Janice

[tommy]

any word on this place? it's across the street from the ho-ho-kus in.

[201]

I think you're talking about the place that used to be the Sheridan Café back in the day. I didn't know that was its name now, but I can't think of any other restaurants in Ho-Ho-Kus to which you could be referring. Unfortunately I don't really know much about the place because it's the OTHER Ho-Ho-Kus restaurant that I've walked out of with my cousin. He used to work there (maybe 20 years ago) and didn't like the "yuppified feel" that he got from its current incarnation. I don't imagine it's anything very special, but let us know if you try it... you better do that before it becomes an Italian restaurant like everyplace ELSE in Ho-Ho-Kus seems to do.

[tommy]

you better do that before it becomes an Italian restaurant like everyplace ELSE in Ho-Ho-Kus seems to do.

yuppie, maybe, but they have oysters, so that's ok in my book.

the *other* place next to the ho-ho-kus in, la carbonaia, is italian, and quite good. i've posted about it here a few times. worth a shot.

[201]

I'll most likely try La Carbonaia at some point down the road. I just get a little frustrated when I look at what Ho-Ho-Kus offers in terms of variety. Let me know if I'm forgetting anything:

Marcello's at the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn ------- Italian

La Carbonaia ------------------------------ Italian

Garbo's Italian Deli + Pizza ------------- Italian Deli

The Sicilian Sun --------------------------- Italian

Rigoletto Espresso ----------------------- Italian

Sunny Wok -------------------------------- Chinese (and bad Chinese at that)

Janice --------------------------------------- Not sure, but oysters could mean Italian

Greenmarket Café ------------------------ Vegetarian

The Upper Crust -------------------------- Bakery/Deli of sorts

Hmmm... the more I look at that list, the more I think that I too should run out and start giving MY business to Janice before it becomes Italian! What I wouldn't give for a nice Vietnamese or Cuban place to open up in Ho-Ho-Kus!!

[tommy]

What I wouldn't give for a nice Vietnamese or Cuban place to open up in Ho-Ho-Kus!!

vietnamese. amen.

ridgewood has a latino/cuban influenced place by the train station. have you tried it?

also, there are a bunch of restaurants in ridgewood (as you no doubt know), although most are italian. some good sushi, marco polo in glen rock is pretty interesting chinese, the masses seem to enjoy latour, 28 oak, et al, although i'm never very impressed.

how is the sicilian sun? i've been wanting to try it when i'm in the mood for red sauce and pasta, which i assume might be an accurate description?

also, up the franklin TP on the left is a chinese place called cathay. i heard that it used to be good, going back years. any experience there?

but as you suggest, for an area with so many restaurants, sooo many are italian or just mediocre.

[201]

for an area with so many restaurants, sooo many are italian or just mediocre.

It's very true. I haven't tried even half of the restaurants in the Ridgewood area, but many places seem filled with customers who think the food is good because they've been told to think that. Mediocre sums it up quite nicely.

I've been itching to try El Prado (the "nuevo latino" restaurant by the train station) for a while now, but was subverted this past Thursday by "friends" and ended up at The Office. Friends should not let friends eat at The Office.

I've never been to the Sicillian Sun, but I've heard mixed reviews. The good ones came from people who think Bon Buffet (on Essex St. on the Maywood/Hackensack border) is some divine gift of quality food (making it a dubious recommendation at best). The bad ones came from people I used to deliver pizza to who lived literally up the street from the Sicillian Sun. I'll probably give it a try one of these days, but it's not very high on my "to eat" list.

Cathay in Waldwick is the best Chinese food in Waldwick, but that's not saying much because the other two are just AWFUL. I think Hunan Villa and the Ivangie Tea House in Ridgewood are both better quality than Cathay though. I always liked Panda Forest (now Kuma) in Paramus and Terry's Gourmet Chinese in Ramsey for take out. Both serve Americanized Chinese that's better than most places and they both give it to you in those nice plastic containers that are almost too good to throw away. I have to give this Marco Polo place a try though, because now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever eaten anything in/from Glenrock before! Strange...

I'm not a seafood person, but I still want to ask where you go for sushi in Ridgewood. I've heard that Sakura Bana is pretty good and have a decent menu. I need a place that's got a more varied menu than the usual sushi, teriyaki, tempura, hibachi mix. I want to see katsu, udon noodle soups, etc... Japan's cuisine is as Americanized here as China's.

Along those lines, do you think a Vietnamese restaurant would survive in Ridgewood? Most likely they'd have to charge prices more in line with what Saigon Republic in Englewood charges ($8 for pho rather than the more usual $4). A couple of friends and I have always entertained the daydream of opening a Vietnamese restaurant in the area though. Mmmmmm... thit kho to... mmmmm...

[tommy]

janice recieves a "good" from cocoran in this sunday's NYT. well-deserved, i think.

they have a website here.

and the New York Times, for a few weeks now, hasn't been putting their little "fork" over the picture of NJ. i used to like that fork very much, as it gave me an idea as to where the restaurant being reviewed might be located. what's with the lack of fork these days New York Times? budget cut?

Edited October 11, 2003 by tommy (log)