JohnnyH

Bruni's style has really reached its nadir with this one. The opening paragraph was enough to make me want to stop reading.

Ordered take-out from Sesame last night -- it was excellent. We stuck to our standards, and were very happy. General Tsao's chicken (I know, I know, it's not authentic, it's "candied" Chinese --whatever, it's a guilty pleasure) was made with large, recognizable pieces of leg meat. Batter was not the primary ingredient; a happy surprise. Beef & broccoli used larger, more tender pieces of meat than I'm used too. Dumplings were not overly doughy and the sauce was excellent. I plan on trying the other places recommended up-thread, but this place was a home run. *edited for typo.

Well, for the first time ever, the marshmallows just didn't turn out. They had the consistency of soft taffy - weird. And the chocolate didn't seem liquid enough while dipping them. It was pretty much a mess. Maybe I'm having some bad candy karma today. ← They look pretty damn good from here.

Beautiful -- thanks to all for the help...

So we've finally left Morristown for Bloomfield, and now I need to find a good place for Chinese. Any thoughts?

Has anyone tried the one from All-Clad?

... Are Durkee Onions dangerous enough to be classified as a WMD? Definitely. But taste awful? No. ← WMD? Careful, or someone will accuse you of getting political...

I haven't found this thread the least bit political. If it had become so, I'm sure Jason would have been as good as his word and deleted the offending posts.

Yup. Went there once two years ago on Valentine's Day. Not bad if you're into that kind of thing, but it was very standard "cruise line" French, if that makes any sense. Firmly planted circa 1958, the food seemed well cooked but not the least bit innovative.

I actually saw a feature piece on the white house cook (notice I didn't write chef) not too long ago. Though he learned his trade in the military -- I believe in the Navy -- he was quite proud of the fact that he really doesn't have much professional training. The military can, and has, turned out top-notch chefs; this guy ain't one of 'em and he's happy to boast about it.

I'm pretty sure W orders off the kiddy menu. Mac n' cheese, grilled cheese with the crusts cut off, that kind of thing. Also, none of his food can touch anything else on the plate.

Gotta tell you, it ain't much of a scene. I'll be very happy if Ora is as good as the review you mentioned indicates. I've lived here for two years and have pretty much found Morristown to be a culinary wasteland. Exceptions are Origin Thai and Sushi Lounge (better than anything else at all nearby). I haven't been to Copeland. I won't name names -- though I'd be more than happy to if asked -- but there are an awful lot of places out here that are crowded almost in spite of themselves. I can't for the life of me figure out how they manage to stay in business with the absolute minimal effort they seem to put into the food coming out of their kitchens.

Some of the tree services do sell the wood they cut as well. Trick is, though, that it's got to be "seasoned" -- aged for about a year -- before it will burn clean. It's definitely another avenue I'm pursuing, but I thought it'd be easier than it turns out to be to find a source of seasoned hardwood.

Great idea Eric, and thanks for the reference. I'll let you know how things turn out. Jon

Thanks for the response. I actually already tried them, to no avail. Most of the equipment they sell works with wood pellets, so that's most of what they keep in stock. They've also got some chips, but I'm looking for actual logs -- I'd like to buy the better part of a cord. Believe it or not, they didn't even have anyone they could recommend to me -- the salesperson I spoke to acted as though he thought I was from Mars.

I just finished building a barbecue pit out of two 55-gal drums and a stove conversion kit. Now all I need is the wood to burn. All I can find locally is mixed hardwood; does anyone know of a good source for hickory, oak or maple? I'm in Morristown; hopefully I can find something relatively close. Thanks for the help.

I was at the Yacht Club on business in May, and was fortunate enough to have one night of the three on my own to do what I wanted. Sat in front of the open kitchen at BlueZoo, and don't regret it for a second. Had a grilled scallop appetizer followed by a whole striped bass that was special that night. Loved it, and wished I could have gone back.

Agreed -- I've never quite gotten the hype either. Good, but nothing exceptional, especially for the price. If they'll honor your GC at either Blue Ribbon proper or Blue Ribbon Bakery I'd consider going to either one instead.

Just tried it for the first time, and I think the jury's still out for me. It's definitely different -- and good -- but after drinking regular old diet coke for so long I'm apparently addicted to its flavor profile. Zero definitely has less "bite," which is in retrospect something that I rather like about the regular stuff.

Whatever -- that corn alone is worth the price of admission. The lines outside, though, can be a little aggravating...

I hope so -- that place was awful.

Just my opinion, of course, but I don't think it's even close.

Pits removed.

Fifi, I am impressed by a lot more than your cooking skills here...a 600 lb tuna?? Sounds like 'jaws' to me. ← Strange as it may sound that is still a small tuna. ← And one worth a hell of a lot of money.

Done and done. I am there like a bear in a chair.