Monday February 13, 2012SUBSCRIBE
New Jersey Monthly Magazine
Restaurants

Bulldog's Bar and Grill

Steakhouse 85

Steakhouse 85, with its handsome decor, offers not only steak, but seriously good seafood. more

Silk Road

Silk Road in Warren was designed to replicate the experience of dining in a fine Afghan home. more

29th Annual Jersey Choice Restaurant Poll

It's your turn to rate the best eating in the state. more

Appreciating the Taken for Granted

Co-owner: Mark Pascal, New Brunswick; Nonna Catherine Lombardi, Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. more

Each Generation Learns, "Only Better"

Chef: Rosaria Iovino, Girasole, Atlantic City; Mamma: Concetta Conti, Afragola, Naples, Italy more

Highest Praise Went to Mom's Manicotti

Chef: Francesco Palmieri, The Orange Squirrel, Bloomfield; Mamma: Consiglia “Nanette” Palmieri, Corigliano Calabro, Calabria, Italy, and Bloomfield more

Smells Worth Handing Down

Chef: Luca Valerin, Osteria Giotto, Montclair; Mamma: Graziella Varotto, Castel d’Aiano, Emilia-Romagna, Italy; Nonna: Esterina Schiavon, Padua, Veneto, Italy more

On Thursdays, School Could Wait

Chef: Zachary Melker, Toscano Ristorante, Bordentown; Mamma: Mariellen Melker, Hamilton; Nonna: Emma Melker, Chambersburg, Trenton more

That Secret Recipe? Still a Secret

Chef: Luigi Basile, La Locanda, Voorhees; Nonna: Maria Vincenza Basile, Montella, Campania, Italy more

Just One Way To Skin a Rabbit

Chef: Franco Lombardo, Sapori Trattoria, Collingswood; Nonna: Anna Prestigiacomo, Carini, Sicily more

Esty Street

In a setting that evokes a swank supper club from decades past, patrons enjoy food deliciously of the moment. more

Miracle Cure

Letting air and nature do most of the work, Salumeria Biellese in Hackensack produces acclaimed sausages and hams just like in the Old Country. more

Masters of "Mutz"

Fresh, hand-made mozzarella is a treasure, and Jersey does it best. more

Meeting Mamma...In Italy

Our senior editor travels to the mountains of northern Italy to photograph the mother of one of our Italian chefs. more

Nonna Knows Best

Breathes there an Italian chef who didn’t learn to love food and cooking at the knee of mamma or nonna (grandmother)? Assolutamente no! more

Where Real Italians Eat

We find out where prominent New Jersey Italian celebrities like to eat. more

Pass the Pasta

Jersey is blessed with many compelling Italian restaurants. Here are 16 of our favorites. more

Mangia!

Exploring and celebrating Jersey's love for Italian food. more

Ralic's Steakhouse

Most steakhouses are big, über-masculine and have liquor licenses. Ralic's is small (28-seats), has light-wood floors and cream-colored walls and is located in a dry town (Haddonfield). Go figure. Still, Jill P. Capuzzo says Ralic's steaks for the most part would do any steakhouse proud. more

Bell & Whistle

This casual American bistro takes its name from its location near the town's fire siren and church bell, which follows the local focus of the menu. more

Drew's Bayshore Bistro

Its new location is more upscale, but the chow at Drew’s Bayshore Bistro is as sassy and down home as ever, and that’s reason to cheer. more

Saucy Lady

After a stint with the Yankees, Rochelle Randazzo started her own team—of pasta sauces. more

Cute Cakes, Tough Critic

Florian Bellanger is the hard-line judge of Cupcake Wars. more

Cork

Cork, an American restaurant in Westmont, has been through three chefs in the last couple years. But the latest one, Anthony Marini, who came aboard last May, is hitting his stride, writes Adam Erace in his review. more

La Focaccia

The puffy, rosemary-flecked focaccia bread at La Focaccia in Summit is wonderful, Karen Tina Harrison writes. But that isn't all that's worth eating at the restaurant. more

