Thanks! Looking forward to making it back to Spain once work slows down a bit

Hounds,

I'll be in your great city from Wednesday-Friday this week, and the boards have been very helpful in helping me craft the few meals I have free, with August and Stella! in the works, and a few of the good ol' standbys

That being said, I have a 5am flight on Saturday morning - and expect to be out already on Friday until 12-1am easy with some colleagues. I initially intended on getting a hotel but thought maybe $300 would be better spent elsewhere, especially since I am leaving for airport around 3am the next morning.

So, my question is this - is there a place with good food, cocktails/wine list, etc - where I can snack at bar until 2:30-3am until I have to leave for flight? I am staying at the JW Marriott in FQ I believe and will likely want to be in the general area, though worst case, I can always take a cab.

Gastropub type food and atmosphere would be great, but really just focused on good food and drink

Thanks

Have you looked at 41 degrees? (experiences menu)

Capping off a trip which included amazing meals of Martin Berasetagui, Arzak, El Cellar De Can Roca, Asador Extebarri, Alkimia, and more - 41 degrees remains the most memorable and consistent (amazing feat considering it ends up being over 50 unique tastes)

Best meal of my life, perhaps.

On a different note altogether, we hated Quimet and Quimet. While it was slightly skewed, having come from San Sebastian, nothing we ate at Q&Q was great - and the shrimp appetizer was bland and low quality - and the mushroom croquettes cold in the middle.

Interesting. Breslin remains my favorite brunch in the city - between delicious pastry basket, lamb burger, and any of the egg or pancake based renditions we have had, it always satisfies..

unfortunately, food is nothing special for the prices (not bad, per se, just not memorable) and with better restaurants in surrounding areas/towns, its not worth the hassle

still believe 15 East is the best.

Ichimura (within Brushstroke) may be your next best bet.

and the wine list is as awesome as ever....

Dave Santos is opening a restaurant in West Village so I believe Um Segredo is suspended, for a few weeks at least

Ate at Atera last night and Jungsik tonight (this is my third time at the latter)

Hard to compare since they are so different in experience but I will say Jungsik keeps getting better and the Wagyu course and the smoked pork jowel were two of the best things I've eaten this year

American Cut is great cut - skip dessert and save some room for "tacos de lengua" from distrito cantina

So, after abandoning our efforts to make our 9:15 reservation at Lincoln in NYC, we decided to stay relatively local and check out the new Menu format at Elements in Princeton.

Now with a 4 course, 6 course, and Chef's Tasting menu, the experience in my opinion has been truly elevated. You can still order any of the courses a la carte (although the prices are pretty high to do so), but with the smallest of the menus at $69 and the larger six course menu at $89, those appeared to be the better route. I imagine the Chef's tasting is similar to the one they usually would do in the kitchen.

Before getting to the food, Justin has really developed an awesome wine list with an amazing depth and some awesome values, especially for a restaurant program in NJ. With options for someone looking to splurge (Sine Qua Non at $495 or the venerable Domaine Romanee-Conti '02 Grands Echezeaux at $1900), I was more impressed by some of the better valued and more obscure offerings, with about fifteen options from Corsica, Languedoc-Roussillon, and Provence as well as some inexpensive bottles blessed with some more bottle age, like the '90 Villa de Vetrice, Chianti Rufina at $89. After a glass of bubbly, my wife decided she was going to be drinking much more than a glass, so we opted to try and pair a white wine by the glass for the first few lighter courses, and then move into a half bottle of red.

Trying to peruse the options for white wine's by the glass, we were offered 1994, Schloss Schonborn Kabinett by the glass and easily accepted. With our meal was off to a great start, we decided on the six course menu.

