| Author |
Message |
    
Soulful Mr T
Citizen
Username: Howardt
Post Number: 281
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 11:03 am: |     |
We're having friends and family in town for a Bat Mitzvah (they're staying at Kenilworth Inn, thanks for recommendation ajc) and need a place where 16 of us can go for a nice dinner - not too expensive but good food, wine, etc.... any suggestions? |
Two Sense
Citizen
Username: Twosense
Post Number: 92
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 11:08 am: | |
We've done this twice at Cafe Arugola, in the back of the first floor. We pre-ordered appetizers, and waiters offered guests a choice of three entrees. Service and food were good, prices reasonable (plus it's BYOB), and at an early hour it was very much a private party. |
Soulful Mr T
Citizen
Username: Howardt
Post Number: 282
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 11:20 am: | |
Where is Cafe Arugola? |
Two Sense
Citizen
Username: Twosense
Post Number: 95
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 11:40 am: | |
In South Orange on South Orange Avenue, between Scotland Road and Vose Avenue -- adjacent to BlockBuster Video. There's also ample parking in the rear. |
kmk
Supporter
Username: Kmk
Post Number: 602
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 2:09 pm: | |
The Huntleigh Tavern in Summit has a nice sunny separate room. It's great if there are any little kids 'cuz they can run around the giant table in the center! |
Meandtheboys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 729
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 2:16 pm: | |
Huntley Tavern is very nice kmk, but might be a bit pricier than what Mr T is looking for? Anyway, info on the rooms kmk mentioned can be found on their website:
www.thehuntleytaverne.com |
redY67
Citizen
Username: Redy67
Post Number: 1398
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 2:44 pm: | |
Verjus also has a nice side room that they can put you in. I don't know if it is within our price range, but we have always had a nice time there.
Cafe Arugula I have been there several times with big parties and have had terrible service. Just the two of us, great, but for some reason when they do big groups, the service seems to fall apart. |
Soulful Mr T
Citizen
Username: Howardt
Post Number: 283
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 3:41 pm: | |
Thanks for all that great info! I'll look into those options altho' I'd guess that Verjus is too expensive for this crowd. |
mrmaplewood
Citizen
Username: Mrmaplewood
Post Number: 185
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 3:52 pm: | |
Like Chinese? Hunan Spring in Springfield has very nice food, good prices, and BYO. Seperate dining room too. |
kathleen
Citizen
Username: Symbolic
Post Number: 16
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 6:06 pm: | |
I've seen China Gourmet on Eagle Rock Blvd. accommodate huge families at single circular tables (and the food is tasty). Very festive and they serve drinks. You might be able to work out a good menu in advance with Verjus (and the food can't be beat). Offerings (especially the hamburgers!) are tasty at Huntley Tavern and service was very good at the party I was at.
|
Miss L Toe
Citizen
Username: Miss_l_toe
Post Number: 223
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 9:39 pm: | |
How about the Heart & Soul restaurant in South Orange....Chef Jessie would be very happy to work with you for a menu to please - and the food is great:
http://www.heartandsoulrestaurant.com/ |
Innisowen
Citizen
Username: Innisowen
Post Number: 664
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, April 28, 2005 - 11:23 am: | |
A while back we had dinner for 50 in the back area of Cent'Anni in Maplewood, with its usual very good fare and attentive service. |
mrmaplewood
Citizen
Username: Mrmaplewood
Post Number: 186
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, April 28, 2005 - 12:15 pm: | |
Cent Anni is gone. Dead. |
Soulful Mr T
Citizen
Username: Howardt
Post Number: 284
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, April 28, 2005 - 2:10 pm: | |
Is it?? |
finnegan
Supporter
Username: Finnegan
Post Number: 208
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, April 28, 2005 - 8:53 pm: | |
Cent Anni changed ownership and the new owner, Chris (sorry I forget his last name) and his wife are South Orange residents. Staff is staying on, with the exception of Joe the Chef.
Rumors of its demise were premature, to say the least. |
redY67
Citizen
Username: Redy67
Post Number: 1428
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 29, 2005 - 10:16 am: | |
The owners of Cent Anni now own Lot 15 in South Orange. |
Bgs
Citizen
Username: Bgs
Post Number: 6
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 29, 2005 - 12:08 pm: | |
We are having our daughter's graduation celebration at LaGrotto degli Amici in Millburn just past Charlie Brown's on Essex Street.
Great menu with very reasonable prices...$25 on Saturday in afternoon and $35 on Sunday which includes appetizers, pasta selection,salad and main course. Sunday afternoon has an expanded menu. They have a really nice room and you can bring your own wine.
Hope this helps.... |
Soulful Mr T
Citizen
Username: Howardt
Post Number: 291
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 3, 2005 - 8:17 am: | |
Bgs, can you give me contact information for LaGrotto degli Amici in Millburn, please, I can't seem to find a phone number. THANKS. I may drive over there this afternoon and check it out. |
Chris Farrow
Citizen
Username: Evrtnjrsy
Post Number: 1
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 3, 2005 - 11:59 am: | |
In response to mrmaplewood's post, on the contrary Cent'Anni is very much alive, with the same great food and service, and with phenomenal live music Thursday, Friday and Sturday nights, with possibly more evnings and a Sunday jazz brunch to follow shortly. In the interests of full disclosure, I am the new owner, thanks to finnegan for your posting, and I invite mrmaplewood to come and check out Cent'anni for himself...and SoulfulMrT if you're still looking for a venue, come by and check us out |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 4266
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 3, 2005 - 12:12 pm: | |
Soul Man- I PLed you. |
BGS
Citizen
Username: Bgs
Post Number: 7
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 3, 2005 - 2:08 pm: | |
Ssoulful Mr. T., I emailed you privately.
BGS |
Taurus5208
Citizen
Username: Taurus5208
Post Number: 80
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 3, 2005 - 2:11 pm: | |
Libretti's in Orange is great for this type of get together. |
Soulful Mr T
Citizen
Username: Howardt
Post Number: 362
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Monday, May 9, 2005 - 10:24 am: | |
1. We're doing our dinner for 16 next week at Heart & Soul -> Chef Jesse was so enthusiastic and the space seemed so right. Thank you all for your suggestions.
2. This weekend we celebtated our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of living in Maplewood. Thanks go to the M-SO online posters for helping us learn out way around. To celebrate....
3. ...(and for Mothers Day) we went to Cent'Anni last night and it was great, great, great. A bit more expensive than we'd like to pay but after all, it was Mothers Day and the prices are not unreasonable at all for what you get. From start to finish the food was delicious. (I had the seafood risotto - all of the seafood in it, clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops, scungilli, etc. tasted fresh and perfectly cooked. Lots of fresh garlic in evidence - yum. The Soulful Mrs. T had a salad and the rack of lamb....beautiful.)
I thought a real nice touch was the list of $22 wines at the bottom of the elegant menu. It helped keep the cost from getting too far out of hand. We had the pinot grigio and it was quite fine.
Chris was very welcoming, even after I identified myself as The [Very] Soulful Mr. T. [Perhaps I should post this elsewhere here?] |
jbirchby
Citizen
Username: Jbirchby
Post Number: 45
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Monday, May 9, 2005 - 10:33 am: | |
Soulful, we just had our mothers day lunch/dinner at Heart and Soul yesterday. It was fabulous. The food was top notch as always and there was a ton of it. We had a party of 18 and if we had recruited 10 more moms off the street there would have been more than enough for them too. We even got treated to a mothers day song by Jesse Jr. The day was a great success, I'm sure yours will be as well, enjoy! |
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