Burlington County
Agricultural Center
500 Centerton Road, Moorestown
This preserved working farm is dedicated to connecting the public to agriculture, nature and nutrition. Located on a 68-acre former dairy farm, the center offers a community garden and a farmers’ market that operates from May-October. During the winter, it continues its mission by leasing acreage to sheep farmers. Cooking demonstrations are held in the Farmhouse Kitchen year-round. In January and February, you can sign up to learn to make pasta, chilaquiles and chocolate-covered strawberry valentines, or take a class in understanding the plant-based diet.—SV
856-726-3850.
Curry Tub
40 Chatham Road, Short Hills
Imagine a Chipotle that does fresh, home-style Indian food. Not a chain, but a single, brightly lit storefront where virtually all the food is visible. You can point and ask questions as you make your way down the line, having each component of your meal spooned into plastic compartment trays or bowls (here called tubs). That’s Curry Tub, Poonam Rai’s offshoot of an Indian catering company she started in 2006. You begin by choosing a base (four different rice preparations or salad); then one of six meat or vegetable mains (including terrific masala chicken or sautéed okra that will make you forget everything you thought you knew about okra); then one of six curry sauces; and up to nine toppings (from yogurt raita to tamarind chutney). The best beverage, mango lassi, is made from fresh mangoes, and the jasmine rice pudding is a joy.—FS
973-315-3155.
Fairchild’s Market
171 Eagle Rock Avenue, Roseland
When the venerable Pal’s Cabin restaurant folded in June 2013 after 81 years, it left behind many sad loyalists. Among the specialties they mourned was Pal’s famed cream of mushroom soup. To the rescue came Fairchild’s Market, just a quick jaunt from Pal’s former West Orange location. Those in the know have been purchasing Pal’s soups and sandwiches at Fairchild’s since shortly after the old haunt closed. You can also pick up a Sloppy Joe made in the tradition of South Orange’s famed Town Hall deli. —DPC
973-226-0400.
Photo by Daria Amato
Mitsuwa Marketplace
595 River Road, Edgewater
We live in a world of miles-of-aisles stores, but only one devotes itself entirely to Japanese food and drink. That is Mitsuwa, the 11-store, California-based chain that has just one superstore in the East, and it’s ours. Not only is it easy to get lost amidst Mitsuwa’s aisles of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and meat, plus cookware, sakes, videos and much more, but we recommend it. It’s a shopping high like no other. And when you’re ready to return to Earth, Mitsuwa’s all-Japanese food court is a festival in itself.—EL
201-941-9113.
Pennsylvania Dutch Farmers’ Market
4437 Route 27, Princeton
Nobody does wholesome food better than the Amish. Since 1997, this mega-market has hosted 12 vendors that haul goods from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. You can find Penn-Dutch staples like apple dumplings, shoofly pies and hand-rolled soft pretzels, as well as fresh chickens, ducks, turkeys and stewing hens. The quality of hand-cut meats like Delmonico steaks or bone-in pork chops is unmatched, and a wide selection of fresh sausages is also available. Preservative-free jams and jellies, salsas and sides are also worth the trip. Don’t miss the monthly pig roast, held on the last Saturday of every month, January through October. Open Thursday-Saturday.—SV
Rastelli Market Fresh
710 Route 73, Marlton
Ray Rastelli Jr. opened a single butcher shop in 1976. Now he and his family run a food empire worth nearly $1 billion; their companies include two South Jersey grocery stores. Launched in 2014, the larger 35,000-square-foot Marlton location builds on the company’s meaty roots: they dry-age their steaks in-house, blend craft burgers and stuff gourmet sausages. The market also includes local produce, hundreds of cheeses, a sizable wine and beer selection, and designated bars for everything from bread to juice to sushi. The original grocery (no booze) is located in Deptford.—MP
856-853-0178.
Stockton Market
19 Bridge Street, Stockton
We’ve often raved about the state-of-the-art Curiosity Doughnuts made and sold exclusively at the Stockton Market. But Curiosity is just one of the stalls that comprise a gastronomic pleasure center of singular scope and quality. If you come to eat, choose from artisanal pizza, pasta, Mexican, coffee, pastries, and chocolates. If you come to shop, your gamut runs from grass-fed beef and super-fresh seafood to Jersey-grown rice and mushrooms, artisanal breads, vinegars, condiments and kombucha. Not to be outdone, Curiosity Doughnuts is now blowing minds with its first savory item: pretzel-crusted fried chicken with cherry-pepper caramel sauce.—EL
609-608-2824.
Thirty3 at Rails
10 Whitehall Road, Towaco
This dimly lit, speakeasy-style bar, with leather banquettes, semiprivate lounge areas, craft cocktails and a small-bites menu, is a great way to start your night—if you can crack the code to get in. To unlock the door, you have to pull the right book off a crowded bookshelf. (There’s usually someone to help frustrated first-timers.) Spend the evening—or head upstairs for dinner at Rails Steakhouse, a great spot for Real Housewives sightings.—MG
973-335-0006.
Photo by Laura Baer
Healthy Italia
55 Main Street, Madison
Duck into this warm, friendly shop for gourmet and organic specialties. The young owners hail from Northern Italy, and their passion for authentic, healthy food is evident in their 100 percent Italian products available in no other retail shop in the United States. Ask about hands-on lessons in family-style cooking and tastings in their state-of-the-art kitchen.—SBB
973-966-5200.