First noticeable change was after the usual bread assortment, we had three different amuse bouches. While the details are a little hazy, I know it began with a perfect raw tuna sashimi dish, followed by a really tasty vegetable egg roll, and ending with a Squid Ink Croquette with Mizuna (our waiter stumbled over this last one, but I will tell you - it was delicious)

HAMACHI SASHIMI, Japanese Plum, Macadamia Panna Cotta, Radish

Like most of the raw preparations at Elements, this was great, with enough texture and crunch from the radish and the plums to balance out the delicacy of the sea food. While Hamachi would not be my first choice, preferring crudo preparations with a more flavorful fish, the balance of these flavors made for a perfect introduction to the 6 course meal

SOURDOUGH AGNOLOTTI, Chicken of the Woods, Yogurt, Pimpernel

My favorite dish of the night, this dish was entirely unique and something I had never had before. The tartness of the sourdough in the aglonotti, combined with the richness of the mushrooms and Yogurt, made for a memorable and raveworthy pasta preparation, demonstrating the kitchen's talent in tasting aggressive flavor profiles and combining them in a way that somehow just works. After licking my plate clean, I hoped to bum some of her leftovers but she had beat me to it.

MADAI, Arugula, Oyster Mushrooms, Puffed Rice

Another great exercise in texture, this fish preparation, coated with puffed rice, and paired with oyster mushrooms was a close second. The mushrooms were cooked to perfection, and in many ways, were the show stopper, but having the puffed rice over the fish to provide that textural contrast almost served as a foil for crispy fish skin. They poured a sardine broth tableside, further amplifying the umami flavors, while no single component overwhelmed the dish

At this point, we switched to the half bottle of red, enjoying a bottle of 1993 Ridge Montebello ($120), which opened up beautifully.

STONYBROOK MEADOWS DUROC PORK, Peekytoe Crab, cabbage, New Zealand Spinach

Elements has always been great at cooking pork. With a crab foam on top, though, and the bitter cabbage greens on the bottom, this was my least favorite of the courses, with the cabbage, for me, overshadowing the crab, and the pork, while beautifully cooked, somehow lost in the middle. I know my wife liked it, and others appeared to be enjoying it as well, and it was a fine dish - but it didn't impress me as much as the rest of the meal did (tall order)

LAVA LAKE LAMB, beet, saskatoon berry, black trumpets

A simple preparation, the lamb was beautifully cooked to a medium rare, and a perfect end to the savory components of our meal.

For desserts, my wife opted for the KUNIK with Whipped Honey, herbs and anise bread, and out came an unbelievable slab of aged goat cheese, with its accompaniments, for a simple, but delectable plated cheese course (judging by the one taste I was allowed, this is something that for cheese lovers may be worth passing up dessert for....)

I had the OPEN FACED SWEET CORN ICE CREAM SANDWICH with Peaches, lemon thyme, black pepper, and caramel, which proved to be innovative and not overly sweet. My only issue with it was of my own fault, having paired it with the 1998 Chateau Rieussec Sauternes which ended up being too sweet for the dessert.

Ending with some petit fours (including a scrumptious chocolate chip brownie, coconut macaron, oatmeal cream cake, and a chocolate chip cookie dough ball, we settled the bill and began the trip back home.

All in all, an excellent meal with great wines, at a great value for what you get. Naturally, at the price point with these new menus almost directly matching up to Nicholas's three course and 7 course meals, the comparisons will once again begin.

To me? Elements is fresh, new, and always changing - while some preps may be better than others week to week, the new menu format, combined with the amuses is more exciting. The overall experience with an awesome staff and much less pretentiousness, a far superior wine and cocktail program, and a beautiful yet relaxed atmosphere, pushes Elements over the top. Having always really enjoyed my meals at Nicholas, I've left the last few perfectly satisfied, but a tad uninspired. Walking out of Elements last night, I was taking the whole meal in and felt excited about the new menu format and the potential of things to come, relishing the sourdough aglonotti and the croquette amuse, knowing albeit bittersweet, that in a few weeks, these dishes would be replaced with other new and exciting options.

That ability to keep things fresh and new is what keeps us coming back.

guilty!

any takers, it should be listed now......

Try the donuts (graffe) on Sunday if you haven't already! They are sublime.

Yeah - I think I remembered the name of the Mexican drink, and the flavors of the drink I actually ordered, which was the Autumn's Breath, that Harrison mentioned. Maybe I ordered one too many = P

To Harrison's other point, about cutting the kitchen slack...

