RESTAURANT OPENINGS
Provence • Cape May
Upscale French dining can now be enjoyed in an 1854 mansion. The building has been renovated, including new dining tables and decorative lighting. Prepared by chef Adam Bowen, the six-course prix fixe menu includes Escargot (with black garlic and Asiago), Truffle Chicken Pate, Pepper-Crusted Tuna Niçoise, Citrus-Cured Pork Belly, Chocolate Gateau and more, as well as specials. Open Thursday to Sunday, 5:30–8:30 pm.
Provence, 2 N Main St., Cape May; 609-884-4948
Mel’s Butcher Box • Tenafly
Chef Mel Landano unveiled her butcher skills through a food truck last year and opened a brick and mortar in early August. The space, previously occupied by Da Antonio, has been renovated to include seating and arcade games. Menu items include butcher faves, such as ribeye sandwiches, burgers, chicken cutlets and fried raviolis. Open daily, Noon–9 pm; closed Sundays.
Mel’s Butcher Box, 10 West Railroad Ave., Tenafly; 201-266-4633
Charley • Harrison
This modern, European-inspired cafe is projected to open in October. The menu will include coffee and cocktails, as well as comfort foods like burgers, apple strudel, wiener schnitzel and more, presented by New York chef Kurt Gutenbrunner. The space will seat 50 and is inspired by the Viennese coffee house, Kaffeehaus.
Charley, 202 Angelo Cifelli Dr., Harrison
RESTAURANT CLOSING
Central + Main • Madison
One of chef Leia Gaccione’s two restaurants will be closing in early September. Open for three and a half years, Central + Main, which rebooted as a seafood pop-up after its Covid shutdown, featured items such as lobster nachos, fried clam strips and fish tacos. With her chef leaving in September, and the landlord planning, she says, to turn the building into apartments, Gaccione found closing was the best decision. “I didn’t get knocked out, this isn’t the end,” she says. “It was difficult, but the smartest decision we could make for everyone involved. It takes courage to recognize that something’s not working and call it quits before it’s too late.” The final day of operation will be September 9. Her first restaurant, South + Pine in Morristown, continues operation.
Central + Main, 3 Central Ave., Madison; 973-845-6622