4th eGullet Dinner - Thai

[LaNiña]

I have to decide now what I'll be in the mood to eat on Sunday? I don't wanna.

[Rachel Perlow]

Repeat: You are not obligating yourself to order that dish that night.

It's just to get an idea and assuage Rosie's fear that there will be 5 orders of Pad Thai on the table.

[LaNiña]

Ok, so I'm a moron.

I'll eat anything.

[Rosie]

Lowell and I like everything and we can go mild, medium or hot. We're easy and very likable creatures! I would probably order what everyone else doesn't order so that there is some variety. So I will have to go up and down the tables and discuss what you are ordering. I'm sometimes difficult! But after I find out what you are ordering I may ask someone to move their seat so I can sit next to the person who is ordering something that I love but haven't ordered.

[=Mark]

Being that the meal is on a Sunday night, and they are warned ahead how many folks will be coming (Wife of one of the owners is lurking... Hi! ), I don't see a problem. Certainly the folks who are attending are aware of the concerns as they are also monitoring this thread, as evidenced by the recent activity.

In the week until the meal, between perusing the Menu Online, and chatting during the appetizer on Sunday, we will absolutely have a great time! I seriously doubt we run the risk of having everyone order the same dish.

I hereby nominate Rosie as the "Sharing Moderator" of this dinner, and as such bestow upon her the Order Of The Flaming Smiley:

[Rosie]

"Sharing Moderator" Does that mean I can call out pass to the left or pass to the right?

[=Mark]

"Sharing Moderator"  Does that mean I can call out pass to the left or pass to the right?

No, you just get to say: "Hey! Four other folks have ordered that!"

[LaNiña]

Is there a place near the train station/restaurant where one can buy cold beer? Decent beer? Can one buy beer in NJ on Sundays?

[=Mark]

Is there a place near the train station/restaurant where one can buy cold beer?  Decent beer?  Can one buy beer in NJ on Sundays?

You can buy beer on Sundays in NJ, I'll call the restaurant and see if there is a place within walking distance. I'm bringing my little flexible 6-pack cooler.

[LaNiña]

I don't wanna shlep beer on the train from the city - but if I have to, I will.

[tommy]

yahoo tells me this:

Economy Wine & Liquor Store

(732) 634-1244 79 Main St

Woodbridge, NJ

0.1 miles from the restaurant

Alchar Liquors Inc

(732) 634-0828 297 Amboy Ave

Woodbridge, NJ

0.3 miles from the restaurant

hopefully the restaurant can be more helpful.

[LaNiña]

Liquor stores in NJ sell cold beer too?

[Rosie]

"Sharing Moderator"  Does that mean I can call out pass to the left or pass to the right?

No, you just get to say: "Hey! Four other folks have ordered that!"

I was talking about the wine not the food!

[tommy]

*only* liquor stores sell beer in NJ. you see, NJ, unlike most other states, realizes that booze is booze. all wine, liquor, beer, port, schnappz, boone's farm, NyQuil, is sold in something we called a "liquor store". sometimes they name themselves "wine shop" to suggest that they focus on one thing or another, err, in that case wine. we also have drive-through places where you can buy beer. i'm not sure, but i think maybe these only sell beer. but they are few and far between. in fact, forget that i ever mentioned the drive-through places. that's just confusing the whole thing.

welcome to NJ, where consistency prevails, almost all of the time.

[LaNiña]

Thanks so much for that, er, clarification.

[=Mark]

Thanks so much for that, er, clarification.

The upshot of all this is that you can't buy beer, cold or otherwise, in a supermarket unless they have a liquor license and ring it up on a separate register.

Other quirks in NJ:

BYO restaurants are not allowed to advertize they are BYO (Almost never enforced)

Waitstaff in BYO place can open but not pour wine (Ditto)

Hard liquor is not permitted in BYO (Never enforced)

[=Mark]

Jason, will you be bringing samples of Pocky to the dinner? We can recreate some of the Pocky commercials... "Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!"

I will NOT however dye my hair or don a Japanese Schoolgirls uniform...

[=Mark]

We worked it out with the management at the restaurant similarly to the last few NJ Dinners:

$30 per person covers as many appetizers as we have guests, served "Family Style"

Soups ordered individually off the menu.  These would be hard to share...

Entrees orderd from menu, but served on separate serving platters.  We can decide here or at the restaurant how to arrange sharing.  This is what Jason, Rachel and I did, though it did flame her out of some of the hotter dishes. 

A selection of sorbets at the end to cool us down.  The owner says this should be no problem as long as the whole party does not simultaneously order Pineapple Sorbet...

Remember, Mie Thai is BYO...

Soft Drinks are included

Note: The $30 is all inclusive, meal, tax and gratuity. Will be collecting the money at the beginning, so exact change is appreciated.

[Kim WB]

Wow, looks like this is shaping up to be a great meal.

I will be alone, no guest. Bob needs to pick up our daughter at the airport..she's been in St. Maartens for graduation, and told us today about her visit to the nude beach. So we'll let dad handle that discussion.

I will most likely need mild to moderate heat. My preference is for one of the duck dishes. I will eat any appetizer. Soft shells sound great. I also love it when they cook that whole fish. I'm a Thai novice, so I'll be happy just learning the basics.

Looking forward to Sunday!

[Rail Paul]

we also have drive-through places where you can buy beer.  i'm not sure, but i think maybe these only sell beer.  but they are few and far between.  in fact, forget that i ever mentioned the drive-through places.  that's just confusing the whole thing.

I had forgotten about the drive-thru beer places in NJ. If I recall, they can only sell warm beer, minimum quantity one case or keg. (As with other NJ hooch rules, this one isn't likely to be enforced, either)

There's one on US 46 in Rockaway, and another in Lodi.

In Arizona and New Mexico, there are real drive up places. "Gimme a quart of Jack D, two cold sixes of Beck's, and a coupla plastic cups." Not these wimpy Jersey drive thrus...

[Rachel Perlow]

Can one buy beer in NJ on Sundays?

Not in Bergen County. Except at the liquor stores that are open.

[tommy]

Not in Bergen County. Except at the liquor stores that are open.

huh?

[Rachel Perlow]

I think they are supposed to all be closed on Sundays. But then sometimes you run across one that isn't. Closed that is. Shh! Don't tell the blue law police.

[=Mark]

Down here the liquor stores are open 7 days a week, I'm not sure about Middlesex County.

[=Mark]

We're getting down to the wire! See you all in a couple of days!