I totally understand that a new kitchen deserves some patience which is why I stated, "I have heard great things about Chef Carrino and hope these are just some of the growing pains of opening a new restaurant" in my earlier post. I usually try to avoid being too negative when reviewing new restaurant, especially considering the blood/sweat/tears (and money..) that go into a new endeavor, and I do think that with some substantial changes, the concept and the space could perservere as a solid dining option long term.

That being said, the whole purpose of these online boards are to provide both honest feedback to fellow diners, and the tuned in chefs/owners/etc that are looking to improve. Having spent an hour in transit to go to the restaurant, I think a fair and frank assesment of how we perceived the dining experience as a whole is important to all interested parties.

Yep, you are right about the wine list not having a lot of depth of older wines, but I would imagine that as the restaurant grows and continues, it will be able to add depth and age to some of its offerings

Semantics, really. Especially since we are not talking about his Parisian outpost.

And pedigree aside - Pierre Gagnaire in France and Twist in Las Vegas may be cut from the same cloth, but they are altogether two very different experiences, and the diversity of reviews in Las Vegas should suggest that its "possible" that something was lost in translation crossing the Atlantic. IMO

As a huge fan of Marc Forgione's Sunday Supper menu in the city, we decided to try American Cut before the Eagles concert at Revel last night.

All in all, from our experience, it is a great addition to Atlantic City .

We started with an addictive bread that was a play on an everything bagel, paired with vegetable butter. Almost like a foccacia in texture, it was a familiar flavor pairing that will resonate with the NJ/NY crowd.

The filet mignons' were spectacular and superlative worthy- perfectly seasoned and cooked to specification. On the other hand, my boneless ribeye was very tasty, although the middle was slightly chewier than I would prefer and the fried egg on top had cooked while resting on the steak, leaving the yolks solid and not runny.

(You can choose foie gras, chili lobster, bacon, and farm fresh eggs to top steak, while also being able to choose from the standard sauces as well)

Appetizer of Chili Lobster was actually pretty spicy, sitting in a chili lobster broth to be paired with some toasted brioche and plump lobster meat. Extremely flavorful (and the same rendition if I remember correctly as what has been served at his NYC outpost)

Housemade bacon with MF Steak House was tasty and flavorful. The steak sauce reminds me of Peter Lugers (although not quite as tasty) but with a bit too much sugar for my personal preference. Still, everyone agreed it was delicious and was taking turns dipping the brioche, alternating between the chili lobster sauce and the MF steak house.

A good side note - for those not in the mood for steak, I've had his version of Chicken Under a Brick in the past, and enjoyed it so much that I almost ordered it tonight.

As for sides, the Dry Aged Potatoes with bacon were absolutely delicious and a must try - may be the best steakhouse potatoes I've had. They also serve "potatoes robuchon" - modeled after the infamous silky, buttery potatoes served at L'Atlelier du Robuchon in Las Vegas.

Unfortunately, the special of brussel sprouts were nothing special, and were a small blip on an otherwise delicious meal.

Desserts were nothing memorable but there is always the warm chocolate cookie that is cooked to order that we've enjoyed at his other restaurant (hard to not enjoy a cookie right out of the oven)

We shared a bottle of 2005 R Lopez de Heredia, Vina Cubillo ($50) and some other Spanish wines by the glass. Wine Bottle list is particularly strong for Atlantic City.

In the end, is is the best steakhouse in Atlantic City? Having always preferred Bobby Flay's over Old Homestead, I believe this is a slight margin better than both, with a potential to be much better. Time will tell but judging by the crowd last night (including Charles Barkley !!) that packed the restaurant to capacity, it should be a great long term addition to the casino dining options. The steaks themselves, judging by the filets, are the best in AC, and the diversity of apps and sides are a breath of fresh air for those looking for something other than oysters and wedge salads (although ironically, gourmet new renditions of both, IIRC, are on the menu)

Le Cirque over Twist. I was at both about 9 months ago and had an extremely disappointing meal at Twist. Definitely style over substance - with too much emphasis on obscure flavor pairings or molecular techniques, and not enough on cohesive and tasty flavors. Le Cirque delivers, although it still wouldn't be my first choice.

