Cooter

Did anyone see how he managed to break his finger? I could understand a bad cut, but I don't understand how he broke it.

Not Top Pussy, indeed!

And for the thread kill.

No, you do not always support your president. When that President commits heinous acts then every American's duty is to call them to task about it. Whether it's committing perjury a la Clinton or condoning torture a la Bush, breaking the law and/or subverting the Constitution it is what it is -- someone putting their own interests above those of the country.

We could go into a whole lecture on the problem of the head of state and the head of government being the same person, but I don't think that that has much to do with food..

I've got a pretty good idea how history will judge our last president. However, for all the faults that he may have had relating to any number of things, consider that he presided over a tremendous growth in quality dining establishments in our fair city. George W. Bush: The Food President.

really? we're going to get into this here? I'm off to eat roasted shark fin on foie.

This post takes on a whole new dimension if you accidentally read your sig line as reading, "leading proprietor of shark."

I agree -- L'atelier is way overpriced and you have to walk through the outdated MGM casino to get there. Boulud has always been spot-on in the three times we've been there, the free show on the lake is fun and you can't beat their prix-fixe menu. We could have eaten at Boulud three times for the amount we spent on one less-than-stellar meal at L'atelier.

We also had a mediocre meal at L'Atelier with, at best, atrocious service. We were seated next to the executive chef from some restaurant in Mandalay Bay (Mix?) and everyone, waiters, chefs, runners, spent the entire time he was there chatting with him. They forgot our amuse, which was listed on the menu, as well as the sides for both of our entrees. Really a waste.

Hi all -- I am heading to the tasting room tonight for the first time ever. I have a kind of odd question -- does anyone know if the famed birthday cake typically appears on the tasting room's menu? If not, how terribly gauche is it to ask for the birthday cake as my dessert course? No worries telling me I'll be the height of tackiness -- I'd rather know before I ask!

I imagine that they get this question quite a bit. When we last went for my wife's birthday, I asked when I made the resevation and they said it would be no problem. They may have even brought it out in addition to my wife's regular dessert, but I may be imagining that. Personally, I'm with Sandynva and think that it's more fun than good, if you catch my drift, but YMMV.

Shit. It's our anniversary and my wife is so contentedly full thanks to Komi that she's napping instead of... you know.

Let her sleep. She can clean later.

Took a peek in the new location in the Calvert before dinner at Del Merei on Saturday. They were open, but a sign indicated that they weren't running full speed and that they were only offering a small bar menu. Not sure what this meant, exactly, or if they were even serving pizza yet.

Are these items available at dinner? We dined at Del Merei last Thursday night and did not receive this menu.

I've been sad to see the steak options available on the memu shrink over the past couple of years. It was great when they regularly had a 'different' type of meat, such as venison or elk, regularly available. This is just druthers, however, as Del Merei continues to offer great food for a great price. The $16 flank steak with bearnaise, grits and collards is a fantastic value and is my go-to meal.

With the addition of Pizzaiola, the quality and diversity of food available in this . . . what is it? Mini-mall? Apartment complex? Shopping center? . . . is astounding.

Bologna, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Highland Park NJ? It is amusing to me that my hometown of 14,000 would get its own thread at Don Rockwell.

Was this Jerusalem Pizza? I seem to recall that they had pretty good fresh made falafels, but they may have gone downhill. Due to the relatively large Hasid and Orthodox population in HP, there is a demand for Kosher foods of all kinds and kosher standards. Heck, even the Dunkin Donuts is Glaat kosher.

If you're spending time in HP, my parents were regulars at Pad Thai on Raritan Ave. I thought that it was just ok, but I'm not sure how good other Thai offerings are in central NJ. I heard from numerous folks that Seven Hills of Istanbul, also on Raritan, was very good. For what it's worth, the reviews on Zagat are mostly positive. For dessert, if it's still there, the Corner Confectionary serves excellent, if not expensive, Sedutto's ice cream in an old fashioned soda shop setting.

By far the best dining option in HP, however, is White Rose System. They serve White Castle style burgers (or hamburges as it used to be mispelled on their sign) that are absolutely incredible. Sure, they are 150% unhealthy and yes, you probably want a dog on which to blame the potential gastrointestinal disress, but the side effects are totally worth it. Although I never developed a taste for them, this is also a good place for that new jersey staple, the pork roll sandwich.

