madgreek99's Profile
Finally taking my 5 year old daughter to Paris for a couple of days - advice?
Well .... How did it go??
Sprig and Vine: New Vegan restaurant in New Hope
No - it wasn't at all packed. Sadly, there were only 3 or 4 tables occupied. It is just off of Bridge Street in Union Square. It's in the same complex as Triumph Brewing Co. I'll attach a link with their website. http://www.sprigandvine.com/
Report back if you go!
Sprig and Vine: New Vegan restaurant in New Hope
This has been on my "to-try" list for a while now, and I finally made it over there today for lunch. WOW! I am not a vegan or a vegetarian, but I could easily become one if I could eat here every day!
I had the carrot orange soup, a special, which was really good. It was thick and filling because of the added chick pea puree.
The cauliflower banh mi was outstanding. The first ingredient in any great sandwich for me is always the bread, and boy did this deliver. It came on a PERFECT roll. Great crusty outside and perfectly doughy inside. The cauliflower was roasted and nicely brown and crusty. Pickled vegetables were great. For me, they had just the right balance of slightly sweet and slightly tart. The spicy sauce was quite spicy, and very very good. I love a great sandwich, and this is officially on my personal "top 3 best sandwiches EVER" list.
I will definitely be back. Daily, if possible.
Cocco's in Flemington
Cocco's has reopened in a new location. Several years ago, Cocco's used to be in the space that is now occupied by 55 Main. They recently re-opened across the street in the space that used to be the coffee shop.
The space is nice but I found the seating to be quite uncomfortable. I had the cuban panini for lunch and it was quite good. It came with a spicy dressing that was very tasty. There were too many raw onions for my taste, but it was easy enough to remove them. It was a nice portion size.
Cocco's also brought back their gelato. I didn't have any, but there were many flavors available, and it looked creamy and fresh.
I will definitely go back. It's a nice addition to the casual lunch options on Main Street, Flemington. I hope they can do something with the seating to make it a bit more comfortable, though.
Five Guys in Flemington?
Saw a sign today that 25 burgers is taking over the old pizza hut space right on the circle.
New Greek Restaurants in Bridgewater/Somerville
Had dinner at Kyma last weekend and had a great experience. As you may guess from my name, I am a Greek food afficionado! Thought the food was excellent and very authentic. The service was very attentive and friendly. Really liked the decor. My only complaints would be the entertainment ( a bad guitarist) and the prices (a little high).
For starters we had the Kyma chips which were thinly sliced eggplant and zucchini fried and served with a garlicky sauce called skordalia. They were very very good. We also had the calamari and the octopus. The calamari was a bit salty but still very fresh tasting, The octopus was grilled nicely and was tasty but for some reason was a little mushy on the inside. Not really sure, why. Maybe it was overboiled before they grilled it. Lastly we tried the spanakopita and the keftedes. They were both quite good.
For the entrees we tried the barbounia (grilled fish) which was excellent. Barbounia is a Greek fish but in this case, they get it from South Africa. It tasted very fresh and was very meaty. We got the vegetarian moussaka which was quite good. It was made with eggplant and artichoke which is a nice combination. This version is not exactly authentic but it works. The bechamel sauce was a little creamier than I like but had good flavor. Also had the shrimp risotto which was excellent. The shrimp was maybe a little overcooked but the flavors were really wonderful and the combination of the shrimp with the artichoke hearts was great.
For dessert we had almost everything on the menu! The galaktoboureko ( a custard pie) was a little too sweet with the drizzled honey but clearly homemade and very fresh. The yogurt with quince was just OK. I didn't really love the combination of those two items. The yogurt is a bit sour as is the quince and I didn't think they went well together. The ouzo ice cream was fabulous and, in my opinion, the best of the desserts. The baklava was a little dry but I am a baklava freak and have extremely high standards for bakalava so I may be overly critical. The kardopita (walnut cake) was excellent, though I prefer mine with a honey syrup and not straight honey.
All in all, I thought it was a great experience. Yes, the prices are a little high but the quality and freshness of the food is great and the servers made us feel welcome and well cared for.
Definitely will go back and definitely will recommend to others.
Just moved outside of Clinton. Help point us
In Flemington there is also Blue Fish Grill and Shaker Cafe. Teaberrys and Viva Mexico are good, too. Also , try Bakers Treat.
Central NJ restaurant suggestions for gift certificate?
Some ideas are: blue bottle grill in Hopewell, elements in Princeton, 90 acres in peapack, Matt's red rooster in Flemington, and hamiltons grill room in Lambertville.
Finally taking my 5 year old daughter to Paris for a couple of days - advice?
First of all - I just realized that I wrote about food shopping on Rue Montmarte and I should have said Rue Montorgueil which is one street over.
The Chez Denise menu was definitely heavy on meat. But they did also offer some halibut and salmon options. I can't say if this is normal or not, as I only ate there once.
Cafe Etienne Marcel is a more casual option and more focused on people watching than eating, but it is close to the RER station, child friendly, and decent food. Good luck!
Finally taking my 5 year old daughter to Paris for a couple of days - advice?
