now open.

KC Prime, no question. It's our local fav.

Great local steakhouse that fills the niche between the low end chains and the top end NYC classics. KC Prime serves the best lamb chops, not on the menu but a frequent special. You'll get 3 huge double cut chops, grilled to perfection and served with sweet potato mashed and spinach. I usually substitute the wasabi mashed. The service is excellent. Great cocktails and an OK wine list. High backed booths are the preferred seating and can fit 6.

TUSK closed as of 3/1/13 per their facebook page. No info as to what's coming next. Best incarnations of that location were Casey's (early 90's) and Dakota's (late 90's).

Another devoted Weber user. Bought a Genesis E-310 (no side burner) a couple years ago to replace a 15+ yr old Genesis(?).

We grill 4+ nights per week - year round! The Weber holds up well to the elements especially if you get the cover ($40-50).

The grate on the E series is heavy cast iron and with preheating to 600 degrees, it puts great sear marks on any cut of meat. Their flatter shape does a good job supporting more delicate veggies or seafood.

The stainless flavorizer bars (burner covers) hold up well but will still rust out over a few years. No worries, you can practically rebuild the entire grill with available parts on the shelf at your local Lowes, HDepot or Ace hardware.

We had the side burner on our old Weber grill and I rarely used as it was easily affected by wind. The btu's weren't super high so it'd take forever to get a pot of water boiling for corn. It was OK for keeping sauces on a low simmer.

Best value grill out there and a great work horse.

we've cut down on beef both for health and then price. Price of beef is much like the price of gas - as it increases the initial uptick is a shock, then it becomes the new norm and you think less of it. If we're in the mood for a good steak, we'll pay the price.

Look forward to your report.

Also, have you visited the Hearth in New Hope (old Martines location on the corner across from the Logan)?

most likely your nearby lunch mate was from Shop Rite, Stop and Shop, Pathmark or one of the other chains. The only thing Wegmans has been getting away with is thankfully offering NJ shoppers an outstanding alternative.

In actuality, Wegmans does a great job maintaining *consistent low prices* on a long list of weekly staples. They promote these products and pricing on their website and often have in store comparison prices on the shelf.

Their store brand products are excellent and priced the same or lower than the national brands.

Wegmans gets branded as high priced because they do offer a wide selection of prepared items and many other high end items. They also do a great job of in store product placement so the quick trip for eggs and milk becomes a basket of much more as you walk the aisles.

I'm not sure about bringing a bottle - probably best to call ahead. We've always enjoyed digging deep into their almost bottomless cellar and finding hidden gems!

This is what's on their website FAQ's:

*May I bring my own bottle of wine?*

Unfortunately not. Many establishments will offer a corkage service, but we prefer to open only our own bottles. You will find the extensive collection has a wine option for every taste and budget.

http://www.pluckemininn.com/faq.html

in that case (interest in sampling a wine list on a future trip), I'd recommend a place 10mins from your hotel: The Pluckemin Inn

The Pluckemin Inn has one of the very best wine cellars in NJ. Food is of a high caliber and service is excellent.

http://www.pluckemininn.com/wine.html

Note, unfortunately they do not allow you to bring your own wine.

We've given up on the Rocky Hill Inn's burger.

We went a couple weeks after the NJ Monthly article came out for a burger and beer special. We ordered 6 burgers for our group. Waiter comes back to our table 10 mins later to report they only had 3 buns left in the kitchen - so 3 of us had a naked burger. Couple weeks later we went back for the burger and beer special. The waiter recognized us and joked he'd stash buns to the side to ensure we had a complete burger. We ordered and yes the burger was tasty, but the place was so short staffed that the waiter and a trainee shadow were running around at warp speed. Kind of hard to order another beer when the waiter is flying by...

Anyway, Agricola in Princeton is our new local burger fav. It's on their bar menu. Excellent.

Thanks all. We've been back to Agricola 4 times since our first visit - twice for dinner and twice for cocktails with lighter fare in the front bar / lounge.

Each visit has been great and has allowed us to try most of the current menu.

From the bar menu, we'd recommend the mushroom flatbread - addictingly great, and the Agricola burger. Our burger last night was well seasoned, grilled to a perfect medium rare, simply topped with cheese, house made pickles and aioli. It's now our local fav.

