NEXT DOOR, MONTCLAIR
We adore Next Door. Minimal décor and maximum dining is what we experience at this casual restaurant that has been run by chef/owner Zod Arifai since December 2007. As with his other restaurant, Blu, open since 2005, which is “next door” to Next Door, chef Arifai never fails to please and offers innovative cuisine that keeps us returning to try new dishes as the menu changes daily.
We each tasted our appetizers and then passed them around to share. Table rule was that no one was allowed to linger, as each plate was better than the next and we wanted more tastes. Enjoyed were two duck tacos layered with radishes, cucumber and a spicy chipotle sauce; roasted red and golden beets with goat cheese and endive; and Napa cabbage salad with Asian greens and spicy peanut dressing. The salmon tartare was one example of chef Arifai’s ingenuity. The dish consisted of cubes of salmon with pickled radishes, fresh soybeans and smoked ice cream. When asked about this unusual, well balanced dish, chef Arifai said, “We smoke cherrywood then infuse it in a cream and milk mixture for 24 hours. Then we strain the wood from the cream add egg yolk and make ice cream.” This was a new take on smoked salmon for us and we loved it.
Soft-shell crabs were in season, and ours were beautifully sautéed with fennel, asparagus and almond sauce. Chipotle glaze intensified two large slabs of meatloaf accompanied by creamy polenta and mushrooms, while chicken with snow peas and shiitake mushrooms came alive with a spicy ginger sauce. A linguini special with tomato sauce brimmed with calamari, scallops and shrimps; fresh tasting with clean ocean flavors. We never deprive ourselves of dessert here, nor should you. A frozen, lip-puckering lemon parfait was accompanied by blueberries, almond crème, and crispy almond sponge cake. Mocha custard topped with crispy hazelnuts had contrasting creaminess and crunch. An unusual and inventive black-olive cake with basil ice cream and orange sauce went down quickly, as it was such a standout. However, our “must have” was a chocolate and peanut butter crisp with caramel ice cream.
Since chef Arifai has an ever-changing menu you may not be able to order the dishes we had, but just know that his novel cuisine is memorable and prices are extremely reasonable. Next Door is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday.
Duck tacos layered with radishes, cucumber and a spicy chipotle sauce.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein
Next Door
556 Bloomfield Avenue
Montclair
973-744-3600
BYO
DAVID BURKE FROMAGERIE, RUMSON
Executive chef Phil Deffina and pastry chef Stuart Marx are now offering an a la carte brunch from 10 AM to 2 PM on Sundays at David Burke Fromagerie, 26 Ridge Road, Rumson. Menu items include: steel-cut granola parfait with fresh berries; eggs benedict; short-rib steak and eggs; Titanic French toast; chicken n’ waffles; house-made cavatelli with wild mushrooms and truffle cream; branzino with ratatouille; DB classic burger and much more. Also, this season, an on-site garden of fresh herbs and vegetables has been planted and will be incorporated into the summer menu in dishes such as the whole-roasted branzino and market salad, along with a multitude of daily specials. Reservations: 732-842-8088.
RESTAURANT LATOUR, HAMBURG
Congratulations to Restaurant Latour, 3 Wild Turkey Road, Hamburg (973-827-5996 ext. 3) for being listed as one of “America’s 100 Best Wine Restaurants” by Wine Enthusiast. Restaurant Latour is known for its $25 million,135,000-bottle wine cellar, which has been assembled over 50 years. It was the only NJ restaurant honored. Other esteemed restaurants are Per Se, Daniel, Eleven Madison Park, and Gramercy Tavern all in New York City
OPENTABLE AWARDS
The following six New Jersey restaurants made OpenTable’s 2014 Diners’ Choice Award list of the Top 100 Neighborhood Gems in America: Casa Bella Trattoria, Haddonfield; Crux Café, Audubon; El Sitio Steak and Seafood, Collingswood; Grange, Westwood; L’Oceano Ristorante, Collingswood; and Pascal and Sabine, Asbury Park. These awards reflect the combined opinions of more than 5 million restaurant reviews submitted by verified OpenTable diners for approximately 19,000 restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
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