tom246's Profile
I found Mexican Coke in NJ! (No HFCS!)
assuming the age of the two products are about the same, give or take a few weeks, I would be amazed if you didn't taste a big difference. Not saying which you will like better but you should see a difference for sure.
If one of the products is significantly older, then the difference will be age related not from the sweetener.
Curious about Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa area
Between Santa Rosa and Healdsburg on 101 is the town of Windsor. I can highly recommend 4 very good restaurants there. Have been to each several times without disappointment. All are 1 minute off 101.
Tomi Thai
http://www.tomi-thai.com/
Himalayan Restaurant
http://www.himalayankabobandcurryhouse.com/
Chinois Asian Bistro
http://www.chinoisbistro.com/index.php
Ume Japanese Bistro
http://umebistro.com/
Like others have said, avoid Johnny Garlic's.
Wineries/Vinyards and other foodie destinations en route to Mendocino
The suggestions by Maria are spot on, I also really like the Pinot Noir from Toulouse and Phillips Hill. I am surprised nobody has mentioned the absolute best Mexican I have had in Northern Ca.
Libby's in Philo on the way to Mendocino is really good. The carnitas and al pastor are to die for. Don't miss it but be sure to fit into their lunch or dinner times. They close promptly in the middle of the afternoon.
Osteria Procaccini in Kingston NJ
Back yesterday from a painfully long trip, no reservation, need to relax, where to go. Easy decision, went to Osteria Procaccini for an early feast of pizza and other menu items. It was a gorgeous evening to be on the patio and when we arrived it was full with hungry diners. Got a table and sipped some wine while deciding what to order.
We sampled a special appetizer of bruschetta which was garlic rubbed toasted ciabatta bread with fresh diced tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. This was a bruschetta you could sink your teeth into and was very fresh and tasty. Also split the contadino salad, the slices of fresh prosciutto covered with mixed baby greens, balsamic vinaigrette, shaved parmigiano reggiano, EVVO and a balsamic reduction. Large enough for two and just the right blend of single ingredients to make a delicious salad.
A special pizza consisting of sopressata, roasted red peppers, fresh mozzarella, kalamata olives and fresh basil sounded good but tasted even better. A great combination! Also had the Dora which is a favorite, San Marzano tomato sauce, mozzarella, local Martin Farms sausage and Applegate Farms pepperoni. The local sourced meats have a mild but distinct flavor. Have some of each pie left over for today.
Finished by sharing a large cannoli freshly stuffed with creamy filling and a touch of citrus. A yummy ending. Osteria Procaccini is a bustling restaurant not unlike what you see in Italy. The servers do a nice job of keeping everything orderly under control. I noticed that I mentioned “fresh” several times in this report, well that’s because everything is fresh!
Blue Bottle Cafe, Hopewell NJ
New menu at Blue Bottle always warrants a visit to explore and enjoy. Enjoy we did last night! Nibbled on the assortment of bread while looking at the menu, could probably eat a loaf of that raisin fennel.
Appetizers were diverse and delicious. Salad was hydroponic butter lettuce with wheatberries, fennel, asparagus, radish, brought together with a creamy lemon vinaigrette. Simple ingredients but together a mouth full of flavors and texture. House smoked rainbow trout, marinated beets, strip of pumpernickel with horseradish crème fraiche was flat out delicious. Last app were those wonderful gnocchi. This preparation has goat cheese gnocchi, English peas, broccoli, pancetta, herb crème fraiche nage. Light little seared pillows, these went down very easy.
Two very different entrees, we shared both. Pan seared scallops with green apple and potato puree, snap peas, golden beets, raisins, marcona almonds, carrot curry emulsion. The combination brought out the sweet flavor of the scallops. Braised pork shank sat on a large farotto stuffed cabbage, English peas, baby carrots with a pork reduction. The Flintstone sized shank over the faro stuffed cabbage was very creative, delicious and a large portion.
Desserts prepared by owner chef Rory Philipson are always a treat. We sampled a new one, Banana cake, brown sugar rum sauce, a ring of sliced bananas topped with a dollop of cinnamon whipped cream. Sounds heavy, it wasn’t, a perfect ending to the meal.