From the dining menu, we'd recommend the market salad (now kale, as described by madgreek99 above), octopus or goat cheese and potato terrine to start. Stand out entrees include the chicken (yes the chicken!), the pork chop, short rib or the arctic char.

Service continues to impress with well trained and engaging staff.

Lunch will be starting as early as next week with weekend brunch to follow.

telephone script:

NJ restaurant 1: Hello...

BCA rep: Good morning, may I speak with Chef x?

NJ restaurant: Yes. One moment please.

BCA rep: [click]; [checks list]; [dials next]

NJ restaurant 2: Hello...

Culinary Creations in Hillsborough has catered a couple of cocktail parties / dinners we've attended. Professional staff, great food, flexible menu's, full service (they bring all supplies and required staff).

http://www.culinarycreations.com/

.. Upscale and in town:

elements
http://www.elementsprinceton.com/menus.php

Peacock Inn
http://peacockinn.com/?page_id=53

.. Midscale and nearby:

KC Prime, Lawrenceville (by Quakerbridge mall)

http://www.kcprimerestaurant.com/nj_l...

Sounds great, glad you enjoyed our new local fav. We've been three times now and had a stellar experience each time. Looking forward to trying the pork chops on our next visit.

Agricola over Rat's.

We've been to Agricola twice for dinner and we've already made reservations to go back again. The crowd at Agricola is a lot of 20's, 30's and young at heart 40+! Food is excellent. Smaller portions. Unique cocktails, well served. Plus Agricola's location in the heart of town offers a lot of pre or post dinner options.

Agricola review -
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/894185

couple adds to the list of favs!

.. Any night of the week dining

Agricola

.. Happy hour or cocktail lounge

Agricola

.. Bagels (how could I forget?!)

Bagel Barn

Agricola Community Eatery opened for dinner this past Sunday and has immediately brought vitality and dining excellence back to its landmark location in the heart of Princeton.

J and I dined here last night with friends and really enjoyed the experience. It’s hard to believe they’ve been opened literally 4 days as our evening was nearly flawless. Our congratulations to owner Jim Nawn, executive chef Josh Thomsen and all involved in getting Agricola open for the community.

Upon entering, one is immediately attracted to the rustic finishes befitting a farm to table dining establishment. Rough hewn beams, exposed brick walls, tile floors, wood ceilings, an expansive pewter bar and industrial lighting all combine to enhance the casual rustic theme. The interior of the former Lahiere’s has been opened up and expanded creating a generous bar and windowed lounge area along with 3 separate dining areas and the adjacent eat in kitchen. It was a transformation well done and worth waiting for.

Diners have a choice of rooms when booking an online reservation. Depending on one’s mood, we would recommend the Parlor room off the bar for a casual dinner with friends, the Community room in the center of it all for a bit more energetic experience with a swirl of activity around it’s high top tables and you, or for a more refined dinner the Family room that’s tucked away from it all and is fitted with more comfortable seating. A small courtyard has been added to the rear of the building for additional dining space as soon as weather permits.

We started the evening with cocktails at the bar and were struck by the similarities to ABC Kitchen in NYC. All service staff at Agricola are dressed in similar plaid button down shirts and jeans as those at ABC, add some whitewash to Agricola's brick walls along with white furniture and you could be in the same place. That’s not a bad thing as we have really enjoyed dining at ABC.

The primary difference is the chef at ABC sources his produce from regional farmers at the nearby Union Square green market. Here at Agricola, the owner’s Great Road Farm is no more than a few minutes away and is the chef’s source. Agricola's menu covers are printed with lists of what produce to expect from the farm during each season - spring, summer, fall and winter. Nice touch.

The food at Agricola is exemplary. A lot of thought has been put into composing a limited menu that will emphasize the seasonal produce and local provisions to satisfy diners on a daily basis. Our compliments to chef Thomsen and we look forward to seeing how the menu changes throughout the growing season.

We enjoyed apps of cod fritters, octopus, poached egg and the excellent gem salad then entrees of the mushroom stew, arctic char, short ribs and red snapper. The depth of flavor in the wild mushroom stew was phenomenal. The short ribs were a generous and hearty portion. Our red snapper served with three pei mussels in a flavorful turnip broth was wonderful and we would order again.

