Birthday week dining options……………
This Saturday will mark the beginning of my 43rd year in this world. I don’t mind aging and fully accept it as a part of life. The one thing I do appreciate about my birthday is it’s generally the one time of year I’m not expected to pick up the check. Yes, I live by the motto pay back is a b*tch!
So my birthday week celebration starts this afternoon with a trip into NY to my favorite steakhouse Ben and Jacks.
Tomorrow night (no meat) is open I’m thinking perhaps Porta but open to seafood suggestions.
Saturday night (actual birthday) is Raven and the Peach in Fair Haven.
Monday is Char in Red Bank.
Next Friday the 15th is La Griglia (Kenilworth)
Next Saturday the 16th back to Ben and Jacks (unless Char really knocks my socks off)
How about the rest of you what are your favorite birthday bash establishments?
Oh……I just thought maybe tomorrow will be the seafood buffet at the Manor! Does anyone know do they still do that?
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Yes happy birthday to Chica and JJ! Thanks for the review of your b-day weekend, too bad about Drews. (although I have yet to eat there I do see it has almost a cult following he has).
I will be posting reviews of my dining experiences once I've concluded my birthday week of celebrations!
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JustJake
Mar 12, 2013 07:15 AM
I see we have a bunch of fellow Pisceans on board here. I celebrated mine on Sunday (the actual), with my weekend dining being tied into music which I live for more than food (blasphemy Jake, blasphemy!).
Friday had me down in Philly (University town) to see Steve Kimock and I had bbq during a pre-show dine that blew away Smoke. When I first dined here (about a year ago), I asked the locals for a few dining options (bbq, thai, sushi etc) with the consensus being that Philly don't do bbq very well. I tried it anyway. BBQBlues (right next to the pretty good White Dog Cafe) makes a wonderful brisket with great char; their rirbs, be it Memphis, St. Louie, etc or chicken & shrimp are top shelf as to finish. Excellent mac & cheese and sides. Though I ordered way too much food - gained weight this winter as I tore a rotator cuff the day after Sandy and haven't been able to do much in the interim.
Saturday had me at Monmouth for Justin Townes Earle and made it simple. Bond St for their simple yet satisfying burger along with a couple rounds of Dennis Hopper's (those who partake will know).
Sunday, we had reservations at Drew's. They were for 8 o'clock and I nor my bride had it in us to really put the feedbag on at that hour. Maybe it was the change of time; perhaps it was my making a lunch that had us eating lamb pops and 4 jumbo shrimp along with a mac & pesto that really had us with virtually no appetite. I cancelled and thanked them. We eventually made it out late (and no bottle of Reisling either) to Pho Le for a light meal. Summer rolls, with one of the soups (a shredded chicken with 'shrooms and lime) while I had the Spicy beef with jalopenas, bean sprouts and lemongrass.
Salads, stir fry (w/brown rice) and a bit more activity for this writer as the days get a bit longer and the time change providing a bit more daylight on the back end.
Happy birthday to all who are celebrating these daze ;-)
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re: JustJake
MGZ
Mar 12, 2013 08:23 AM
OK, so , fellow pisces, fellow Kimock fan (I remember seeing him with Zero and in his days with Weir in Kingfish), I forgive you for your lack of steak love. But, I do have to ask, given my last (Saturday night) visit to Pho Le, do you think that the quality has declined or is it just something about how aggressively the owner tries to turn tables that had me thinkin' I may never go back?
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re: MGZ
corvette johnny
Mar 12, 2013 12:33 PM
I went to Pho le the other day for the first time. I am novice to viet food but I thought it was just "ok." I might go back but I wasn't blow away. And I did try some beef Pho.
I ordered the ribeye and they served me a porterhouse LOL. It was not even on the menu...not a big deal but I just thought it was funny. I didn't complain and ate it up.
Any word on the "gourmet" Chinese place across the street called Temple? The dishes look nice on paper but man, they are expensive! 40 dollars for a whole fried snapper?
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re: corvette johnny
MGZ
Mar 12, 2013 01:02 PM
Temple's OK. Mom likes it so I've been a few times. Prices are high. It's rather generic, Americanized Chinese and I'd rather stay on the turnpike across the Driscoll and dine at Dragon Palace or Wonder Seafood for much less money, but . . . .
For what it's worth, the best whole fish dish I ever had in RB was a Teak (I've had it at both P Hole and Temple).
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re: MGZ
JustJake
Mar 13, 2013 07:35 AM
Mg, in my mind, the food's been fairly consistent. This is not the Viet that I get in Philly Chinatown (Pho Ha or Pho Xe) or any of the superb spots I used to visit in Providence and environs (Hons House, Angkor (which is Cambodian) and a few that escape me).
Pho Le is really the only Viet game in town, the county or Central Jersey for that matter - so when I'm in a city, it's on my short list especially if there's some good ones about. In the interim, it's the one place that I can get decent spring/summer rolls. or an entree with lemongrass and chilis.
Nice to see that we have a connect here with Kimock. I've been seeing him since '93 or so as a guy who used to do some side cooking for Zero in the Bay area introduced me to his music. Charlie did a stint here for a time cooking at the now gone New Deal Roadhouse in Allenhurst. Now runs his own place in Palo Alto after being the first chef at Google hq in Mountainview.
