Best of Jersey 2010: Food and Drink

Best Of Jersey - March 15, 2010

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 are readers feel are the "best" in the state. more

Vine

By Warren M. Bobrow - - February 19, 2010

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

By Mary Ann Castronovo Fusco - Restaurants - February 9, 2010

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

Eno Terra

By Jill P. Capuzzo - - February 9, 2010

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

Bona Vita Osteria

By Sam Kadko - - January 29, 2010

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

Tequila Time

By Jen A. Miller - Southern Scene - January 27, 2010

Here’s a tradition to toast. This weekend, Los Amigos, a Mexican/southwestern restaurant in the Camden County town of Berlin, is hosting its annual Tequila Dinner.

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Oceanos

By Karen Tina Harrison - - January 21, 2010

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

Fascino

By Stan Parish - - January 15, 2010

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

Why Cupid Has Chopsticks in His Quiver

By Brian Yarvin - Restaurants - January 13, 2010

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

Food: Iron Bounty

NJ My Way - January 13, 2010

There are many fine Spanish and Portuguese restaurants in Newark’s Ironbound section, so inevitably when you select one to write about, there is dissension.

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Dough Boy

By Eric Levin - Restaurants - January 12, 2010

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

The Original

By Jill P. Capuzzo - Restaurants - January 12, 2010

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

By Laura Schenone - Restaurants - January 12, 2010

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

Speak Quickly, And Carry a Big Spoon

By Eric Levin - Lifestyle - January 12, 2010

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

By Sam Kadko - - January 4, 2010

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

Ebbitt Room

By Adam Erace - - December 23, 2009

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

By Alicia Staffa - Towns & Schools - December 16, 2009

A shopping and cultural center along the Hudson. more

Cookbook as Cliffhanger

By Eric Levin - Restaurants - December 15, 2009

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

The Dosa

By Brian Yarvin - Restaurants - December 15, 2009

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

Doc's

By Karen Tina Harrison - - December 15, 2009

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

Butternut Squash Soup

Restaurants - December 9, 2009

“Butternut squash soup is a classic dish," says Michael Burbella, executive chef of Table 8 in Montclair. more

Za

By Stan Parish - - December 7, 2009

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

Food: Middle Eastern Flavor

NJ My Way - December 2, 2009

I like fire tinged, homemade spicy Harissa sauce made with olive oil, garlic, slow roasted hot red pepper and lemon juice. Rotisserie spun marinated lamb, veal and beef, or chicken or vegetarian kebab, cooked over smoldering hard wood coals get my attention quickly.

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Chefs on the Move

By Rosie Saferstein - Table Hopping with Rosie - December 1, 2009

Rosie has the latest information on where NJ chefs are manning the stoves.

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Fornelletto

By Adam Erace - - November 18, 2009

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

Food: Help On The Side

NJ My Way - November 18, 2009

Daylight savings has come and gone, which means Thanksgiving's right around the corner. You'd love to get into the kitchen and prepare a spectacular meal from soup to nuts, but your schedule's insane.

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A Soup Kitchen That Turns Out Chefs

By Jill P. Capuzzo - Restaurants - November 10, 2009

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

Tomatoe's

By Jill P. Capuzzo - - November 10, 2009

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

Witherspoon Grill

By Stan Parish - - October 30, 2009

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

Food: Cinnamon and Spice

NJ My Way - October 28, 2009

The aroma is incredible as you enter Cinnamon Indian Restaurant in Morris Plains.

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Zylo

By Karen Tina Harrison - - October 23, 2009

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

By Eric Levin - Restaurants - October 21, 2009

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

Food: Lo Fatt Chow

NJ My Way - October 21, 2009

It’s hard to miss the Route 31 billboard for Lo Fatt Chow in the Ringoes/Flemington area-not for its design, but for its name.

