When you think of ethnic breakfasts you probably don't think Irish but if you're interested you can get a full Irish breakfast at the Blue Rooster Bakery & Cafe in Cranbury.

http://www.blueroosterbakery.com/menu...

Famdoc, thank you for the excellent, and thorough, review. We will definitely be going to The Pass soon though I must say I am disappointed by the limited menu.

We are also anxiously awaiting news about Sunday brunch. We used to go to the Cafe at least twice a month and still miss it. I was never impressed by dinners there but the brunch was outstanding.

Thanks Kiddart. There aren't too many hounds in Hunterdon County so I hope you will continue to post about places you like around here.

Kiddart, I see you are new to Chowhound. Welcome!

Since your only posts are about Elite Meat, I must ask if you are in any way connected to this (fairly) new butcher?

Can't wait to go to this place. It's in what used to be the Cafe at Rosemont, which was one of our favorite spots for Sunday brunch. The Cafe closed some time ago because of "issues" regarding unpaid taxes.

The Pass is apparently a charcuterie that is also a French countryside restaurant in the evening. The owner/chef is Matt Ridgway (of PorcSalt in Philly). The restaurant opened for dinner on May 1 and Sunday brunch is going to be offered "soon". The charcuterie is open every day except Monday

If anyone has been here, I'd love to hear a report.

http://www.buckscountytaste.com/resta...

Well, all I can say is that Christie's has been a major disappointment for me. I've been three times, each time hoping that things would get better. They haven't.

I have not been for lunch but I've been there around noon and there's never anyone eating there. Most people seem to come for take out. I've had coffee and a 'sweet' each time and while the coffee is OK the pastries have been mediocre at best. Everything I've had was overly sweet, perhaps catering to the idea that sweet is good. Their pastries are simply no match for what I used to get at Baker's Treat.

As for the breads, they too seem very ordinary. The loaves I've bought are no better and no worse than what I can find at my local Stop and Shop.

On a related note, I understand some of the former employees from Baker's Treat have opened a small place in Milford. Anyone know anything about this?

Since you're obviously willing to travel you shouldn't have a problem finding something that fits the bill. The recommendations listed so far are excellent but I'd like to suggest two places in Somerset itself.

The first is Hoysala, a south Indian restaurant that serves up a great lunch buffet. I have not been there for dinner so I can't comment one way or another. The second is Sophie's Bistro, one of the better French restaurants in the area (if not the best). I have enjoyed several dinners there and strongly recommend it.

http://www.hoysalarestaurant.com

http://www.sophiesbistro.net

Thanks for this. They have definitely changed their policy. I had not thought to look in the FAQ section of their web site. I wonder why they don't mention it in the Wine section.

Foody4life, has The Pluckemin Inn changed its policy about bringing your own wine? They certainly used to allow this and I found a number of on-line references from 2012 saying that it was permitted. I had forgotten, however, that you could take only one bottle per couple.

Imho, Matt's is no longer what it was. We stopped going a couple of years ago because the steaks were pretty ordinary. I think it had more to do with the quality of meat used by the restaurant than with the cooking.

Do agree about Brian's and D'floret. Would still choose the BB over either one however.

If you really want to go to a BYO restaurant, then I'm with those who have recommended the Blue Bottle Cafe. Fabulous food, and they will know how to handle your wine. If you don't want to drive that far then I would go to da Filippo's in Somerville. It's about 10 minutes from your hotel.

Regarding corkage fees in NJ, the situation is not the same as you describe it for DC and Maryland. By law, BYO restaurants in NJ are forbidden from charging corkage fees. Restaurants that have alcohol licenses may charge corkage fees and they can be steep. For example, I know that Ninety Acres and the Pluckemin Inn charge $35/bottle. I don't know about the Ryland Inn and the Tewksbury Inn.

If you do go to a restaurant that has a license, you should as a courtesy make sure that you are not bringing a wine that is on their wine list. You could probably get away with this but it would not be appreciated.

Here's an update on Mistral, which clearly did not open in the fall. According to the article, the restaurant will open by the end of April.

http://njmonthly.com/blogs/from-the-e...

In Hopewell, your best bet for Easter brunch is The Brothers Moon. However, it may be too late to snag a reservation.

http://www.brothersmoon.com

:))

There are a surprising number of on-line reviews about this new restaurant. Many of them show up on multiple web sites so I would take them with a grain - maybe several grains - of salt.

