Tiamat's Profile
How much do people associate "Asian food" with spicy? (And other stereotypes about Asian food)
Lol. Yes, I do type and reply too quickly for my own good.
How much do people associate "Asian food" with spicy? (And other stereotypes about Asian food)
It's funny, but since you mention Connecticut I think it's regional.
In my part of central NJ most "Asian" is actually Indian food for Indian customers. Which is great for chowhounders in the know. And it often has a bit of spice. (Meaning, my white grandparents would faint.)
Still, I'm not sure even here among white folks people realize that India is on the sub-continent of Asia.
While there is at least one very good authentic Chinese place here (if you know the manager/owner and they sign off), most 'Asian' is what everyone else notes as fake takeout dishes and 'Japanese.'
My complaint about ignorant perceptions of Asian food around here isn't that it is seen as 'spicy'*, but that Asian food is mostly 6 kinds of mild old raw fish rapped around cold unspiced rice, with a center of mayonnaise and horseradish with yet another chum quality fish. And, if you don't throw up in 12 hours your are incredibly cultured and adventurous.
*My second complaint is that people around here seem to think that good Thai food consists of flat noodles, pan fried, with some dried hot pepper flakes thrown in, in severe moderation.
Having vented about all of that, I know that most people in the northwest US haven't really experienced decent Italian or Ethiopian food, etc.. So, we are probably all ignorant in our own ways....
Daryl wine bar really reopening v2
I guess I am still on the email list, and from the following message it seems daryl is reopening soon:
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As a previous visitor to, and valued customer at, Daryl Wine Bar & Restaurant, we would like to let you know that we are re-opening!
We will be sending out further updates over the next few weeks
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Twitter, etc., confirms.
When I last checked, they had a dinner menu, and some stuff going online, without prices.
If they bring in half-price wine at happy hour, and small plates at the bar I'll come back.
If not, I most likely will not.
-T
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Daryl Wine Bar & Restaurant
302 George Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Is Daryl in New Brunswick not dead?
I walked by last week and, though we had a thread and we all guessed the standard 'closing for renovations' was just restaurant speak for we are going out of business, it seems that Daryl may actually be coming back.
They have a posted and approved construction permit with floor-plan that details how they would/will expand, the wine shop looks somewhat stocked, and the outside seating is back out but tied down as if they are preparing for summer service.
So, does anyone know if they might be coming back, and if SO, are they coming back with the same chef/service/menu, or will there be some new approach?
Look forward to any NB gossip.
-T
Frog and the Peach behaving badly.
I was also there on Sunday for an early Valentine's day. Our waiter and sometimes bartender (L.... for those who visit F&P often), was excellent, efficient, personable, discrete, attentive without being interfering. She was perfect. (And I've noticed that she is pretty much a perfectionist at the bar as well.)
Having said this, I can note: I have always liked the F&P, but within the last years or so I've had a particular waiter who gets on my last nerve -- I suspect it's the same guy who is up-selling these tables.
I think there is just a bad seed in an otherwise good organization, and I don't know why he hasn't been ejected. Maybe he is someone's relative, or maybe the management is reluctant to punish an employee based on too few people who complain. And, that might be reasonable: some customers can't be satisfied. (Maybe I should have complained.)
In any case, if you like the Frog and the Peach and don't like the waiter, the most effective way to send a message might be to make a reservation for a future visit and insist that he not be your server. That would signal that you appreciate the restaurant, and are not just a negative person, but that you have a significant reason not to want to deal with this joker.
-T
[I've never been a waiter, but my reason for discussing customers who can't be satisfied is based on my last experience at Stage Left, where the jerk at the next table, between loudly explaining to his date how wealthy and powerful he was, sent every single plate back to the kitchen because something or another didn't set well with him, and once he did it twice. It was clear that he liked the drama and the power.
I don't for a second believe this is true of the OP, but I also don't doubt that managers deal with randomly difficult customers frequently enough that they might not take a single complaint as seriously as those of us who are sane customers might hope they would.]
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Stage Left
5 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
The Frog and the Peach
29 Dennis St., New Brunswick, NJ 08901
MoC MoC Sushi, Princeton
It is good to hear that there are at least three of us who care about such things.
It's hard to explain this to native North-Easterners, but I can say the parallel would be if someone from Seattle said to you, I know the best Italian restaurant in the U.S., and it's run by two Norwegian guys who live in Ballard, WA and their best sauce is a tomato base with tamarind and five spice.
