COMING SOON
LA ISLA OPENING ANOTHER RESTAURANT IN HOBOKEN
Omar Giner, owner of La Isla at 104 Washington St in Hoboken, will open another La Isla (new name has not been finalized yet, except that it will contain La Isla) in about 6 months in the new Maxwell Place building on the Hudson in Hoboken. “We will have a larger space than the Washington Street location and will be able to accommodate families and groups larger than 4 people,” said Giner. They will also have a liquor license. Giner was featured on Throw Down With Bobby Flay in March 2010 and won for his stuffed French toast. I was a judge. I visited his restaurant after he won.
Stuffed French toast at La Isla.
OPENINGS
Akai Japanese Sushi Lounge, 102 E Broad St, Westfield, 908-264-8660, has opened in the former Wild Greens space; full bar.
Café Chau, a Vietnamese restaurant, has opened at 4204 Westfield Ave, Pennsauken (856-662-1814); BYO. Menu items include: Vietnamese noodle soups, hoagies, and vermicelli dishes.
Cavé a Paleo Eatery, a café and coffee shop serving breakfast and lunch, has opened at 515 Sylvania Ave, Avon by the Sea (732-776-8556). The restaurant features a gluten- and grain-free paleo menu based on the whole, unprocessed foods that our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate including organic, grass-fed and free-range items.
This will be a hard place for me to stay away from: Chocolate Works. The store offers chocolate parties, workshops and, of course, chocolates and gift baskets. It is located at 1170 Town Center Way, Livingston (973-740-9090).
Kefi Taverna, a Greek restaurant, has opened at 350 Bloomfield Ave, Caldwell (862-702-3098), in the closed Taximi location; BYO. The restaurant does not use a deep fryer or gas-grill top, but instead uses chemical-free, natural hardwood, lump charcoal to grill.
Lisa’s Pizza in Westwood, which specializes in a round Sicilian pie and Italian cuisine, has moved to a new space at 274 3rd Ave, Westwood (201-664-8676); BYO.
Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque, has opened at the Promenade Shops, 850 Route 3 Clifton, offering authentic slow-smoked barbecue using naturally raised meat. Sides include sweet-potato casserole with maple and pecans, burnt end baked beans, and buttermilk-broccoli salad with bacon. Beers, on tap and in bottles, are also available (973-777-8340).
Prime 151, at 151 Valley Road, Montclair (973-233-0011), is a new steakhouse with an Italian emphasis. Owner is Valter Cianni, who previously owned Tuscany in Upper Montclair, where we dined at in July of 2012. The restaurant was previously La Bocca, which was only open a few months BYO.
Steaks Unlimited, offering cheese balls, cheese steaks, fried Oreos and funnel cakes, has opened at 79 Hudson St, Hoboken (732-830-8830). They also have a restaurant in Seaside Heights.
Two new dining options are available in Westfield with the opening of NY 8th Avenue Deli at 256 E Broad St, Westfield (908-233-2001), the old Windmill location, and King Star Chinese Restaurant 515 South Ave, Westfield (908-789-8666).
Pizzas, pasta, chicken, Italian favorites, as well s Spanish foods such as tacos, quesadillas, empanadas and jibarito—a sandwich made with flattened, fried-green plantains instead of bread—are on the menu of the newly opened Patricia’s III Pizza & Pasta, 559 Livingston St, Norwood (201-660-7920).
Zona Fresca, a chain offering fresh Mexican food, has opened at150 Quakerbridge Mall, Lawrenceville (609-799-0200).
CLOSINGS
La Bocca, which opened in January 2014 at 151 Valley Road, Montclair, has closed and is now called Prime 15. It is a steakhouse with an Italian emphasis. The owner is Valter Cianni, who previously owned Tuscany in Upper Montclair.
Tacconelli’s Pizzeria in Maple Shade has closed its 450 S Lenola Road, Maple Shade location and hopes to open at 27 W Main Street, Maple Shade, by late April (856-638-0338).
Vespa’s, an Italian restaurant on River Road in Edgewater, opened in 1999, has closed.