Patria

After making his name at the original Patria in Manhattan, chef Andrew DiCataldo reinvigorates the new Patria in Rahway. more

Hamilton's Grill Room

"Diamonds and burlap." That's how Jim Hamilton describes the food of his 23-year-old Lambertville institution, Hamilton's Grill Room. Example? Cowboy steak with bordelaise sauce and crisp onions, courtesy of executive chef Mark Miller, from whose charcoal grill many other good things come as well, write Robin Damstra & Jim Salant. more

Rare

Rare steakhouse in Little Falls may look a bit like a sports bar, but wander back into the dining room and you are in the realm of terrific aged prime beef. more

Luke Palladino's at Harrah's

Luke Palladino’s Italian-Italian showplace debuts on a big stage. more

Dublin Square

"We can't make ourselves any more authentic, other than being in Dublin," says Ian Whitfield, executive chef of Dublin Square in Cherry Hill, Bordentown and Washington Township. Jill P. Capuzzo visits the Cherry Hill branch and finds nearly all the dishes "generous...hearty and satisfying." more

TwoFiftyTwo

What's in a number? If the number is TwoFiftyTwo, a French- and Italian-influenced restaurant in Bedminster, the answer is a place that "should feel like an extension of home," says chef/owner Melissa Hill. Read Pat Tanner's review. more

Oom-Pah! Oktoberfest!

Raising a stein at Hudson County’s atmospheric biergartens. more

Mes Rêves

From Vietnam to Bloomfield, a dream of fine French food becomes reality. more

Urban Table

A respected restaurant group adds another eatery to its roster, in Morristown. How does Urban Table and its eclectic menu rate? Sam Kadko tells all. more

West Side Gravy

West Side Gravy in Collingswood offers an affordable menu with plenty of comfort classics prepared with precision and artistry. more

Rat's

At Rat's in Hamilton, there's art in the park—and on the plate. more

U2 Crew (Me, Too) Love These Fries

Fresh Pommes Frites in Hoboken offers Belgian fries that famous Irish bands devour with (metaphorical) relish. more

Look Who's Behind the Counter

Chefs take to takeout—to branch out or to find an upside to the downturn. more

On the Beach With Tuna on Rye

Alan Richman reminisces about his childhood visits to the beach at Atlantic City, and the lunches his mom packed. more

Above

This New American restaurant in South Orange has an interesting faux ancient Rome vibe to it. more

Copper Canyon

Pat Tanner praises the "finesse and artful presentation" of the Tex-Mex classics at Copper Canyon in Atlantic Highlands. Not everything, however, is at that level. more

28th Annual Readers' and Critics' Choice Poll

Our annual Readers' and Critics' Choice Restaurant Poll takes you all over the state to some of our favorite restaurants. more

Black Eyed Susans Café

On LBI, a couple’s dream blooms along with their black-eyed Susans. more

Code Red

A distinguished food writer visits Jersey’s most famous (and hard to get into) red-sauce restaurant, Chef Vola’s in Atlantic City—recently declared one of America’s Classics—and finds it ideal for people with small bodies and big appetites. more

Top 25 Restaurants 2011

Long gone are the days when New Jersey, sandwiched between two imposing cities, could only look outward for its best food. Now the top restaurants in the state stand shoulder to shoulder with the finest in the region. more

Pizzicato

Pizzicato is a way of playing a stringed instrument by plucking rather than bowing, but it is also an Italian restaurant recently opened in Moorestown. Adam Erace reveals what his heartstrings say about his meals there. more

Le Rendez-Vous

One of the better French restaurants in the state, Pat Tanner reports, is Philippe Lièvre’s Le Rendez-Vous in Kenilworth. Don’t miss the hanger steak with crispy frites, Tanner advises, or whatever crepe is on the menu. more

Maritime Parc

By the banks of the Hudson, Maritime Parc now makes Liberty State Park a compelling culinary destination. more

Ajihei

Alright, the atmosphere may be lacking, parties of more than five people are forbidden, the place is small, but as Robin Damstra & Jim Salant explain, Ajihei in Princeton is still worth a visit for its excellent sushi. more

