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Westfield/Cranford/Kenilworth Help!

Randi

By Randi
in New Jersey: Dining

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Randi

Randi

Posted
Posted

I know it's kind of last minute, but I am hoping I can get some recommendations for a nice place to go for dinner TONIGHT. My boss is taking us out, but wants us to choose the place. I work in Cranford, so someplace nearby would be best.

Has to be open on Mondays, obviously. Also, she wants a place with a bar - no BYO. Can anyone help?

I called Chez Catherine but - not open on Monday. Was it Rendez Vous that was supposed to be good in Kenilworth? I can't take the time to review posts looking for past raves (as I am at work now) so I am hoping I can check back in a couple of hours and find some recommendations.

Thanks sooooooo much! :rolleyes:

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best --" and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called. - A.A. Milne

Rosie

Rosie

Posted
Posted

These are open on Mon. and have full bars. Le Rendezvous is BYO.

Basking Ridge Tre Vigne

Bernardsville Bernards Inn

Hoboken Amanda's

Hoboken La Tartuferia

Il Whippany Capriccio

Livingston Nero's

New Brunswick Frog & the Peach

New Brunswick Panico's

Randolph An American Grill

Scotch Plains Stage House Inn

Short Hills Hilton Dining Room

Summit Fiorino's

West Orange Highlawn Pavillion

Rosalie Saferstein, aka "Rosie"

TABLE HOPPING WITH ROSIE

Randi

Randi

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Menton - thanks. Unfortunately they are a BYO and my boss specified "no BYO". Also, got mixed reviews here :sad:

Someone here at the office recommended Ristorante da Benito in Union which had a terrific review by David Corcoran in the NY Times (he gave it an "Excellent") but Rosie didn't seem too impressed when she went.

Corcoran's review - http://www.dabenito.com/reviews.html

Rosie's - http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...25010&hl=benito

Anyone else been there and can give an opinion?

Thanks!

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best --" and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called. - A.A. Milne

sgschef

sgschef

Posted
Posted

Jeffrey's in Westfield is lovely-don't know if they are open on Mondays.

Cathay 22 is a terrific Chinese restaurant on 22 in Springfield/Union.

There is a Grill restuarant-don't know the exact name on the Boulevard in Kenilworth-great Italian and grilled seafood.

We have had excellent meals at Ferraros in Westfield.

Unfortunately the really great restaurants in this area are BYO.

Randi

Randi

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Actually - after reading Rosie's post I though Stage House was a great idea!

But my boss has been to Ristorante da Benito - and loves it - and since she's treating, it seemed best to go some place we know she'd like. But...she did say we can go to the Stage House next month! Hmmm...I like how she thinks! (we never go out to eat, maybe we are starting a new work tradition!)

So...looks like it's Ristorante da Benito tonight. Thanks to everyone for your great (and quick!) responses!

Randi

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best --" and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called. - A.A. Milne

Randi

Randi

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

I want to start by thanking everyone who responded. I have some great ideas for the next outing! Now for my review of Benito's...

I must say, I agree with Rosie about this place.

We got there early, about 5:30, and we were the only ones in the restaurant for at least 45 minutes, if not longer. (By the time we left at 8:30, it had been crowded for at least an hour, and it was pretty noisy.) Remember it was a Monday night, and a holiday.

They led us to a table which had a loveseat against the wall (they wisely saw that my butt would not be comfortable in their chairs, which had arms). However I felt rather silly sitting in the loveseat, but not silly enough to ask to be seated elsewhere and brought an armless chair (which I saw at some of the tables).

The service was excellent. Very attentive and they made us feel like everything we ordered was an excellent choice (I am a sucker for that - I know, I know...it's silly!)

I am in total agreement with Rosie about the bread. It was uninspired. No one touched it but me, since I needed to see how it was! I love really good bread, and it wasn't worth wasting my appetite on. It was served with basil oil.

My boss is doing low-carbs so she had to order carefully. They did say they could happily customize any dish, that all we need to do is ask for what we want. She asked them to create something for her with the fava beans, goat cheese and diced tomato. They brought out a plate with a disk of eggplant, topped by a round of goat cheese and frisee. She assumed it was for another table (but no one else was there yet! :laugh: ) and sent it back. A moment later they brought out a bowl with fava beans and diced tomato and another waiter brought back other plate and explained that it was the goat cheese she wanted and they had kept the warm separate from the cool. (Unfortunately she doesn't eat eggplant and wouldn't have ordered it.)

My other boss got a salad. which was fine. I got seared sea scallops with orange and red beet salad which was very pretty. 3 large nicely seared scallops on the plate, lined up in a row, each with a mandarin (or other type of small) orange section on top. The finely diced beet salad made it pretty, and there was a bit of a subtle fruity sauce underneath. It tasted fresh, was done properly, it was good, but it didn't excite me.

My boss ordered a plate of fried zuccini strips to have along with our appetizers. They weren't on the menu. They were terrific. Lightly fried, crispy, delicious.

Main courses - my boss ordered a special (which yes, were recited without prices) - veal shoulder which she customized with root vegetables. She enjoyed it. I tasted it but didn't like it at all. I am not a fan of meat that's been stewed. (She also had an opinion about the specials being recited without prices - she prefers it that way since she feels people might tend to order based on price, rather than what they really want. And when she is taking people out, either socially or for business, she doesn't want them to even think about the price. She considers reciting the prices tacky. Personally, I want to know the prices!)

My other boss ordered one of the appetizers as a main course (they can do dinner portions). She is a vegetarian so her choices were somewhat limited and she chose the eggplant rollatini. I didn't taste hers, but she seemed satisfied with it.

I ordered the seared mignonette with carmelized onion potato cake and horseradish-chive gremolata. It was 2 small filets sitting on a potato cake and a bed of fresh spinach. The gremotala tasted simply like a bit of grated fresh horseradish. The meat looked a bit overdone. I had asked for medium rare, but when I cut into it only the very center was medium rare but the rest of it (most of it) was brown and dry. I sent it back. It did screw up the timing of our meal but we were there 3 hours, eating and talking, so in the long run, it didn't matter. They did bring it out right the second time.

The potato cake was boring, the spinach very plain. I was disappointed.

We had gotten a side of sauted broccoli rabe to share which was extremely bitter and fairly dry and not very garlicky. We saw some slivers of garlic, but the flavor was much too subtle for my taste. Each of us tasted it and took no more (no one said a word about it though).

For dessert my boss ordered a cheese plate, which was not on the menu but they made one up for her with what they had. It had sharp provolone, gorgonzola, goat cheese (which was delicious!) and fresh mozzarella.

My other boss got the ricotta cheesecake which she took one taste of and left it. She did rave about the scoop of sorbet on top (I don't know what flavor) and she said she'd wished she'd ordered just sorbet.

I got a dish which I can't remember the name of - it was called "warm & cool" (in Italian) raspberries and pineapple with a scoop of rosewater ice cream. It was very pretty, served in a ring of fresh pineapple shell, and the fruit was warm in a fruit sauce topped by the cool ice cream. It was fine. I ate about half.

They also sent out a plate of biscotti and some dessert wine for each of us.

All in all, it was ok, but certainly did not live up to David Corcoran's review. I think Rosie's was on the mark!

Randi

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best --" and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called. - A.A. Milne

Randi

Randi

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
When did David Corcoran review this restaurant?  They may have had a different chef.

February, 2002. The link to the review is in my post above. (It was posted on Benito's site.)

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best --" and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called. - A.A. Milne

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