tamerlanenj's Profile
Who makes the best french fries in Boston?
There are so many amazing places to eat in Portland. Duckfat just doensn't do it for me anymore. When you can get an knock your socks off tasting menu at Hugo's for $40, why bother with Duckfat!
Moonshine Supper Club - Millburn
the real question is how are the cocktails? Do they have a real bartender who can make real drinks or the usual know nothings slinging appletinis and cosmos.
New Jersey Trip Report! (Millburn, Verona, Orange, Maplewood, South Orange, Montclair, Elmwood Park, etc.)
Not to Hijack, but your experience matches mine re: Fore Street. Excellent farm-to-table ingredients, first rate atmosphere, but rather uncreative....dare I say boring...preparations. 555 and Hugo's are both superior, and on the ingredients/ambiance side, I favor Primo in Rockland anyhow.
New Jersey Trip Report! (Millburn, Verona, Orange, Maplewood, South Orange, Montclair, Elmwood Park, etc.)
Thanks for the tip about FA. Do you know if it is BYOB?
New Jersey Trip Report! (Millburn, Verona, Orange, Maplewood, South Orange, Montclair, Elmwood Park, etc.)
Thanks for the tip! I'll let my sister know too!
New Jersey Trip Report! (Millburn, Verona, Orange, Maplewood, South Orange, Montclair, Elmwood Park, etc.)
Thanks for the reminder about Jimmy Buffs! I haven't had an Italian Hot Dog in probably 15 years. As for Rutt's, I was always more a Hot Grill guy. Two all the way and fries with gravy! Darn, I can't believe I forgot that! I hope they're still open.
On my last trip in April, I did manage to make it to New Brunswick for fat sandwiches.
New Jersey Trip Report! (Millburn, Verona, Orange, Maplewood, South Orange, Montclair, Elmwood Park, etc.)
Good to know! Do you have a favorite diner in Essex/Morris/Union county for my next trip?
New Jersey Trip Report! (Millburn, Verona, Orange, Maplewood, South Orange, Montclair, Elmwood Park, etc.)
Fore Street is still fantastic but I give the slight nod to 555 on creativity, service, and wine list. Portland is an embarrassment of riches these days...newcomer Bresca, a tiny mediterranean place, definitely contending for top honors as well (just won the James Beard), and of course there's Hugo's. I'll take Portland over Boston any day.
New Jersey Trip Report! (Millburn, Verona, Orange, Maplewood, South Orange, Montclair, Elmwood Park, etc.)
Hi Hounds. Just got back to Maine after a fun week back home for the Holidays. I thought I'd chime in on my experiences: I visited many old favorites and some new places I'd never tried before. Enjoy!
Bagels Supreme, Springfield: This was my first proper meal of the trip after getting in late the previous evening. You can't get a good bagel worth a damn in Maine, so I always make sure to eat my fill when I am home. Sister picked up a dozen of these, and to my mind they were first rate. Dense, chewy outside, soft inside....I am of the opinion that your jaw should be just a little bit tired after eating a bagel, and these didn't disappoint. I had a salt and and everything, of which the salt was superior. Why does no one outside of Jersey make salt bagels?!!?
Bill and Harry's, Mapelwood: This was Christmas Eve dinner. DEFINITELY above average American-style chinese takeout. Favorites of mine were the excellent Pork Chow Fun, the steamed dumplings, the szechuan beef, and the ribs. I was less impressed by the egg rolls (frozen?), and sesame chicken (on the gloppy side). Also wish they had homemade duck sauce instead of the cloying packet kind.
Bagel Chateau, Millburn: My second salt bagel of the trip. Not as good as Bagels Supreme, but still quality.
Star Tavern, Orange: Oh, yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Dear god Yes. We had four pies in total over two trips. One was subpar...an eggplant and garlic pie that was undercooked, soft and doughy. I was waiting in the takeout line (on the way home from the Rutgers game at Yankee Stadium) and I think they saw me and rushed it out. Now, with that out of the way, we also had a plain pie, a half pepperoni half plain, and a pepperoni...and these were quite simply the finest bar pies I've ever had. I am craving them like mad as we speak. Crispy, chewy, cheesy, oily slices of thin crust perfection. I love that their blazing hot ovens make the pepperonis crisp up into little shimmering discs. That's far too rare these days! Picture below!