The British Chip Shop

Reviewer Adam Erace finds the fish and chips at the British Chip Shop in Haddonfield to be "even better than those I've had in England." more

Sandwiches for the Sand

Where to pick up gourmet sustenance on your way to the beach. more

Fish

Dinner goes swimmingly at Fish, a bank building turned seafood entry in Asbury Park’s restaurant revival. more

An Eater's LBI

Places to know when hunger happens. more

Beyond Pizza and Frozen Custard

If you've had enough of the typical Shore fare, and are looking for high-quality cuisine, we've got some tips that will point you to the right exit. more

Boardwalk Empress

The owner of seven restaurants, four in Asbury Park, Marilyn Schlossbach is a canny businesswoman with a passion for surfing—and helping the less fortunate. more

Uncle Vinnie's Clam Bar

The namesake of Uncle Vinnie's Clam Bar in Raritan is long gone. But good fresh seafood, reports Sam Kadko, is very much what you do find at Uncle Vinnie's. more

Bistro 44

One of Jersey's champions from the Food Network show Chopped is chef and owner of Bistro 44 in Toms River. Jill P. Capuzzo reviews the 80-seat BYO bistro. more

Cheap Eats Update: Hurry Chutney

Hurry Chutney has the look of hip chain, but the quality of its food is totally unique. more

Saluting Jersey's Chopped Champs

Some of New Jersey's top, young chefs have been drawing national attention for their efforts on the Food Network's reality cooking show Chopped. more

Light Horse Tavern

Revolutionary War hero Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee won big in Jersey City. Now the hip watering hole named for him does the same. more

Epernay

Quintessential bistro dishes shine at this traditional French restaurant in Montclair. more

Treno

It's not a barbecue, it's a wood burning pizza oven. But great pizza isn't the only thing available at Treno in Westmont, writes Adam Erace. more

Belford Bistro

Stirring the pots harmoniously, a husband-and-wife team gives Monmouth County diners a reason to cheer. more

Best of New Jersey: Food and Drink

We asked our readers to list their favorite places to eat and drink, and boy-howdy did they ever respond. Read on to find out which places our readers feel are the best in the state. more

Lovin' Oven

Health-conscious American food is served at this cozy and relaxed restaurant in Frenchtown. more

Maplewood Restaurant Week

Get ready for one of the better Restaurant Weeks in New Jersey—Maplewood Restaurant Week, March 21 to 27. more

Rob's Bistro

At Rob's Bistro in Madison, Country French cuisine is served in a charmingly rustic atmosphere. more

Picnic

A beloved Fair Lawn off-premise ace teams with a friend to give fans a place to pull up a chair. more

The Good Life For Less: Dine and Drink

Prix-fixe menus are your ticket to fine dining at a discount. more

Restaurant Plan B

Jeffrey Haveson wanted to open a bed & breakfast. When that idea fell through, he went to Plan B—opening Restaurant Plan B in Asbury Park. Jill P. Capuzzo reviews. more

The Bernards Inn

The Bernard's Inn in Bernardsville is more than a century old, but its cuisine is fresh (and local), thanks to executive chef Corey Heyer. more

Chakra

The arrival of acclaimed chef Thomas Ciszak revives the vibe and stokes the sizzle at an atmospheric boîte on busy Route 4 in Paramus. more

Stepping On the Tongue of the Boot

A speaker of Italian wonders why other culinary languages don’t get as mangled as hers does. more

The Great Burger Showdown

Ten of the best (and biggest) burgers in New Jersey square off for bragging rights in our first cook-off. more

Pizza Man Family Restaurant

El Segundo Restaurant

Bar Cara

The DePersio family of Fascino fame (Montclair) team up again with Bar Cara in Bloomfield. The results, writes Stan Parish, are mixed. more

Fortune Cookies

Despite its unpromising name, Fortune Cookies in Bridgewater is that exciting rarity, a place to sample authentic Chinese cuisine, in this case, Hunan, reports Pat Tanner. more

