Aozora

[Hank]

We are on a roll. First we drove 45 minutes to have dinner at Fascino, loved it and have gone back since.

Last evening we met friends at Aozora (across the street from the now departed Blue Sky) and once again had a wonderful dinner. They do have an extensive Sushi and Sashimi menu and what we saw delivered to other tables looked quite beautiful in its presentation.

We opted to order from their fusion menu and quite a menu it was. Many choices of soups, salads, appetizers and entres. I started with a sashimi salad and my wife had the seared spicy tuna. Both were excellent and would gladly order again except for the many other interesting appetizers we are anxious to try. Our 1998 Zind Humbrecht Gewurtztraminier from his Hengst vineyard was a perfect match for both the slightly sweet salad dressing and the peppery crust of the tuna.

For our entres my wife had the jumbo grilled shrimp with risotto and grilled mushrooms and I ordered the seared scallops with wild mushrooms, Japanese risotto and a tomato coilis. Both dishes were perfectly cooked and again, something we would be happy to order again. Our friends ordered the breast of duck served with a berry sauce, spring rolls stuffed with the duck confit and sweet potatos mashed with just a touch of cinnimin. Again, a perfectly executed dish. A 96 Nuit St. George from Burgundy (can't remember the producer) was just okay. Would rather have had a 2nd Gewurtz.

Everything was, as only the Japanese can do so well, beautifully plated, and the service was very friendly and professional. Are we going back? Absolutely. It's a 45 minute schlep but well worth it.

[Rosie]

Hank--I'm thrilled that you have found a few restaurants to your liking in NJ!

We were at Aozora once and had a very different experience than you had. However, I am hearing good things about this restaurant.

Try Il Forno next. Very casual but great food.

[Hank]

Actually Rosie, it's more than a few. With the like of Bennies, Saigon Republic, Wild Ginger, Zarole, China 46, and now these two I'm saving a lot of $6.00 GW Bridge toll charges, BUT, for really extraordinary dinners (at a price, I admit) we still gladly and often go across the water.

Two questions. Where is Il Forno and what type of food do they serve and also what was your problem with Aozoro? At least 3 different friends from the Livingston area (all Chaine members and officers) whose palates and recommendations I have always trusted now go to Aozoro quite often. Also Fascino. Their complaints are that there is not a decent upscale restaurant in Livingston and I have heard this from quite a few people. Any comments?

[Rosie]

Info on Il Forno here http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...299&hl=il+forno

I also have a story on Table Hopping With Rosie this week.

http://www.njmonthly.com/rosie/rnews.html

I was at Azora once and had to send back the fish as it tasted bad and was inedible. No one liked the lobster bisque and we were generally unimpressed with the food. Having said that I have heard good things about this restaurant and it may have been a bad night.

[fascino]

I have been to Aozora for lunch several times and the sushi is always excellent.....authentic japanese dishes are great too....can't understand the servers but who needs to for lunch anyway....I go once every week or two for lunch....I need to try dinner there one of these days.....If only I could get out for dinner....

[Rosie]

I have been to Aozora for lunch several times and the sushi is always excellent.....authentic japanese dishes are great too....can't understand the servers but who needs to for lunch anyway....I go once every week or two for lunch....I need to try dinner there one of these days.....If only I could get out for dinner....

You could always order in!!

[scarlet knight]

Rosie, give Aozora another try. We've been there about five times and we are 5 for 5 with successful meals.

Also, Hank is right about Livingston. Il Ripasso is pretty good for Italian. Stretch's is good for casual or takeout. We like Sanyong, but based on the generally empty parking lot, we are in the minority. Other than that, it is a wasteland.

Caldwell, Montclair, Millburn and Madison have more good restaurants per block than Livingston. I don't know why.

[Rosie]

Will do. Il Repasso is good but if I am going out for Italian I'll go to Corso 98, Montclair, Stretches in Livingston or Il Forno in Montclair. Have you been to Lulu's? Was there once also and didn't care for the food. However, they received a great review in the paper.

[tommy]

well, i headed out to montclair to enjoy omakase last night. but i went to Aozara instead of Nouveau. i totally got confused and thought that there was but one new sushi place in montclair. our waitress set us straight.

since there was no proper omakase, we decided to order a bunch of dishes on our own and share. and there are three pages of appetizers, 2 pages of entrees, and a page or 2 of salads from which to choose.

dishes included:

"new style sashimi" - striped bass, with a light soy dressing sprinkled with sesame seeds. right on the money.

beef "sashimi" - seared tenderloin, served on a block of ice with seaweed, with a sweet and zippy dipping sauce. it doesn't sound all that exciting, but it was a very good dish.

eel in pastry - this dish was lost on me. the eel was encased in puff pastry, but it just wasn't sweet enough, and a little too strong to compliment the pastry.

foie gras - served with grilled pineapple, some greens, drizzled with a slightly sweet sauce. not the best foie gras i've had, but i'm all for any restaurant in NJ offering foie gras, so overall i was pleased.

oxtail and monkfish with salsa - this was basically two dishes in one, described by the server as sort of a "surf and turf". fair enough. the small portion of oxtail was pretty damned good. the monkfish was a delight, served over a julienne of vegetables with basil oil if i'm not mistaken. quite good. the two meats were separated by a bit of mashed potato.

spicy tuna handroll - their version doesn't have the texture that i look for. it was too finely chopped. i prefer chunks of tuna lightly dressed in spicy sauce. however, that's a personal preference.

bluefin toro - super fatty. i've had toro before, but don't remember it being so tough to chew.

yellowtail sushi - i didn't have it, but my friend said it was right on the money.

i figured this would come out to about 120 or 130, so, i was pleased when the bill came in at 94 dollars.

the room is clean and sleek. service was attentive and friendly. only 4 or 5 tables were filled on this tuesday night. parking sucks in montclair.

[Rosie]

Thanks for your report Tommy. I was down the street Tues. night at Fascino. Shared a butternut squash risotto which I thought was too sweet. Perfer their pasta dishes. Entree was bronzini with escarole (excellent) and the fabulous pork chop they serve with the cherry sauce (no I wasn't with Lowell). Service as always was very attentive. We were too full for dessert.

[tommy]

Thanks for your report Tommy. I was down the street Tues. night at Fascino.

you should have come over to Tiereny's afterwards to shoot some pool with us.

[Rosie]

Thanks for your report Tommy. I was down the street Tues. night at Fascino.

you should have come over to Tiereny's afterwards to shoot some pool with us.

Yeah right. Please be sure to send me your weekly dining schedule so I can join you after dinner!!!