FU RESTAURANT, FAIRFIELD
The restaurant, which serves Shanghai cuisine, was opened by the same people who own Cheng Du 23 in Wayne, known for its Szechuan menu. The space has been spruced up since it was Hunan Cottage and now has wallpaper with Chinese lettering, bamboo shaded lamps and tables set with silverware rather than chopsticks. Fried noodles or nuts are not served, but hot tea is placed on the table when guests are seated. Jasmine, chrysanthemum Assam black tea with bubble and Thai iced tea are a few of the premium teas available for either $2 or $3.
Starters were steamed juice bun (soup dumplings) and were the best soup dumplings we have had in a long time. They take 10 minutes to cook so we would recommend that you order them and then look at the menu. Bubbling hot minced pork with cellophane noodles in a casserole, spicy string beans with chicken and a fresh garlic sauce was shared; both were excellent. Other dishes on our to-try list, as we definitely will return, are: shepherd purse with tofu chowder; Yang Zhou lion head pork and vegetable meatball; striped bass with pine nuts in a red-vinegar sauce; and pork shank with Shanghai greens. A few items adventurous diners can opt for are duck tongue in wine sauce; jelly fish; savory pork aspic; Buffalo fish tail in brown sauce; and stir-fried pork kidneys in sesame oil.
We usually do not have dessert at Chinese restaurants but may rethink this on our next visit as some of the interesting selections included: red-bean paste pancake; sesame pancake; winery sweet ball soup and peanut rice ball soup.
Spicy string beans with chicken in a garlic sauce.
Minced pork with cellophane noodles
Photos courtesy of Lowell Saferstein
Fu Restaurant
Authentic Shanghai Cuisine
14-18 Rt 46 East
Fairfield
973-808-5888
BYO
Closed Tuesday
LOOKING AHEAD
In the early spring, look for the opening of Greene Hook on Greene Street in Jersey City, a full-service bar and restaurant with a focus on affordable modern American food, craft beer, and specialty cocktails.
ERIE STREET, JERSEY CITY
You can eat your way down Erie Street in Jersey City, where the following establishments have recently opened:
9 Bar Cafe, a coffee shop that also offers baked goods, sandwiches, soups and salads, has opened at 18 Erie Street. Coffee education classes are offered monthly.
Carrino Provisions, an Italian market and restaurant featuring cheeses, meats, baked goods, coffee, ready-to-go items, outdoor courtyard seating, and a cafe has opened at 8 Erie Street (973-988-2836). Open daily. Also at the same address is Talde (201-630-0077), a casual Asian-American restaurant and bar with a menu that focuses on chef Dale’s creative dim sum and Robata-grilled dishes. Both establishments are under the direction of Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri of HGTV’s Kitchen Cousins and chef Dale Talde, David Massoni and John Bush.
Prato Bakery has opened at 61 Erie Street (201-798-8900). The bakery features cantucci, the typical biscuit/cookie of Prato, Italy and schiacciata, a Tuscan focaccia bread that is used for the sandwiches they sell in the bakery’s cafeteria section.
OTHER OPENINGS
Catch, a seafood restaurant, has opened at 9 Broad Street, Red Bank (732-268-8384). Fish items dominate the menu but chicken, pork chop, bone in rib eye and a petite filet are available for meat lovers.
Burritos, salads, quesadillas, fajitas and more are offered at the newly opened California Tortilla, 20 Chestnut Ridge Road, Montvale (201-391-1212).
Dragon Noodle, featuring Taiwanese food, has opened at 2224 Rt 130, North Brunswick (732-442-0283); BYO.
Bourbon, whiskey, scotch, and beer are but a few of the offerings at the newly opened Gotham, 19 Broad St, Red Bank (732-268-8543). Menu items include salads and burgers.
Kanoyama Sushi, has opened at 271 Livingston St, Northvale (201-660-7760).
Cupcakes, specialty cakes and wedding cakes are offered at the newly opened Kara Kakes, 799 Franklin Ave, Franklin Lakes (201-485-8889). The bakery is owned by Kara Schnaidt.
Pizza, pasta and Italian dishes are on the menu at La Madona Italian Cuisine & Pizzeria Restaurant, 334 Main St, Matawan (732-590-8000); BYO.
Mandoo Café, featuring Chinese and Korean dumplings, has opened at 35 Highwood Ave, Tenafly (201-871-8886).
Miss Saigon, a Vietnamese restaurant, 3333 Rt 9 N, Freehold (732-462-7497); BYO.
Mr. Shao’s Chinese Restaurant, 622 N High St, Millville (856-825-7480); BYO.
Barbecue is offered at the whimsically named Oink and Moo BBQ, which has opened at 54 Broadway, Florham Park (973-845-6101).
Okinawa Sushi & Grill, 400 Newark St, Hoboken (201-312-6787); BYO.
Irish fare such as shepherd’s pie, home-style cottage pie, Guinness lamb stew and bangers and mash are a few menu items at the newly opened Patrick’s Pub, 470 River Styx Road, Lake Hopatcong (973-810-3884).
Pulp Vegetarian Café and Juice Bar, 2 Race St, Frenchtown (908-752-5798).
Sami’s Land and Sea, 449 Springfield Ave, Berkeley Heights (908-464-6644); BYO. Dinner menu items include salads, pasta, steak, and fish, which can be grilled, seared or roasted.
Stonewood Tavern, 239 Rt 206, Byram Township (973-347-7300).
A casual dining spot, Summit Greek Grill, has opened at 90 Summit Ave, Summit (908-273-4965); BYO.
Two Men and an Appetite, a catering company, has opened a retail market at 55 Eagle Rock Ave, East Hanover (201-924-9382).
CLOSINGS
Clarke’s, Hoboken
Elbow Room, Newark
Eros Café, Rutherford has closed due to a fire.
Family Buffet Restaurant, South Orange
Fischer Confections, 205 Martin Luther King Drive, Jersey City has closed after being in business for 52 years.
Helmer’s, Hoboken
*****************
Please send press releases and restaurant news, including information on staff changes, wine tastings, and cooking classes, to [email protected].