Great service by Krista and staff all evening, they really work well together. A 2005 Pegau CdP paired really well with the food. Enjoy the new menu, Blue Bottle will be closed from June 1 – June 10. The summer menu will be in effect after that.
Bordentown - Trenton -Princeton Area - Party for 25
Eno Terra is a perfect place for what you are looking for. Would be able to give you a private room upstairs overlooking the restaurant.
Ibby's Falafel Freehold
Like Ibby's, thought El Sham was much better but it is no more. Such is the NJ restaurant scene :(
Russian River Valley and Sonoma area wineries
My favorites right in the town of Healdsburg.
Skewis for bright focused pinot
Holdredge for a variety of very good pinot
Seghesio for a variety of wines, especially Zinfandel
There are literally dozens of excellent wineries outside of Healdsburg. Here are a couple favorites out on Dry Creek Road area.
Talty only makes Zinfandel and they are excellent.
Rafanelli makes some of the best Cabernet, Zinfandel and Merlot you will ever taste and their wines are only sold at the winery. They are not in any retail outlet.
Drew's Bayshore Bistro, Keyport
Some quick notes on an excellent dinner Friday night. Drew’s regular menu is awesome, something for everyone but Friday had a list of specials that we could not resist.
Special salad had sliced strawberries, spinach, goat cheese, curried cashews, with a blueberry shallot vinaigrette. This salad was a meal in itself. Stuffed clams were another special, very large clams hollowed out stuffed with a clam, pepper, tasso ham, butter breadcrumb mixture and had a drizzle of a delicious sauce. These were yummy.
Soft shell crabs are in the house! Drew’s preparation are hard to resist. Two jumbo crabs were sautéed with brown caper garlic butter with smashed potatoes and crisp vegetables. The pork Friday was a tenderloin with a cornbread stuffing with a root beer glaze. Also came with those smashed potatoes and vegetables. Two excellent entrees. On the expert advice of our server Colleen we sampled the scallops with creamy corn risotto. She told us they were “just off the boat”. They were incredibly sweet and delicious.
We finished our feast with a menu dessert, salty pretzel crusted chocolate caramel tart with whipped cream and vanilla gelato drizzled with chocolate and caramel. Yes, it is as good as it sounds. If you want to beat the weekend rush, Drew's is now open 7 days for dinner.
Revel - Atlantic City
Agree on the Village Whiskey burger at their Philly location. One of the best in town.
30 Acres, Jersey City
Agree with you gwh, the combination of ingredients and flavors were unique and delicious.
Does anyone know when they will have a liquor license. 30 Acres being BYOB for now is an added bonus.
30 Acres, Jersey City
Picnic, seeing your post got me thinking. I remember the server saying the type which began with a "p" and they were from Maine.
Looked around some sites, I remembered what he said. The oysters were pemaquid's from Maine. Information on them here. http://www.chefs-resources.com/Pemaquid-Oysters
30 Acres, Jersey City
We met our good friends Lowell and Rosalie for an early dinner last night at this new innovative restaurant. The place is named after Boyle’s 30 Acres which itself is a very interesting story of a wooden boxing palace built in JC for a Jack Dempsey fight.
If your interested, story is here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyle's_Thirty_Acres
30 Acres is a small plates concept although several preparations were quite filling. Just don’t expect large apps followed by huge mains. What you can expect is tasty well prepared food and some unusual combinations. All at very reasonable prices
The menu is limited and for a conservative diner one may need to choose carefully.. Not a problem for me but could be for some.
The place is modern, hard surfaces are everywhere. Throughout dinner the noise level was normal. As we were leaving around eight, the noise level was high.
For starters we shared 6 delicious briny oysters from Maine (forget the variety) which came with a pungent beet and horseradish puree. Also had the grilled octopus with grapefruit, radish and marjoram. The grilled notes paired perfectly with grapefruit sauce. Nugget potatoes with bacon, crème fraiche and chives were yummy and a good sized portion. Cavatelli were perfect al dente with chicken liver sauce, chili flake and mint. My favorite of the starters, really good and I don’t like chicken liver!
