carlylecat's Profile
Looking for the best Mexican in North/Central Jersey (NJ)
Casa Maya in Gillette on Meyersville Road is anything but a chain - famiy owned and operated - teh food is good, not exceptional but solid and bringing your own cervazas is always welcome here!
Great Dinner at Roots Summit
Last two experiences at Roots in Morristown were similar experiences with highly attentive service from both waiter and managers.
Equus in Bernardsville Closed
Guess they shut down two weeks ago - not really going to miss it much
The Bernardsville News - March 2, 2012
BERNARDSVILLE – An upscale restaurant in one of the borough’s historic landmark buildings has been closed.
Equus at 1 Mill St. had ceased operating by Friday, Feb. 24. A sign on the front door said, “Closed for renovations, reopening soon.” Its web site offered a similar message but no further details.
Exactly when a reopening might occur remains a mystery. The phone at Equus had a similar recorded message and said calls would not be returned
Osteria Morini, Bernardsville - review based on 2 dinners
It was a tweet that was texted, sorry
Breakfast on Madison and E28th
Dont ask for egg whites, they wont make em, dont ask for a big table even if no one else is in there, they wont seat you, tables wobble, bread is weird, not a fan of The Breslin for Bfast - lunch ok, dinner better, drinks always, bfast no way
Osteria Morini, Bernardsville - review based on 2 dinners
Also I spoke with Michael last night via text - he said they are going to open a third OM in Washington DC later this spring
Osteria Morini, Bernardsville - review based on 2 dinners
OK we have now had two dinners and one take out from OM plus have had feedback from neighbors and some of the other restaurant owners in the area.
I was hoping to pop into OM in Soho so I could make an equivalent discussion but that has not happened and is not on the horizon over the next few weeks so sorry to the OM Soho fans but I cannot do a compare.
First – the space – what a dramatic change. The restaurant has gone from elegant to casual, the ceiling is now exposed with industrial painted light fixtures hung in black from teh high ceiling. The booths are gone, the step up to the dining room from the bar is gone, it is just one big open dining area with 4 top tables painted in rustic tones.
The tables are unusually high – I like it but I am a big person. The table next to us the first night was complaining and in speaking with the dining room manager he is debating raising the chairs or lowering the tables. The tables are high as they each have extensions in them so the room can be configured to handle pretty much any size party. The bar area has been redone with a beautiful deep white marble bar, same length just broader. Same open kitchen in the back but a huge and what have must have been outrageously expensive pizza oven in the corner.
No tablecloths - paper napkins are used , but high quality paper napkins. Water glasses and wine glasses are the same round ones from Due Terre, and all the place settings and cutlery create a modern mix that integrates with the rustic theme to the tables and wall hangings to make a very appealing setup, albeit it different than before and wow have I heard Due Terre regulars complain about that.
OK the food – overall it is exceptional. Starting with the best focacia I have had outside of Italy.
The bread is crispy with a toasted olive oil snap that gives way to melt in your mouth layered semolina bread that is enough to have me at that bar a few times a week with a nice glass of Chianti. The menu is pretty simple, salads, pastas, pizzas and a few meat and fish dishes. So far the pizza and the lasagna were both the best we have had - The lasgana and all of these type of foods have a different take on classic “red sauce” Italian restaurants.
The primary difference is the lack of sauce, very minimal on teh pizzas and teh pasta and the pasta on the lasagna is obviously homemade and enveloped with cheese and spinach - really a great dish. My wife likes traditional Italian and when she asked for more red suace there was not a problem and a huge bowl of rich marinara was immediately brought over.
The elephant ear pasta in a mushroom sauce provided a huge bowl of chewy homemade pasta with a rich mushroom sauce with 5 different types of mushrooms. The branzino was fresh, grilled over arugula and fennel in a truffle balsamic. The chicken was relatively the same dish as Due Terre’s old chicken – great news as that was one of the best chicken dishes in the state – pan roasted flat to a salty, crispy perfection in an au jus that is a leftover that had to stay on the menu according to the owner.
Prices are much lower than before but not cheap - $11 to 18 for pizza; $22 to $34 for meat and fish. The salads were ok and we never tried the deserts.