Continental Cuisine—When the Continent Is Africa

Authentic African restaurants are popping up all over New Jersey. Find out where the closest ones to you are located. more

Luke Palladino

Downsizing from the razzle-dazzle of Atlantic City, chef Luke Palladino opens an intimate BYO to showcase proper Italian food. more

Plenty of New A.C. Dining Options

Checking the fresh fare, from comfort food to Brazilian carnivore. more

The Artist Baker

The Alchemist & Barrister

Mélange@Haddonfield

Chef Joe Brown's mom, born in Tennessee, influenced his cooking, as did his several trips to New Orleans. Jill P. Capuzzo reviews the tasty results of that background, Brown's restaurant, Melange @ Haddonfield. more

Fin

Adam Erace reviews Fin, the new top-of-the-line seafood restaurant in the Tropicana Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City. more

Hat City Kitchen

While anchoring an arts district, this Orange eatery rejuvenates a fine chef and makes joyous music for mind and mouth. more

The Coal House

Lalezar

Tewksbury Inn

Regulars at the Tewksbury Inn in Oldwick, Bergen County, call it the Tewks. Reviewer Sam Kadko calls it a place for "deftly-prepared food" with "spot-on service." more

Trinity and the Pope

Pat Tanner reviews Trinity And The Pope in Asbury Park, a restaurant where the trinity of Creole cooking (onions, celery, and bell peppers) plays a strong supporting role. The Pope? That's garlic, according to chef/owner Marilyn Schlossbach. more

Boulevard Five72

At Boulevard Five72 in Kenilworth, chef/owner Scott Snyder’s simple approach yields complex results. more

Caffe Galleria at Lambertville House

Ho-Ho-Kus Inn and Tavern

The Ho-Ho-Kus Inn and Tavern has gone through many iterations. The latest—featuring a New American-oriented cuisine served in an elegantly restored mansion—beckons diners from all over. more

Bareli's

Bareli's is like a Secaucus power table at lunchtime, reports Warren M. Bobrow in his review. At dinner, the venerable Italian restaurant turns romantic. The food is good any time more

Anjelica's

It’s quiet down the Shore now, but not at Anjelica’s, where the year-rounders know the Italian food is always worth turning out for. more

The Lennon-McCartney of Cookbook Authors?

That’s what Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton—creators of the Canal House Cooking volumes—have been called. Here’s why. more

White Heron Grill

What's behind the name change of Dr. John Sprandio's ambitious restaurant in Stone Harbor? Adam Erace tells all. more

Sophie's Bistro

This casual, French restaurant in Somerset offers some winning entrees and delicious salads. more

Peacock Inn

A multimillion dollar renovation brings an eighteenth-century Princeton mansion irresistibly into the present, with food and drink to match. more

Village Pourhouse

Elements Cafe

This American tapas restaurant in Haddon Heights offers a calm and simple ambience and friendly and accommodating service. more

Stoney Brook Grille

Athenian Garden

Baker's Water Street Bar and Grille

Panel Discussion

Winter enclosure panels, removed for summer, congregate outside a restaurant...

more

Passionne

This Modern French restaurant occupies a spare, rustic space in Montclair. more

2010 Readers' and Critics' Restaurant Poll

The results of our 27th Annual Readers’ Choice Restaurant Poll were tabulated by PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Florham Park. more

The Huggable Middleman

Mikey Azzara’s Zone 7 connects chefs hungry for fresh, local produce with small farmers who couldn’t otherwise get it to them. more

Grissini

Don’t let the luxury cars out front intimidate you. Think of Tony Del Gatto’s Grissini as a little bit of the Italian Riviera perched in Englewood Cliffs. more

A Workshop for the 'Foodpreneur'

Online instruction helps wannabes get their fledgling food brands off the ground. more

Shelf Life

Food entrepreneurs travel a long, hard road from garnering compliments to having their products in stores. more