Continued with the mains, Black Sea Bass, roasted mushrooms, ramps, fiddleheads. I had a taste which was very good. Pan fried skate with red cabbage, old bay and crab was pronounced delicious by DW and I concur. Roasted poussin with watercress, poached egg, sherry was good but not as flavorful as the other dishes. Last main was a different prep of the cavatelli. A veg preparation, again perfect al dente with roasted mushrooms, ramps, fiddleheads. Excellent flavors, did not miss the protein one bit.
Only one dessert (more to come we were told) but it was the perfect ending to the meal. Kevin’s mom’s lemon bars were bursting with flavor, delicate crust, just plain good!
We had a couple of nice wines with dinner, a 2008 red from the Rhone and a 2005 Pride cabernet. Only open a couple of weeks, service was excellent from the staff who were helping each other all evening.
30 acres is owned by Kevin and Alex Pemoulie, Kevin was recently the chef de cuisine at Momofuku in NYC which has a cult following. We left totally full and the bill with tax without tip came to $64.00 per couple, a very good value. Here is a link to the website but keep in mind that we were told the menu changes very frequently. http://thirtyacres.tumblr.com/menu
El Sham - middle eastern - Hamilton (Mercer Co) NJ
Yes, very sorry to hear that. Our favorite ME place. Location was a problem being tucked away in that mall. Super friendly people, hopefully they will open somewhere else.
Aioli Deli, Forestville
Just read on their website that they have closed. This was a great little place, we were itching to get back there in June.
Does anyone know if the owners intend on opening up a restaurant, deli etc anywhere else. We need more places like Aioli Deli, not less!
Osteria Procaccini in Kingston NJ
On the way back from the airport yesterday, a quick detour down Rt 1 to Osteria Procaccini which has become a real favorite of ours. Perfect timing as we snagged an open table. Shared the Condadino salad described previously, and two pizzas, Dora and "Z Pie" which was one of the very best mushroom pies ever. Organic crimini and shitaki mushrooms, topped with white truffle oil, sliced provolone cheese and fresh parsley. A couple glasses oof wine with those pizzas made for a great meal.
The large welcoming deck had a few people yesterday, soon the warm weather will get everyone out there.
Some Recent Restaurants, Kimchi Hana, Eno Terra, Elements Asia
A few nights of dining out as we have our work colleagues in from our other Regions around the world. A contrast of restaurants for sure, no detailed notes but some thoughts on the various places.
Kimchi Hana in South Plainfield. A lot of hype by a couple of people in our group, my take overall was good, not great. The very good: Hae Mool Soon Doo Boo soup, Bibim Bab, Bool Go Gi and Yook Hwe (my favorite dish)The not so great: Hae Mool Pajun (very greasy), Wang Kal Bi. For sure I left a few dishes out, we were having a good time. Would like to go back and sample some more things to get a better feel for this place. Here is a copy of the menu.
http://www.allmenus.com/nj/south-plainfield/31759-kimchi-hana/menu/
Eno Terra in Kingston. Been fortunate to have dined here many times, all work related. Always very good, maybe just a touch below my favorites. Tuesday, 8 of us had a set menu in the upstairs private dining room and this time the food, all 7 courses was EXCELLENT. Assorted bruschetta, assorted flat breads, mixed green salad, two pastas (gnocchi was fabulous), meatballs, scallops, short ribs and chicken were all prepared perfectly. Dessert was a fudge tart with burnt caramel filling and a scoop of homemade ice cream. You will be hard pressed to find a more attractive restaurant anywhere. Our feast lasted 3 ½ hours and was worth every second. I don’t know why but from a set menu I was not expecting this good a meal.
http://www.enoterra.com/
Elements Asia in Lawrenceville. Was last there about 10 years ago. Food good to very good, fresh tasty preparations and the restaurants has certainly been updated from what I remember. It now has a modern feel and vibe. Everything was solid, spring rolls, poached fish Chinese style, Thai mango chicken, lamb double feature, Thai curry shrimp, a filet mignon dish I can’t remember and assorted Japanese rolls. An oriental restaurant that does everything well. Spice level on the curry was nice and spicy, others were mild. A special hot sauce was provided for those wanting more heat. Based on last nights dinner, will go back and try some more.