The wine list is the same as Due Terre, great selection of Italian red and white wines and a list of 10 by the glass, all reasonably priced.
All in all a great place - I am not sure if it will meet its mark of attracting families and a broader audience than Due Terre. The objective is to see if they can fill the spot up early with families and later with the townspeople who support all the high quality restaurants in the area.
I give them credit for trying something new and testing out the market. If they could not increase their covers there is no way they could afford the expansion into the old supermarket next door they wnat to accomlish this summer.
I really believe if they did they would find the their audience anyway, the biggest limitation has always been the location that is impossible to see from Rt 202.
As a long time Due Terre fan I am quite pleased, not sure if everyone will agree – I know quite a few who do not.
On a side note the place is being called locally either ”the old due terre” or the place “with the unpronounceable name” . But it is packed each night so far, impossible to get in on a Friday or Saturday night – but let’s see how it fairs as it stops being the shiny new coin everyone wants to see
Need a venue for 10 guys in their 50's to reunite
10 of use who graduated from high school have not seen each other in a while live all over NJ & CT.
We were hoping to find somewherre close to Grand Central where we could have some inexpensive beer and food and watch the NCAA basketball games together while recountting past times and catching up.
Were thinking of a bar with a "back room" or even renting a hospitality suite at an area hotel.
Price would be no more than $500/$600 for the room and $5 beers and $10 drinks plus food that can be nibbled on - wings, pizza, burger kind of thing
Any help would be greatly appreciated - March 25 is our proposed date
Due Terre, Bernardsville to become Osteria Morini
OK we have now had two dinners and one take out from OM plus have had feedback from neighbors and some of the other restaurant owners in the area.
I was hoping to pop into OM in Soho so I could make an equivalent discussion but that has not happened and is not on the horizon over the next few weeks so sorry to the OM Soho fans but I cannot do a compare.
First – the space – what a dramatic change. The restaurant has gone from elegant to casual, the ceiling is now exposed with industrial painted light fixtures hung in black from teh high ceiling. The booths are gone, the step up to the dining room from the bar is gone, it is just one big open dining area with 4 top tables painted in rustic tones.
The tables are unusually high – I like it but I am a big person. The table next to us the first night was complaining and in speaking with the dining room manager he is debating raising the chairs or lowering the tables. The tables are high as they each have extensions in them so the room can be configured to handle pretty much any size party. The bar area has been redone with a beautiful deep white marble bar, same length just broader. Same open kitchen in the back but a huge and what have must have been outrageously expensive pizza oven in the corner.
No tablecloths - paper napkins are used , but high quality paper napkins. Water glasses and wine glasses are the same round ones from Due Terre, and all the place settings and cutlery create a modern mix that integrates with the rustic theme to the tables and wall hangings to make a very appealing setup, albeit it different than before and wow have I heard Due Terre regulars complain about that.
OK the food – overall it is exceptional. Starting with the best focacia I have had outside of Italy.
The bread is crispy with a toasted olive oil snap that gives way to melt in your mouth layered semolina bread that is enough to have me at that bar a few times a week with a nice glass of Chianti. The menu is pretty simple, salads, pastas, pizzas and a few meat and fish dishes. So far the pizza and the lasagna were both the best we have had - The lasgana and all of these type of foods have a different take on classic “red sauce” Italian restaurants.
The primary difference is the lack of sauce, very minimal on teh pizzas and teh pasta and the pasta on the lasagna is obviously homemade and enveloped with cheese and spinach - really a great dish. My wife likes traditional Italian and when she asked for more red suace there was not a problem and a huge bowl of rich marinara was immediately brought over.
The elephant ear pasta in a mushroom sauce provided a huge bowl of chewy homemade pasta with a rich mushroom sauce with 5 different types of mushrooms. The branzino was fresh, grilled over arugula and fennel in a truffle balsamic. The chicken was relatively the same dish as Due Terre’s old chicken – great news as that was one of the best chicken dishes in the state – pan roasted flat to a salty, crispy perfection in an au jus that is a leftover that had to stay on the menu according to the owner.