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The Barkeep's Barkeep

By Mary Ann Castronovo Fusco - Restaurants - October 15, 2009

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

Anton's At The Swan

By Jill P. Capuzzo - - October 13, 2009

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

Hoboken's Tastebud Tour

By Jason Stahl - Restaurants - October 13, 2009

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

Fried Green Tomato Time

By Sue Guerra - On the Vine - October 7, 2009

My husband looks forward to the fall when it is too cold for the rest of his tomato crop to ripen—giving him the perfect excuse to make fried green tomatoes.

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Food: No Sign Of Sammy’s

NJ My Way - October 7, 2009

Drive a few miles past Mendham and you are in another time and land. Take care not to be distracted by the gentleman farms or the steeply winding road ahead of you; there is no sign to let you know that Sammy’s Ye Old Cider Mill is there.

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Glad Tidings

By Susan Brierly - Restaurants - September 16, 2009

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

By Susan Brierly - Restaurants - September 16, 2009

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

Gluten: Not Is Hot

By Jill P. Capuzzo - Restaurants - September 16, 2009

At this summer’s Fancy Food Show in New York City, 108 companies featured gluten-free products, everything from pizza and lasagna to chocolate chip cookies and English muffins, all minus the offending gluten protein. more

Pluckemin Inn

By Eric Levin - - September 14, 2009

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

By Mallory Gelert and Jessica Remo - Restaurants - September 14, 2009

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

Blackfish

By Adam Erace - - August 26, 2009

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

Topaz Thai

By Karen Tina Harrison - - August 20, 2009

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

Food: Pick the Blossom

NJ My Way - August 19, 2009

There is a blossom in bloom in a nondescript strip mall on Howard Boulevard in Mt. Arlington.

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Slow Food For Fast Times

By Mary Ann Castronovo Fusco - Restaurants - August 13, 2009

The Slow Food movement has an alternative to the traditional Labor Day cookout: the eat-in, a foodie version of the civil-rights era sit-in. more

Janice, A Bistro

By Karen Tina Harrison - - August 10, 2009

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

Shogun Legends

By Jill P. Capuzzo - - July 29, 2009

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

Food & Wine by the Sea

By Jen A. Miller - Southern Scene - July 27, 2009

The Atlantic City Food & Wine Festival hits the beach next weekend. Come hungry.

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IndeBlue

By Adam Erace - - July 23, 2009

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

Sweet on Mouclade

By Sue Guerra - On the Vine - July 17, 2009

Mouclade is a wonderful French dish of mussels in a creamy, saffron- curry sauce that is both rich and delicate. One of the key ingredients is Pineau des Charentes, the French aperitif we discussed in our last post.

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Now’s the Time to Pick and Preserve it

By Jen A. Miller - Southern Scene - July 14, 2009

Tomatoes, blueberries, corn, and peaches are rolling in off Jersey farms. Here’s what to preserve for winter, and how.

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Cucharamama

By Stan Parish - - July 13, 2009

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

By Joel Keller - Restaurants - July 13, 2009

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

By Karen Tina Harrison - Restaurants - July 13, 2009

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

The Wizard of Zod

By Eric Levin - Lifestyle - July 13, 2009

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

Andrea Trattoria

By Jill P. Capuzzo - - July 2, 2009

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

Resto

By Eric Levin - - June 24, 2009

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

Off the Hook in South Jersey

By Jen A. Miller - Southern Scene - June 24, 2009

Do you like seafood? This week you can get it fresh and local—at a fixed price—in South Jersey.

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Due Mari

By Karen Tina Harrison - - June 16, 2009

Emphasizing seafood, Due Mari (“two seas”) joins its Bernardsville sibling, Due Terre (“two lands”), to form a dynamic duo. more

Iron Hill Cometh

By Eric Levin - Restaurants - June 10, 2009

Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant will become New Jersey’s thirteenth brewpub when it opens in Maple Shade this month. more

Jam Sessions

By Eric Levin - Restaurants - June 10, 2009

Switching from making documentaries to making conserves in France, two expat Brits have Tea Together ready for its Jersey close-up. more

Matt's Red Rooster Grill

By Jill P. Capuzzo - - May 19, 2009

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

By Karen Tina Harrison - - May 13, 2009

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

By Eric Levin - Restaurants - May 11, 2009

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

100 Shore Things

Jersey Shore - May 8, 2009

If there is anyone out there who hasn’t spent time down the Shore lately, please raise your hand. Okay, you two in the back, this article is just for you. more

Kinkis: The Wings Beneath My Belt

By Eric Levin - Restaurants - May 7, 2009

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

Blu

By Stan Parish - - May 7, 2009

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

Time for Jersey Fresh

By Jen A. Miller - Southern Scene - April 30, 2009

Did this week’s spree of high temperatures get you thinking of summer? For me, summer means getting reacquainted with my local farmer’s market.

