Restaurant Reviews
Keg & Kitchen
December 18, 2012
Kevin Meeker burned through iterations of his Westmont restaurant, Cork, before he folded it and reinvented it as Keg & Kitchen, a beer-focused pub. Adam Erace takes its measure. Among the highlights, he writes, "the beer selection is among the best in South Jersey."
Intimate Abruzzo-style restaurant housed in an early-20th-century Peapack residence offers affordable, authentic Italian standards.
Costanera
December 13, 2012
Juan Placencia’s heritage, CIA training and work with top chefs (including his dad) combine to create a Peruvian restaurant of unusual refinement.
St. Eve’s
December 10, 2012
Steve Christianson could have named his restaurant Steve's, but by splitting and punctuating his name he came up with something that sounds grander. St. Eve's, in Ho-Ho-Kus, has a wood-burning grill, rustic yet hip decor and a loyal following. Reviewer Karen Tina Harrison takes the measure of its food.
Red-brick walls and wrought-iron light fixtures create the ideal atmosphere for Abigail’s eclectic mix of Hungarian, Polish and Portuguese food.
Latz’s By The Bay
November 28, 2012
For three generations, the Latz family ran the venerable Knife & Fork Inn before selling it in 2004 in the wake of a bitter family dispute. The Latzes also ran Latz's Inn in Somers Point from 1918 to 1942. Now Andrew Latz, 57, who once managed Knife & Fork, has opened his own place, Latz's By the Bay, across the street from where Latz's Inn once stood. Adam Erace reviews.
A casual eatery with less than a dozen tables that offers authentic island cuisine and is decorated in the hues of the Jamaican flag: bright green, yellow and black.
The Ryland Inn
November 12, 2012
Experienced new owners, and a gifted chef whose time has come, have returned the Ryland Inn to the summit of New Jersey fine dining.
California surfer chic meets healthy, hearty fresh-Mex fare.
Just
October 31, 2012
Hidden behind a discount gas station on a gritty strip of Route 9 in Old Bridge, Just restaurant surprises you when you walk through the door—it's a glamorous supper club, pricey too. In her review, Pat Tanner takes its measure, especially on the plate.
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
October 24, 2012
Newark Mayor Cory Booker often orders lunch from the new Dinosaur Bar-B-Que restaurant in his city, and he's a vegetarian. But you don't have to stick to fried green tomatoes, deviled eggs and a smoked portobello sandwich to work up an appetite for Dinosaur's food, writes Karen Tina Harrison in her review. You may be surprised at which dishes she finds to be the best.
Modern interpretation of the neighborhood tavern, with sleek finishes but old-fashioned friendly ambience.
Chef’s Table
October 16, 2012
Dali loved the classic French food Claude Baills made him. Times change. Happily, Baills’s cooking does not.
This friendly, casual BYO bistro serves up intriguing, creative Italian and Portuguese dishes.
Marsilio’s Kitchen
September 26, 2012
Marsilio's, an institution in Trenton's famed Chambersburg, long but no longer a predominantly Italian neighborhood, closed in 2007 but is back as Marsilio's Kitchen in Ewing. Owner Alan Meinster still greets his customers, but reviewer Pat Tanner notices that some things have changed, not always for the better.
Rocca
September 20, 2012
In Glen Rock, everybody knows the town's iconic rock monument. Many also know Rocca, the Italian restaurant CIA-grad Craig Levy opened in 2004. Sam Kadko twice visited the popular spot and filed this review.
A modern, family-friendly space with a wide selection of oversized special rolls.
American Cut
September 12, 2012
With his brash Atlantic City steakhouse, Marc Forgione honors his trailblazing dad while carving a bigger name for himself.
Azure by Allegretti
August 30, 2012
Azure by Allegretti, one of the signature restaurants at the new Revel Resort in Atlantic City, impressed reviewer Pat Tanner on her first visit, soon after it opened. But by her second visit, certain things had changed. Did Pat's impression change? Read on to find out.
Nico Kitchen + Bar
August 21, 2012
Mayor Cory Booker and other Newark movers-and-shakers often talk business over lunch at Nico Kitchen + Bar (formerly Theater Square Grill) in the NJPAC lobby. Executive chef Ryan DePersio (of Fascino in Montclair) has created a new menu in the style he calls "Italian without borders." How goes dinner? Read Karen Tina Harrison's review.