The value here is excellent. With no entrees over $30, Agricola is a welcome alternative to our other local favorites - many with a majority of $30 to $45+ entrees. Agricola’s wine and spirits menu is extensive and we enjoyed a favorite bottle of Shypoke with our dinner.

We welcome Agricola to Princeton and look forward to returning on a frequent basis.

As a matter of fact, we’re returning tonight!

http://www.agricolaeatery.com/

Tortuga's is still open. They moved across the street. : )

more info and photos here:

http://www.princetonscoop.com/inside-...

elements (modern food and atmosphere) or The Peacock Inn (modern food / traditional atmosphere) are both in Princeton and both outstanding.

Chef's table at elements is a great experience. 9 to 14 small courses - if you include the various amuse and treats along the way.

and check out Agricola Eatery in Princeton. Just opened and looks very promising. Chef x-French Laundry and other top kitchens. Local farm to table cuisine.

http://www.elementsprinceton.com/
http://peacockinn.com/
http://www.agricolaeatery.com/

welcome back!

New or expected to be open - before your June/July visit:

Agricola Eatery - Princeton. Just opened this week in old Lahiere's location. Farm to table. Looks promising. Chef x-French Laundry alum. Seasonal produce from owner's Great Road Farm and other local suppliers.

Mistral - Princeton. Opening soon by Scott Anderson from elements. Small plates. byob. Witherspoon St across from Library (old Japanese restaurant).

Despana - Princeton. Opening soon. Location in SoHo. Spanish market and tapas cafe. Corner of Nassau and Olden (old Indian restaurant).

Cafe 44 - Princeton. Excellent breakfast / lunch spot. Great omletes. Leigh Ave. Old Tortuga's location. At night it's run by a different chef and is called Cafe 44 Fusion serving southern/soul food.

Osteria Procacinni - Pennington. Artisan pizza, wines and beers. Much larger than original location in Kingston. Our new favorite. Route 31.

Brian's - Lambertville. byob. Old No 9 location. Very good haute bistro cuisine.

D'floret - Lambertville. byob. Old Cafe Galleria location. Very good haute bistro cuisine.

also in the works but timing is less certain:

PJ's Pancake and Pasta House - Alexander road in Princeton Junction at old Acme shopping center. 2nd location of Nassau Street original.

Cheap - Cafe 44, Princeton for great omelettes and more.

In Between - KC Prime, Lawrenceville. We haven't been in a while for brunch, but enjoyed in the past.

High End - elements or the Peacock Inn, both in Princeton.

New - opening this Sunday (for dinner) but soon to be adding lunch/brunch is Agricola in Princeton. Looks very promising.

Stage Left in New Brunswick has my vote.

Just had a burger here last night and it was as good as always. Great blend of angus beef in the hefty patty. Nice smoky woodgrilled char on the outside and a juicy medium rare inside. Served with 2 year aged Vermont cheddar. The $15 burger is as good as a $35 steak.

Add a perfectly poured Guinness for a great meal.

post deleted after reply from Nicholas below.

and this thread from last year.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/839694

We dined at Red and had a very good meal although we had a lot of sushi. Wine and spirits served here if that's of interest.

Nearby, Via 45 and Dish both are BYOB and we've enjoyed in the recent past.

Also, throughout treatment there may be times when the patient is neutropenic (low white cell count). Most raw foods (think sushi), some meats, uncooked fruits and veggies, some cheese and dairy etc will be restricted during this neutropenic period.

More info here:
http://www.lls.org/diseaseinformation/managingyourcancer/treatmentnextsteps/foodnutrition/neutropenicdiet/

Here's an older thread that may be of interest:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/349065

thanks again for the fix.

turkey or chicken pot pies, loaded with veggies.

You may want to consider when preparing anything with a sauce (especially tomato sauce) - keeping and freezing the sauce separate. Some chemo patients find the acid in tomatoes to be unpalatable.

Opentable's showing 15 places in central NJ and 48 places in northern NJ available for a 6pm res'v for 2 on Christmas. You may want to take a look over there for suggestions.