(Yes, Yes, I know Batali's connections to the NW, but if you have ever lived in both NYC and Seattle you will understand what I'm saying.)
'Authenticity' isn't everything, and it is often overrated, but whereas we laugh at folks who don't know Italian food from Olive Garden, I'm alarmed at how many don't recognize Japanese and/or Thai food // vs. Chinese + (Raw Fish OR lots of hot peppers)
-T
Daryl Wine Bar - New Brunswick - CLOSED
It is too bad in a couple of ways -- As a wine bar they were great (at least the last time I went). I'm one of the people who stopped going once they abandoned the small plates and took a more conventional approach. After the change I felt it wasn't a very good deal for the price, and I'm occasionally willing to pay a fair amount for a fine dining experience. I understand that they felt the need for a direction change, but I know others who agree with me that the specific changes they made were detrimental.
Let's just hope that the remaining high end (and upper middle) places in New Brunswick weather this storm.
MoC MoC Sushi, Princeton
Sunday lunch is a very hard test for a Japanese restaurant in general (or any restaurant), and having been stuck in Princeton for late lunch, I felt this would be an interesting experiment. I've been meaning to try this for awhile, and today I had an excuse. I haven't tried enough, or often enough, to say that I know the place well, but given my experience they are, for NJ sushi places - "OK". Worthy of considering.)
What "OK" means is that the fish is fresh, the eel tastes as it should, the miso soup is generous if not anything better than good (good is better than decent). OK is pretty good for central/south NJ, so take that for what it is worth. (Also, as parent suggests, tea is extra, as is everything beyond what is spelled out.)
Pluses: The fish smells and tastes clean and fresh. (I mean that as a high compliment.) They mention some rare and/or wild fish I wonder if I should have tried.
Minus: *RICE*/miso soup was just OK
I'm sorry, but why is it *so* *so* hard to get decent rice as a base for sushi here? Dense, cold, unseasoned.
I hope it hasn't changed, but Shumi is my remaining standard for acceptable sushi in central NJ. [Actually, the place on Cedar Grove in Somerset is not bad, as I reconsider.]
Incidentally, my wife is more open-minded to non-traditional Japanese food than I am and thought the transformer roll was very good. I truly respect that judgement for people who have palates and (very good) tastes that differ from mine!
-T
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Shumi Restaurant
30 S. Doughty Ave., Somerville, NJ 08876
new Hmart in Edison?
Amen! The single first thing I care about a fish market is freshness, and the second thing is selection. When I consider fish markets in central New Jersey, the Hmart is the first place that didn't smell fishy, had fish with clear eyes (or fresh swimming fish), and a wide selection. I'd love to learn of another.
I grew up in the pacific northwest, and we have markets where the fish on the ice came in at 5am, and you know exactly what you are getting.
The only catch (no pun intended) with Hmart (among 50 types of fish), was the kind labelled Wild Salmon. I'm pretty damn sure it is not. I'm sure it was bought as wild king salmon but the color was all wrong. The country of origin was Canada where there is a lot of Salmon farming, including a bit of farmed Pacific (king variety) fish. But, the color and size and texture didn't look right to me. If you doubt my scepticism just check the last nytimes genetic tests of salmon up for sale as 'wild'. I don't blame hmart directly, although I wish they would spot it, but the distributors around here are apparently taking advantage of any outlet they can. (I've seen it all over central NJ.)
-T
new Hmart in Edison?
I didn't make the connection, but on some subconscious level my wife must have: we were deeply enjoying the soup and she said 'you remember when Bourdain did that Korean soup/food thing', and having a generic memory problem I said, 'What?', and she she said, 'That's part of the real reason I wanted to come in here. To try that soup.' Proof I married a good woman! :)
new Hmart in Edison?
I also stumbled into the new tofu place (Tofu House?) to the left of hmart, and I was really impressed.
I can't speak to the authenticity, b/c I am new to the cuisine. I mean, I've had Korean before, but not enough to judge at that level. Having said that, we were the only two non-asian people there during our stay (not a basis for judgement in itself) and the rumbling I overheard from others there seemed positive.
I thought the self-described traditional pancake (with soy dipping sauce, and lots of scallions) was great, and the texture very pleasing. It was also generous in proportion!