https://www.elementsasia.com/
Azzaro Brothers Pizza and Tomato Pies - Coming to East Windsor
Thanks for the update on Cranbury Pizza. Round of golf in Millstone, must be Charleston Springs. My favorite courses. Now I understand your name :)
Drew's Bayshore Bistro, Keyport
Wow, Drew's just keeps getting better and better (if that is even possible). We settled in last night looking over the menu while our server Colleen read the specials. It seems you can't go wrong with anything at Drew's, it is also nice to have a wide variety of choices.
We started with a special salad of spinach, sliced strawberries, fennel, goat cheese all tied together with a blood orange vinaigrette. Excellent salad and a large portion. I had the signature voodoo shrimp which I had not ordered in some time. Well, it is as good as ever. Go hungry and enjoy! Also had a large bowl of mussels that were prepared with white wine, garlic and herbs. These were tasty and we sopped up the broth with some nice bread.
Entrees were perfectly seared scallops over a creamy corn risotto and two jumbo crab cakes with smashed potatoes, veggies and a creamy tartar sauce. Both entrees were superb.
It is hard to pass up dessert at Drew's, so we didn't try :) A new salted caramel pretzel pie was off the charts good. A pretzel tart shell with caramel, chocolate ganache, whipped cream, chocolate sauce with a scoop of vanilla gelato. Wonderful mix of sweet and salty!
Also had another new dessert, a fried apple pie with whipped cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream was crispy on the outside with warm apple berry goodness inside. Another excellent dessert to end a delicious meal.
Drew was recently nominated for a James Beard award, this is the third year in a row!!. A real accomplishment. Totally comfortable in the new restaurant he is experimenting all the time and is devoting time to a recently purchased smoker. Can't wait for Drew to start sampling from that smoker.
Service from Colleen, Tara and the entire staff is friendly and very helpful.
Always a pleasure dining at Drew's and last night was no exception, enjoy.
http://www.bayshorebistro.com/
Calistoga itinerary feedback needed for April trip
Agree 100% with everything that maria told you. Even if you were at Pride for 10 minutes, you would not make RRB by 4:00 pm. The view at the picnic area at Pride is literally the best in all of Napa Valley and their wines are excellent. I would strongly consider relaxing taking in that view with some wine and a snack before dinner.
We really like Jole, very talented chef.
Paris Trip Report 3/17 - 3/21
From Saturday March 17 – Wednesday March 21. We stayed at a small boutique hotel in the 9th, Hotel Aston. It was OK, nothing special but fairly centrally located. Saturday night, first dinner in Paris. Wanted a relatively early evening, we reserved for 7:30 at Juveniles Wine Bar 47 Rue de Richelieu 75001. Read some nice reports online and they were all spot on.
Started with the tapenade and crostini Ron which were both delicious and large portions. We enjoyed a couple of glasses of French and Italian white wine with the starters. Mains were also really good, magret duck breast was done a perfect medium rare, came with potato gratin and a small bibb lettuce salad. DW had the pork chop, also came with the potato gratin and salad. With dinner we had a nice bottle of Spanish red wine that came recommended to us.
We were stuffed but decided to share the assortment of glace which were vanilla, caramel and gingerbread. All were excellent, my favorite was the caramel which had a nice burnt note to it. A nice start to our Paris visit
Second night (Sunday) we had dinner at Café des Musees 49 Rue Turenne 75003. We were looking forward to having steak frites and were not disappointed. Started with mixed vegetable salad with warm goat cheese and a selection of sliced sausages. We shared and thoroughly enjoyed both.
Mains were the steak frites which came perfectly medium and medium rare and with a heaping plate of crispy frites. The steak came with béarnaise sauce and a small salad. The steak was flavorful and tender. Washed everything down with a bottle of 2009 CdR which went well with all the protein we had.
Too full for dessert, maybe next time. They offer a 3 course prix fixe which at 22 euros is quite a bargain. Service was very helpful, especially considering my French which is virtually nonexistent.
