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)...

Pan-roasted corn Corn (Fresh of the raw cob is nice, but I usually use frozen organic supersweet corn from Wholefoods) Spanish sweet smoked paprika Cumin (less than the paprika) Dried Ground Chipotle (less than the cumin) Salt Cook it all over a hardwood charcoal fire in some butter, olive oil, or a combination. It's best when some of the corn starts to carmelize a bit. That's it. Simple, but good. Keywords: Side, Vegetarian, Easy, Vegetables ( RG615 )

I don't know if we want to consolidate recipes from the BBQ somewhere (and it's debatable whether to what degree this is a recipe), but here goes for Jonathan Sibley's pan-roasted corn: Corn (Fresh of the raw cob is nice, but I usually use frozen organic supersweet corn from Wholefoods) Spanish sweet smoked paprika Cumin (less than the paprika) Chipotle (less than the cumin) Salt Cook it all over a hardwood charcoal fire in some butter, olive oil, or a combination. It's best when some of the corn starts to carmelize a bit. That's it. Simple, but good.

I chose to use mustard in my example because I thought there was less chance of someone Chinese using that (or asking for the fried noodles at the start of the meal, now that I think of it). I've also seen young Chinese use forks instead of chopsticks. I've also met French people who didn't appreciate good food (imagine!). Nonetheless, there are subtle signs (and not so subtle signs) that we all give in restaurants that can lead the staff to assume that we will know the difference between what they consider to be good food or that we won't. And, I don't claim that I've always given off the signs that I thought I was. "Food for thought" for cultural anthropologists....

I had a couple of general thoughts after reading about the recent experience at Hunan Cottage. First, the Chinese food that many Americans have grown up with is often quite different than Chinese food that Chinese people eat. Obviously, there are a lot of regional variations, but I don't think that any authentic regional food replicates many of the more standard Chinese-American dishes. As the Chinese emmigrated around the world, they adapted their food to local tastes, so Chinese food cooked for Germans in Germany, or Brazilians in Brazil, is likely to be different from authentic Chinese food and from American Chinese food. So, there is no guarantee that Americans who are unfamiliar with more authentic Chinese food will actually like it, or it may be an acquired taste. I've seen folks send back food that Chinese people would have been quite happy with (I believe) because, for example, it was "too oily". It would be nice if more Chinese restaurants were interested in customer "education" (read the menu at Grand Sichuan in NYC, for example), but that isn't usually the case. So, instead, non-Asian customers may be written off until we "earn our stripes". Along those lines, although many Chinese restaurants catering to non-Asian customers automatically bring soy sauce and mustard, I wonder if asking for them starts to put one into the "undiscerning" category in the restaurant's eyes. I could be wrong, but I suspect that putting mustard (even "Chinese" mustard) on Chinese food is somewhat like putting ketchup on French food. I don't think I've ever seen mustard on a Chinese family's table, for example. Similarly, I've wondered if asking for the less authentic Chinese dishes on a menu (granted, one would have to know which are which) also puts one into the non-aficianado category. I hope none of this sounds condescending. I'm just trying to help explain some of the reasons people might go to the same restaurant and walk away with very different experiences.

The photos in the window look like Ethiopian food (the flat bread called Injeera, I believe). So, we'll have to see if there is a difference between Abyssinian and Ethiopian cuisines in this case.

I'd like to attend. I'm not sure what food I'll bring yet, though. How many people are we figuring each contribution should serve? Jonathan Sibley (1)

This is the "let's indulge Tommy" thread, right? Whole Foods in Montclair usually has the d'Artagnan confit. Also, I thought the whole point of confit is that it is a way to store meats for a long time (well, not the whole point, as it does taste good, as Tommy has pointed out). Shouldn't you be able to buy a bunch and just keep it in your refrigerator? Or does the American confit have a short shelf-life?

I believe that the way you make Cecina is that you cut beef thinly, salt it, and put it out in the sun for a while, making it salty and a bit funky, by design. That's the way I remember it.

I have a couple of additional thoughts. First, one association I don't have when thinking about Indian restaurants is fun drinking (as in alcohol). I think that one thing that gets people into Mexican and Southwestern restaurants is the fairly sure knowledge that there will be Margaritas of some type - not all people, of course, but some percentage of casual diners looking for a fun meal. Latin restaurants, to some degree, have done a decent job marketing mojitos and caipirinhas, and it's likely than one will find new cocktails at Nuevo Latino restaurants. This might be an issue for a new Indian restaurant. I don't know if one would have to create an entiirely new cocktail spectrum with Indian elements (Mango, Coconut, etc.?), and how one would make them feel Indian, or at least not appropriated from some other culture, such as Latin America. In any case, I think that exciting, Indian-accented cocktails could help (almost certainly, with initial PR). The bar at a Rosa Mexicano certainly seems to be more "hopping" than the bars at most Indian restaurants. Second, a room where one could comfortably have a nice cocktail with some Indian snacks or light dishes (I think that most American diners still don't know dishes like bhel poori) might bring more, younger (or older) people in on a regular basis. Now that I think of it, have I just described the downstairs restaurant at Tabla? Maybe the key would be to think in terms of a room that is an Indian "tapas bar" and where the food is still somewhat reasonably priced?

As someone mentioned above, I would love to see a Keralan restaurant in New York. I believe that Coconut Grove had some Keralan dishes, but over time, the restaurant seemed to become more mainstream. I believe that NYC diners really need to be educated about a new cuisine, and it takes a special talent, and committment (not to mention really good PR) to do this. I've eaten several times at Rasa and Rasa Samudra in London, where I've had really interesting, tasty Keralan dishes. The owner has also published at least two cookbooks. A fixed price meal there provides a large sampling of different flavors. There are a number of different directions a new Indian restaurant could go, needless to say. Do we want an Indian "Rosa Mexicano" (the Upper West Side version)? That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, in my opinion. Or do we already have that with Tamarind? Or is it enough to have a comfortable, delicious cross-over restaurant, along the lines of Salaam Bombay or Bay Leaf Brasserie (in its heyday), but introducing a new regional cuisine. One way to look at it, and variations of this have already been mentioned, is to start with the target group of diners and price point, and think about what sort of place will attract them in the first months, and whether it will still attract them in 2 years (if that is the goal). Great topic, in any case.