Gourmet A Go-Go

Upscale food trucks are beginning to branch out from Hoboken and Jersey City to the suburbs and even farm country. The food is delicious and the prices are a steal. more

Apart Together

Highly compatible in business (if no longer in marriage), Chris and Sharon Egan spread happiness to patrons of their popular Irish pubs. more

25 Best Restaurants 2010

For the best Jersey chefs, fresh, local, sustainable, and farm-to-table are not just buzzwords but delicious keys to creativity, style, and value. more

From Hell's Kitchen to His Own Kitchen

Tony Del Gatto’s life is as flavorful as the tomato sauce he still makes at age 72. more

The Offshore Restaurant

Palace of Asia

SuzyQue's BBQ

Market

Market, an American restaurant in Montclair, is focused on using fresh local provisions and produce to advance the farm-to-table ethos. more

Dream Cuisine Cafe

Dream Cuisine Cafe, a Provencal-influenced French restaurant in Cherry Hill, stands up to its competing big boy restaurateurs. more

A.C. Revamps Its Dining Options

Plenty of new choices, from soul food to Kobe burgers. more

Seabra's Marisqueira

In the Ironbound section of Newark, an ebullient, down-to-earth crowd rolls up its sleeves for heaps of the freshest fare of the sea, Portuguese style. more

Invite the Neighbors!

Communal dinners become a Jersey City baker’s recipe for success. more

El Sitio Grill and Cafe

The owners of El Sitio Grill and Cafe bring the South American taste of Quito, Ecuador to Collingswood. more

A Toute Heure

This Bistro-French, New American restaurant, set in a restored 1930s house in Cranford, aims to share everything they love about local, seasonal food. more

The Real Shore: 2010 Summer Beach Guide

Don’t get snookered by reality TV. The Jersey Shore is all about family fun, endless recreation and entertainment choices, and sophisticated nightlife. more

Day Trip: Point Pleasant

You’ll never be bored in the boardwalk town. more

Bigger Food Fest

The Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival was such an enormous hit last year, that it was guaranteed renewed billing this year. more

Does Dessert Have a Gender?

Some say no, yet most pastry chefs are women. Here’s why. more

The Washington Inn

Cape May’s Washington Inn—32 years in its present incarnation, in a manor house dating to 1840—knows how to please generations of regulars while letting no culinary cobwebs form. more

Don Pepe II

Farrell's Stout and Steak

Single Down the Shore

The scene is smart and sophisticated. Snooki and the Situation need not apply. more

A Seaside Gem Sparkles Again

After years of decline, Long Branch has reclaimed its place as a top Jersey Shore destination—but not without controversy. more

Thomas' Ristorante

This subdued Italian restaurant on Main Street in Moorestown offers traditional meals with a plentiful array of seafood options. more

Alice's

David Drake comes to Lake Hopatcong, and serves up sophisticated comfort fare at a waterfront restaurant. more

Day Trip: Margate

Home to Lucy the Elephant—and more. more

Ninety Acres

Years in the planning, the Natirar resort puts a fine first foot forward—a farm-to-table restaurant where the pleasures are simple yet sophisticated. more

Dublin Square

Mediterra

Steakhouse 85

Terra Nova

This Pacific Northwest-style farmhouse restaurant, where wine is a raison d'etre, offers up New American cuisine. more

Dennis Foy Restaurant

Dennis Foy—a New Jersey culinary legend—has opened up a New American-style restaurant in Lawrenceville. more

Uproot

The appellation Uproot may not be fully felicitous, but the food, atmosphere, and service are. more

The Crab Trap

Burger Deluxe

Guerriero's Ristorante

Peter's of Millburn

Vic's Bar & Italian Restaurant

Cloverleaf Tavern

Elements Asia

Mikado Sushi And Steakhouse

Panico's

Can eating at a particular establishment in New Brunswick be considered a gamble? One of our dining critics certainly thinks so. more

Vine

Vine, a eclectic-menu establishment with a spacious and upscale ambience in Basking Ridge, offers a refreshing Southern Mediterranean option for jaded foodies. more

