Oh, help...

[Curlz]

Just got an invite to dinner this weekend...it's dueling b'days for my best bud and I, and his folks want to take us to dinner somewhere in Morris County. They're not (I repeat, NOT) adventurous about food, partially due to routine, partially due to medical issues.

Any thoughts on where we can go so he and I don't have to suffer through a bland, dull dinner? The only places I quickly came up with are Portofino in Morristown (BYO being a nice bonus and another way to keep us happy! ) and City Streets (?) in Morris Plains. Those two places would gain approval, if that gives you any idea. A place that serves seafood is always a good call, but something like South City Grill is out of the question--too hip for them!

Any/all help is GREATLY appreciated! If they're not happy, it will NOT be a fun night.

[Rosie]

Cinque Figlie Whippany--has a menu that should please adventurous and not so adventurous.-

[rozrapp]

Pierre's, in Morristown, would be a good choice. A look at the menu will show that the French bistro cuisine there is far from dull, but not over-the-top creative so that your best bud's folks should be able to find dishes that will please them.

[Phil Ward]

Pierre's, in Morristown, would be a good choice. A look at the menu will show that the French bistro cuisine there is far from dull, but not over-the-top creative so that your best bud's folks should be able to find dishes that will please them.

I concur on the Pierre's suggestion.

Phil

[Rachel Perlow]

Cinque Figlie and Pierre's. Two reasons to miss Morris County. Either would be an excellent choice, who will argue with Italian or French? And both are lovely restaurants, traditional decor, not overly "hip." Pierre's has a nice big bar, if you are into having cocktails before your meal.

[Jason Perlow]

Pierre's also does nice Prixe Fixe lunches on the weekends.

[rozrapp]

Cinque Figlie and Pierre's. Two reasons to miss Morris County.

Rachel, when I first read that sentence, I thought, "Huh?" If read quickly, it sounds as though you are saying that one should stay away from Morris County. But, of course, that's not at all what you meant.

It's ironic that the two suggestions so far are Pierre's and Cinque Figlia because they are "related" in an interesting way. For those who may not know, they each started out occupying the same small corner space in Morristown. Pierre's was there first. When they vacated for their current, much larger premises, CF took the spot for a while before moving to the Whippany location.

[Rachel Perlow]

Oops, no, what I meant was that we used to live in Cedar Knolls (next to Morristown) and now we don't, and haven't been to those restaurants in a while, which is a shame, because they're both so good.

I didn't know that they were both formerly in that corner spot. I always worry when a small place moves into bigger digs. Our favorite spot, when Jason and I first began dating, was a little Portuguese place. We just loved it. It occupied the space on the right hand side of what is now Tim Shaefer's cusine (the left hand side used to be a Foot Locker or something). They moved to Randolph and opened a great big place with a full bar. The chef/owner changed to the owner/Maitre'd and the food just wasn't the same, not bad, but just not the same as when the owner was cooking. And the space is so large, I don't think they usually fill the dining room. They are still in business, so I guess they're doing OK, we haven't been there in a few years. Hey, if someone who lives in the area cares to check it out, I'd love to know how they're doing:

Picadinho Restaurant

Address: 16 Old Brookside Rd, Randolph, NJ 07869

Phone: (973) 895-3110

[rozrapp]

Oops, no, what I meant was that we used to live in Cedar Knolls (next to Morristown) and now we don't, and haven't been to those restaurants in a while, which is a shame, because they're both so good.

As I said, I did figure out what you meant.

I didn't know that they were both formerly in that corner spot. I always worry when a small place moves into bigger digs.

I agree that when a restaurant moves from a smaller space into a bigger one, it can sometimes spell disaster. And even if it remains successful, something usually becomes lost in the translation.

I can't speak about Cinque Figli because I never got the chance to eat there when it was in Morristown. We tried getting a reservation there once, but they were booked. Not long after that, they moved to Whippany, and we've never been there. However, I can make a comparison of Pierre's at its two locations. I loved the smaller space. It was charmingly decorated, very cozy, and the food was terrific. All in all, a small jewel of a place. We had dinner at the current location only once quite a while ago, and it had an entirely different feel. Despite the fact that the dining rooms are pleasant and not very large, I thought the restaurant had lost much of the charm and intimacy of the old space. As for the food, while it was still quite good, I felt it was missing the truly superior quality that we had previously experienced when the kitchen was turning out meals for a much smaller number of people each evening. It’s probably why we haven’t been in a rush to go back, particularly since it's about an hour’s ride from our house.

Discussing this has made me think of Jocelyne’s. It’s the same kind of place that Pierre’s was before the move. I hope that Jocelyne and Mitchell never decide to expand because I think it would lose exactly what makes it the wonderful restaurant it is.

Edited January 30, 2004 by rozrapp (log)

[Rachel Perlow]

So, curlz, be sure to post about where you decided to go and give us a report. For most of the places mentioned above, it shouldn't be too difficult to get a reservation, but for a Saturday night, it's a good idea to make one.

[Curlz]

I certainly will! 'tho I must admit, I think we're going to end up at Portofino. I have to defer to Jim's knowledge of his folks and what they'll go for, as it really could ruin what will otherwise be a perfectly pleasant evening (even with mediocre food), but I have forwarded all of your suggestions to him and promise to report back with the results. Thanks for all of your ideas!

