Openings and Closings

What’s on the opening menu at Picnic On The Square? Today, read about what chef Christine Nunn is serving and other restaurant openings and closings throughout New Jersey.

PICNIC ON THE SQUARE, RIDGEWOOD
Picnic on the Square, has opened at 26 Wilsey Square, Ridgewood (201-444-4001); BYO. Chef/owner Christine Nunn was  chef/owner of Picnic in Fair Lawn from 2010 to 2013, which received rave reviews and was named as one of the Top 25 restaurants in the state by New Jersey Monthly in 2011 and 2012.

Items on the enticing opening menu include wood-grilled ratatouille soup; warm, butter-poached lobster roll with tarragon and celeriac slaw; slow-roasted marrow bones; veal short-rib Bourguignon, roasted-pearl onions, gruyere polenta cake, chard; duet of lamb of zatar-spiced loin and braised shank with orzo risotto, feta, olives, capers and preserved tomato; and pan-roasted and lightly smoked wild salmon with a sweet-potato cake, shaved apple fennel salad and cider beurre rouge. Along with the a la carte menu a prix fixe is offered Tuesday through Thursday; two courses, $40; three courses, $50. Picnic in the Square will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 PM to close. We were recently invited to a family and friends dinner and had a most delicious evening. Do not miss the slow-roasted marrow bone; salad of salt-roasted pear, Stilton, candied pecan, mache and port wine vinaigrette; crème brulee; and apple crisp.


Salt-roasted pear
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein

OTHER OPENINGS

Ariane Kitchen & Bar, 706 Bloomfield Ave, Verona (973-744-0533). See Table Hopping With Rosie Monday, November 17 for more information.

Beach Tavern, Channel Club Marina, 33 W St, Monmouth Beach (732- 870-8999).

Pizza, salads, chicken, burgers, heros and much more are offered at Boardwalk Pizza, 333 Passaic Ave, Fairfield (973-227-3223); BYO.

Cray Café, serving breakfast and lunch, has opened at 53 Ford Ave, Milltown (732-543-2380).

House of Cupcakes, 32 Witherspoon St, Princeton (609-924-0085) has reopened.

The Kitchen at Grove Station, featuring casual American, farm-to-table cuisine, has opened at 299 Marin Boulevard, Jersey City (551-222-4362); BYO until liquor license is obtained. David Viana, previously chef de cuisine at Battello in Jersey City, is executive chef. Some menu items are sweet-and-sour lentil salad; baked sharp cheddar; chilled cauliflower uni soup with Peekytoe crab salad; grilled octopus; duck with braised red cabbage and apple saffron emulsion; Mangalista pork T-bone; and Pacific cod.

Miller’s Woodbridge Ale House, a chain restaurant, has opened at 350 Rt 9 N, Woodbridge (732-855-6590).

The store, Pasta Dal Cuore, 527 Jersey Ave, Jersey City (201-332-8505), has opened. It features fresh pastas as well as ravioli and gnocchi. A small restaurant as well as gluten-free pasta is planned for the future.

Just in time for the holidays, Pies & Quiches has opened at 133 Kinderkamack Road, Park Ridge (201-746-6251).

Salad Jazz, a café-style restaurant offering fresh salads and soft jazz, has opened at 1060 Rt 35, Middletown (732-856-9455).

Along with an American-style menu with burgers, seafood, steak and pastas, the newly opened Spring Street Pub, 144 Spring St, Newton (973-940-0404), serves German specialties such as Jager schnitzel, sauerbraten and wiener schnitzel.

Enjoy the beach during the off-season, when the ocean is all yours and is at its most impressive at the fully enclosed and renovated Tiki Bar at Driftwood, Driftwood Cabana Club, 1485 Ocean Ave, Sea Bright. The bar, which is now open to the public, is on the beach with a full-service bar, tavern menu and complimentary buffet. It will be open to the public Fridays from 3 PM, Saturday and Sunday from noon, until May 2015. During the beach club season (Memorial Day until the end of September), access to the bar will be for members only. During the cooler months, the Tiki Bar is available for private parties for up to 70 guests  and up to 150 guests during the warmer months. For more information, call 732-842-0297 or visit their website.

A new kosher restaurant, Veggie Café & Bistro, has opened at 166 W Englewood Ave, Teaneck (201-530-7644). Menu items include soups, salads, wraps, pasta, fish, quiche, vegan options and decadent desserts.

CLOSINGS

Verde Vita Italian Cafeteria, Hoboken

If you hear of a restaurant opening or closing e-mail me at [email protected].

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