Eat & Drink
The 40 Best Restaurants in New Jersey
The Garden State's dining scene has it all—from incredible Italian food to amazing Asian fare, French cuisine and more.
![plates of food](https://njmonthly.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/foodplates.jpg)
Readers Choose Their Favorite NJ Restaurants of 2024
The winners of New Jersey Monthly's 41st annual Jersey Choice Restaurant Poll.
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Forget Napa Valley! NJ Wines Are Better Than You Think
In the last 10 years, New Jersey wines have improved so dramatically that they're now being compared to California vintages.
![Chef David Viana teaches a at Heirloom Kitchen in Old Bridge, making duck breast and other dishe](https://njmonthly.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Viana-3496.jpg)
Yes, Chef! New Jersey Cooking Classes Are in Hot Demand
Want to spice up date night? Sharpen your knife skills? Channel your inner Carmy from The Bear? These local classes and schools will make you a better cook.
Most Recent in Eat & Drink
Tea is more than a beverage. As presented in our state’s best teahouses, it is an affordable luxury, a refreshing respite and a journey across cultures, from the ornate to the austere, even to the silently spiritual. ...
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A young entrepreneur brings his “blue thumb” to the revival of the Jersey oyster, a sustainable crop that cleans the water and, yes, tastes great. ...
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I love these crisp chicken livers,” says Matthew Ridgway, chef of The Pass in Rosemont, “because it is like fried chicken—but when made with offal it becomes an interesting take on a French classic."...
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Everyone loves bacon, but the grail of bacon is the kind you make yourself,” says Matthew Ridgway, chef/co-owner of The Pass in Rosemont. “You have to build a kind of contraption, and it takes seven days, but the results are worth it.”...
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Oui! Or rather, Yeah! Brews have as many flavors as crus, argues a new book
that shows you how to match them with
cuisines high as well as low. ...
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This simple, rustic dish can be made at home,” says Matthew Ridgway, chef/co-owner of The Pass in Rosemont. “It was one of the first dishes I learned to make when started at the Fountain Room at the Four Seasons in Philadelphia 17-odd years ago.”...
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Throwing a steak on the grill seems like the easiest thing in the world,” says Bill Zucosky, executive chef of Strip House, the fine steak house in the Westminster Hotel in Livingston. “Actually, what’s easy is doing it wrong and ruining a great piece of meat. Here’s how to grill the perfect steak every time.”...
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“I find cocktails made at home almost never taste as good as at a bar or restaurant,” says Bill Zucosky, executive chef of Strip House in Livingston. “Why? People don’t measure every single ingredient precisely. That’s the trick, the only trick. Here are two of our most popular. Don’t guesstimate! Measure accurately.”
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“What goes best with steak?” asks Bill Zucosky, executive chef of Strip House, the steak house in Livingston’s Westminster Hotel. “Spuds are number one! Here are two recipes that start with baked potatoes, then go in different directions. Both are hugely popular at Strip House, so it comes down to your preference: fried and crispy, or rich and cheesy?”
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Here’s a great way to use those few tomatoes you might still have in your garden,” suggests Bill Zucosky, executive chef of Strip House at the Westminster Hotel in Livingston. ...
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The Rutgers Food Innovation Center in Cumberland County helps home cooks and companies turn bright ideas into tasty products on websites and store shelves....
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Fall is prime time for getting out and sampling the fruits (and vegetables) of the farmers’ labor. Here are a few reliable stops on any self-directed agritour.
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"Browned butter gives this cake its special nutty sweetness," says Ben Nerenhausen, executive chef of Mistral in Princeton. "It's a customer favorite. It's easy to make and it lends itself to seasonal variations. The buttermilk ice cream makes a nice variant from classic vanilla."
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"Because I grew up overseas, this dish really tugs at my heartstrings," says Ben Nerenhausen, executive chef of Mistral in Princeton. "The exotic harissa paste packs a big flavor punch. The different textures of the fresh and dried chickpeas contrast nicely with the rich and gamey sausage. I like to pair it with a sheep's milk cheese and lots of herbs that really bring out the lamb flavor." ...
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"Onsen in Japanese is a hot spring," says Ben Nerenhausen, executive chef of Mistral in Princeton. "That suggests how we cook the egg, in hot water. I like this dish because it has multi-season versatility, able to highlight various vegetables in their prime. And who doesn't love a beautifully poached egg?
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Stumbling across the recipes of his mother, the family “barbecue queen,” changed Lawrence Hackney’s life. Now he keeps her spirit alive at the Wood Pit.
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As a girl, she learned to love fresh, simple food. Now this South Brunswick homeowner grows her own, cooks for friends (and the needy) and teaches healthy eating to others.
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Ingredients: Heirloom tomatoes (all colors and varieties work; personally, I like Brandywines for this application) Imported buffalo mozzarella (available at… Read the rest
"I love smoked salmon, especially on a toasted everything bagel with scallion cream cheese," admits Jamie Knott, executive chef of the Saddle River Inn. "Unfortunately we can't serve that at the restaurant. So I decided to turn my Sunday breakfast into a fine dish—rillettes, basically a French salmon spread made with herbs and white wine."...
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Executive chef Jamie Knott of the Saddle River Inn shares his recipe for this luxurious dish....
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