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Max's Seafood Cafe

By Adam Erace - - April 28, 2009

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

By Jacqueline Mroz - - April 23, 2009

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

Eating Their Way Across South Jersey

By Jen A. Miller - Southern Scene - April 17, 2009

John Howard-Fusco believes South Jersey “always gets the short end of the stick.” So he and wife Lisa decided to do something about it.

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Nisi Estiatorio

By Karen Tina Harrison - - April 16, 2009

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

Food: Deluxe Burgers

NJ My Way - April 8, 2009

No question, the burger is back in a big way. Restaurants have figured out that a great burger is recession proof, and can still pack ‘em in.

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Recipe: Goat Cheese Stuffed Zucchini

Restaurants - April 7, 2009

The versatile vegetable stars in this appetizing appetizer or side dish from chef and author George Kyrtatas. more

Recipe: Fennel, Feta and Kalamata Olive Salad

Restaurants - April 6, 2009

Complementary flavors and textures make this simple salad from chef and author George Kyrtatas a winner. more

Recipe: Summer Berry Smoothie

Restaurants - April 6, 2009

Here's a delicious and satisfying shake that happens to be good for you. more

Recipe: Grilled Tuna Steaks Baja

Restaurants - April 6, 2009

Cumin, cilantro and garlic raise tuna steaks to lip-smacking heights in this dish from chef Chris Koch of Friendship Dairies. more

Recipe: Baked Prawns and Three Cheeses

Restaurants - April 6, 2009

Whether served as appetizer or entrée, this adaptable dish from chef and author George Kyrtatas is hearty and delectable. more

Pour Me In

By Jen A. Miller - Southern Scene - April 6, 2009

It’s not always good news when a favorite dining spot revamps, but this story has a happy ending.

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Food Events

By Rosie Saferstein - Table Hopping with Rosie - April 2, 2009

4/6: A Food for Thought charity event to benefit the Mental Health Association of Morris County will be held at the Hyatt, Morristown. 6 PM; $50 prior to April 3; $65 at the door. For more information log on to www.mhamorris.org or call 973 334-3496.

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Restaurant News

By Rosie Saferstein - Table Hopping with Rosie - April 1, 2009

This week Rosie tells us about Chef Michael Carrino of Restaurant Passionné in Montclair, who will be featured on the new Food Network show Chopped; Etc. Steakhouse in Teaneck; the Good Scout Award luncheon in Somerset; the Passover menu at Rosa Mexicano in Hackensack; and much more news about NJ dining.

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Oliver A Bistro

By Jill P. Capuzzo - - March 31, 2009

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

No. 9

By Jill P. Capuzzo - - March 25, 2009

In this historic village—a warren of narrow streets filled with eclectic galleries, shops, and cafes—No. 9 has managed the enviable feat of distinguishing itself. more

When Your Sweet Tooth Calls

By Jen A. Miller - Southern Scene - March 25, 2009

With Easter just around the corner, here’s a tip: Skip the drug store this year. South Jersey is dripping in hand-made, oh-so-sweet chocolate.

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Best of Jersey

Best Of Jersey - March 20, 2009

At New Jersey Monthly, our job every month is to bring you the best the state has to offer. more

Bloomsday

By Jacqueline Mroz - Restaurants - March 18, 2009

Upstart Bloomfield is nipping at the heels of über-dining-destination Montclair. more

Restaurant News

By Rosie Saferstein - Table Hopping with Rosie - March 11, 2009

This week Rosie tells us about the St. Hubert’s K-9 Cotillion for dogs and their owners, an Opus winemaker’s dinner at the Bernards Inn in Bernardsville, Terrazza Italian Ristorante in Nutley, and much more news about NJ restaurants.