And for what its worth, I have heard it said that naysayers "don't get" Twist - but living close to NYC, it felt it was like Corton but with less tasty food...(I love Corton) I have loved many an adventurous meal, but the first and foremost requirement at that price level should always be unbelievable food, and it just didn't work for me

E would be much more memorable, as would Joel Robuchon or Guy Savoy.

Just wanted to provide a quick shout out to the team at Daniel for the Scottish grouse dinner they held about a week back.

Starting with delicious langoustines and escargot canapes, and some welcome champagne, the meal felt like being a guest at Daniel house. The people were extremely friendly, the hosts entertaining, and the food and wine, as expected, was delicous.

First Course

Wild Scottish Rabbit Terrine with Purple Mustard, Young Vegetables and Tarragon Gelee:
w/ Karthauserhof Riesling Spatlese, Ruwer 2002

Known for their work with terrines and pates, this didn't disappoint and to my memory, included some mushrooms and foie gras in the rabbit terrine and the wine pairing worked perfectly. The young radishes on the plate made it look like a piece of art, as much as it did food.

Second Course

Oven Baked Scottish Blue Lobster with Curried Wild Rice
Hearts of Palm , Sea Bean Tempura and Myoga Shavings
w/ Domaine Monpertuis Chateuaneuf-du-Pape Blanc, Rhone 2008

Who would have thought that such succulent and flavorful lobster could been found across the pond. The flavors of the near perfectly cooked lobster, along with the accompanying bisque, reflected the quality of the ingredients procured for this event.

The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the tempura sea bean, which seemed out of place, although not a huge deal.

Third Course

Grilled Scottish Salmon with Zucchini Gremolata, Iberico Ham Shavings and Red Ribbon Sorrel
with Domaine Hillaire Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rhone 2005

While this was not my favorite dish, it was still well executed and perfectly cooked, although it was not nearly as impressive as the other savories, feeling somewhat "expected" and "tired" in context. That being said, there were no flaws, and with the 2nd Rhone wine in three courses, I was more than enjoying the meal at the midway point.

Fourth Course

Roasted Scottish Grouse with Brussel Sprouts Fondue
JJ Chave Selections St Joseph, "Offerus", Rhone 2009

Not knowing what to expect from Grouse, Daniel and company explained that in order to hunt this game bird in Scotland, it costs $50,000 to take out 8 guns hunting for the day! They also explained the high red blood cell count with its need to fly up to 60 miles an hour at the blink of an eye, which explained the extreme gaminess in the dish that followed.

Tasting like liver, it was an unexpected taste, but cooked beautifully over a well conceived brussel sprouts fondue. At first, everyone was surprised by how potent the flavor was (I think most of us were expecting it to be more like squab) but soon, we were all licking our plates clean, appreciating the perfection of the quality of the ingredients and cooking methods for such a difficult protein to cook. After the initial surprise, the flavor was incredible.

Soon to follow was a cheese plate with Blackberry Farm Singing Brook, Capriole Farm Mont St Francis, and Twig Farm Goat Tomme. What stole the show in this course was the pairing of the sheeps milk cheese with the Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Reserva Blanco, Rioja 1996, which brought out the nuttiness of the cheese and was a perfect pairing in every way, leaving both the wine and the cheese better having met.

Finally, we were treated to an OUTSTANDING dessert. The delicate Wild Blueberry and Fromage Blanc Vacherin was light, but had amazing texture, fresh wild blueberries, and what our table believed to be a blueberry "caviar". It was paired with the delicious Chateau Pajzos 5 Puttonyos, Tokaji 2000 and was a great finish to a memorable meal.

Having already prepaid for the event ($350 all inclusive), we also received some madeleines and petits fours, as well as some french macarons and a can of "fresh tea" in a take home bag.

I will be back for the game dinner at the end of October!

This ended up serving out purposes perfectly. Maybe not destination worthy from a food perspective, but a great ambiance, some really tasty comfort food, an extremely well priced wine list, and AMAZING service.

