Openings:
—Just in time to, well, spice up your cold weather eating and drinking, an outlet of the popular Spice & Tea Exchange franchise recently opened on Kings Highway in Haddonfield. Banking on the premise that about half of all Americans drink tea on any given day, the outlet offers a wide, fragrant, exotic variety of loose-leaf teas as well as spice blends, gourmet salts, even naturally-flavored sugars, which range from Bourbon Black Walnut Sugar, Habanero Sugar, Pumpkin Pie Sugar, the entirely unexpected Sweet Onion Sugar. The store space also features a tea/juice bar where you can get a drink to go. Limited seasonal and holiday flavors—Sugar Cookie, Bourbon Chestnut, Chocolate Candy Cane—come in tea and candle forms. The Spice and Tea Exchange, 103 Kings Highway E., Haddonfield; 856-375-2068
—Haddonfield residents are having a pretty flavorful fall: Mecha Artisan Chocolate opened on Kings Highway (and October 29-November 2 will host its Grand Opening festivities). The brick-and-mortar shop is seven years in the making, solidifying the hyper-creative chocolates brand begun by Melissa and Chuck Crandley. The couple had sold their confections at local area farmers markets and Occaisionette in Collingswood, but the new shop affords them space to expand the business concept—i.e. small hands-on classes, a BYO policy with a few seats to boot, meaning customers can pair sips with sweets. And the sweets are ready to be paired, from purely traditional chocolates to complexly flavored goodies like Smoked Bacon Stout Ganache truffles, Spanish Rosemary Sea Salt caramels, and even that ubiquitous seasonal concession, Pumpkin Spice Toffee. Grand Opening week is a great time to check the place out—they have events and specials planned for every night, including—of course—Halloween. Mecha Artisan Chocolate, 7 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield; 856-281-9565
In the Works:
—The Meeting House on Witherspoon Street in Princeton is slated to open sometime this November. Replacing the Two Sevens Cantina, the restaurant is the brainchild of two restaurateurs, Amanda Maher and Amar Gautam, New York transplants with intensive careers (in academia and business, respectively) who fell in love with Princeton and decided to shift the family-raising trajectory a bit with a move south. The restaurant seems to want to emphasize conviviality, e.g. “meeting house,” the neighborhood vibe, etc., but the food itself will likely be enough reason to visit—industry veteran (and “Top Chef Masters” alum) chef Carmen Gonzalez consulted on the as-yet-unpublished menu. Bonus points, the restaurant is also vocally kid-friendly—and while they’re closed on Mondays, they’ll start brunch at 8:30am, also known as mid-to-late morning for parents. The Meeting House, 277 Witherspoon Street, Princeton; no phone yet.
Closed:
—After almost a decade in business, Remington’s in Manasquan has closed its doors. The last day in operation was Sunday, October 20. The spot was a neighborhood mainstay, so it seems apt that the space is being taken over by fellow Main Street restaurant owners Brendan and Carrie Devereaux. The couple, owners of catering and breakfast and lunch outfit Max Devros, will open a full-service outpost, also doing dinner, in the former Remington’s spot. Remington’s, 142 Main Street, Manasquan.
Chefs on the Move:
—The Pilsner Haus in Hoboken has a new chef ushering in its fall 2019 menu. Israeli native Oren Shukrun has worked in culinary industry for over two decades, including a few years cooking in the Israeli Armed Forces, which might come in handy considering the restaurant’s size. Fans of traditional biergarten fare don’t have anything to worry about; Shukrun is staying faithful to tradition, with big Bavarian pretzels and schnitzel still on the menu. But you’ll also find things like Fritto Misto, Pilsner Haus Flatbread, and Roasted Bone Marrow. Pilsner Haus Biergarten, 1422 Grand Street, Hoboken; 201-683-5465