So Long, "Stringent" Process

Looking back with Ruth Cousineau, test-kitchen director for the late, lamented Gourmet. more

Eno Terra

After earning his stripes with restaurant royalty, chef Chris Albrecht triumphs at home. more

Siam Spice

Cuban Pete's

Fred and Ethel's Lantern Light Tavern

Princeton Sports Bar and Grill

Sussex Inn

Harvest Cuisine

Bona Vita Osteria

This traditional Italian restaurant, which occupies a handsome storefront in downtown Summit, is run by culinary veterans. more

Oceanos

Oceanos, a Greek-accented seafood restaurant in Fair Lawn with a luxury yacht-esque ambience, aims for loftier standards. more

Fascino

Nearly seven years on, the DePersio family’s pride and joy continues to sparkle. more

Why Cupid Has Chopsticks in His Quiver

The Chinese Year of the Tiger (4707, not Woods) begins on Valentine’s Day. Here’s a guide to dumplings and other festive fare. (Photos by Brian Yarvin) more

Dough Boy

For our restaurant maven, making pizza is not easy as pie. more

The Original

A century ago, after crossing the Atlantic, pizza crossed the Hudson and established itself in Trenton as the tomato pie—and you can still get the real deal. more

Searching For The Soul of Jersey Pizza

This month, we attempted to answer a question that has befuddled philosophers for centuries—does pizza have a soul? Laura Schenone believes it might. more

Celebrity Pizza Picks

New Jersey-based celebrities dish about they favorite pizza joints around the state. more

25 Perfect Pizzas

We asked for your suggestions, then we started to eat—and eat. We logged more than a thousand miles, and concluded that these are the pies to pine for. more

Speak Quickly, And Carry a Big Spoon

Whether cooking at her Hoboken restaurants (or at the White House), hunting edible lizards in Peru or hairy chayotes in Weehawken, Maricel Presilla is an ebullient culinary force. more

Big Wing Wah

Can a Chinese and Japanese restaurant in Hillsborough, whose name translates to "big success," make a splash on the dining scene? more

J.J. Bitting Brewing Company

Wildflowers

Red Sky Cafe

O'Reilly's Bar and Grill

McCarthy's Bar and Grill

Ebbitt Room

Curtis Bashaw recruited chef Lucas Manteca to run the Ebbitt Room, the AAA Five Diamond Award-winning restaurant at the Virginia Hotel in Cape May. more

Day Trip: Edgewater

A shopping and cultural center along the Hudson. more

Cookbook as Cliffhanger

Restaurant Nicholas’s handsome tome is for kitchens as well as coffee tables. more

The Dosa

South India's favorite finger food arrives in New Jersey. more

Doc's

Builder Don Luisi bids to make his hometown of Sparta synonymous with superb steaks and seafood. more

Za

An ambitious New American-style restaurant settles in Pennington. more

Brick Oven of Morristown

Toro Loco

Mama Mia's

The Cereal Bowl

Fitzgerald's 1928

Teaberry's Tea Room

Fornelletto

A rustic Italian restaurant in the Borgata has developed a convincing wine cellar theme. more

A Soup Kitchen That Turns Out Chefs

Camden's venerable Cathedral Kitchen has been producing some accomplished chefs. more

Tomatoe's

While other Shore restaurants hibernate, Tomatoe’s in Margate kicks into holiday gear —and keeps the festive fires burning all winter. more

La Esperanza

The Maestro 206

The Pub

Alfonso's Family Trattoria & Gourmet Pizzeria

Witherspoon Grill

When Princeton restaurateur Jack Morrison snapped up a piece of prime real estate on Princeton Library Plaza in 2004 and dropped a substantial sum for the last available liquor license in town, it seemed he had a plan. Turns out, he didn’t. “It took months just to come up with a concept,” he says, laughing. “I like to pick a goal, then figure out the hardest route to get there.” more

Zylo

When Zylo opened in March in the new W Hotel in Hoboken (the first W in New Jersey), it was hobbled by amateurish service and no clear identity beyond its slick “Tuscan steakhouse” label. Half a year later, it has emerged from its growing pains as an appealing and even cocky young restaurant. more