I had to post this, as I blown away by the level of attention we received. Outside of the gracious and attentive service from our wait staff - the next day, I received a call from the manager checking on our experience and ensuring we were absolutely satisfied.

Unfortunately, Pig and the Prince did not deliver.

We wanted to love this place. A huge fan of places like the Breslin, the Spotted Pig and Jimmy No 43 in NYC, gastropubs and similar type establishments are definitely missing in the area, and the thought of one opening in NJ was more than exciting.

To be fair, the space is BEAUTIFUL. From an architectural perspective, this may be the best space in NJ, and after sitting down, it almost felt like having a meal in Grand Central terminal.

Unfortunately, however, the food did not deliver. We started with a Mexican cocktail with bourbon and "autumn spices", which was good, but nothing spectacular. The wine list appeared to be trying to be well priced and eclectic; with a few options from New Mexico and a Riesling from Finger Lakes; but I found the list to be lacking depth especially when looking for a nicer bottle. Not too surprising since it is a gastropub, but I was hoping for a few more choices to our liking.

The beer list seemed stronger, with most of the usual suspects, but with 15-20 craft beers (Dogfish Head, Chimay, Troegs, etc....). The seasonality of a few of the choices suggested to us that some of this list would rotate from time to time which should keep the bar crowd coming.

A quick side note before going in to the food. For whatever reason, there a lot of dishes on the online menu that were not on the menu we were given. Items like the Pigeon, the Duck Duck Goose and the Spicy Korean lamb were not on the dinner menu, leaving a few less options. That was fine, but recognizing the bar menu had some options that appealed to us, we asked to see a menu but were told (despite being seated right next to the bar) that it was not available in our section. Now, I understand in a packed restaurant not allowing patrons sitting in the dining room to order anything off the potentially less expensive bar menu - but we were the only diners in the dining room in the hour we ate, and this simple request, in an opening week, could have been honored rather than starting the meal on anything less than stellar foot. Not a big deal, but counter intuitive...

We started with the Foie Gras, which was seasoned and seared well, but a bit chewy in the middle, leaving an inconsistent texture throughout. It was paired with melon and a cured meat (if I remember, it was prosciutto ) The cure and the foie competed for focus of the plate, with the melon providing a light and fresh break from the stronger flavors, but in the end, the prep didn't come together for me, although it tasted fine. The other issue we had with the cured meats (and all the cured meats in each course) was that they looked unappetizing - most were translucent and just appeared limp on the plate

My wife had the pizzette with arugula, house cured pancetta and whipped ricotta. Totally bland - so much so, that we didn't finish almost half of it. It needed some acidity, some salt, some "something" to make it more than ricotta cheese and some dry arugula. The pancetta suffered the same fate as what was paired with my foie gras and was a far from impressive example of what cured pancetta could be

My bourbon smoked chicken breast was actually pretty tasty, although it struggled from inconsistent seasoning, with some bites delicious and well balanced, and others inedibly salty. The potato rosti and carrots were fine, if not unmemorable. It could have benefited from some greens with some acidity on the plate to round out the dish, but all in all, it was the most successful savory dish of the night.

My wife's corn risotto on the other hand was not, and in truth, was a total disappointment. With some house cured guanciale on top, the corn risotto was entirely one dimensional, with little to no flavor and grilled corn that in the heat of summer did not feel fresh and flavorful. The risotto itself was not cooked to our liking either, as it lacked the texture a true al dente risotto should have. She finished less than half of her order.

Wanted to have a full experience, I opted for some dessert, especially when I saw "Donut Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ice Cream". This was my favorite dish of the night, and while the Cinnamon Toast Crunch needs some improvement, tasting more like Cinnamon ice cream with Cinnamon Toast Crunch crumbs around it, the Donut Bread pudding was delicious and helped round out an otherwise disappointing meal.

WIth such a beautiful space, it is hard to not like the restaurant, but the food needs a lot of work to compete with some of the other restaurants in the area. I would return for some craft beer and to try some of the bar menu (and maybe some donut bread pudding) but would not go back for dinner for awhile, to allow them to find some momentum with the menu and hopefully improve some of the preps. I have heard great things about Chef Carrino and hope these are just some of the growing pains of opening a new restaurant, but I'll wait for some positive reports that suggest our experience was an anomaly, that we ordered wrong, or the food improved before returning for a sit down meal in the dining room

We have 5pm reservations this evening and will report back!

