rozrapp

In our house, our kitchen’s large center island has an area at one corner which fits two (high) chairs. That’s where Michael and I have our indoor meals. I always use placemats and “set the table” using paper napkins, a folded sheet of Bounty. (I used to use cloth but abandoned that.) We do have a kitchen table with four chairs (we can add two more) and use it for the two of us for holiday dinners. For those occasions, I use a tablecloth and cloth napkins. I don’t remember the last time we used our dining room. During warm weather months, we take as much advantage as we can to eat on our pati

I think it depends on where you go. As I mentioned in the NY thread about disappearing main courses, we’ve only dined outdoors at very few places. At Kreuther (been 2 times), Marjorelle, Union Square Cafe, Paul & Jimmy’s, and Mark’s Off Madison (been 4 times!), service staff is divided into two categories: servers who only take care of outdoor tables while other servers take care of indoor tables. Ergo, very attentive outdoor service.

Maybe your observation (opinion?) has to do with the restaurants you have been going to (you’ve really been getting around!) vs. the ones we’ve been going to in Manhattan. Because we only dine outdoors, we are very limited. With the exception of Mark’s Off Madison, all are places we frequented in the Before Time: Kreuther, Majorelle, Union Square Cafe, Eros, and Paul & Jimmy’s. All have the appetizer-main-dessert menu format. Kreuther offers a la carte at lunch and a 3- or 4-course prix-fixe at dinner. Majorelle offers 2- or 3-course options at dinner. Most of the NJ restauran

Update: September 1st, 2021 In light of the prolonged recovery period for the hospitality and restaurant industries, as well as staffing challenges, we regret to inform you that ownership has made the difficult decision to close Verōnika as of September 1, 2021. While Starr restaurants did not own this very special restaurant, we took great pride in its stewardship. We are enormously grateful to our Verōnika team members who have gone to such great lengths to serve our guests under these unforeseen circumstances. Above all, we want to share our heartfelt thanks to our loyal gu

I just read on NJ Hungry Onion that Una Pizza Napolitano has closed in Atlantic Highlands and will be opening on Orchard St. next month.

There was major flooding in many areas of NJ. But despite the very heavy rains, we were o.k. because our house is not in a flood prone area, and our sump pump kept our basement dry. Yesterday (Thursday) turned out to be so surprisingly lovely that we went out for dinner and ate in the garden of our favorite Thai restaurant, Kunya Siam Thai, in Atlantic Highlands. Edited to add: This probably more appropriately belongs in Reason to be Cheerful.

No doubt with Bloomfield in charge, it is.

Not sure if this has been mentioned. Chef April Bloomfield left The Breslin in January.* It’s been re-christened Breslin Burger with a main section of mostly burgers, including her famous lamb burger. breslinnyc.com *Bloomfield is now chef-in-residence at the Mayflower Inn & Spa, in Washington, CT. We went there some years ago. Gorgeous room, lovely grounds with pool, but disappointing food. Edited to correct when she left The Breslin.

Why ashamed? When I Googled, I didn’t find any other place to get it. The NY Times article links to Milk Street. In any case, you must have gotten it a while ago because Milk Street currently has it for pre-order to be shipped by the end of September.

@joethefoodieWhere did you purchase your Közmatik? By the way, in all the photos of it (Milk Street, NY Times, etc.), the grate has not been removed.

I have been inside Trader Joe’s exactly once when it opened on 32nd Street a short walk from our apartment. Michael was with me. We took a little stroll around, but I didn’t see anything that I cared to buy. If I had found something, the line to check out that wound up and down the aisles — never seen anything like it! — would have deterred me. There are three supermarkets a short ride from our house: ShopRite, Wegmans, and Whole Foods. I shop at all of them because there are things about each one I like. Re: checking out. ShopRite and Wegmans have several aisles of self-checkout r

Ha! As soon as I read about it opening, I put it on my “go to” list. Not only because, as you point out, it’s very conveniently located a few blocks from our apartment. But also because the food being offered there totally appeals to us. (Eggplant parm happens to be a big favorite of mine, so very pleased to hear that it’s superb.) And, since we are not dining indoors, there is outdoor seating. Now, if the weather would just cooperate and we could put together a couple of days where al fresco dining would be comfortable, i.e., not too hot and muggy and no rain… (We’ve only been back to NYC b

When I saw a photo of the interior space, it looked familiar. Checking the address, I was right. It’s the former home of Trattoria Italienne. Nice redo. We ate at the old Junoon a few times (conveniently located directly across Madison Square Park from our apartment). Though we enjoyed the food, once Indian Accent opened, we much preferred its cuisine and happily made the trip to Midtown.

Indeed! By the way, we first experienced his desserts when he was the pastry chef at the very short-lived restaurant Beautique.

It would be shocking if they weren’t since Jhio Kim was The Modern’s pastry chef. His desserts were always gorgeous to look at and seriously delicious!