Pig Heaven

The Mangalitsa pig has bounced back from near extinction to be prized by foodies for its beefy flavor and luscious fat. The only place Mangalitsas are being raised East of the Mississippi is, you guessed it, New Jersey. more

The Barkeep's Barkeep

Ray Foley’s recipe for success runs from punch to punch lines. more

Anton's At The Swan

The plush style harkens back to a time before casual was the mantra, but the food is fully contemporary. more

Hoboken's Tastebud Tour

The Hoboken Food Tour offers can't-miss culinary delights fit for the most discriminating palates. more

Sol Mexican Cantina

Farm2Bistro

The term bistro has been so abused it’s easy to forget its original meaning—a small, casual dining spot (originally in France) where locals can eat, drink, socialize, and perhaps enjoy entertainment. more

Equus

It may be immodest, but not altogether inaccurate, for Scott Cutaneo, chef-owner of Equus in Bernardsville, to brand himself Great Scott. The Staten Island native, 41, is something of a celebrity chef, hosting regular “Great Scott” cooking segments on TV’s Fox & Friends and Good Day New York. more

Glad Tidings

As crisp autumn winds begin to blow, grab your favorite sweater and head over to the charming Gladstone Tavern for warm mulled wine, Grandpa Chet’s pumpkin cake, and some neighborly cheer. more

Soulful Stirrings

Consummate queen of cuisine Julia Child once declared, “I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate.” more

Pluckemin Inn

After a stressful year, the Pluckemin Inn reemerges with a sterling new executive chef and continuity in other key posts, from pastry chef Joseph Gabriel to owner Gloria LaGrassa. more

Sonic Boom

It began quietly in the fall of 2007 with the opening of Sonic’s first New Jersey location in Waretown. Millville and Rio Grande followed in 2008. more

Scojo's Restaurant (Tuckerton)

Spicy Cantina

Market (Harding)

Bayfront Marina & Grill

Blackfish

Blackfish, a breezy, beach-chic establishment in Stone Harbor, serves up New American fare for the beach-going set. more

Topaz Thai

Nearly every Thursday since it opened three years ago, about six interns and residents from the New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry in Newark have driven north to Belleville for lunch or dinner at Topaz Thai. more

Janice, A Bistro

The Sheridan Café, a circa-1949 Ho-Ho-Kus luncheonette, was bought in 2001 and restored, bistro-style, by locals Janice and John Tinari. more

The Ship Inn

Tiger's Tale

Shogun Legends

From the moment you enter its castle-like wooden doors, Shogun Legends in Wall showers the senses. more

IndeBlue

Indeblue in Collingswood does not look like your average Indian tandoor house. Small and snug, with only 31 seats, it retains the shiny-blue and hazmat-orange surfaces of its predecessor, an icy-hip crêperie called 5th Corner. more

2009 Readers' and Critics' Restaurant Poll

The results of our 26th Annual Readers’ Choice Restaurant Poll. more

Cucharamama

Maricel Presilla’s Cucharamama (“Mother Spoon”) celebrates traditional South American cooking as lovingly passed down by women at the family hearth. more

Save My Restaurant

Owners learn to be careful what they wish for after inviting Gordon Ramsay and his reality TV series Kitchen Nightmares to right their ships. more

Savor City

Paterson, the one-time Silk City, is a Great Falls of ethnic eating. more

The Wizard of Zod

Why New York wants to grab New Jersey’s hugely talented, most idiosyncratic chef, and why he doesn’t want to leave—yet. more

Charrito's Restaurant

Brickwall Tavern

Gourmet Italian Cuisine

The Little Tuna

Andrea Trattoria

If not for the luxury cars crowding the parking lot on Saturday nights, Andrea Trattoria in Newfield would look like any number of South Jersey roadside taverns. more

Controlled Chaos

They say you should never look at a restaurant's kitchen if you want to feel good about eating there.