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re: JustJake
MGZ
Mar 13, 2013 07:59 AM
I s'pose, as you probably know, that sometimes the vibe in a place can affect the taste of the food. We were at Pho tryin' to drink some wine and stretch out a dinner before going to the Basie to see the NJSO. The lady who owns the place was pretty aggressively trying to get folks out. As I suggested, I wasn't sure if the food wasn't as good as I had recalled or her actions introduced an element of bitterness to my palate. I am starting to think that my approach to restaurants could be defined as seeking out spots that wanna make food more than they do money (now, there's a "dirty hippie" mantra, huh?).
By the way, have you tried the "newish" place on Route 9 in Howell? The name escapes me and I have only been once. I do, however, plan on going back.
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re: JustJake
MGZ
Mar 19, 2013 03:47 AM
Having found myself in need of getting some attention for an older iMac from the "Mom's basement dwelling" hipster geeks at the Apple store in Freehold yesterday,* I decided to go back to the restaurant I mentioned above. It is called Vietnam Bistro. It's on the northbound side of Route 9 in Howell, not far from the 195 exit. We really enjoyed our lunch and am happy to recommend that you try it.
*Spending time in Freehold Raceway Hell was very traumatic for me - I am not a mall guy, so, so not a mall guy. I'm just hoping it will someday wash off.
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Njchicaa
Mar 11, 2013 06:47 PM
My birthday is quickly approaching. Plans have been all over the place due to trying to accommodate everyone's schedule
We settled on Maria's in Manasquan for dinner but now they are planning a family party at home.
I have several reservations for well-recommended meals for Vegas in 2 weeks, so it is easier for me to just smile and nod about the bday plans.
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corvette johnny
Mar 8, 2013 08:53 AM
Happy B day buddy!
Wow that is an impressive listing of events coming up.
Last year I did the chefs table at nicholas....very cool experience! The amount of work that goes into a single dish there kind of boggles my mind.
Fernandes 2 is another place I like to go with a crowd on my bday. Their upstairs room has a great vibe and decor.
I might try char again this weekend but I think I will have to make reservations to get in.
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re: corvette johnny
Thank you very much CJ.
I think I mentioned I went to Fernedes 3 in Sayerville a week or two ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I WAY over did it last night at Ben and Jacks so tonight my plans are going to be to stay home and recover for tomorrow night. lol If you were a friend on facebook you would see they gave me a bottle of Van Goh espresso vodka (with a candle on it) as my birthday gift last night. I felt obligated to finish the bottle. I'm honestly a very dumb person to be turning 43.
I haven't been to Nicholas since the expansion. While I obviously can't speak bad of the place I just never cared for it. The menu selections were a little too "eclectic" for me and the dining room was too "sterile" for my liking. Also the dining room acoustics were terrible at the time and I found it to be too noisy. It's been years....and I'm sure I'll go back but I'm not in a rush.
I have heard that Char is only accepting very limited reservations something like only 8 tables per hour. The theory behind it is to not inundate the kitchen......not sure I agree with that but hey....there's a reason I don't currently manage any of my places anymore.
Thanks again!
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re: jrvedivici
MGZ
Mar 8, 2013 12:29 PM
First, Happy Birthday, Big Man. Glad you made it this far down the dark slope of life. Hopefully, you can avoid the trees and keep goin'.
As to the espresso vodka, well, I'll try not to yuck your yum. But, really, yuck!
Since you're sitting tonight out, I will note, simply for posterity, that the Shipwreck Grille in Brielle is the best spot for a seafood dinner in the Mon/OC. Maybe next year?
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re: MGZ
Thank you as well MGZ.
Don't knock the espresso vodka till you try it my friend. Very smooth after dinner drink....I use to be a sambucca kind of guy but that is to heavy and sweet to have more than one. The espresso vodka (Van Goh is the best) has a nice coffee flavor and is a delight after dinner.
After many juice's and water I'm starting to feel hydrated again and might be considering going back out tonight. I'm not up for a trip to West Orange......so I'll keep the Shipwreck in mind.
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re: MGZ
Squeezed in breakfast at the Committed Pig on Sunday. It was good again....coffee a little to strong for my liking. I brought my parents with us and the manager of the Firefly chased me out of the handicap spot there. Said it was reserved for them (although it was not noted as such, the other spots were but not the handicap) being in a good mood I moved the car without confrontation.
My question to you MGZ is I noticed a "For Lease" sign on the diner up the block. That place has been there forever according to my father and they use to do a good business. What's the story? I've always got my eye out. lol
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bgut1
Mar 7, 2013 03:44 PM
Happy birthday jrvedivici! I'm interested in your review of Char after you have had a chance to dine there. I think Porta is an excellent idea. I would recommend a nice salad like the 3 Trees or the Kale one along with the day boat octopus and the bone marrow appetizers. For an entree you can't go wrong with any of their pizzas and pastas (especially the one with shredded short ribs). The only other special restaurant I would add is Drew's in Keyport. As you may know, I'm a big fan and his new place just opened this week. I was there opening night and everything from the room to the food is even better than the two prior versions. Whatever you decide, please enjoy and write back,
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Have to say the best steak I've had in a long time was at Brando's in Asbury. It was a Pittsburged medium rare Porterhouse and it was off the chart! We were a party of 8 and everyone was impressed with their dinner. Great menu. Even enjoyed the house wine! Many great Italian choices.
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