Monday was a “free” night and as we were beat from touring the Louvre and Notre Dame we headed back to Juveniles which we enjoyed and it was a short walk from our hotel.
Starters were that eggplant tapenade and sautéed chorizo. A yum start. DW went with the cheese plate, a good portion of four different cheeses. I went for the three course menu of the evening which started with the chorizo already mentioned and duck leg confit with roasted potatoes and a small salad. Duck was moist and flavorful. My meal came with a piece of cheesecake and DW had the trio of vanilla, caramel and gingerbread glace. A bottle of 2009 Crozes Hermitage finished off a very nice evening.
Tuesday brought a whole new level of dining. We had a 7:30 reservation at Les Papilles 30 Rue Gay-Lussac 75005 and it exceeded our expectations in every way. It is a cute clean specialty goods shop as well as a restaurant. There is a 4 course menu that changes daily. Everything, from the presentation, service and food was excellent. First course was a creamy rich potato leek soup served in a huge tureen and we poured it over crème fraiche, chives, leeks, bacon and croutons. Wonderful start. Second course, slowly braised lamb shoulder served in a copper pot along with baby potatoes, whole peas, carrots, crushed tomatoes and garlic. Hearty, delicious and filling. Third course was cheese, a wedge of brie served with caramelized onions, topped with chives and served with a bright red spice that had some savory notes. $th course was a tasty dessert. Banana panna cotta was topped with caramel foam and was the perfect ending to an excellent meal. We had a bottle 2009 red from the south that paired with everything. Very welcoming service, especially by the manager who took the time to explain everything. The 4 course menu at 33 euros is excellent value.
Lunch Wednesday after walking, touring and shopping the Marais area was Breizh Café, 109 Rue Vielle du Temple 75003. Needed to get a crepe before leaving Paris so wife and I split a galette with Andouille, gruyere and a sunny side up egg and for dessert we split a crepe with chocolate, caramelized almonds and Chantilly cream. Also had a couple glasses of cider which are a specialty here. Crepes were fine and hit the spot for lunch.
Our final dinner Wednesday evening was L’Ami Jean, 27 Rue Malar 75007. We wanted to go out with a bang and chose the 5 course tasting menu. Was not able to take notes but each course was very very good. My simple description does not do the meal justice. Course 1 was a rich creamy vegetable soup. Course 2 was mackerel that was wrapped with zucchini and topped with bacon. Course 3 was hake with peppers and a spicy foam emulsion. Course 4 was roasted pigeon with a generous piece of foie gras, with lentils in au jus gravy with a side of mashed potatoes. Course 5 was the rice pudding with a side of caramel cream that was just awesome. Everything you have heard about the rice pudding is true and then some. We also were served a banana rum dessert and a kiwi based frozen dessert with brown sugar that was also excellent. We enjoyed a 2009 Cotes du Rhone with the feast.
During our stay we also stopped at several patisserie and chocolate shops and had an assortment of pastries and macaroons. All were excellent. One in particular that had lines out the door all day is Jullian Patisserie 85 Rue Saint Dominique in the 7th.
In summary, each meal was different and excellent on its own. If we had to pick a couple favorites they would be Les Papilles and L’Ami Jean. We walked practically everywhere, used the metro a few times when tired and it is very easy to navigate.
A couple last notes, people were incredibly friendly and understanding of my very limited French (words not sentences). Lastly, we mainly had 8:00 pm or 7:30 pm reservations due to the jet lag factor. If you arrive 5 minutes or so early, you will likely find a near empty restaurant and you get the “best” seats in the house which is often slightly away from others. You avoid getting crammed or dining elbow to elbow. Worked very well for us. Paris is a great city and we hope to get back there soon. Sorry for the long rambling report.
BYO in the Marlton/Cherry Hill Area...?
CindyJ, glad Lposada worked out well for you. BYO in NJ is the real deal, no corkage fee of any kind. If you enjoy a glass of wine like we do, you can't go wrong.
Paris for 5 nights
Thanks you for the suggestion, we are looking forward to touring (and eating!) our way around Paris.
Paris for 5 nights
My wife and I will be in Paris for 5 nights starting this Saturday. We have been fortunate to visit several other cities in Europe but for whatever reason never made it to Paris.