RGR, I agree.

We had the samosas and found them delicious. Flaky but not greasy, and a tasty filling.

I ordered Lamb and Goat Vindaloo and it was quite spicy. Especially with only ordering it "medium level". That being said, I appreciated the flavor profile, and I realize the complaining that my dish was slightly too spicy for my liking is a moot issue - especially when most other ethnic eateries in this area refuse to honor requests for even higher spice levels. My only contention was the meat itself was too tough and the bones from the goat made it more difficult to eat.

The owners are extremely nice people, and I hope they succeed. It is in the same space as Mo Greens BBQ was; so if you expect a "sit down" experience, you may be disappointed. If you are looking for some standard but tasty Indian fare, this is a great local alternative.

Exactly the reason I ask fellow chowhounds to recommend places. After about an hour of perusing the board, I didn't find this but it looks PERFECT

Thanks!

So some members of the family are going out and taking a baking class for my wife's birthday in Denville, and need a praiseworthy place in the area for eight of us around 9pm next Wednesday evening....

Since we will be all in casual clothing, we would prefer to be able to eat a place with great food, but not too fancy a dress code. Our plan as it stands is to try out the new Pig and the Prince in Montclair, although it looks like a 45 minute drive from Denville

Anything of note that is closer to that area would be great!

We felt the same about the pizza. While it stated "pizzas will be well done", the bottom of the pie was not; and did not deliver (outside crust was tasty). Pizza tasted fine, albeit a little bit bland.

Where we felt the restaurant had more success in was the pasta dish we ordered, with gnudi, squash blossoms, and brown butter breadcrumbs. While at times the buttery notes became a little one dimensional, the textures were great, and the gnudi cooked perfectly, with the squash blossoms making a unique cameo. I thought the dish could have really come together with a vegetable with a bit of sweetness (maybe peas for summer, sweet potato in fall/winter) to provide contrast to the brown butter, but from a technical perspective, the dish was head and shoulders above other pizzerias' attempts at pasta

I know they didn't say zeppoli, but it's quite possible my guess is totally off. Supposedly , it is from her hometown and is not served at many places. I tried finding its name based on how it was pronounced and pictures - go Sunday morning and report back with a more accurate story

Sorry, good food can cause me to get my facts mixed up = p

New bakery that opened about five months on Schank Road, next to IPLAY called DOLCE CALABRIA. Strong selection of Italian cookies and tasty pastries, and friendly owners from Brooklyn.

Cannolis are a delicious change from what is usually served in the area (probably some of the best I've had in Monmouth County as of late) but the real reason to go.......

KRAPFEN (spelling?) - Italian Donuts filled with Pastry Cream. These are only produced on Sundays and to be honest, my wife and I debated long and hard before letting this secret out.

Since they are cooked to order, they are available at 10:30 and usually sell out by 11:30. These addictive and incredibly light donut like pastries are served right out of the oven and served filled with an incredible pastry cream. There is already a cult like following so my recommendation is to get their early and join the addicted.

I'll call them donuts, if only to assert that they are the best "donuts" in the area, and arguably, NJ. Better than the bombolonis we've been served at all of the Michael White outposts in NYC, better than (dare I say it) any of the, albeit different, Donut Plan or Donut Pub offerings in NYC; and definitely a fresh change from the Dunkin Donuts on each street corner (relax, its a joke)

Go next Sunday, but please go at 10:45 so we don't have to wait ;-)

Had a great lunch here today. Fluke with carrot, cilantro, and tobasco was reminiscent of the raw preps at Ssam bar and had a great unique flavor combination. Cavatelli with chicken liver was also delicious (and spicy!) beef tongue sandwich with pickled shallots and mustard on rye was really tasty albeit a tad messy.

Dessert at $3 a piece are DELICIOUS must have lemon bars.

Being BYOB , and with incredibly reasonable prices, and delicious food, I can't wait to return for dinner