Prices are much lower than before but not cheap - $18 to 24 for pizza; $22 to $34 for meat and fish. The salads were ok and we never tried the deserts.
The wine list is the same as Due Terre, great selection of Italian red and white wines and a list of 10 by the glass, all reasonably priced.
All in all a great place - I am not sure if it will meet its mark of attracting families and a broader audience than Due Terre. The objective is to see if they can fill the spot up early with families and later with the townspeople who support all the high quality restaurants in the area.
I give them credit for trying something new and testing out the market. If they could not increase their covers there is no way they could afford the expansion into the old supermarket next door they wnat to accomlish this summer.
I really believe if they did they would find the their audience anyway, the biggest limitation has always been the location that is impossible to see from Rt 202.
As a long time Due Terre fan I am quite pleased, not sure if everyone will agree – I know quite a few who do not.
On a side note the place is being called locally either ”the old due terre” or the place “with the unpronounceable name” . But it is packed each night so far, impossible to get in on a Friday or Saturday night – but let’s see how it fairs as it stops being the shiny new coin everyone wants to see
Nj Monthly names Top Italian Restaurants
Advertising aside there are some really good restaurants on this list and if you are heading outside of your "home" area you might like these
I woudl heartily recommend Anjelico's (even w/out Frank), Panevino, Patsy's, Undici, Due Mari, Porto Leggero, Uncle Vinnie's - all are fine places to eat with unique qualities
Due Terre, Bernardsville to become Osteria Morini
They will actually be opening as Osteria Morini on Friday Feb 3rd, closed on the 5th but open daily for dinner from Monday Feb 6th on.
This phase of renovations did not include the expansion into the shop rite next door, that will be completed in the summer.
This renovation included eliminating the "two staged flooring", the restaurant is all now on one level, giving it a more casual feel, pricing will reflect the new casual setting of the Osteria - some of the Due Terre menu will be held over but most of it will come from Osteria Morinini in New York
Same owner, same managers, 80% of floor people are the same.
We will be going there next week and will give a report
Due Terre, Bernardsville to become Osteria Morini
Francois has been negotiating with teh town for teh past two years to expand into teh closed Shop Rite facility that abuts the restaurant. Approvals came through this past fall and construction began last week for what I believe is an April opening
STK Midtown - Dinner and Lunch
Had both dinner and lunch at STK midtown in the WR Grace building this week.
Both very positive experiences, first the design is as good as you would expect, two bars, one in the front of the house and one in the back, white leather banquets all presented in cricles through two main dining rooms, one at the entrance in front of the main bar and one in the back between the two bars.
The second area is definetly the "power" dining area, the front room a bit more crowned as teh bar - which was packed from 6 PM to 9:30 - (Charles Barkely sitting in the middle of it all did not help) has the vibe of the bar.
Beautiful people everywhere at dinner just like downtown - lunch was spare and made for a comfortable business environment for discussions. Coat check a pain at night, made me walk downstairs myself to deliver the coats to a check room - really poor service there...bathroom attendants are pleasant as they shame you into tipping for openiong a door and handing you a paper towel.
Food was great - Bread was served in a pan with drizzled blue cheese over the top and a turine of chive butter. Starters sampled included the Rice Krispie Shrimp, mini burgers and the raw bar. No differnence in the food from downtown. Dinner was meat with a smapling of toppings (Chimmichurri and tehblue cheese the favorite of the group. Black sea bass was presneted atop greens, sliced fennel and red potatoes and a truffle infused broth poured over the delicate fish tableside, it was VERY good! Sides included a ginger soy broccolini that was eaten quickly, a corn porridge that was tasty but probably had a billion grams of fat in it. Desert sampled included the mini ice cream cones, teh bag of donuts (served warm in a white paper bag) both acceptable but not remarkable.
Lunch menu include dsome great salads, teh STK salad and choppped slad were both exceptional, Fresh greens and perfectly prepared medium rare sliced steak on the former.
Wine list was well represented - found a St Hallet Shiraz from Barrossa that was tasting great for under $80.
Everything is PRICEY!!!!,like at every NYC steak house, but it is certainly a scene and a fun alternative to Del Frisco's or Keen's. - Dinner was all in tax and tip for $675 for four with one cocktail wine and desert - Lunch all in at $72 for two salads, water and cappacinos.