Tierney's, Montclair: My wife was hungry. My wife was not in the go through an overly long restaurant selection process in the sometimes overwhelming Montclair. We had exactly one hour to kill before a play in town. "Tierney's has awesome cheeseburgers!" I helpfully chimed in. To my pleasant surprise, she gave her assent! So we bellied up to the bar for two bacon cheeseburgers and two Yeunglings. I had my last Tierney's cheeseburger in 2003...I am VERY HAPPY to report that they are still, pound for pound, the best damn burger you can eat. Not overly thick like some pub and restaurant burgers, not thin and floppy like a fast food burger, but somewhere in between....cooked on a flat top, not a grill (yay!) so they are nice and juicy and drippy (you need those napkins), and they are always generous with the bacon. These might have been cooked a shade past the requested medium, but they were juicy enough that it barely mattered. Hurrah!
Sonny's Bagels, South Orange: Yep, another morning, another bagel. This one an everything with cream cheese. Some think Sonny's are the best, but heck if I didn't slightly prefer Bagels Supreme still. These are still very very good!
Pizza Town USA, Elmwood Park: I wept tears of joy when this pie came out to me. It is, quite simply, the perfect quintessence of New Jersey pizza. Not a bar pie, not a trendy haute pie, or an authentic brick oven neapolitan pizza, or a NY coal oven pizza...nope...just what you remember from your childhood (and mine). A properly cooked slice joint Pizza...for my money, the best in the state. Pie comes out blistering and bubbling...properly COOKED (no mushy center or sagging slice tips)...somehow both foldable and crisp, with little pools of oil here and there (that's a good thing). It's really hard to wait for it to cool down, but careful not to burn the roof of your mouth!! Here's the other thing about Pizza Town...CALZONES. There are two kind, a superb baked and the smaller fried. The little fried ones are just pure molten ricotta bliss. I like mine with a little red sauce on the side. This was the meal on the trip that truly made me happy, that made me miss New Jersey and my childhood like nothing else, that took me back to a time and place that I long since left behind. My grandfather lived in Saddle Brook and we used to get these pies all the time; they are what made me love pizza in the first place, so maybe it is natural that they define what pizza is for me. In any case, go...I don't think you'll be disappointed.
R's Place (Bella Gente), Verona: This cute little Italian BYOB is half casual pizzeria, half semi-fancy ristorante. It's a place for the locals from Caldwell and Verona....lots of Italian families in there, big parties enjoying life, food, and company. Food is not outstanding, but good, and the service is fairly charming. Honestly, the best part of this meal was the bottle of 2008 grand cru Corton burgundy that we had picked up at the NH State Liquor Store (the waiter gave an approving murmur as he opened it for us), but the zucchini fritti, veal parm, and bistecca were all good. Chicken marsala was rather bland, and salads a bit underdressed. Homemade connoli for dessert were very good, however, though not the somewhat stale tasting tiramisu.
Park Wood Diner, Maplewood: The Millburn diner had lost power, so we drove down the road to Park Wood to have breakfast with a friend. I had never been before, but it is about what you'd expect. Fairly standard diner breakfast, everything competently done, nothing particularly memorable. Being in a New Jersey diner always makes me wistful, so I was happy enough. Better than my last dreadful trip to the Versailles Diner in Fairfield!
Millburn Deli, Millburn: So, yes, I know the Town Hall Deli in South Orange is the proper place to go for a Sloppy Joe, but my wife had a meeting at nearby Basilico so I opted to wait for her here. It was my last meal in Jersey, so I made it as perfeclty Jersey as possible: Pastrami and corned beef sloppy joe, Stewart's Root Beer, and a black and white cookie. I actually think Millburn Deli needs to use better or fresher rye bread, as I found theirs a bit stale. Pastrami was also nothing special. Still, how can you beat a sloppy joe for your last meal in Jersey? Sure, I'd rather have been at Katz's or something, but it was a perfect close to the trip. Oh, and I don;t know where Millburn Deli gets their Black and White cookies from, but these were first rate!
Thanks for reading...remember you are lucky to live in New Jersey, even if it doesn't seem like it at times. Seek me out for questions if you're coming to Maine anytime soon!
