Restaurant Reviews
Tim McLoone’s Rebuilt Rum Runner in Sea Bright
December 14, 2017
After Hurricane Sandy, the restaurateur needed four years to rebuild his Sea Bright restaurant, elevating it a cautionary 14 feet above ground level. Has McLoone elevated the food and service as well as the structure?
Steak, Confident and Old School: Edward’s Steakhouse
December 7, 2017
Edward’s Steakhouse was shuttered by Sandy’s storm surge, but the restaurant has come back strong, from its dry-aged steaks to its house-made icebox cake.
Inspired by his mom’s home cooking, Iron Chef and The Chew co-host Michael Symon brings Italian gusto to the Borgata.
At Loteria, a modern Mexican restaurant in Asbury Park, Corona beer bottles are repurposed as salt and pepper shakers. But the tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas and other items are flavorful to begin with.
At the Square Meal, a cozy café in Oaklyn, sandwiches are the specialty—there are seven signature kinds.
P.F. Market in West Caldwell is both a seafood market and a seafood restaurant. The food is fresh, from lobster bisque to the flounder Po’ Boy.
Marie Nicole’s was an institution in Wildwood Crest, where for 16 years it set the standard for fine dining. Last June it relocated to nearby Avalon.
This Rooster Struts as it Crows: Roosterspin in New Brunswick
November 2, 2017
Crispy-spicy Korean fried chicken is just one of the attractions of the new branch of Roosterspin, in New Brunswick. The other is its liquor license, featuring cocktails that are worth a detour on their own.
Scrupulous about freshness and favoring wild-caught over farmed, the owners have made their restaurant a seafood magnet.
B. London, a casual eatery serving breakfast and lunch daily, features some fanciful British influences, such as the BBB (bangers, bacon and bagel).
A cozy yet vibrant Middle Eastern restaurant located along the scenic Delaware Canal.
The comfort-food BYO lists 31 entrées at brunch. At lunch and dinner, there are just seven appetizers, 15 sandwiches and eight entrées to choose from.
The Place Gets Packed: Tutta Pesca in Hoboken
October 12, 2017
So admits owner Mike Caracappa That is both a happy statement and a lament. The narrow restaurant has just 32 seats, and lines often form outside.
What Tablespoon Café in Cranford lacks in designer decor it more than makes up in the quality of its classic French food.
Simplicity Runs Deep: Juniper Hill in Clinton
October 5, 2017
After a peripatetic career, chef Josh DeChellis has come home to Jersey’s wealthiest county to turn a former bank into a showcase of fresh, contemporary cooking for all.
Lights blink over the little bar at Don Juan, Juan Landaverde’s cozy Latin eatery in West Orange.
Burger/Que boasts indulgent, decadent fare. One example is the Que, a burger topped with pulled pork, brisket, coleslaw and smoked Gouda.
The Channel Marker Café at the Ocean Beach marina in Lavallette stays open all year. It’s been rebuilt since Sandy, and remains popular for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Victor Vinciguerra grew up in Argentina eating meats cooked on a parillada, or grill. At Choripan Vinciguerra cooks meats over a charcoal-burning parillada.
Learning to Fly: Cardinal Bistro in Ventnor
September 14, 2017
Chef Michael Brennan was just 24 when he and his father opened Cardinal Bistro in Ventnor in July 2016. Just over a year later, the Cardinal moving in the right direction.