We are going to do all the touristy things for sure, museums, Eiffel Tower, markets etc. Also in the process of trying to set reservations at L'Ami Jean and Les Papilles. Both have been recommended to us.
We are staying in the 2nd and will likely be beat that first day (this Saturday). Any recommendations for a low key, more casual meal in that area. For sure I will try to make a reservation as Saturday is only a few days away.
Also any other suggestions for lunch or dinner anywhere in Paris would be appreciated. After that first day we get anywhere for a good meal :). We like more casual type places, bistros with good food would be nice.
Thanks in advance and sorry for posting this so late.
Pizza Help
Since the Hudson street Trenton location closed, the Robbinsville Delorenzo's has been a disaster as far as trying to get in. Yesterday (Friday) was a good example. The place opens at 4:00 pm we got there 5:10. Normally there would still be a couple tables still empty or if full several tables would open up as many people get there when they open.
Yesterday, a 1 hour wait at 5:10 and from the crowd that I saw waiting, it was likely a 90 minute wait. Needless to say we hit a local joint on the way home.
Osteria Procaccini in Kingston NJ
If anyone is interested, here is the link to the recent review by the New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/04/nyregion/a-review-of-osteria-procaccini-in-kingston.html
Atlantic City recommendations
AC also not my favorite, sounds like you did alright at Tony's. The Broncs were awful, was not expecting much but worse than expected.
Did not make it over to the EIWA's but a friend said it was run VERY well. Could easily have 3 National champs from that group.
Brian's Lambertville
Met our good friends early last night in Lambertville. Wanting to try something new we had a reservation at Brian’s, the new restaurant whose space previously housed Number 9.
The first thing you notice is the very large brick oven that dominates the back space which had been a couple extra tables. It has cut down on space but has opened up the menu choices and possibilities.
The menu is broken down several ways. There are appetizers, hand made pasta in app and entrée portions, selection of brick oven pizza as appetizers, entrees and also a 3 course prix fixe menu combining various apps and entrees. Enough already, how was the food. Very happy to say that we ordered a variety of plates and thoroughly enjoyed everything.
Appetizers were mixed lettuces with herbed goat cheese and sherry vinaigrette. Fresh, nice hunk of goat cheese in a tasty vinaigrette. A very earthy and tasty puree of mushroom soup with truffle oil was a treat. An app portion of potato gnocchi with short rib ragu was excellent. Shrimp “cheesecake” with red pepper sauce was a fun dish. Was not quite as cheesecake like as we thought, more like a quiche but still tasty.
Entrees were Roasted organic chicken with truffle leak sauce which was moist and yummy. Braised beef ala mode with horseradish was braised shoulder for several hours, tender and flavorful over mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables. Duck Shepards pie was a casserole filled with duck, veggies and topped with a combination of mashed potatoes, bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Hearty and delicious. Crabcake with mustard sauce had a good amount of crab with just a bit of filler to keep it together and was given a thumbs up.
The Shepards pie and crab cake were part of the prix fixe, desserts were included. Fresh berries with a scoop of homemade blueberry ice cream was very good and bread pudding with amaretto sauce hit the mark.
Even on a busy Saturday evening, chef owner Brian Held took the time to visit each table with a friendly greeting and ask how the meal was going. You can sense his desire to have people enjoy their experience.
His reputation at Rouget in Newtown was very positive, he brings the same skills to a more relaxed setting in Lambertville.
Our server Stacy and staff was a joy all evening and was a great help with helping to decide on menu choices. Two bottles of vino, Turley Zinfandel and Apersand Cabernet finished off a nice meal.
If your over in the Lambertville area, Brian’s is worth a visit. Here is a link to the website but the menu is tweaked often so items listed are examples and may not be available.
http://brianslambertville.com/
Atlantic City recommendations
Use my name at Vola and your liable to get thrown out lol. From what I hear, you have good advice on Little Saigon and White House. Have not been, maybe one day.
We're heading over to Princeton to the EIWA's on Sunday and then probably Nomad or Osteria Procaccini but BPG is also a good choice.
