friend could try it. Again lovely with Turkish coffee although the baklava and the kadayif together probably are not generally good to order together because the sweetness quotient is a little much.

Well we had a boatload of leftovers to use, so I contemplated the question. For five people. Hmm... 1. There was the salmon with some Indian spices my brother had overcooked the day before. 2. The chicken pieces in wine and broth with mushrooms, shallots, saffron and turmeric(with only two pieces left) that I made from the day before that. 3. Some leftover Chinese vegetables from takeout from Sunday(with some pretty tasty white sauce on them-pea pods, cabbage, baby corn, etc.). 4. Some leftover "Create-A-Meal" vegetables -sliced crinkle cut carrots, snap peas, and a few roasted potatoes that had a little herb sauce on it. 5. And a whole lot o' leftover brown rice going on. So I thought, "How can I save the salmon and make it juicy again(or at least not horrid)?" Then the thought came: a stew-Festival O' Leftovers Stew. I chopped up the salmon pieces, threw them in a pot with chicken broth and water, 2, 3, and 4 with a bit of cayenne pepper. I fried up some of the brown rice with onions, scallions, a little bit of the stew juice and sesame oil. Served the stew over the rice in bowls. What a picturesque and tasty dish it turned out to be and you would have sworn that I spent all day preparing it. Also served Thai vegetable dumplings.

Lodos 690 River Road New Milford, NJ (201) 265-0004 fax (201) 265-5090 Hours: 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. Brunch on Sundays Free delivery available Open 7 days a week As I said, they are BYO. They also have an excellent Lunch Special-$6.95 for Soup or salad, one cold appetizer, one main course and one dessert.

This new Turkish/Mediterranean restaurant on River Road in New Milford(next to where the Henley's used to be) is something different and exciting in something of a morass of sameness. I was there last night with alanZ, his wife Lauren and another neighbor. I think this was alanZ's third trip there this week and our first. The first thing in evidence for a relatively new restaurant(two months) is seamless seemingly effortless service. The manager immediately recognized alanZ. Our water glasses were promptly attended to throughout the meal. We were given good guidance as to what to order and the manager inquired as to our satisfaction. The menu while having some things which were relatively familiar(musaka, humus) also had some unique items such as sigara boreka(sort of like a spring roll with cheese). We ordered the humus, the baba gannus and the sigara boreka as appetizers. Then the musaka, the iskender(sliced lamb and beef over garlic bread and yogurt) and a special of the day, the dorato(phonetic). I'm still not sure what fish it was but Lauren thought it tasted like a porgy. The humus had a nice pleasant taste. The baba gannus was outstanding and just woke up the taste buds. Very nice with the bread served and we went through the bread fast because we were so enamored of the baba gannus. The boreka was wonderful crispy and hot, with what we thought may have been feta cheese in it. The iskender and the dorato were good. Lauren really liked the fish which had a fine delicate taste. The winner of the night, the thing we all waxed rhapsodically about, was suprisingly, the musaka. As the spelling differed from the Greek moussaka, so did the taste. I have always found moussaka good but quite heavy. This musaka was incredibly light and had a mix of spices and tomatoes that was quite transcendant. It seemed basically a ground meat and tomato dish but truly pleased our jaded little palates. It is now only a weekend special but we suggested to the manager that he add it to their regular menu. We asked the manager just to give us what dessert he wanted, along with some Turkish coffee. He brought out a plate of baklava and coffee custard topped with cream and almonds. When I took a bite out of the baklava, I was for the third time that evening so pleasantly suprised. It was lovely, the best baklava by far that I have had, although I have not had a lot. The milk custard was also quite nice, as was the coffee. A great ending to a satisfying meal. Addditionally, the manager brought out, on the house, a nice arrangement of fruit which was decorated with some carved rind. The only flaw in the seamless service, if flaw it was, was they were in no rush to bring us a check so we sat for a while which was no hardship since we were not in a rush. The prices are quite reasonable. It's BYO and there is a Wine and Roses across the street. Starting August 6, they will be having entertainment on Friday nights including belly dancing and zither music. Do not go to this restaurant. I want to get a seat. Regards, Dumpling

I should add they were very thin filets so they cooked fast. Last night Thai Vegetable Dumplings Seared Coconut Scallops Curried Biryani with peas, raisins, peppers and onions Curried Chickpeas Crazy Coconut Pie(out of Kotylo's book). Nice, warm and comforting.

"Strangled Priest" -a type of pasta

There used to be a place in a strip mall out in Princeton that had really lovely dim sum and a bit of a creative chef. Think it's gone now; does anyone know? Sigh!

Dumpling, what is Punjabi Flounder? It's a recipe out of "The Everything Thai Cookbook" by Kotylo. Pretty nice, interesting recipes. You briefly pan fry the fish on each side after sprinkling with salt, pepper and patting on some turmeric. Then take off and saute one chopped onion in the same pan. Process the onion in food processor into a paste with garlic, ginger, one seeded Thai chili, almond slivers, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, ground cloves. Heat spice mixture in same pan. Add saffron with a little boiling water to the mix in the pan. Stir in half a cup of yogurt. Let sauce cook for a few minutes and then add the fish back to coat. The fish worked really well but any firm fish including shrimp and scallops probably would be great.

Chive Pancake and Scallion pancake Punjabi Flounder (This thing is tasty!) Chinese Jung-pork, mushroom and dried shrimp sticky rice in banana leaf. Sauteed Shanghai Bok Choy

Tonight, Honey Panko Crusted Tofu fried to a crispy brown served over wilted spinach and sesame seeds, and Bhutanese red rice. Dizzled with a light soy ginger orange sauce. Accompanied by Sweet and Sour Yellow and Green Summer Squash(made with a sauce of red wine vinegar, sugar, cranberries and pine nuts) Fruit Salad with a Honey Lime Dressing(Epicurious) Have Chocolate Panna Cotta chilling up in the bull pen for tomorrow. This past week: Turkey Soong served in lettuce cup Fried Banana with walnut and coconut over French Chocolate ice cream