Latham House
Jersey City
When it opened last July, chef Daniel Latham saw no need to change the comfortable, casually stylish decor of the restaurant previously in the space. He and his wife, Kris Yettra, however, put their own stamp on what comes out of the kitchen. Home-grown herbs enliven several dishes. His duck pâté soars, partly on the bright, house-made jams with it. Some dishes have fallen short, like Moroccan-spiced lamb meatballs that taste more Italian than North African. But Yettra’s chicken pot pie is pure Yankee. She’s the general manager, but her baking skills clinch Latham House’s place on this list. Few pecan pies or bread puddings are as fabulous as hers. Watch her race around the dining room in her sparkly Keds. Her personality radiates joy, too.—FS
299 Marin Boulevard, 201-479-8432.
The Local
Mount Holly
The Local: Chicken tacos with queso fresco, avocado, pico de gallo, pickled jalapenos and lime crema. Photo courtesy of The Local
With the opening of two breweries, Village Idiot and Spellbound, as well as other businesses, downtown Mount Holly seemed poised for a comeback. But when the pioneering and popular High Street Grill closed in 2014, optimism seemed to stall. Last year, Callum Satchell and Derek Little breathed new life into the narrow 1890 storefront and reopened it in September as the Local. The pair have a combined 32 years of restaurant experience, including managerial positions at Agricola, Witherspoon Grill and the Alchemist and Barrister, all in Princeton. Their chef is Mike Carco, who has worked at Princeton’s Peacock Inn and Manhattan’s Michelin-starred Telepan. “We wanted to bring a quality, farm-to-table craft experience to the masses instead of the one percent by making it comfortable and affordable enough for everyone,” says Satchell. Crispy vegetable spring rolls, shrimp banh mi and pork ramen widen a menu of deliciously unfussy burgers, soups, salads and entrées like chicken pot pie and steak frites. But the heart of the matter is a great craft beer program and a broad selection of spirits, including many from the Garden State.—TN
64 High Street, 609-784-8684.
Oh My Cod!
Montclair
Kevin Crampsey, a native of Derry, Northern Ireland, grew up on fish and chips. When the little corner eatery across the street from his wife Rachel’s powerhouse baking operation, Montclair Bread Company, folded, Crampsey and Jessica Woodward, Montclair Bread’s director of operations, turned it into a fish and chips shop that could not be simpler or give more bang for the buck. You may love or wince at the name, but the words “Oh my cod!” may spring to mind when you bite through the crisp, hot, mahogany coat to the luscious fillet of cod or whiting within. The cod is thick, the whiting long and thin. Both come in cardboard containers with or without chips made from fresh potatoes. The hoot is the little plastic cup of mushy peas, the classic accompaniment. They’re mushy, all right, and green as guacamole, but mild and strangely soothing. (It could be the butter in the recipe.) Choose from traditional tartar sauce or sriracha mayo. And pop open a can of imported Shandy Bass, a lemonade braced with a touch of Bass Ale, for a balanced flavor and a barely there .5 percent ABV.—EL
103 Forest Street, 973-744-7263.
Rudolph’s Steakhouse
Bernardsville
Since closing his pioneering Restaurant David Drake in Rahway in 2010, Drake, one of Jersey’s most celebrated chefs, has bounced around. After stints in New Brunswick, Lake Hopatcong and Jersey City, he has landed at the beautiful, 19th-century tavern in the center of Bernardsville that has housed various restaurants in recent years. Rudolpho Hisena, who formerly owned Rudolpho’s in Gladstone, reopened the space last April as a steak house. Although many of the steaks are aged in house and reasonably priced, they are not the menu’s highlights (a filet mignon was mealy, a strip steak slightly tough). More than compensating was almost everything else: a buttery short rib, juicy Amish half-chicken, lemony crab cake, charred and salted asparagus spears. The fine selection of wines is another bonus. If the steaks improve, we’ll have even more reason to celebrate Drake’s return to the stoves.—FS
1 Mill Street 908-766-7979.
SLA Thai
Montclair
The letters stand for Simple Love Authentic. People are not sure whether to enunciate the letters or say “slah,” but that hasn’t prevented them from packing the charming little BYO since it opened last February. Owner Meiji Pattamasingchai, 34, radiates the L word. She grew up in the mountain village of Nan in northern Thailand and learned the local cuisine (the A word) from her mother, a caterer. She earned a degree in art in Thailand before coming to America in 2006. You see her eye in the understated but festive look of SLA Thai (the S word). But her menu, prepared by her boyfriend, head chef Paul Phaisanyakit, is too rich in flavor to be summed up by the S word. Key dishes include gang kew wan, a potent (yet not sadistic) green curry with Thai eggplant and mixed vegetables; gui chai, a crisp/chewy chive pancake; gai tod, baked wings with sweet chili sauce; and noodle dishes, including pad Thai made with thin instead of the usual flat rice noodles.—EL
38 Upper Montclair Plaza, 973-509-0111.