Avoid

Yes. No question about it. Go for the cast iron. You won't regret the decision.

agreed.

That's our time frame. We're looking for recs with good traditional food, atmospheric decor, perhaps an outdoor terrace, and of course, good beer. My wife and I travel extensively, and chowhounders never let us down. Please offer your best opinions

Why not mail them to Korin in New York.? Hand sharpened by a master Japanese sharpener. You can't beat that!

As a frequent Red Bank diner ( I walk into town), I can attest that the two best restaurants in town are Bienvenue and Via 45. Hands down. Everything else is second rate.

Best meals in town are Bienvenue and Via45, hands down. I've been to them all more than twice and those two are the standouts. If forced to choose one, I'd say "Bienvenue".

Thanks

Summer high season will be upon soon and there are likely to be plenty of requests for Amalfi Coast dining choices. I suggest we all pitch in and name our favorite places for lunch and for dinner in each of the towns from Sorrento (I know, it's not on the Amalfi Coast) to Salerno. Don't forget to include Capri.

One choice for lunch and one for dinner in each town.

You guys can do better than this. Where are the hounds?

Nada?

I'm looking for a place in or near South Beach where a few 50 year-old men can gather after dinner for drinks. Cigars would be welcome, as would good live music.

And yes, I know we are old men looking for something in a town that caters to the young and beautiful.

I recommend Bienvenue in Red Bank. Wonderful food in a charming space, it won't leave you disappointed.

There has been lots of turnover in ownership and several new openings in recent years. The prior threads are a bit stale, so I think it is time for us to chime in with our opinions of the Red Bank dining scene circa late-2011. Where have you been lately and where did you have a good experience? Almost as importantly, are there places that you would like to warn your fellow hounds away from?

Please post your top 5 list as part of your reply.

Glad you liked it. I had some today!

Had an absolutely terrible meal there after the Jukes show last month. All three of us were extremely disappointed with our food. The rice tasted as though it had been sitting on a steam table for hours, and the pork and chicken dishes we tried were bland and inauthentic. At the time, there was a lively bar scene going on inside, with live music. As a nightclub, it might be fun, but if you are looking for a serious Cuban restaurant, I'd suggest you go elsewhere.

Sickles Market in Little Silver has a pretty good Lobster Salad available for takeout at 23.99 per pound. I've been eating it all summer long.

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Sickles Market
1 Harrison Avenue, Little Silver, NJ 07739

Just got back from Maine. lobster Rolls went for between 10.99 and 15.99 each, depending on the level of tourist interest that the setting held.

Contact Korin, a Japanese knife store on Warren street in Manhattan. You can mail your knife to them for reasonably priced hand sharpening or you can go to their website and order an instructional DVD that will teach you every thing you will ever need to know. Plus they sell, sharpening stones.

www.korin.com

Most restaurant-based cookbooks don't seem to work for the home cook.The preparations are too complex. Not enough bang for the buck.

How about "My New Orleans" by John Besh? It's a terrific book.

I made this dish last week. It was terrific and garnered kudos from everyone at the table. I've been making a similar dish for years --Chicken with forty cloves of garlic. The easiest way to deal with the dough is to buy the cheapest supermarket-brand unbaked dinner rolls you can find. Pop the container open and form the dough around the pot edge and press on the lid.----Probem solved.

Here are some exterior photos of La Fontaine de Mars

La Fontaine de Mars in the seventh. Ate there on a sunday night two weeks ago and the staff couldn't have been nicer. Food was wonderful and the ambience was lovely, classic bistro (as seen through American eyes, perhaps).

tinned, two brass handles and it weighs a lot!

As reported in another thread, I just returned from Paris with a 45 cm 22 1/2 qt Mauviel m'tradition saute pan that I picked up at Dehillerin. I'm thrilled!

Here it is next to a 7 1/2 qt Le Creuset Dutch Oven

Thanks everyone.
I picked up a 45cm, 22 1/2 qt covered, two handled saute pan that I am thrilled with!

I stuffed it into my suitcase at the airport, after having left plenty of extra room before flying to Paris. No extra weight charges, either!

The price was less than 50% of what I would have paid in the USA!! Amazing deal!

My grandchildren will one day use this pan.

Here is a photo of it next to a 7 1/2 qt Le Creuset Dutch Oven

Thanks everyone.I'm here in Paris now and I am off To Deherillin in a few minutes.I'm hoping to stumble on an antique store or two along the way. Gaillard and Havard are in my sights. Wish me luck.

I am headed to Paris next week. Any suggestions for quality brands of French copper cookware? Where should I gomto obtain examples?

My wife and I will be dining at Chez L'Ami Jean, Chez Dumonet, Fontaine de Mars and a few others.What would be considered proper attire? Would a sport jacket be sufficient for me, or should I wear a tie as well? Should my wife dress up ? Suggestions would appreciated.

Thanks.