When we went this summer, our apartment was right by the Chatelet Les Halles station, so I do have a few recommendations. First of all, Rue Montmarte is excellent for food shopping. You can stroll and buy some fresh bread, cheese, fruit, etc and make a meal of it rather than a prepared meal at a restaurant. If you'd rather have a sit down meal, a few suggestions are: Chez Denise or Cafe Etienne Marcel. Both are good, an easy walk from the RER, and child friendly. You can also have a look at Le Loup Blanc.
Glad you will be going to Cafe Constant. It's great. Have fun and report back!
Mad Chef Cafe in Flemington
Went tonight for dinner. The only thing I can say is ... AWFUL. The entire place is just awful. The decor, awful. The service, awful. The food, really really awful.
The crazy thing is that there was a LINE to get in. A long line. The wait was so long that the people in front of us abandoned ship after about 15 minutes because no hostess or server even acknowledged that there were people waiting to get in. Actually, there was no hostess. I suppose that this could all be explained by the Groupon deal. I saw at least 2 other people besides myself that had purchased the Groupon, which bought you $50 worth of food for just $25.
The servers were very green. Not only is the restaurant new, but I seriously doubt that most of the servers have ever waited tables before.
The service could have been overlooked, though, if the food had been good, which it wasn't.
For starters the pumpkin soup was inedible. Really. We left the whole thing uneaten. The calamari was pretty bad. There was no way to tell whether actual calamari was underneath all that batter. Maybe it was chicken, or maybe it was rubberbands. No calamari taste whatsoever. It came drenched in an Asian glaze which would have been tasty had there not been so darn much of it. Another annoying thing is that the calamari was served in a chinese food take out box with a piece of tissue paper and chop sticks. On a bed of mashed potatoes. I kid you not. It was all so odd.
On to dinner. We had the rigatoni with eggplant and the lobster ravioli. These were not terrible but I wouldn't say they were good either. I would liken them to something you would get at TGIFridays. If you like to order lobster ravioli at Fridays, then you might like this place. Me, not so much. My daughter got the chicken fingers and fries. Even a 7 year old thought her dinner was gross. Too much frying. Everything tasted like old fryer oil. UGH.
The prices were also quite high. The aforementioned lobster ravioli was $18.95. Really? For a couple dollars more I could get a great dinner at Matt's Red Rooster. Geez, for half that price I could walk a hundred feet over to Blue Fish Grill and get a plate of knockout fish tacos.
I predict that the Mad Chef Cafe will go the way of so many other occupants of that location. What a shame.
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Blue Fish Grill
9 Central Ave Ste 4, Flemington, NJ 08822
Buddies Diner in Lambertville
Tried a new place for lunch today and was pleasantly surprised. Buddies Diner is on Route 179 after Mt. Airy and just before Lambertville proper. I'm not sure what was in this space before, but the space has been decorated to look like a higher end diner. Both ends of the restaurant have large garage doors that look like they can be opened up for al fresco dining when the weather is nice. The space is very bright and open, clean, and pleasing to the eye.
Our server was very pleasant and there was an abundance of servers available so you could get help at a moment's notice.
We got the homemade pierogies to start. They were delicious. Five cheese and potato pierogies were served wtih sauteed onions on top. They were very fresh and cooked perfectly adn were the highlight of our entire meal.
For lunch we tried the tomato soup which was cream based and very tasty. We had the Grilled Chicken Sandwich (fresh tasting, but a little bland), the Cuban Sandwich (good, not great), and a cheeseburger (plump, juicy, grilled nicely). The french fries were peel-on, thick cut, and cooked well done. They were quite good. We did not have room for dessert, but the desserts looked GREAT!
The menu was very diverse with many options. I'll try to attach the link
www.buddiesrestaurant.com
My only complaint is that the kitchen was a bit slow. It probably took about 30 minutes for our lunch to arrive and the place was not even half full.
Buddies is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. All in all, I think it is a nice option to the Lambertville dining scene. Good food, good prices. I would classify it as "modern comfort food".
Mad Chef Cafe in Flemington
New place just opened up in Turntable Junction. I haven't been but there is a Groupon deal today for 55% off. Just bought the coupon and will report back once I try it out. If anyone has been, please let us know how it is.
Lambertville NJ area
Totally agree with you about Bell's Tavern. We only went once but had such an awful experience that we will never go back. Food was substandard and the server and barternder were rude, rude, rude.
Moules frites
I second the vote for BXL cafe. Love, love, love their moules frites. Great beer and croque monsieur too!
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BXL Cafe
125 W 43rd St, New York, NY 10036
Looking for NJ wedding halls
I went to a great wedding at The Grand Summit Hotel. Can't tell much about the prices, though.
80th Birthday dinner in Central NJ?
Matt's red rooster in Flemington is good and has a private room upstairs that can hold ten .
Maggianos by the Bridgewater mall is definitely kid friendly and can accommodate your party but the food is just average.
