Open:
—Kai Yang’s website isn’t up yet, but the restaurant is open and in full swing. The name of the restaurant actually means “grilled chicken,” which is the focal point of the menu—organic, rotisserie chicken (a whole chicken is $25, served with papaya salad). But there’s more to the menu for sure, following the flavors of chef Sheree Sarabhaya’s Bangkok childhood. Among other things, you’ll find Larb Kai (a lime juice and fish sauce-spiked minced chicken salad with peanuts and lettuce), Massaman curry, crispy fried whole fish in tamarind sauce, and of course, items like pad thai. Sarabhaya is also the chef of Boon Thai Kitchen in Livingston and Spice II in Montclair. Kai Yang, 345 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair; 973-509-2110
—Harper’s Table is only a few weeks into the making, but a lot of it has existed for along time—the family-run restaurant was developed with (almost) 100% recycled material, most of it supposedly collected from old farms in Hunterdon County. It’s a self-styled “Restaurant & Bar,” with an emphasis on a solid beer list and an apparent love for bourbon. Harper’s Table, 1316 Route 31 North, Annandale; 908-200-7271
—Big Bowls Little Plates Street Food of Rutherford recently opened its second location in Secaucus. The concept is in the name—street food—and the restaurant is part of the massive-yet-navigable Harmon Meadow Plaza. The online menu is still in progress, but the general delivery system seems to be trendy bowls, with items like General Tso’s chicken served over ramen or rice. A third location at the H-Mart food court in Paramus is set to open soon. Big Bowls Little Plates, 700 Plaza Drive, Secaucus; 201-552-2550
—Whether you call it pork roll or Taylor Ham won’t matter if you’re hungry in the vicinity of the former Fizz Soda Fountain space in Red Bank, where itinerant double food truck Johnny’s Pork Roll and Coffee Too is planting its first brick-and-mortar space. Look for over-the-top treatment of every Jerseyites favorite pork item with sandwiches like the classic PBLT, the Hawaiian, and the Pork Roll Truck Reuben. Johnny’s Pork Roll, 8A Monmouth Street, Red Bank; no phone yet.
—The Farmacy began in Philadelphia as a locally-sourced restaurant and just opened their second spot in Palmyra. Chef-owners Ross Scofield and Danielle Coulter seem passionate about local sourcing. Brunch and dinner menus seem to source from the modern mixed Americana catalogue. The Farmacy NJ, 307 West Broad Street, Palmyra; 856-543-4411
–A new, aggressively sleek, sushi spot has opened in Franklin Lakes. Sushi options avail, but the focal point is hibachi, with marquee items like Hibachi Filet Mignon and Hibachi Lobster. Naru Sushi. 754 Franklin Avenue, Franklin Lakes; 201-904-2401
Closed:
–Banjara Fine Indian Cuisine in Bridgewater has closed. There is a sign outside the restaurant that now reads “Tamarind Hill” but not much else is known at this point regarding new ownership. Banjara Fine Indian Cuisine, 959 Route 202, Bridgewater.