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STK Midtown
1114 6th Ave, New York, NY 10110
Rouge Tomate?
Another ig thumbs up to RT
We dine at the bar for lunch once or twice a month - the soups (most made with vegetarian broth) are exceptional, service always friendly
I do not find the space "cold" at all as one of the above reviews stated, the floor to ceiling drapes seprating areas are not only vibrantly colored but absorb a lot of sound, the Bar area is lively with fresh fruits and colorful botlles, the dining areas have modern furniture but it is plush and inviting when you sit.
One of our family member sis a type one Diabetic and they actually have a nutritionist on site that helps with dertemining portion sizes, ingrediants and insulin measures.
Highly recommend
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Rouge Tomate
10 East 60th Street, New York, NY 10022
Vegetarian-friendly but not exclusively vegetarian restaurants
La Grenouille has a full vegetarian menu
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La Grenouille
3 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022
Moonshine Supper Club - Millburn
http://www.moonshinesupperclub.com/
This is the link to the full site
Breslin breakfast request
Is it weird that the Breslin refuses to make egg white dishes
Even if you order just the two scramnbled eggs on the menu they refurs to scramble just the egg whites, you have to have the whole egg.
Is that weird or just me?
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The Breslin
20 W 29th St, New York, NY 10001
Christmas Drinks around Warren
90 Acres bar area is an excellent Christmas choice - great decor, very SPECIAl indeed, second choice would be the Bernards Inn - teh inn is in its full glory for teh holidays, decorate dto the "nines" - piano music every night an da great bar scene.
Uproot has a great bar and they squeeze in a trio for music on weekends; 3 West also a fun drinks option but no live music- teh only drawback is that both of these are in Jersey strip malls though and dont really match the "specialness" of Christmas, the drive up the hill to 90 Acres and the homey feel of the Inn will reflect the season really well
Salt Creek Grill Today
Glad to hear as that restaurant and a bunch of others in Rumson are really hurting due to the bridge construction that has cut off their customer base in Middletown from them.
Business Cycle
Stopped in a "top fifty" NJ restaurant last night and had a drink with owner and manager, both said business is way down the last two weeks at both their restaurants after having a great September/October. They had a bunch of tables open at 8 pm which is unusual for them even on a Wed night
Any thoughts on why this may be?
Nothing seemed to change at either location, maybe an early pre-Thanksgiving pause.
Anyone else notice this?
Triomphe
Searched and could not find an appropriate thread, so I started anew,
We had a very nice meal last night at Triomphe. My wife and I ate in the small bar area in a very comfortable large booth.
As we sat we were served tap water per our directive, declining bottled and sparkling and quickly were served some bread and butter.
But this was no ordinary bread - nor was it the customary Triomphe large white roll - it was a mini pumpkin loaf that was hot and chewy and sweet that just melted in our mouthes.
We are butter FIENDS and neither of us even touched the large pat sitting between us as we enjoyed this really fun and delicious treat.
Cocktails arrived in large Martini glasses and we ordered two salads - the baby iceberg and the special frisee salad - and two entrees, the salmon special and the chicken from the regular menu.
Salads werre wonderful, the frisee was surrounded by crisp green beans and covered with vinegar sauteed shallots; the iceburg had a creamy bacon flavored dressing and the little iceburge cups were filled with baby peas....mmmm bacon, cream, peas and crisp lettuce, could have been a disaster and hugely overdone, but actually was subtle and sensitive, a delicate version of a steak house wedge salad...very nicely done
The server came and delivered two overly tall white wine glasses of which the bartender then poured a hefty amount of a white burgandy, I forget the winemaker or vintage but it was crisp, had a bit of a citrus kick and had just the right amount of acidity for our chicken/salmon dishes to come - $15 per glass.
The main courses were tremendous, the salmon grilled to a crispy outside and cooked all the way through to a bright pinkish orange center. The seasoning was salty and it matched well with the crunchy grilled edges and the sweetness of the salmon meat. Wild rice pilaf and garlicky spinach abutted the fish on the plate. I ate every morsel.