The restaurant, which used to be a diner, has not changed ownership so it will be interesting to hear what people think. I will be going but not until it's been open for a couple of months (it opened on March 1).

For those of you who have never heard of Pals, and those who wonder why it's closing, this may help:

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index...

What was his position at Nicholas?

This is restaurant week in Lambertville and New Hope. The list of participating restaurants is given in the following link:

http://www.visitnewhope.com/restauran...

You did not mispeak. It was noted in the NYT that the owner/chef of the New York location is from Hunterdon County. The Stockton location has been open for some time. You can find references to it on the web - just search "quinn's" and "stockton".

http://www.foodspotting.com/places/41...

Interesting.....

The avgolemono soup is served with many of the lunch items so I've had it several times. I do agree that the lemon flavor is now really overpowering. I don't like it at all. I do not know the reason for this but I can say that the soup is not nearly as good as when Kyma first opened.

Haven't had the potatoes for some time so can't comment one way or another.

I do not know the answer to your question. The old web site is indeed gone BUT the restaurant is for sale and a new web site is at:

http://www.perryvilleinn-nj.com

You might try using the 'Contact' feature on the new web site to learn if there's any hope of obtaining a refund. Good luck.

Btw, I know that in similar situations the restaurant in question has often made arrangements with other restaurants to honor certificates. I have no idea if the Perryville Inn did this. I did not know until long after the fact that the restaurant had closed.

My experience at Dockside was somewhat different than madgreek99's and esjro's. I have been only once and that was for lunch; overall, I would have to say I was quite disappointed but that may have a lot to do with what I ordered.

Finding the restaurant is indeed a challenge. Even though I know the plaza reasonably well, I had to drive around the entire complex twice to get to it. On the first go round, I saw the restaurant but had missed the one-way entrance to the parking area. So....round again. For others, it's next to the Edward Jones office.

After much hemming and hawing, I ordered the fresh fish sandwich and sweet potato fries. The fish was cod on the day I was there. I sat down and waited, noticing that two other parties were also waiting for their food. Surprisingly, my sandwich came out first, much to the chagrin of the woman at the next table! The piece of cod was very good, perfectly cooked, but it was served on a very boring and somewhat dry roll that took the whole experience down several notches. The slaw that accompanied the dish was excellent but the sweet potato fries were awful. While they were cooked through, they were soft and spongy. I'll never order these again.

Service was very good and everyone was exceedingly helpful. I must note though that while I was there three people complained about their food. One woman simply wanted her veggie burger warmed up but the other two (at another table) seemed to have real issues with what they were served. Whatever the problem, it was made right by the server and kitchen.

I too hope this place makes it. I can see myself buying some of the take out items and I will return for lunch. On my next visit, I think I'll try one or more of the items mentioned above!!

I've been to Luciano's only once but never felt the urge to return. There was nothing wrong with the food, and service was excellent, but it just seemed like so many other Italian-American restaurants in New Jersey. Is there something they do particularly well? We're in that area every now and again.

My first thought was Angelo's on Route 31N. I haven't been there for years so it may be one of the places that, according to your M-I-L, has gone downhill.

Suggest she try Luna in Three Bridges, just east of Flemington. It got rave reviews from the Munchmobile folks a couple of years ago.

http://www.lunapizzanj.com

If she's willing to go even further east, I would recommend Lucia's in Raritan (near Somerville). Be aware that they accept cash only and have really weird hours.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/delucias-pizz...

Does "this Friday" mean today, 1 Feb?

(I added NJ to the subject line because I figure there are a lot of middle eastern restaurants in Lebanon).

I really wonder about the name of this new place in Lebanon (between Whitehouse and Clinton) but it sounds promising. Opening on Feb. 7.

http://findnsave.nj.com/Local-Ads/a-4...

I like Village Gyro but I don't believe they have shawarma, which is what the OP is really after.

Marhaba in Lambertville has shawarma but the last time I went it was chicken. Don't think they have lamb.

Kathy, you are correct. When it first opened, Brian's advertised that the restaurant would be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I don't know if that ever happened but it's certainly not true now. I'm pretty sure it's open for dinner only.

There is some on-line information saying that Bienvenue will close next month.

Check out Sophie's Bistro. The cassoulet at Rob's is very good but I prefer Sophie's.

http://www.sophiesbistro.net