jsibley

Are there any places in Palisades Park or Fort Lee with good Bulgogi and/or Kalbi and a private room for about 20 people? Any ideas? Thanks. Jonathan

I'm looking for a Middle-Eastern (e.g., Lebanese, Syrian, Armenian, Persian) caterer for a wedding of about 60 people. Does anyone have any positive or negative experiences to report? I'm considering Beyti Kebab or Rose's Place, but am open to other ideas as well.

I signed up, but realized I didn't RSVP. So, see everyone there! Jonathan

What restaurant did you go to for the rodizio, and how was it?

I'll add that although this is a more downscale / "up-and-coming" part of town, there appears to be easy parking on the street. I certainly hope they get enough business. It's quite a large space. Apparently, they opened without any fanfare 2 weeks ago.

Little Saigon has reopened in Montclair, at 19 Elm St. (973) 783-3914. It has taken the place of a Caribbean restaurant (Apples?) and is in quite a large space. I went last night and the food is still quite good. I had Cha gio (spring rolls), a sour soup with shrimp (quite yummy), chicken with lemongrass and various other ingredients, and Bo Luc Lac (sauteed cubes of beef). Everything was quite tasty. The only quibble is that I've had a better beef at some other Vietnamese restaurants, but the dish was still good. So, the wait is over! They are open again. (For those who haven't followed the story, the old restaurant was in Nutley and burned down about 2 years ago).

I've now been twice, and recommend the River Kwai for Thai food. It has a pretty extensive Thai menu, including things one doesn't always see in other restaurants (and which appear to be authentic Thai, such as Chinese sausage salad). I thought the flavors were quite good and have now tried Pad Prik King (spicy chicken or pork with green beans and kafir lime chili sauce), Moo Yang (grilled pork with a sweet chili sauce on the side), Nam Sod (like Larb, but with peanuts and pork), and Panang curry. And, if not in the mood for a Thai dessert, there's a branch of Applegate Farms ice cream a couple of doors down. In my opinion, and to my surprise and relief, this is not suburban, Americanized Thai food (at least the dishes I ordered).

I had a 1/2 chicken and 1/2 ribs the other day. Both were comparable to other Portuguese bbq (churrasqueira) places I've tried in Union and Elizabeth. The pork ribs are a bit chewy (they are just grilled, not smoked at all) but both chicken and pork were tasty, as was the rice. This is not comparable to authentic American BBQ, it's really grilled foods, marinated and or basted in a sauce that is a little tangy and has a little bit of hot sauce in it. I would think of it as ethnic fast food, and for that, it's probably worth a try (with the chicken, the surer bet).

I've liked John's Meat Market in Scotch Plains. It's a bit of a hike from Montclair, but worth it for good steaks from time to time. They have dry-aged prime beef, among other things. http://www.johnsmarket.com/index.html

I believe it is largely Hong Kong style. Also, is it possible that someone just assumed there are 2 kitchens because there are 2 menus? Of course, it's not unusual for Chinese restaurants to have 2 menus, one which is designed more for Chinese customers. By the way, they also have bubble tea (it has balls of tapioca in it).

Sorry about not posting about this place sooner. It is quite similar, in my opinion, to China Gourmet, but I've generally preferred the dim sum here. I haven't had other meals, but the menu, particularly the "for Chinese" menu looked quite good, authentic, and interesting - perhaps a bit more so than China Gourmet (which can also be quite good if one stays away from the more Americanized dishes, unless that's what one likes). So, worth a try in my opinion. By the way, it is also patronized by Chinese customers.

Sure 132 Ferry St, on the second floor. It's not fancy, but the meats are pretty good. Parking on the street around there is pretty difficult, of course. However, there's a new-ish parking garage over towards Casa Vasca, on the street parallel to Ferry. Btw, there's a list of churrascarias (and other Brazilian businesses) at: http://geocities.yahoo.com.br/braziliannews/newjerse Bom apetite

A lot of Brazilians like Brasilia, as do I. I prefer it to Mediterranean Manor (sorry, Jason and Rachel). There's also a Brasilia Grill, which has parking, but isn't quite as good, I thought. I also thought that Churrascaria Boi na Brasa 70 Adams St, (Mall dos Brasileiros) was pretty good. Of course, Churrascaria Plataforma in NYC is really good, but expensive (and not in NJ). Enjoy!

I like John's Meat Market in Scotch Plains for dry-aged, prime beef. I'm willing to drive there from Montclair when I want a good steak. They have a website: http://www.johnsmarket.com/

Rachel, I used powdered dried chipotle. I haven't tried the Chipotle in Adobo for this, but it could be interesting. I think it might be a little harder to avoid being quite spicy, but that's not necessarily a bad thing (depends on the audience)...