Smart Shop
Hung Vuong
An Asian uber-market in Cherry Hill offers a bounty of ingredients to cook things Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, Filipino and Chinese. It’s the bigger, brawnier younger sibling in a mini-chain born across the Delaware, and it’s well-stocked with condiments that add a world of flavor to everyday dishes.
Food Find
KAI SWEETS
A confectionary in the food court at Mitsuwa offers exceptional renditions of two favorites at neighboring stalls in the busy marketplace in Edgewater.
Food Find
Jammin’ Jars
Buy now and eat now – and later. Just remember to buy these top-notch preserves in bulk for gift-giving this holiday season.
Chef Train
Meghan Cattani: Cattani Catering & Kitchen
In the case of the chef who is always at the stoves of her eponymous restaurant in Ewing, learning how to cook at the knees of her grandmothers is no cliché, no empty claim. It’s all about heart and soul and recipes “from my grandmothers’ handwriting to your table.”
Latkes: Top Toppings
There’s a wide world of foods we routinely partner with potatoes. Why restrict serving seasonal spud ’cakes with applesauce and sour cream when there are options galore?
Swine + Brine
Pork and oysters are South Jersey. And nowhere is that heritage given more respect than at a “meeting” of culinary minds and professionals at Sweet Amalia Market + Kitchen in Newfield.
Chocolate in the Oven
A bakeshop in Milford specializes in many things chocolate. Indulge. But don’t pass by the savory hand pies, pumpkin gooey bars and a carrot cake that’s one for the ages.
Fortnightly 5
Here’s to the Champs: 11-22-21
The World Series, Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, NBA Finals and MLS Cup are to their respective sports what these dishes are to their genres.
Relishing Cranberries
A little late this year, but nonetheless inspiring, one of our Garden State’s top crops is here just in time to make a quick, fresh, seasonal condiment.
Sweet Somethings
A new book proves whisperers speak volumes. Its veteran author and her unofficial fan club convene at Canal House Station in Milford to take a moment listen to eat, and listen.
Smart Shop
Delicious Orchards
The family-run produce mecca in Colts Neck is one-stop shopping for holiday meals. Shop it right and you’ll have what you need for a spate of unfussy cooking.
What's Brewing?
Chasing Rainbows
Like the Thanksgiving table itself, your beer menu should provide choice. Our faithful guide advises offering a many-colored range of styles and flavors.
Wine + Brine
In a first-of-its-kind celebration of Garden State terroir, members of the Winemakers’ Co-Op and Sweet Amalia oyster farm team join forces for an afternoon feast. Take a look here, through exclusive images made by The Peasant Wife’s Mike Peters, as six dozen lucky diners kick back with farmers of the land and farmers of the sea to dispatch dozens of oysters in myriad forms and very fine estate-grown wines.
Dan Richer: A Man and His Pizza
Razza Pizza Artigianale in Jersey City is Carnegie Hall for the pizzaiolo who has fused place and process to create distinctive and distinguished pies. It’s the definitive voice of a generation, and it expresses the Garden State at its diverse, dynamic best. It's early November 2021, and much is happening at Razza Pizza Artigianale, a decidedly different breed of pizza restaurant whose chef-owner Dan Richer has changed the way we in New Jersey view and eat pizza and influenced both pizzaioli and home-based pizza makers nationwide. Today, in our ongoing series, we take a look at what's new: Richer’s first cookery book, “The Joy of Pizza,” has just been published, with a launch party set for Tuesday, Nov. 9 at Razza; the chef’s red peppers blend, in collaboration with esteemed spice merchant Burlap & Barrel, is on the market; and Razza’s expansion is taking shape. The Peasant Wife’s Mike Peters is keeping tabs on it all.
Lucky-Me Leftovers
Turkey Chili
White beans, plus much that’s sitting post-feast in your crowded fridge, can combine to make a supper fit for a crowd.
Fortnightly 5
When the Best Gets Better: 11-8-21
Just when you think you’ve had the very best of something – be it a quiche or a ceviche, a hot chicken sandwich or a fruited tea – along comes a new take to turn your head and steal your heart.
Victoria’s Cake
A bakeshop on a side street in Westfield is a new entry in the ever-growing genre in the Garden State. Sizing up a selection of its French-accented sweets yields hits and misses.
Noon Tea Creperie
Could the cool tea-inspired desserts and drinks at a slender downtown storefront frequented by students make it the snack version of Playa Bowls?
Coming Soon: Juanito’s Charcoal Grill
Restaurateur Juan Torres has an empire in Red Bank. He’s got another restaurant in the making, this one with the stamp of an artist and craftsman who right now is putting a gallery of finishing touches on the West Side space.
Smart Shop
The Greek Store
Prepared foods, pantry items, store-baked pastries and olives, olives, olives: Bring sunny Mediterranean flavors from this must-stop in Kenilworth to your table, and ring in the long holiday season ahead.
Mex’d Messages
If you’re promoting yourself as authentic Mexican, be authentic. If you’re looking to Americanize Mexican, or amalgamate Mex/Tex-Mex/Cali-Mex, call your food something else. Just don’t malign a stand-up sensational cuisine.