ALICE’S RESTAURANT, LAKE HOPATCONG
An à la carte Sunday brunch is now being served at Alice’s Restaurant, 24 Nolan’s Point Park Road, Lake Hopatcong, from 10 AM to 2 PM. Menu highlights include white bean and escarole soup, spinach and bacon salad, steak and eggs, shirred eggs ranchero, poached eggs Benedict, six-spice waffles with mixed berry compote, French toast with caramelized bananas, and Alice’s house-made meat loaf. For reservations call 973-663-9600.
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FISH IS COMING TO ASBURY PARK
He’s back! Fans of Chef Michael Haimowitz, who wowed us at Arthur’s Landing in Weehawken, won’t have to wait much longer to savor his cuisine, as he will be the executive chef at Fish, 601 Mattison Avenue, Asbury Park, which is expected to open in about a month. There will be seating for 130 as well as a private room for up to 12 guests. The seafood-focused menu will feature oysters, clams, lobster, shrimp, crab, shellfish towers, fish, and seasonal items. There will also be a selection of crudos, ceviches, and marinated seafood. Meat eaters can opt for, among other items, grass-fed beef, Kurobuta pork, and Amish chicken.
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32 CHURCH STREET
The owners of Theresa’s, Mojave Grill, and Isabella’s American Bistro, all in Westfield, have opened 32 Church, 32 Church Street, Montclair, which has a varied menu that incorporates some of the popular dishes from their other locations. Options include crusted mozzarella with basil-cured tomatoes; calamari with mixed baby greens and spicy roasted tomato aioli; spiced yellowfin tuna ceviche; lime-braised pork; and bacon-and-cheddar-stuffed meat loaf. Simple grills of chicken, shrimp, salmon, Portobello mushrooms, tuna, and steak are also available, served over arugula. We started with an eggplant pancake topped with melted mozzarella and roasted peppers, with a creamy roasted garlic sauce, and a baby spinach salad with candied pecans, dried cranberries, and crumbled goat cheese, with a dressing that was a tad sweet for our taste. Pastas, made fresh daily, were our entrée picks; the delicate pappardelle with mushrooms, tomatoes, and a satisfying basil Marsala sauce was first-rate. Our experience has been that every restaurant prepares penne alla vodka differently. At 32 Church, the vodka sauce is robust and spicy. Although we enjoyed this dish, if you don’t like assertive sauces, you might prefer to opt for something else. We really wanted to have the warm apple and toasted almond crostada for dessert, but they were out of it, so we selected the banana caramel bread pudding and cinnamon gelato, with caramel sauce zigzagged across the plate. We think we would have been happier with the apple creation. Candles set in floor-to-ceiling wall niches create a striking ambiance, along with the fire displays on the second floor, where more seating can be found. For reservations call 973-746-3232; BYO.
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RESTO, MADISON
In addition to the regular menu, Resto, 77 Main Street, Madison, is offering a special tasting menu Sundays through Thursdays, featuring seasonal produce from Vacchiano Farms in Port Colden. The menu can be viewed on the restaurant’s Website, www.restonj.com. For reservations call 973-377-0066; BYO.
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CRAWFISH FESTIVAL
Fresh boiled Louisiana crawfish, shrimp Creole, alligator sausage, catfish po’ boys, jambalaya, red beans and rice, raw oysters, Southern fried chicken, and numerous other dishes from Louisiana and New Orleans will be available at Michael Arnone’s Crawfish Fest. The event will take place June 4 through 6 at the Sussex County Fairgrounds, 37 Plains Road, Augusta, and will also feature music on four stages, crafts, and camping. For ticket, show, and other information log on to www.crawfishfest.com.
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BOBOLINK DAIRY & BAKEYARD
Jonathan and Nina White of Bobolink Dairy & Bakeyard, 42 Meadowburn Road, Vernon, will be closing on June 20 to prepare for their move to a farm in Milford, which they bought with the help of the Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance. Visitors to the Vernon location in June will receive a discount coupon for the farm market at the new location. More information is available at www.cowsoutside.com.
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DINING DEALS
The Knife and Fork Inn, Albany and Pacific Avenues, Atlantic City, offers a three-course lunch every Friday for $15.50. For reservations call 609-344-1133.
Every Tuesday through Sunday from 4 to 7 PM, the Mill at Spring Lake Heights, 101 Old Mill Road, Spring Lake Heights, has a happy hour with $5 premium martinis and a half-price bar menu. For more information call 732-449-1800.
Through May 30, Restaurant Week in Millburn–Short Hills will be held, with prix-fixe menus, special discounts, and/or culinary events. For more information log on to www.downtownmillburn.org.
More than 35 restaurants and eateries will be participating in the Seven-Mile Island Restaurant Week that will be held in Avalon and Stone Harbor June 4 through 8. Prix-fixe menus will be offered at breakfast for $9.10, at lunch for $20.10 for two people, and at dinner for $29.10. For more information call 609-967-3936 or log on to www.avalonbeach.com.
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