Restaurant in Frenchtown for dinner on a Sat. Night
Try the Lovin' Oven
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Lovin' Oven
62 Trenton Ave, Frenchtown, NJ 08825
Where can I buy really nice loose leaf tea?
I apologize if this is duplicate information, but I haven't read through all the comments on this thread. In the Stockton Farmers Market, there is a tea vendor selling loose leaf teas.
New Greek Restaurants in Bridgewater/Somerville
Thanks, Ambrose, for the heads up on this.
I tried Grill 85 the other day for lunch. The place is very small but there are at least 8 or 9 small tables for eat-in or you can take out. They also offer catering. The owners seemed very friendly and very willing to please.
I had a pork gyro which was good. It is real pork meat and not that pressed bologna-like gyro meat so often found around here. They also have a chicken gyro and they do offer the aforementioned pressed meat variety for those who want it.
They offer many other homemade Greek specialties. I didn't try any, but they all looked authentic and fresh.
I will definitely go again and would like to try them out for dinner sometime soon, too.
New Jersey Chefs who bicycle, or bicycle-friendly NJ restaurants
There are a number of bike-friendly places in Frenchtown, too. Try the Lovin Oven and the Bridge Street Cafe.
Rosemont Cafe - CLOSED
Rosemont Cafe was seized by the state due to nonpayment of taxes. Yikes! What a shame. Although this was not a favorite, I always hate to see local places go out of business.
Here's the link to the story:
http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2011/08/rosemont_cafe_seized_for_back.html
Finally taking my 5 year old daughter to Paris for a couple of days - advice?
We just came back from a trip to Paris with a 6 and an 8 year old. We had a wonderful meal at Cafe Constant. The food was wonderful, but the atmostphere was casual enough to make dining with children feasible. The kids loved it (save room for the profiteroles!), we loved it, and the staff didn't seem phased at all by the children. Close to the Eiffel Tower, too! Highly recommend it.
90 Acres - Wonderful
Had dinner for the first time at 90 Acres last night. The setting is gorgeous. The surrounding property is really serene and beautiful. The restaurant itself has a great vibe. Good choices in decor, lighting, furnishings, everything. Only complaint is that it was VERY loud. Much more suitable to a fun dinner out with friends than an intimate romantic evening for two.
For apps, we got the grilled octopus and the gazpacho. Both were good. The octopus was very tender, but was lacking any char. The gazpacho was tasty and obviously very fresh. The tomatoes were whole, rather than blended which was surprising, but actually very nice and added to the overall freshness of the dish.
Our main courses were the grilled pork chop and a pasta with fresh lima beans, fresh mushrooms, and sweet corn. The pork chop was HUGE, very nicely charred and seasoned, but the accompaniements were a bit bland. The pasta was not well seasoned, but the highlight was the fresh veggies. The corn was perfectly white and sweet and tasted like it was just picked minutes before serving. The lima beans were crispy and perfectly green, and the mushrooms, too, were wonderful.
For dessert, we had the peanut butter ice cream sandwich and the coffee ice cream sundae. Both were good, but nothing special.
Overall, I would say that the highlight of 90 Acres is definitely the setting of the restaurant. The food, itself, is not earth shattering. Very, very fresh ingredients, but no complex or creative menu items or preparations.
Atmosphere 9/10. Service 8/10. Food 7/10.
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Ninety Acres at Natirar
2 Main St, Peapack-Gladstone, NJ 07931
Best Tea in No NJ
I'm not sure what you consider northern NJ, but teaberrys in Flemington does an excellent tea service.
Where can I buy really nice loose leaf tea?
Teaberrys in Flemington, I believe, sells looseleaf teas. Call first, though.
Food carts/stands for weddings
Try nomad pizza in hopewell. They have a great pizza truck.
Spain Inn 2 in Asbury (Hunterdon County) NJ
It's just OK. It's better than the Spain Inn on Route 202 (which isn't saying much). The paella was decent and the sangria was pretty good. We also had the shrimp mariscada (sp.?) which was OK. It's definitely not like the places in Newark, but for Hunterdon County, it's the best you're going to get.
Party location near Flemington
There are not too many options in Flemington. The only one that I can think of is Matt's Red Rooster. The food is great, it is BYO, and they can probably accomodate you upstairs. In Bridgewater, Maggianos definitely can accomodate you, and the food is OK. You can also try the Stockton Inn.
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Red Rooster Cafe
1300 Atlantic Ave, Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Stockton Inn
Main Street (corner of Bridge), Stockton, NJ 08559
Pork Chop BBQ in Flemington
Stopped by a new BBQ place in Flemington today. It’s located on Rt 31 North, just after Minneakoning Rd and just before the BJs. It is called Pork Chop BBQ and it serves Portuguese and American BBQ. According to the owner, they are brand new and haven’t officially had a grand opening. They are still in a soft opening phase. Their menu includes some traditional bbq items such as ribs, pulled pork, and wings but also a good selection of Portugese items. This is a very small space with only a few tables. It appears that they expect much of their business to be take-out. I didn’t eat there so I can’t report on the food, but I can tell you that it smelled great in there.
If anyone has the chance to try it out, please report back.
