August 2017: The 25 Best Restaurants

We name the state’s best places to eat. Plus, reader poll winners and critics’ picks.

Best Restaurants

Seared Point Pleasant scallops on peanut-noodle sushi with pickled salad ar The Frog and the Peach in New Brunswick.

The 25 Best Restaurants of 2017

A decade ago, we created the Top 25 in recognition of the dynamism of NJ’s dining scene. Every year since, the scene has grown more competitive, contemporary and varied, creating a boon for Jersey diners.

Talent on the Rise: Viaggio Chef Robbie Felice

At 26, Robbie Felice has shown the talent, work ethic and team-building attitude it takes to succeed in a state awash in Italian restaurants.

A pensive McBride, lost in the music during a January gig at the Village Vanguard.

Christian McBride: Jazz Showman

As a performer, mentor, educator, radio host and festival curator, Montclair’s Christian McBride has plenty on his plate. But that does nothing to dim his enthusiasm for a life in music.

Boxed CEO Chieh Huang is A Young Upstart

Online startup Boxed has Jersey roots and a philanthropic bent. But has it got what it takes to compete with the retail giants?

Rutgers marine biologist Malin Pinsky surveys the fishing fleet at Belford Seafood Co-op. Pinsky and a team of fellow scientists are studying the effects of marine migrations on the commercial and recreational fishing industries.

Warming Waters, Looming Crisis

It’s no fluke: Fish populations are on the move, chasing cooler marine temperatures. At Rutgers, scientists track their alarming migrations.

Tom Szaky's company, TerraCycle, repurposes plastic bottles discarded in the ocean.

TerraCycle Is Putting Beach Junk Back to Work

TerraCycle’s latest project is turning plastics chucked into the world’s oceans into shampoo bottles.

Owner Kristin Barber plays with some of the adoptable cats at Rahway City Hall. Patrick, left, climbs down wall shelves, and Cubby sits in her lap.

Cozying Up to Cat Cafés

New Jersey and cat cafés: Purrfect Together.

Toys With Love mother/daughter team Gail Rogers, left, and Stacey Rogers with their 1956 delivery truck outside the 1770s farmhouse that serves as their shop.

Toys With Love are a Cure For the Summertime Blues

Hands-on toy store offers goodies galore.

“This house in Union Beach,” Wagner says, “to me shows the way people tried to keep things as normal as possible while they were going through this. You still have the shutters and window boxes, the landscaping and the arbor, as if the front door was there.” Houseraising will be published as a book next spring.

After the Deluge, the Raising

Photographer Ira Wagner new series captures the unique visual of shore homes being raised after Hurricane Sandy.

Artist Kelly Sullivan's FingerSmears lets people create together by fingerpainting over an outline she draws, as in "A Spring Bouquet," pictured.

Finger-Friendly Creations with FingerSmear in Lambertville

Aspiring artists connect with their inner child to craft remarkable works of art.

Cancer Inspired Her Soothing Treats

A cancer survivor created a candy that would temper at least some of chemo’s notorious side effects.

South America by the Sea: Olón in Atlantic City

Iron Chef Jose Garces returns to AC with a vibrant Latin seafood restaurant that embraces the ocean, visually and in every category of food and drink.

Lobster with squash crudo, blossom fritter and cavier.

Restaurant Latour’s Martyna Krowicka is a Woman For All Seasons

Martyna Krowicka, chef of Restaurant Latour, has come into her own—yet her mentor says “she isn’t remotely close to hitting her ceiling.”

Tiki, Untacky

Long-Awaited Summit: Summit House in Summit

Summit House’s renovation took longer than expected. And with noted chef Martin Kester at the helm, expectations were high.

Hoboken’s “Mad Man” Homage: Porter Collins in Hoboken

Established Hoboken restaurateurs Anthony and Liz Pino call their big new stylish restaurant and bar, Porter Collins, “our Don Draper.”

Quick Bite: Zaffron Mediterranean Cuisine

Rocco Farahmand opened Zaffron Mediterranean in Haddonfield with a menu based on the countries where he had lived. That means smoky baba ghanoush, stuffed grilled calamari, and more.