There were two of us and I got the seafood tofu soup and my wife got the mushroom tofu soup and we were thrilled. They tentatively asked if we really wanted mild, and when we politely insisted that we loved spicy foods they delivered(*). They also delivered other complimentary appetizers: kimchi (which I enjoyed, but due to my cabbage allergy I could only have one peice); cucumber in a vinegar/red pepper sauce (almost quick pickled?); bean sprouts w/ sesame oil and salt, and iceberg lettuce salad with a little creamy peanut dressing. The soups were very hearty with lots of tofu, in my case mussels, clams, and shrimp with head and shells on, and in my wife's case at least three types of mushrooms, including oyster mushroom. It was spicy, but balanced, with the broth taking the underlying characteristics of the accompanying ingredient. [This opposed to spicy thai soup which can also be very balanced but is much more about spice/sour/salt(fish sauce)/sweet in significant proportion.] After you-tubing the dish, I now know it is customary for this to come out boiling in the traditional ceramic container, and this experience was completely in line with that.
Thanks to Jester99 I now know why the eggs were sitting there and I may use them next time.
The décor is really pleasant. A lot of light wood, with several booths in the middle separated by spiralling planks of wood. It seems setup for family meals, group meals, as well as couples on the 'left' side and front of the room. Hate to have to mention this, but since it often isn't the case, the bathrooms are very nicely designed and cleaned *including* the men's room.
I found the service to be a little green, however, everyone was incredibly nice, and we had three different people ask us, when they had a moment, if everything was OK and if we liked our food. Very eager in a good way. They don't yet have the credit card machine setup, so if you go *bring cash*, for now. As for service, the ambiance is, after all, family oriented, *good* casual food, and not fine dining. I don't expect some kid to fill my water whenever it's down to 2/3 a glass, etc.. What makes it complicated is that they are using a multi-teaming strategy, so you don't really have one person who is responsible for you. Good and bad. Overall, the level of concern for our happiness won me over, and any glitches are easily overlooked.
I feel pretty confident with chopsticks, and did fine with the thin metal ones provided, but I am relieved to hear that I'm not an idiot in admitting that it took a little more attention to manoeuvre than I'm used to, but I actually am very re-assured by the metal that they are seriously and effectively sanitized. I'm happy to accept that over disposable, etc..
Anyway, I'd encourage you to check out the Tofu House and post an update about what you think!
-T
(*) I love Thai food and often find that we are victim to the assumption that the white couple that says that want spicy food doesn't really mean it, and we get the bland dumbed down version. Sometimes if you stick it out as a regular you get what you're looking for, but that's a drag. On the other hand, some other places (cough, 10 yrs ago at Pad Thai, Highland Park) places drop the nuclear bomb (with grease) to disguise untalented cooking. This place was careful but respectful of our wished. A nice balance. [I do realize that thai restaurants probably get sick of stupid people asking for hot food and sending it back, but it's a shame 'we' have to pay for those peoples' mistakes.]
Last Minute Thurs 12th San Juan Aniversary
Thank you both very much.
Just based on the food reviews I was really intrigued by Allium, and probably would have leaned in that direction if it weren't such an 'event' meal. In this case I weighed setting/room/scenery/service (and the, err, 'safety,' of the choice) a bit more heavily than I normally would. Both sound as if they would be great experiences.
So, I made reservations for Inn at Ship Bay.
I will come back with a review, but most important:
I deeply appreciate the help!
-T
North/Central Jersey Private Room
It may be too late for your party, but you might consider Steakhouse 85 in New Brunswick on Church Street. They aren't inexpensive, but they're not outrageous either. (Their private room is back behind the bar area.) The food is good, and the despite the name they have many seafood options. Strict vegetarians may have fewer choices, but I know that they will make their wedge salad without bacon, etc.. They have vegetable side dishes that are good and fairly large.
Last Minute Thurs 12th San Juan Aniversary
For reasons that could not be predicted, happily, we will be spending our 15th anniversary in the Seattle area, and since the plans are so sudden I asked my wife, how would you like to spend it? The answer: let's take the ferry out to the islands and have dinner out there.
Great. But, we haven't been out in over fifteen years, and we (I?) only have days to get this set up.
What we would like:
1) A setting worthy of the occasion(view), but not necessarily formal. We can do formal (we are in the NYC area now), but it's not required or even desired.
2) High quality, non-gimicky food. Local/garden fresh/Day-boat out of water, etc., etc., is great.. We don't need anyone to prove they can out French anyone -- we've done that. We also don't want to Pan-Asian the food to death -- if you have great salmon we want to taste the salmon, not just the sesame and soy, etc.. However, we appreciate any style in moderation!