The chicken was roasted to an intensely high temperature, had a great crunchy skin that married well with the brussel sprouts and creamy au just mixture that made this dish a winner!
Too full for desert, had a quick cappacino and we were off, we left $150 to cover our bill - tax and generous tip included.
We have always liked this tiny restaurant but were impressed by the service and the attention to detail of the food presentation. Glad to see it is still going strong after all of these years!
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Triomphe
49 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036
In search of fresh pasta
Due Terre in Bernardsville - Paperdelle is house made
Giorgia in Rumson - Ravioli is house made
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Due Terre
107 Morristown Rd Ste C, Bernardsville, NJ 07924
Morristown Dinner Recs Please...
Bernards Inn and Due Terre in bernardsville will fit the bill well if you want to stop on your way
Parking in Morristown can be a challenge so going early and getting settled might make your meal more relaxing - I would go to Roots but many hounders will jump all over that - I find it relaxing especailly early and during the week on a Thursday night, not the best steakhouse on the planet but they will give you a comfortable table, great big cocktails and garage parking so you can walk across the green to the concert
You can also try La Capangna for really good Italian food or if you like an asian meal we love aiku and they have a full bar and are steps away from the concert hall
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The Bernards Inn
27 Mine Brook Road, Bernardsville, NJ 07924
Due Terre
107 Morristown Rd Ste C, Bernardsville, NJ 07924
Woody's in Sea Bright
Finally popped in last week as a single -
Ate at the bar and had the baja fish tacos
They were just as good as when they were at The Shack - $10 instead of $7 with no basket of chips!
But the quality was otstanding, the bartender was very pleasant to speak with and used fresh squeexed orange juice and a very generous pour in my cocktail.
Tons of TV's on to watch the baseball playoffs as I ate.
Noticed familar local faces scattered about the spot, basically families with a child or two in tow. It is always nice seeing people you know and saying hi!
Place is decorated very nicely, really a clean, bright look,...very odd placing of reception area way over to the left ....it must cause confusion on busy wekeend nights.
But the food and the decor are very nice I can see why it is packed on Fri & Sat. Not a destination spot but a good local place, notch above Charlie's in Long Branch in warmth of decor and more spice on the plate.
Two big nits though - sitting at the bar facing front you have a partial view of the kitchen and underneath teh kitchen opening is a series of expensive glass doored refrigeration units where bottled beers and white wines are stocked.
I really like seeing into the kitchen, the brand new gleeming stainless steel counters and equipment gave me a good feel that everything was clean and well organized back there...but that good will got destroyed when I looked at the glass doors on the refrigeration units behind the bar, they were really disorganized and sloppy, there were jars of ugly looking stuff in there and opened cartons of half and half strewn about plus a spray bottle of Windex????
made me really wonder if they have the whole cleanliness thing together or not as this was a Tuesday night with three people beside me at the bar and half the tables filled. Just not what I would want my customers looking at , I would make the bartenders keep that place pristine
Also I called a few weeks ago and asked for some tacos to go, they said they did not do takeout!
Is that really that hard to do, I dont know any other area restaurants that arent fine with that - I even get takeout from the Bernards Inn and once in a special circumstance Nicholas did it as well.
But overall I am happy Ed is cooking those tacos, they are delicious.
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The Bernards Inn
27 Mine Brook Road, Bernardsville, NJ 07924
Doris & Ed's Closed
The pricing has nothing to do with the current closing nor do I suspect it will have anything to do with a pemrantly closing if that does occur.
The current issue is one of a one hundred plus year old building being ravged by water and what it will take to get it working again
Even in this economy there is plenty of money being spent at high end restaurants, just stop by or try and obtain a 7:30 table at Nicholas and Saturday night. On top of that D&E's offered a $33 app, entree and desert with three selections every night
Is it more competitive now for that high end dollar, oh yeah, were there enough D&E supporters to keep it going, on our six visits this summer I would have to say yes, place was well attended every time
Is the 70+ year old hands on owner who has been doing this for the last 25+ years going to be able to expend the energy, time , dedication and resources to overcome the challenges that closed the place....
we will see...
