The menu changes daily and includes an appetizer, soup or salad, and an entrée. This charming restaurant at Pirates Pointe Marina overlooks Manahawkin Bay, offering beautiful views and stunning sunsets. Chef Diemer’s à la carte menu, which features eclectic American cuisine, includes lamb three ways (braised shank, roasted loin, grilled sausage); local day-boat scallops with wild mushroom risotto and truffle vinaigrette; and a seafood trio of Chilean sea bass with coconut jasmine rice, scallops Rockefeller, and grilled prawns with broccoli rabe. Antoinetta’s is open daily for lunch from 11:30 AM to 3 PM and for dinner from 5 to 10 PM. For reservations call 609-978-9785; BYO.
The view from the dining room at Antoinetta’s.
INNER PEACE AND FULFILLMENT AT MANTRA
In my yoga class, a mantra is repeated at the beginning and end of each session. In Paramus, however, it is a culinary delight where executive chef Purvesh Patel offers refined Indian cuisine with a Western slant. We found the dishes to be light, delicately seasoned, and well balanced, a very welcome change from some Indian restaurants. Patel says, “Basically I try to replace the overwhelming spiciness of traditional Indian food with more flavor.”
For appetizers, try the samosas, crispy fried dough filled with minced lamb or spiced potatoes and peas, or the chaat, a salad containing chickpeas, tomatoes, potatoes, and papdi tossed with spicy sauce. The crunchy, tangy chaat is made tableside and serves four. For entrées, if available try the four gigantic roasted day-boat scallops glazed with tamarind chutney and accompanied by spinach and masala-spiced potato cakes. Other main dishes to try: juicy tandoori half chicken marinated with yogurt and spices; Goan shrimp curry; and a refreshing presentation of Chilean sea bass in spicy ginger and saffron broth. The menu is large, and vegetarians have many options, including eggplant cooked in an aromatic sauce with peanuts, sesame seeds, and coconut; our favorite, crispy okra tossed with onions, spices, and fresh coriander, a very addictive dish that we couldn’t stop eating; and asparagus kofta containing paneer (cheese) and asparagus dumplings in a creamy tomato sauce. If you’re not sure which dishes you’ll like, try the daily lunch buffet, where many menu items are offered.
The Nirvana Lounge at Mantra serves classic cocktails, contemporary favorites, and exotic mixtures such as a Goan Martini (blood orange vodka, crushed cardamom, and a splash of pineapple juice), and there’s a selection of reasonably priced white and red wines by the bottle and the glass. Mantra is open for lunch and dinner daily. For reservations call 201-342-8868.
Executive chef Purvesh Patel from Mantra, Paramus.
GARY’S WINE AND MUCH MORE
I always empty out the trunk of my car when planning a trip to the new 24,000-square-foot Gary’s Wine & Marketplace, 1308 Route 23 North, Wayne (973-633-3900). Besides being able to choose from 3,000 bottles of wine (including organic, biodynamic, and kosher varieties), you can browse aisles packed with 800 kinds of beer, gourmet tabletop and giftware products, ready-to-serve meals, 150 fresh-cut cheeses, charcouterie, organic milk and dairy, dried pasta and pasta sauces, house-branded olive oil, coffee, and fresh-cut flowers. Whew—I guess I need a truck!
BELLAGIO RISTORANTE, MOUNT LAUREL
Bellagio Ristorante, Westin Mount Laurel, 555 Fellowship Road, Mount Laurel, a contemporary Italian restaurant and steakhouse, has recently opened with Jean Francois Lassance as the executive chef. Dishes include: shrimp, mussels, clams, and calamari in lemon dressing over mixed greens; grilled tuna in asparagus and mushroom sauce; veal tortellini served with pink cream sauce; breast of chicken stuffed with fresh spinach and mozzarella cheese; and grilled twenty-ounce prime rib-eye steak served with sautéed onions and red and green peppers. Bellagio Ristorante also features a private dining room that seats up to twenty guests. For reservations call 856-778-7300.
COOKING CLASS AT SPARGO’S GRILLE
Join Tim Murphy, chef at Spargo’s Grille, 130 Route 33 West, Manalapan, at a cooking class held on the first Tuesday of every month at 6:30 PM. Call 732-294-9921 for more information.
PEACHES ARE IN
Whether it’s grilled peach and chicken salad at the Brothers Moon, Hopewell, or cashew-crusted NJ butterfish with peach salsa at the Milford Oyster House, Milford, diners are in for a peachy treat during August when select restaurants celebrate Jersey Fresh Peach Month with special menus or dishes. Other participating restaurants include: Barnsboro Inn, Sewell; Erini Restaurant, Ewing; the Frog and the Peach, New Brunswick; Gladstone Tavern, Gladstone; Labrador Lounge, Normandy Beach; Market in the Middle, Asbury Park; Patsey’s Cafe, Mine Hill; Pop’s Garage, Normandy Beach; and Toscana Restaurant, Bloomfield. For more information call each restaurant directly or contact the New Jersey Peach Promotion Council information office at 973-744-6090 or www.jerseypeaches.com.
TOMATO EXTRAVAGANZA
On August 13, a five-course Tomato Extravaganza dinner will be held at Restaurant Serenade, 6 Roosevelt Avenue, Chatham. The following menu will be served: gazpacho (2002 Peter Dipoli Sauvignon “Voglar”, Alto Adige, Italy), scallops (2006 Domaine Tempier Bandol, Provence, France), tomato ravioli (1999 Luis Cañas Seleccion de la Famila Reserva, Rioja, Spain), lamb (2000 Château Soussans Margaux, Bordeaux, France), and tomato tart (2004 Mas Amiel Maury Vintage Blanc, Languedoc, France). 7 PM; $150 all inclusive. For reservations call 973-701-0303.
DINING DEALS
Christopher’s Restaurant & Bar, the Heldrich, 10 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, has a happy hour daily from 4 to 7 PM with half-price drinks. Happy hour appetizers are served on Fridays from 5 to 7 PM. For more information and dinner reservations call 732-214-2200.
The Madison Bar & Grill, 1316 Washington Street, Hoboken, offers a three-course first-seating menu on Mondays from 5 to 10 PM and Tuesdays through Fridays from 5 to 7 PM for $16.13 plus tax and gratuity. For reservations call 201-386-0300.
Every Tuesday is wholesale wine night at Erini, 1140 River Road (Route 29), Ewing, with a special list of non-allocated wines offered at just above wholesale. For reservations call 609-882-0303.
Alessio Restaurant 426, 426 Main Street, Metuchen, has some specials that are easy on the pocketbook. Tuesday is Pasta Tasting Night, with an all-you-can-eat assortment of pastas for $15.99; Wednesday is Steak & Salad Night, with a choice of house or Caesar salad and steak of the day for $18.99; on Thursday, diners can pick one app, one entrée, and one dessert from the à la carte menu for $24.99; and Sunday is Family Night, with a traditional family-style Italian Sunday ragù dinner for $16.99. For more information and reservations call 732-549-6464; BYO.
Mondays through Saturdays from noon to 6 PM, Kirker’s Inn, 237 Diamond Bridge Avenue, Hawthorne, has a business lunch/early dining menu for $8.95. Early Bird Tuesday is honored till closing. For reservations call 973-427-7700.
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