3) Maybe you can give us advice about which islands, even, are better given the ferry schedules going in and out, and the ability to get to the restaurant, activities and sceneries. We can likely borrow a car if necessary to visit any of the 'venues'.
Given our timeframe I will be greatly in debt to anyone who has a response in the next day or so, but whatever your response, if you end up at our restaurant at the end of our meal and are around the bar I will buy you a beer, glass of wine, or some cocktail or another!
-T
So Plainfield, Dunellen, Plainfield: Eatery & Farmers' Market Suggestions?
I apologize.
I came home in a bad mood and decided to sit down with laptop before calming down, so you have an exaggerated and misdirected reaction there. The tone came off as Tony Bourdain, and while I find him funny, I don't, personally, want to be an ass.
About the beer profile, in my experience it's one of the better places for bottles in NJ, and if it weren't I wouldn't bother. I will gladly take it over every PBR/heineken/sam adams pusher around here. And the state makes it no easier with its restrictive alcohol licensing.
I hope we agree on 'notable within the state as among the very best'? :)
I still hold the line at short of one of best in country.
-T
PS as for farm to table it might be another chance to mourn the Ryland Inn at its best, which served up *day* *fresh* produce from their own vast garden for their seasonal tasting menus. I remember going during tomato season, and it was one of the best dining experiences of my life. My wife had the vegetarian, and when I asked about swapping dish or two to have the traditional tasting without beef or pork, Craig Shelton counter-offered a Fish-and-veggie specific tasting menu, which was one of the more memorable dining experiences of my life. Good times.
So Plainfield, Dunellen, Plainfield: Eatery & Farmers' Market Suggestions?
Brian, I understand on an emotional level what your are addressing -- NJ is under-appreciated for what it is. I defend it vehemently when I'm out of state. People don't understand our diversity or local cultures. And when I say 'our,' I say it as someone who moved here from out of state 15 years ago, and has come to understand parts of the state, and feel somewhat at home here. (I'm still a half-stranger, neither here nor there.)
However(!), if NJ wants to cling to the distinct food personality of Burgers and Dogs and whole in the wall places with folding tables that are hard to evaluate for those who aren't in the know, we are in real trouble. (Or even the bagels, pizza thing.) There is nothing wrong with becoming more cosmopolitan. And I'm not knocking the South American places, I am thinking of Mexican on 27 in New Brunswick which people somehow assume is authentic, but I had a co-worker find processed cheese on some thing or other. It wasn't inauthentic b/c of an absence of clients who should know better, and it certainly wasn't for the non-existent white clients(!), it was just economics and adaptation to new supply chains, economies, whatever. BTW - I'm also not knocking folding table working class joints -- we have great inexpensive indian places all up and down rt 27 in north brunswick with no personality or decor but great food, so I get it.
And I shop at least once a month at that beer/wine store, b/c my wife loves the Unique thrift a block over, and I'm here to say it's not bad, but it sure isn't best in the country territory(??). They have a decent selection of bottled individual beers, but the refrigerated stuff is tame except for maybe Stone Ruination (overpriced), or whatever, and I heard a worker just 3 weeks ago completely blunder the difference between a lager and an ale (I don't think he knows what yeast is or what it does during fermentation)-- forgiveable, I guess, but he spoke so authoritatively I almost interrupted him so the customer could understand the error.
I know what you mean about the chain thing here. It's a 'democratic' problem. People go on and on about good Thai or Mexcian food in NJ, and most of the people writing have never had either. (BTW - I make the same point to many people in the northwest about Italian food!!!) I've had Thai food cooked by old Thai immigrant women for other Thai diners. If I hear one more person talk about how great Pad Thai in Highland Park is I will pull my hair out. (Just as, no, Johnny Carinos or whatever is not the best Italian in the U.S..) I've also seen Marita's in NB recommended as great real mexian food. Thankfully, you can find decent dim sum in central nj. ;)
If I have an emotional response it is b/c the original poster (as he points out) wasn't an outsider judging 'US', he was trying to find decent stuff in walking distance of a relative's house. And he was unfairly singled out.
And if it sounds like I bagged on NJ for *our* beer ignorance, well, I *am*. Instead of saying forget the beer problem, let's go to Texas Weiner II, I say, let's keep fixing the dang beer problem.
I look forward to checking out your book when it's returned to my library. I assume you support stuff like the irritatingly portland style farmers' market in the rutgers gardens, etc., :P
And for the record, if anyone assumes I'm an arrogant pr*k for judging the things in NJ that need improvement, I have learned a lot about how little I knew about Italian, Ethopian, Indian, Jewish, foods here. I'm the student and if I ever had a Pacific Northwestern friend go off on how great their local Spaghetti alla puttanesca was at their Appleby's I'd go off on that too.
