Dossy S.'s Profile

(Note: The venue is now "Piccolo's Restaurant" and not "Lotsa Pasta".)

Piccolo's is located just outside the East Gate of Smoke Rise in Kinnelon, NJ.

Went for dinner on July 3rd and chose to sit outdoors.  Our waiter was knowledgeable and superb, answered our questions, and was attentive.

I ordered the veal osso buco ($29) which was on the specials menu. The portion size was large but not overwhelming - I was able to finish it all without overeating, but I was very full.  The mushroom risotto was on the salty side which balanced out the osso buco which wasn't salty enough.  The veal was served separated from the bone on the plate, but the marrow was still intact inside the shank.  It was tender and just slightly dry - I prefer it a bit more moist.

I ended the meal with a single shot of espresso which was dark and creamy.

A fine Italian restaurant, a bit on the pricy side, but the food is fine.

Keo Ku is my go-to place for Korean food.  My wife regularly orders the Yue Hwe (yuk hoe) as it's become her favorite Korean dish.

Always on the lookout to try new cuisines, we received an advertisement for Toros in the mail.  Turkish--something not often found around here.  So, we took the kids out for dinner tonight (May 19, 2007) to check them out.

The first thing you notice is the (mandatory?) valet parking.  Their parking area is small so it makes sense that they would prefer to manage it with valet parking.

I had called ahead to reserve our table and when we arrived we were seated promptly.  The decor is nice--it has a lot of character, but not overly kitschy.

Turkish cuisine is typical Mediterranean: Turkish, Greek, Middle-Eastern, etc. are all very similar.  You'll find plenty of familiar dishes, but a bunch that are uniquely Turkish.  We were in for quite a treat!

We ordered two appetizers: the stuffled mussels (cold dish) and the fried veal liver (hot dish).  I wasn't terribly impressed by the mussels, but the fried veal liver--it was fantastic.

We ordered three entrees: one was lamb cubes over eggplant sauce, one was the broiled striped bass, and the last was beef dumplings.  All three dishes were incredibly good--some of the most well-prepared dishes I've had.

The prices are extremely reasonable--$4-6 for an appetizer, $10-15 for an entree and the portion sizes are very generous.

If you're looking to try a different cuisine and you'd like to try Turkish, I highly recommend Toros Restaurant in Clifton, NJ.

The previous reviewers nailed it--this is THE place to go for thin-crust pizza in the area.  The building is somewhat small, the interior is cramped and when the place is busy, things can get slow ... but if you love thin-crust pizza, it's all worth putting up with.

I used to love going to Kinchley's when I used to work over in Upper Saddle River.  I do miss the place, and once in a while go out of my way to get there, just for the pizza.

If you're in the mood for Moroccan, this place will do the job.  It's a fun place to go with a group of people, if they all enjoy eating with their fingers.  Fun platters of tasty food brought out to share, while you sit on cushioned benches in a fairly open-air large room.

There's nothing especially exotic about the food, but it's fun to eat there.  The live entertainment is an unusual treat, too.

Our two daughters, currently 7 and 4 years old, both are attending ABC's of Learning in Kinnelon.

I cannot say enough good things about this school.  Mrs. Luke, the administrator of the school, has done an incredible job finding truly talented, caring and passionate teachers.  My daughters' lives have been so greatly enriched by them.

I really can't go into enough detail in this review to do the school any justice.  If you're interested, don't hesitate to send me a message and ask me questions--I'll be more than happy to answer them.

Consistently good to excellent Chinese food.

I highly recommend the "Grand Marnier shrimp."  Shrimp in an orange-flavored mayonaise-like sauce with walnuts over what seem to be rice-flour breaded shrimp.

We have been ordering regularly from them since they opened in Butler a few years ago and have yet to be disappointed by the food.  It's consistently good.

Are you looking for incredible, authentic Mexican (not Tex-Mex!) food, prepared by a professional chef?  Then get yourself down to Selena's!

From the outside, you'd never know what a culinary treasure this place is on the inside ... the facade of the building is nondescript and frankly, it looks like a little hole in the wall.  But, don't let looks fool you--the food here is incredible.

If you don't speak Spanish, ordering might be a challenge as the wait staff seem to speak only a little English.  However, the owner, whose name is Tabo, does ... and he knows his food.  Often when we go, we simply tell him to make some recommendations on what specials he has that day based on what he knows we like, and we are never disappointed.

Don't expect fancy service or upmarket restaurant decor, but if you judge solely based on the happiness your stomach experiences, this will be the ONLY Mexican restaurant you'll ever want to eat in.

AJ's pizza is my favorite pizza place in the Butler/Tri-boro area.  The pizzas are consistently good, the crust is light and crispy, the pizza dough is thin and the sauce is tasty.

My favorite pie is a garlic and tomato pie and they do it well.  They deliver and have enough drivers that delivery is prompt.  We order from AJ's pretty regularly.

Mac's Diner on Route 23 is your standard Jersey diner, but the food is reasonably priced and excellent.

My wife regularly orders the Trio Francese over pasta and I order whatever I feel like having, and the food is consistently good.  It can get quite busy at times, but it's definitely because it's a popular place.

If you're in the area and you're looking for a diner, definitely stop in and try out Mac's.  You might run into me and my family there.