But what about the back of a restaurant?

more

Resto

What is “modern French,” the cuisine of Madison’s year-old Resto? In the hands of chef-owner Robert Ubhaus—an Edison native who trained in Paris, Italy, San Francisco, Long Beach Island, and at New York City’s French Culinary Institute—it’s above all “fine dining without the pretension.” more

Falafel Hut

Here Comes The Sun

Until yesterday and today, spring looked and felt a lot like what you see here. Click below to see full picture...

more

Matt's Red Rooster Grill

The Red Rooster, a four-and-a-half-year-old restaurant in a converted Victorian in Flemington, is trying hard to bring big city sophistication to Hunterdon’s county seat. more

Oh! Calamares

Long before Miami chefs dreamed up Nuevo Latino fusion in the late 1980s, Peruvians had fashioned their own enduring fusion. more

Deep in the Heart of Jersey

Boyd Lafferty grew up in Cape May, then spent 28 years in the semiconductor business in Austin, Texas. While there he earned a PhD. in international business, but when he returned home in 2004 he was thinking strictly local. more

Kinkis: The Wings Beneath My Belt

A late-night stop in Atlantic City pays off in peerless chicken wings. more

Blu

Zod Arifai serves great food at prices that are simply unfair (to other restaurants that charge more for less). more

Mis Amigos Mexican Restaurant

Shut Up and Eat

Harvest Moon Brewery and Cafe

The Wood Pit

Max's Seafood Cafe

One thing that never flusters a 97-year-old restaurant is a culinary fad. So at Max’s—a handsome tavern founded by German immigrant Joseph Fred Leisinger in 1912—you won’t find sous-vide duck breast, tapas, or powdered olive oil. more

La Fusta

Beef cattle are so plentiful in Argentina, the legend goes, that gauchos barely have to reach out to carve a steak from a passing animal. As gruesome as that sounds, it illustrates the point that beef is an even bigger part of the Argentine diet than it is of ours. more

Nisi Estiatorio

The Mourkakos brothers lured chef John Piliouras from Molyvos, the New York restaurant he made famous, to Englewood, where he’s raising Greek cuisine to Olympian heights. more

Turning Point

Cha Cha Cha Cuban Bistro

Oliver A Bistro

Like the European bistros this cozy restaurant seeks to emulate, Oliver has an identity that can be linked directly to its owners. more

Treno

Wasabi Asian Plates and Sushi Bar

Tortuga's Mexican Village

Raul's Empanadas Town

Raul Silva grew up in Colombia on his grandmother’s traditional cornmeal-crusted beef and chicken empanadas. When he emigrated to New York City at age 20, he started as a dishwasher in a Bolivian restaurant in Queens and eventually ascended to line cook at two of the jewels in New York’s restaurant crown—Jean-Georges and Daniel. more

Barrington Coffee House

Tortilla Press Cantina

Vidalia

Painted Cottage Cafe

Looking Inside Out

If the sign looks like this, you haven't lost, you've won. Buon appetito!

click "read the rest of this post" to see full picture.

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Caffe Piazza

Food

Olive and Fig

Bella Italia Ristorante

Bellisimo Ristorante

The Treehouse

State Street Grill

Elevation Burger

Health-conscious fast food. more

Napoli Pizza Trattoria and Cafe

Nomad Pizza

The 25 Best Restaurants 2008

Looking for a great restaurant? Check out our critics' top restaurant picks. With fine dining ever finer, our critics and dining editor tackle the difficult task of choosing the 25 best restaurants in NJ. more

Redstone American Grill

Readers' and Critics' Choice - Restaurant Poll Winners 2008

Our critics do a lot of eating, and every August we look back and share the best of the best with you. And you do the same by voting in our Annual Readers' Choice Restaurant Poll. Discover which restaurants we honored and which are your favorites. more

Apron

Blue Eyes

La Strada Cafe

Milford Oyster House

Gen Hibachi and Asian Cuisine

Lilly's on the Canal

Simply Radishing

Anitas Asian Fusion

The Pour House