Montclair - OVERRATED

[tommy]

shill.

[toddevan]

Saigon Repubic yes better

[RockADS21]

I for one will vote for Nutley...or was this not a poll of towns???????

[tommy]

I for one will vote for Nutley...or was this not a poll of towns???????

no no, we're *bashing* towns. tell us what you HATE.

[201]

I for one will vote for Nutley...or was this not a poll of towns???????

No, I thought it was a "hurl the biggest stone you can find" sort of thread. I for one have been utterly convinced and will never again make the horrid mistake of stepping into Montclair/Bloomfield/Nutley and eating at a restaurant I enjoy.

Now where is it that I'm going from now on? I got confused. I mean, Little Saigon's pho is awesome. They have avocado shakes, soy milk, and da chanh to drink. Their goi ga is the perfect addition to a light lunch on a summer day. They have the cutest little sup bo vien and such for when you only want a taste of that delicious broth. Saigon Republic has great lemongrass chicken and pork chops and... wait, I couldn't possibly frequent BOTH of these restaurants, could I? Apologies, I'm clearly insane.

[RockADS21]

no no, we're *bashing* towns. tell us what you HATE. 

OK...Westfield - I can never park!!!

Edited May 15, 2003 by RockADS21 (log)

[njfoodie]

I definitley agree that Little Saigon is a great restaurant. No need to go to Englewood.

[Rachel Perlow]

Which says to me that you live closer to Nutley than to Englewood.

I could just as easily say that Saigon Republic is a great restaurant, no need to go to Nutley. But, of course, sometimes I may just want to go to Nutley. Oh my, I guess I'm with 201 on this one. It is actually possible to patronize two different places.

[toddevan]

-Nutley or Englewood?

-Bergen or Essex?

location, location, location

[jhlurie]

I used to frequent Thai Chef frequently when it was small. Now with expansion and slow service and food not as good.

Okay, I ate at Thai Chef (the Montclair location) yesterday. It's not bad. It''s what I think these days of as "fancy Thai"--less food, prettier arrangements.

The service bit, but to be fair we were in a back corner.

I was at a table of wimps so I couldn't even get curry, since everyone wanted to share (tough to do with small portions anyway). My sole foray into spicy was my personal portion of Tom Ka Gai soup, which wasn't nearly as spicy as I'd asked for, but otherwise was a truly excellent specimen. The Chicken Curry Puffs were reasonably good, but pale in comparison to the ones at Bangkok Garden in Hackensack (one of the few items they beat Wondees at... mainly because Wondee doesn't make them). The Steamed Thai Ravioli, which is fancy restaurant talk for shrimp and crab meat "dumplings", were reasonable but not exceptional.

Entrees included:

-Charcoal Grilled Beef, which is Beef marinated with herbs. garlic, chili [but not nearly enough in my opinion--really almost none], green pepper, corn and cilantro. Overall, it was quite good, but the portion was miniscule. Its marked as "hot and spicy" (the first of two "heat" ratings) on the menu, but they really must be kidding.

-Grilled Red Snapper--julienne apple, shallot, fish sauce, lime juice, chili [again... huh? Not enough to actually taste] and cilantro. I'm not a huge fish eater, but it was reasonably tasty. Nothing to write home about, but solid.

-Pad Thai. Of which I got none. Its a long story, involving several small and very hungry people (and a few not so small), but I was assured it was among the best these people had ever had. I know, from my end of the table, it looked quite nice.

-A Duck Special, which I don't have the information on (its not on the take-out menu), but which was basically kind of a stewed skinless boneless duck thing on a platter, which some fruity sweet chutney-like sauce. I wasn't specifically taking notes to report on this meal, but what I need to say about the dish doesn't really require them. It was dreadful. Just horrible. The duck was tough--like shoe leather. One of my dining companions said they thought it was more of a French preparation, but I'm not sure if that was sarcasm.

The highlight of the evening was the dessert. The meal was topped off by Chocolate Grand Marnier Souffles--seconds out of the oven--which I have to admit were among the best souffles I've ever had. At $6 a pop (they are personal sized), its not a bad deal, especially since it came with a pretty healthy dollop of cream on the side and chocolate sauce.

Several of the party had Thai Iced Teas, and rated them as "pretty good". Since other than the wimpyness with spice this was a Thai-wise crowd, I believe them. They also apparently have Thai Iced Coffee.

Recommendation?: Not worth dragging down to Montclair--especially with the like of Wondees in my area--but reasonable if you can put up with stingy portions (admittedly the place isn't that expensive--Entrees are $10-$16, Apps are $5-$7--so its got that going for it as well). But it might be worth stopping by for dessert, if you've got other business (or food to eat) in Montclair.

[Rosie]

Anyone know why that abandoned department store remains on an othewise pretty street in its dilapidated state-- what an EYESORE, especially when you are sitting outside at South Park Grill!!

It has been abandoned and laying fallow for at least 15 years!!

Plans have been approved by the township to do something with the old Hahnes building. I think they are going to put in restaurants/shopping with apts over the stores.

[Rachel Perlow]

There's a Thai Chef under construction in Englewood. With the dessert you described, at least I now have a reason to check it out.

[menton1]

Anyone know why that abandoned department store remains on an othewise pretty street in its dilapidated state-- what an EYESORE, especially when you are sitting outside at South Park Grill!!

It has been abandoned and laying fallow for at least 15 years!!

Plans have been approved by the township to do something with the old Hahnes building. I think they are going to put in restaurants/shopping with apts over the stores.

That's very good news, Rosie!! What the heck took them so long? The city fathers should be ashamed. They could have at least razed the building 15 years ago and made a temporary parking lot!!

[tommy]

There's a Thai Chef under construction in Englewood. With the dessert you described, at least I now have a reason to check it out.

that's good news. i remember their BBQ pork being exceptional. but, as i've complained on these boards before, i stopped going because it became such a madhouse. it was so so wonderful before the expansion and before anyone knew about it.