nando

Having grown up in Newark, I think I've probably eaten in almost all the Iberean spots in the area, which consequently led to my growing interest in Thai food. My favorites however have been : Casa Vasca for excellent spanish cuisine, or if you want to try something more Portuguese go for Tony da Caneca's. I think they have a website ( tonydacaneca.com ) You won't find any truly authentic cuisine in the area BUT any place you go you can be assured of two things: You will go home full AND no one will want to kiss you after all that garlic gets in your system.

My wife and I found ourselves on Morris Avenue at about 7PM yesterday and decided to head to Thai Elephant Bistro in Millburn/Short Hills for dinner. Our first surprise of the evening was that the restaurant was no longer Thai Elephant Bistro but had some other "thai" name that I can't recall right now. Once inside we found out that it was the new restaurants grand opening. The place did look brighter and airier than before but other than the asthetics not much had changed. The table cloths, serviceware and glasses seemed to be the same as before. The food was the same reliable, if not a bit expensive, thai cuisine that we'd enjoyed before. We liked the Pad Thai and Ginger Chicken Saute and loved their Tom Kha coconut soup. After speaking with the staff I couldn't really say if they had really changed owners or were just trying to reinvent themselves. The other surprise appeared on the menu in small type at the bottom. They were charging $2 for a service fee on BYO wines. I know corkage fees are common throughout the country but I'd never seen that at a NJ BYOB. Has anyone else seen this "fee" used anywhere in the NJ BYO realm?