Sorry for the rant.
So Plainfield, Dunellen, Plainfield: Eatery & Farmers' Market Suggestions?
I would hate to weigh in if anyone knows more than I do, and I live close but know little about the specific walking area. But, since no one else is jumping in, I will offer some opinions.
Unfortunately, I don't think you're staying in a foodie or beer-loving neighbourhood. I've come to appreciate central new jersey, but it has some weaknesses. Food, increasingly, *isn't* one, but beer remains a problem in many areas.
I hate to be repetitive, as I recently just posted some similar suggestions in a Piscataway bound thread (on the south border of where you are staying), but it *is* close to where you will be located. Spain Inn on west 7th, technically piscataway, but on the rt 28 side, and Northish, so closer to South Plainfield, has decent paella. Not world class, mind you, but good. And they have good bread, and I'm really judgemental about bread. (They also have a bar, but it seems to be a local 'drinkers' bar -- no judgements -- but not my scene.)
If you can easily get over to centenial ave in Piscataway, Chand Palace has good Indian vegetarian food. It is very popular, and you might be one of the few non-Indians there, but I always take that as a good sign.
For beer and bars, you might want to save up for a cab ride to and from New Brunswick. Harvest Moon is a true Brewpub -- they are forced to offer some tame stuff for New Jersey drinkers, but I consider their IPA to be a truly decent example (and I'm from Seattle). They have some other more adventurous styles, occasionally, (Belgian styles, Imperial Stouts, etc.).
For other beers on tap you might want to try Old Bay in New Brunswick, but in October they go Lager Heavy. Still, best variety around I can think of in the local area, and they almost always have something out of the ordinary. The bartenders there are great, and really know beer, as well.
Failing that, Steakhouse 85 usually has one to three interesting things on tap, and they are a hundred feet up from the old bay (on church street in new brunswick). (Happy hour has 5 oysters for $5, and a crabcake sandwich for $4.5)
I hope you get more encouraging advice!
--T
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Chand Palace
1296 Centennial Ave, Piscataway, NJ 08854
Spain Inn
1707 W 7th St, Piscataway, NJ 08854
Centra PA hound headed for Piscataway in mid May, where to go?
I'm curious about the convention -- sound like it might be worth checking out. :)
However, it might help to know a bit more about what you are looking for.
We have a world class quirky Japanese place if you open minded and willing to drive to Somerville (Shumi) .
We have all kinds of modern French-inspired new-American food, and Italian, in New Brunswick (others are covering/will cover the bases-- Personally Due Mari (Italian), Daryl (recently less than their usual?) are among a few I would recommend).
We have great indian food in driving distance. Extremely affordable: Dosa Grill, Udipi, in North Brunswick. More distant, but easy: All of Oak Tree Road in Edison/Islen/Woodbridge/Whatever.
If you quite literally want to stick to Piscataway Spain Inn has good Paella, and Chand Palace has great Indian Vegetarian food. (If you happen to be not South Asian don't be put off by Chand Palace -- they are busy, etc., but people will help you with selections whether fellow diners or staff if you ask or just stand around looking confused. :P)
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Dosa Grill
1980 State Route 27 Ste 3, North Brunswick, NJ 08902
Udipi Cafe Restaurant
3029 State Highway 27 N, Somerset, NJ 08873
Chand Palace
1296 Centennial Ave, Piscataway, NJ 08854
Spain Inn
1707 W 7th St, Piscataway, NJ 08854
Due Mari
78-80 Albany Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Daryl Wine Bar
I heard that the change was coming (from small plates to a traditional menu), and wasn't looking forward to it. We drop in occasionally due to the great value of the happy hour 6oz pour wine by the glass.
In the interest of full disclosure -- my wife and I are small eaters, and often go to fancy restaurants only to sit at the bar so that we can order combinations of appetizers and side dishes. Still, after the change we found that the app. gnocchi was smaller than we remembered and not less expensive. My bisque was again very good, but less generous than before (I can't say objectively, but it didn't seem as satisfying as the soups I remember having there before (their thai inspired soup, for instance)).
Given the bill, I would go back for the wine by the glass during happy hour, but I won't rush back for food. [Not the thread-jack, but I've had two great afternoon meals at the Skylark, and I'll write about those, given the chance.]