See, also:

http://whiterosehamburgers.com/

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2007/1...ose-system.html

http://www.hollyeats.com/WhiteRose.htm

http://www.yelp.com/biz/white-rose-system-highland-park

We tried it out a week ago and found it to be hit and miss, as well. The lady's gnocchi were . . . interesting. The gnocchi themselves were fantasic, airy and pillowy soft. However, the sauce was strange. Actually tasted like my mostly vinegar and ketchup homemade bbq sauce. Too too too tangy and with a weird citrus flavor.

I also had the spaghetti and meatballs. Unlike Monovano's, my meatballs themselves were awesome. However, the sauce, different from the gnocci sauce, was watery and the pasta was overcooked. At $16, this was no bargain, either.

For what it's worth, it seems to be pretty busy.

What are the chances that Hell-Burger develops its own lingo or secret items like at In-N-Out. For instance, if someone perfers their burger extra-dry, with a lean grind, they could order it "Cakelove-style."

Watermelon, you say? I see what you're doing here, Michael.

"Dairy Fresh American Cheese?"

Take that, Kraft!

They used to have fresh lotus root at the Alexandria Whole Foods, but now they just carry it in plastic water filled bags. Unfortunately, these have absolutely no flavor.

I would be up for this. It's one area where I have trouble keeping up my knife skills (versus, say, cutting vegetables).

Why is this? I don't even eat vegetables, but I can brunoise or chiffonade with the best of 'em. I grill every other night, however, and I can't even cut the fat off a strip steak.

Thanks to everyone for the great food, great wine and great company. Agree with Sthitch that the Crab Crepe was the highlight, but everything was truly fantastic. Can't wait to go back.

I do not think that Five Guys has particularly good french fries, let alone the best.

Not that I'm any sort of expert, but I always thought that their beer program was good. Have there been any improvements in the food department?

I'm going to request the Freaks of the Industry special just to see what happens.

Can't wait to try the chicken.

Mr. and Mrs. Cooter would like to attend.

You're asking me to believe that Roberto Donna baked and served three burnt pizzas? There are a lot of other things that I will believe that people experience in restaurants but this is not one. Did you see any of the pizzas? Or are you just taking her word? Let's assume that you didn't see the pizzas, yet you feel comfortable posting on here that Bebo with Roberto at the pizza oven is serving burnt pizza over and over. I just flat out don't believe this.

With all due respect, you don't seem to believe that Mr. Donna's restaurant could be anything other than a perfect experience. While you may not think this is what you're doing, your are essentially calling everyone that posts negative information a liar. Is was rude when you did it before and it continues to be rude now. It is especially rude when you are, essentially, the loan dissenting voice in a sea of complaints. Can you really not see how insulting you are?

If you had Blaine and Blair and Sara in one night you hit the trifecta And yes the entire wine-by-the-glass list is avaialble at every Happy Hour for half price -- truly a good deal.

Guys named Blaine are pretty much always awesome. Girls, too.

We Washingtonians do not say "the 395" or "the 495". Californians use such locutions. Please learn the local dialect.

Real Californians do not use such locutions, either. Perhaps folks from the vast wastelands of Southern California say such silly things, but certainly not their wizened brethren up north.

Had a lovely outdoor lunch at Bebo a week ago. Started with the rucola and parm salad. Dressed very lightly so that the spiciness of the greens and parm-y-ness of the parm showed through. Great. Also had a pork shoulder and provolone calzone. I think that there may have been some rabe in their, as well, but don't really remember. In any case, this was great. Perfectly cooked, and the pork shoulder was nothing short of awesome. Only quibble is that they may have been a bit skimpy on the pork, but may reflect more on my pigginess and the fact that I was sharing with the wife than on the restaurant.

Service was great. Waiter recognized the wife from previous visits and was very friendly. Also took the time to put something under the table so that it wouldn't rock. We had to laugh when they brought us bread, though. Easily enough for a table of eight! In any case, there were only a couple of tables inside and, maybe, four outside so the place wasn't exactly rockin', but a good sign nonetheless.

Saturday was not an experiment for me-I was hungry and wanted to eat pizza. A lot of pizza, a lot of different pizza. And, we did.

You were hungry for dinner 21 hours in advance?