Rooster's : Brick Oven Pizza in Augusta, ME
Bumping this thread because I recently returned to Rooster's and it was pretty bad. Doughy, thick, underdone crust...maybe they got complaints from the rubes who wanted pizza that tasted more like the crap you get at Amato's or the Irving station? Anyway, why bother having a coal oven if you have no idea how to use it? Frankly, I sort of doubt they are really even using a coal oven. It sure didn't taste like it, and the obviously machine stretched dough certainly didn't add to the authenticity of the experience.
Big time fail for me.
Roasted Chicken at Le Comptoir du Relais was en embarrassment
Why have it on the menu if it is garbage? And there are ways to par cook roasted chicken and have it come out excellent. Gordon Hamersley's, for instance. Anyway, just a report.
Roasted Chicken at Le Comptoir du Relais was en embarrassment
I don't like the drama of sending something back because I just "don't like it." If there's a dead bug in it or if its the wrong dish, yes. But I have a "caveat emptor" attitude about these things. I guess.
Roasted Chicken at Le Comptoir du Relais was en embarrassment
Le Comptoir is one of my favorite places to go in Paris. That being said, there is really no excuse for the dried out piece of shoe leather demi-poulette they served me on my most recent visit (right before Thanksgiving). Dried out, overcooked, bland. Worse than any corner rotisserie. Potatoes were good as always. Les ouefs mayonnaise superb. But, still....
Maybe it was just my bad ordering. I mean, the half-roasted chicken is just there for picky eaters right? But roasted chicken is one of my favorite foods of all time, especially in France. I know, I should have ordered the coquelette which looked amazing. I was kicking myself. And now god knows when I'll get back to Paris to order it.
Oh well. Just a warning. If you're jonesing for roasted chicken at Le Comptoir, go with the coquelette.
Bossa Nova in Malden Square?
By the way, this is slightly OT but in response to your happiness at having interesting options in Malden center, don't forget Fu Loon which is pretty much amazing, but best with a big group. Just try to avoid the Americanized dishes (though watch out if they have the authentic general gau's chicken; it's awesome).
Bossa Nova in Malden Square?
Oh my god. I had feijoada at a Brazilian/Cape Verdean restaurant in PARIS of all places and it was a revelation. I have to eat it again soon. Who else in Boston does it if Bossa doesn't?
Bossa Nova in Malden Square?
Hey, I've heard some pretty great things about this place. Any reports? It's hard to pass up Fu Loon when I'm in Malden...
Dining in Le Mans
Thanks, jfprieur! I just posted my own Le Mans report, so future CHers will have at least one set of recommendations. We very much enjoyed Le Mans, btw!
Le Mans Report
I felt duty bound to add this report after my repeated pleas for help finding good restaurants in Le Mans failed to draw a single response. It's not much, but it is a little feedback for future posters looking for a meal in this very nice city.
My first proper meal was at L'Assiette, a bustling cafe just off the campus of the Universite du Maine. Friendly staff, but rather middling food: probably to be expected at a place that caters to students and faculty. Not bad at all, but not particularly memorable. The highlight of the meal was a rather good tarte fromage. A plat du jour of a white fish in a mushroom sauce with couscous was simple and good. Isle flotante was executed well. Straightforward, affordable fare. A safe bet if you are at the college for a conference (as we were).
Dinner our first night was the La Chamade, which I though was very good, particularly with a menu price of 19 EUR. The meal began with an excellent pork rillettes....a specialty, of course, of le mans, served with good bread, and a complimentary aperetif whose exact composition unfortunately escapes me. Our first course was one of the best things I ate during my entire trip to France: a mushroom soup with chestnuts: rich, perfectly balanced and textured...an absolute winner. I could have eaten a gallon of this and been quite happy. The main course was monkfish bourdelaise....quite a new dish for me, but also delicious. Served with leeks and an acidic red wine reduction that complemented the fish well. Dessert was a crowd pleaser: generous molton chocolate cakes with creme fraiche. Not earthshaking perhaps, but certainly delicious. We drank the brand new beaujoulais that had just come out the night before with our meal, and it too was a good value. Having spent a great deal of time in Paris, I was quite surprised at just how good the food was for the price.