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Fresh from the Farm

By Jen A. Miller - Southern Scene - March 10, 2009

The economy might be in the tank, but New Jersey’s still got at least one growing industry: farming. That’s great news for anyone who knows the joy of “Jersey Fresh.”

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Treno

By Jen A. Miller - - March 2, 2009

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Wasabi Asian Plates and Sushi Bar

By Drew Anne Scarantino - - March 1, 2009

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JL Ivy

By Stan Parish - - February 24, 2009

Few mourned the 2004 closing of the Rusty Scupper, a seafood spot that offered Red Lobster-like fare at higher prices. But last May, when the vaulted post-and-beam space reopened as JL Ivy—“Serving French bistro fare and Princeton’s freshest sushi,” according to the website—many wondered if things had gone from bad to worse. more

Raul's Empanadas Town

By Eric Levin - Restaurants - February 19, 2009

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

Seafood Steals on the Shore

By Jen A. Miller - Southern Scene - February 19, 2009

Atlantic City is looking for a shot in the arm. You’re looking for a deal on a meal. That adds up to AC’s first restaurant week, which takes place March 1 through 7.

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Lobianco

By Adam Erace - - February 19, 2009

If a restaurant is going to defy conventional wisdom and tuck itself away in some obscure spot, it had better be good. more

Ten East

By Karen Tina Harrison - - February 17, 2009

Reared on Benihana, the Franconeri brothers of Bayonne build a glitzy temple of Asian fusion in their hometown. The decor rocks, sure, but so does the food. more

More About Rosie

Restaurants - January 23, 2009

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Swanky Bubbles Restaurant & Champagne Bar

By Jill P. Capuzzo - - January 23, 2009

Swanky Bubbles Restaurant and Champagne Bar in Cherry Hill offers a hip, world-themed abience and specialty martini cocktails. more

22 New Restuarants to Try

Restaurants - January 16, 2009

What’s new in New Jersey dining? Here are short takes on restaurants that have opened in just the last six months but have not yet been reviewed by New Jersey Monthly. more

A Brunching We Will Go

Restaurants - January 16, 2009

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Something New Under The Bun

By Eric Levin - Restaurants - January 15, 2009

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The Best For Less

By Laura Schenone - Restaurants - January 15, 2009

Top restaurants want you. They really want you. With these deals you can eat royally and still tighten your belt. more

The New Brunch

By Laura Schenone - Restaurants - January 15, 2009

Garden State chefs are finding ways to inject new style, variety, and value into an old standby. more

Rosa Mexicano

By Karen Tina Harrison - - January 12, 2009

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Iron Monkey

By Karen Tina Harrison - - December 29, 2008

The Iron Monkey in Jersey City serves up some sophisticated pub grub. more

Princeton's Little Chef Comes Up Big

By Carey Jones - Restaurants - December 10, 2008

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Chelsea Prime

By Stan Parish - - December 8, 2008

Stephen Starr strolls down the Boardwalk from Buddakan to imbue Curtis Bashaw's new Chelsea Hotel with retro Atlantic City glamour—and mighty fine steaks. more

Painted Cottage Cafe

By Jen A. Miller - - November 10, 2008

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Greek Taverna

By Karen Tina Harrison and Eric Levin - - November 6, 2008

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Caffe Piazza

By Drew Anne Scarantino - - November 3, 2008

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Food

By Deborah P. Carter - - November 2, 2008

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Olive and Fig

By Donna Panagakos - - November 2, 2008

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Stamna

By Eric Levin - - October 28, 2008

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Izakaya

By Adam Erace - - October 15, 2008

In Japan, everyone eats, drinks, and socializes at casual pubs called izakayas. During a year in Japan, chef Michael Schulson fell in love with izakayas. Now he has created an eye-popping one of his own at the Borgata. more