Alison Blogs Here

Mom and Dad came to visit this weekend, and we ended up going out for a few meals.  Nobi, of course, because they have wonderful sushi.  Lunch the next day was in Montclair, but when we got back to TR, it was too late to cook, so we went to Basil T’s next to the Seacourt Pavilion.  Little pricey, but the food was really tasty, and the service was attentive.  Hubby liked their own Oktoberfest beer, although Dad wanted something a little fizzier.  We’ll go back again, for certain, but maybe split some entrees, because they were huge.  I needed to leave a lot behind so I could fit the dulce de leche cheesecake.  Yum.  Next morning, Mom and Dad treated us to breakfast, which we had at Wolfie’s diner on Route 37.  You walk in, and at first it looks like a deli, because the deli case and slicers and all are right there.  Breakfast was delightful, the waitress was a real hoot.  Only bad thing was fake maple syrup, but I’ll forgive them that and bring my own next time to go over the yummy cinnamon topped french toast.  That night it was just hubby and me, and we debated pizza, but decided to sit down for dinner at Rockafella’s instead.  I know this is a big local favorite, and it was quite crowded, but I wasn’t incredibly impressed.  Hubby’s salmon with mussels and clams came with two mussels and three clams.  My capellini was thicker than #9 spaghetti.  It took over two hours, and we didn’t have appetizers or dessert – the waitress seemed to be deliberately avoiding our gaze.  We’ll try the pizza another time, just in case, but service is really important to us, and if we have a choice between good service or bad, the food has to be superb and unique to bring us back to a place with unsatisfactory service.