Our final meal was at La Vielle Porte. We had the private room in the back, which was nice but made for a rather subdued atmosphere. Dinner started with more good rillettes. The restaurant has several menus, ascending in price from 18 EUR to 22 EUR to 30 EUR, as well as a la carte choices. I opted for the 18 EUR plantagenet menu, not because I'm a cheapskate, but because the options struck me as interesting and local. First course was a fried soft boiled egg: a crispy breaded exterior--not unlike an arancini in texture---gave way to a perfectly cooked runny yolk. It was served over greens and bacon. Excellent! For my main course, I opted for another egg dish purely out of curiousity: an omelette of cheese and rillettes. This was good, but was, in the end, just an omelette. Much more interesting was my companion's dinner of braised deer! Another companion opted for the turnedos, served with mushroom cream sauce. A good safe option for picky eaters, and cooked properly a point. Dessert was totally forgettable: some type of banana tarte with ice cream. While not outstanding from beginning to end, this meal still struck me as a very good value compared to Paris.
All in all, I enjoyed my time in Le Mans. I can recommend La Chamade, at least, unequivocally, and certainly would not hesitate to return to La Vielle Porte.
Today's Groupon- Petit Robert Bistro
PRB is worth it for one very good dish: the beef bourgignon, with their excellent bread. Sometimes a restaurant just has one thing that makes it worthwhile...
Everything in Farmington, ME is horrible.
Well, the new Thai Smile and Sushi is open and I've been three times now. I have mostly good things to say.
1.The Thai food is mostly good to very good. At least comparable with nearest competitors in Auburn, Rangeley, and Waterville. The Mango curry was delicious, and the pad thai has to be one of my favorite renditions. Drunken Noodle, a favorite of mine, was ok but a bit mushy. Good spring rolls.
2.The Sushi is pretty mediocre. Probably to be expected, as this is really a Thai-focused restaurant. OK maki, but a very limited and uninteresting selection of fish. Prices are also ridiculously high ($17 for a shrimp tempura roll?).
3.Servers are clueless, most of them clearly never having eaten or served Thai or Japense food. However, I expect this to improve. Bartenders are friendly and can now whip up a pretty good mai tai.
In all, a good addition to the town.
What's the scoop on Gaslight?
Shocked by the bad onion soup comments. I love their rendition (at least I did...haven't been in ages) with the little bits of short rib.
Where do people go for FOS? I find Brasserie Jo's too sweet. The worst by far was the version at now defunct Bouchee.
Italian in Boston or Cambridge
If you're considering superlux prices in the No. 9 Park category, I would also consider Sorrellina. Again, modern creative fine dining Italian, not regional authentic, but the wagyu meatballs are to die for.
The North End is fun for atmosphere, but I tend to find most of the restaurants overpriced and nothing special. Prezza is your best bet if you do go there, I think. Lucca, a similarly regarded place, has always been a horrendous disappointment.
Italian in Boston or Cambridge
I don't know about #9 Park. Great restaurant, but it's more like a three star michelin modern tasting menu type of a joint than authentic regional Italian, no? By all means, go...I think it's great...but it might not be what you're looking for if you want something more down to earth.
Dining in Le Mans
Hi, all. I will be coming to Le Mans for a conference in November, and thusfar I am having a difficult time finding good restaurant information. A chowhound search revealed little (though maybe I need to broaden my parameters?).
Only two days,...probably two dinners and two lunches. Anything with a particularly local flair is appreciated. For instance, anywhere I could get outstanding rillettes. whether it be a restaurant or a boucherie, would be appreciated.
The conference committee has recommended two places: La Chamade and Le Vieiile Porte. I can't really find much about either, so thoughts on those places would be appreciated, since I assume many of my colleagues will be dining at them.
As a point of reference, my favorite restaurants in Paris tend to be brasseries or more down to earth bistros: Le Comptoir, Petit Pontoise, L'Argume, etc. Not looking for three star Michelin dining (if it even exists in Le Mans).
You know those delicious looking half moons in the front case of Lyndell's in Central Square?
I think they're something of a nostalgic type guilty pleasure for a lot of people. I know my wife and I used to enjoy an occasional stop at the Lyndell's original in Somerville. Two half moons to bring home, and enjoy them in front of the tv with an ice cold glass of milk. Dunno. We like em! It's like eating oreo cookies...a tingle of childhood.
