We've been trying new restaurants. Lots of new restaurants.

We went to Ol' West BBQ in Annandale last week on recommendation from friends from church. We found their meat and cheese to be acceptable, but their sides were lacking. In particular, the bourbon mashed sweet potatoes that that place thinks are very special aren't nearly so good. We loved the pulled pork, sauce, ginormous* onion loaf, and macaroni and cheese. The baked beans were OK. The cole slaw and sweet potatoes left a lot to be desired.

We also went to the R.U.B. Hut in Manville last night based on more friends' recommendations. I'd passed by the place before and thought, Mexican and BBQ? Never gonna work. I was dissuaded thanks to edhorch and reillye among others, and we gave it a shot last night.

That was a lot of meat.

The platter I had of brisket, pulled pork, and hot link was nearly too much for me. I said nearly ... I ain't stupid. I adored the brisket, the hot link was also to my liking, but the pork was somewhat disappointing. Herself's ribs were much more manageable, but I don't like to work that hard for my food. We enjoyed the potato salad a lot and thought the baked beans were OK. Our opinion was split on the cole slaw -- I liked it, she was unimpressed -- and the roasted potatoes were disappointing. The Sope appetizer we had, though, was pretty darn good.

We also tried the new Bonefish Grill in Green Brook, and it wasn't bad. I admit up front that i'm not a fish person. I'm allergic to shellfish, and most fish leaves me cold. Make up a nice tuna fish salad with Miracle Whip and onions, and I'm your man, but that's not what we're here to talk about. booksherpa's been looking to get to this place ever since we knew they were opening last week, and I indulged her last Friday. I was further heartened by the fact that they're owned by the same chain that owns Carrabba's.

They're new. Very new. Every person that walked by our table was very courteous and helpful and wanted to know whether they could take this plate away or get us a refill or whatever. Damn, that was a lot of people. I left 13 Georged singles as a tip and quipped, "I left one for everyone who stopped by our table."

The food was good, though. The chicken egg rolls were good, but forgettable; you can get the same thing in other forms in other restaurants. booksherpa's swordfish was good, and she enjoyed it, and my fontina chops were very tasty; the potatoes seemed a little off, but that's a little quibble. I rejoiced when I saw creme brulee on their menu -- particularly when I heard it was the last one -- but was disappointed that they didn't use real vanilla (gotta have those black specks on the bottom), and the crust wasn't crusty enough. So be it. Herself's brownie was covered in macadamia nuts, but they were salted and didn't work well in her opinion.

Have I made you hungry yet?