[Curlz]

The official report:

I had a completely uninspired meal last night--at City Streets Cafe in Morris Plains. I've only been there for drinks/appetizers/lunch in the past, and it had been over a year, but I was reminded again that it's a restaurant with a menu that sounds good, but never delivers.

Speaking of delivery, the service was awful. We had a waitress who barely paid attention to our questions or responses to her canned lines ("So, have you warmed up yet?" followed almost immediately with "So what can I bring you to warm you up?"). UGH. Used knives were placed on the table when appetizer and then salad plates were cleared, a request for a refill of bread was ignored (and that was after the basket sat empty through appetizers and salad and even after the entrees arrived), we had to ask numerous times for water (which the waitress heard as more wine for everyone--NOT the case), etc. You get the idea.

Re: the food, we shared a completely tasteless grilled ginger/lime shrimp app over wasabi mashed potatoes. Tasty potatoes, tasteless shrimp. Maybe they keep the shrimp in the same kitchen as some ginger and some lime, but I assure you that last night, those three ingredients were never in close proximity to one another. Same for the honey-glazed swordfish special that I ordered--absolutely no flavor to the fish, which is usually a favorite of mine. The only brighter spots were in the side dishes--tasty mango and cilantro 'salad' with the shrimp, and the herbed zucchini and warm Yukon potato salad (mashed pots w/ large pieces of roasted Yukon in them) was also yummy, 'tho waaaaaaay too heavy on butter and sour cream for my taste. The only truly delicious dish on the table was the Maryland Lump Crab Cakes that Jim's mom ordered--delicious, but certainly not enough to redeem the kitchen. We passed on coffee and dessert.

So to recap: a more than mediocre meal and terrible service, coupled with smoke wafting over the 5' wall to the bar area throughout the evening and a ridiculous increase in the volume of music in an already noisy room. I'd give the City Streets Cafe a solid C-. I guess I knew what I was in for, but was still holding out hope that I'd find something good to eat. Oh, well...at least the company was good!

And PS, we chose CSC over Portofino is that Portofino wouldn't take a reservation for 4.

[Rachel Perlow]

Oh I am so disapppointed. You ask for our advice, we give it and the place you decide to go to is one of the ones mentioned in your first post, after saying you couldn't get a res at the other restaurant mentioned in your first post. Did try to make a res at any of the other places recommended to you?

I don't mean to sound too harsh, but it really makes me frustrated when people (not just you, Curlz) ask for advice, and then don't take it. I see in the post before last, that you did tell your boyfriend about the other restaurants and he wanted to go to Portofino. But, if Portofino was booked, you should have tried the other italian option (Cinque Figlie) before CSC, IMO.

[Lreda]

Do yourself a favor. If you don't want another non-descript meal, avoid Portofino also. Another red sauce Italian restaurant. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[Lady S]

Thank you for your post about City Streets in Morris Plains. A friend and I were thinking of going there for dinner, now we will go somewhere else instead. I also agree with Lou, Portofino's main attraction is that it is inexpensive. Next time try An American Grill on Route 10 in Randolph, it's not far from Morristown and the food is much better and so is the atmosphere..

[Lreda]

Thank you for your post about City Streets in Morris Plains. A friend and I were thinking of going there for dinner, now we will go somewhere else instead. I also agree with Lou, Portofino's main attraction is that it is inexpensive. Next time try An American Grill on Route 10 in Randolph, it's not far from Morristown and the food is much better and so is the atmosphere..

Couldn't have written a better post myself.

[Randi]

I don't mean to sound too harsh, but it really makes me frustrated when people (not just you, Curlz) ask for advice, and then don't take it.

I know I have been guilty of this occasionally, but usually it was because the final decision wasn't up to me. And I felt sheepish about it

I have used all the suggestions I've received to create a mental "places I gotta try" list. And my recent trip to the Stagehouse Inn was based on a recommendation from folks here when I'd asked for advice.

[suzilightning]

I didn't know that they were both formerly in that corner spot. I always worry when a small place moves into bigger digs. Our favorite spot, when Jason and I first began dating, was a little Portuguese place. We just loved it. It occupied the space on the right hand side of what is now Tim Shaefer's cusine (the left hand side used to be a Foot Locker or something). They moved to Randolph and opened a great big place with a full bar. The chef/owner changed to the owner/Maitre'd and the food just wasn't the same, not bad, but just not the same as when the owner was cooking. And the space is so large, I don't think they usually fill the dining room. They are still in business, so I guess they're doing OK, we haven't been there in a few years. Hey, if someone who lives in the area cares to check it out, I'd love to know how they're doing:

Picadinho Restaurant

Address: 16 Old Brookside Rd, Randolph, NJ 07869

Phone: (973) 895-3110

rachel -

while they show up in phone records, etc. last year they became the Portugese Steakhouse and Sports Bar

don't know if they are still under the same ownership

[eksahlman]

I went to lunch one day last week at City Streets Cafe in Morris Plains and had a very nice meal so I made a reservation for Saturday night for a party of six- Then I read this thread and almost changed the reservation. But I have to report that we had a great meal. The service was great, the table was ready when we got there(something I really hate is when you have to wait a long time for a reservation) and we all were very happy with our food. I thought the food was well prepared and very well seasoned. I didn't like the lobster bisque-tasted too much like the cream- but we all agreed that everything else was wonderful and we'll go back again.