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Rosie’s Food Bytes: What is Good, Lately

February 27, 2008 05:06 AM ET | Doctor, Dianne | Permanent Link

Here are some restaurants where our food editor Rosalie Saferstein has dined recently and recommends that you try:

BRANDL, Belmar (732-280-7501) Chef/owner Chris Brandl, a Johnson and Wales graduate, serves innovative American cuisine at this BYO, which we prefer in the winter. Try the crab cakes, cheese tasting, and soufflé of the day. A great deal is the three course prix-fix menu offered Sunday to Thursday for $30, cash only.

CAVALLO’S, Nutley (973-667-1008) Walk through a butcher shop and past a pizza take-out counter to find yourself in a 30-seat family friendly BYO restaurant. Options range from Italian cuisine to USDA prime meat freshly cut in the butcher shop. We love the linguini with vodka sauce.

DREW'S BAYSHORE BISTRO, Keyport If you are craving Gulf Coast and Low Country cuisines check out this casual eatery where Chef/owner Andrew Araneo creates some lip smackin’ fare. Try the spicy gumbo, crawfish etouffee, or jambalaya. Pecan pie is a perfect finale. BYO.

HUNAN COTTAGE, Fairfield (973-808-8328) Ask for the Chinese menu geared for the Asian palate at this BYO that specializes in Shanghai cuisine. We always order the soup dumplings. Other must-trys for adventurous eaters are buffalo fish and mixed vegetables wrapped with bean curd skin.

NEXT DOOR, Montclair (973-744-3600) Comfort food is featured for lunch and dinner at this new BYO. Opt for salmon gravlox with cream cheese, avocado and tomato; penne with shelled mussels, white beans and hot Italian peppers; or meatloaf with mashed potatoes.
 
Where should Rosie eat next? E-mail suggestions to her at foodbytes@hotmail.com

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Comments
Brandl

Brandl is an unmitigated waste of time and money, a perfect storm of overpriced food and poor service. Frankly, I'd rather be waterboarded than dine there again. Six of us were seated in the near right corner of Brandl under a blaring stereo speaker, and it took three requests and a hissy fit to get them to turn the music down low enough so we could hear each other. The service in general was either indifferent or snotty, and there were several times during the evening when we sure that our wait-person had run off and enlisted in the French Foreign Legion. The time between appetizer and entree was so long that we considered changing our order and asking for the breakfast menu. And when the entrees finally did come, they apparently had been sitting somewhere unattended for some time and were icy cold. The maitre d' shrugged it off with minimal apology and returned some ten minutes later with what might have been nuked versions of those same entrees. Waterboarding anyone?

Posted by: Murray Glick, | Feb 28, 2008 06:08:58 AM


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