Spiced Watermelon
Is it a hand-held salad? A refreshing hors d’oeuvre for an outdoor party? A snack, a light lunch, a treat to bring to the beach or park picnic? A supplement to popcorn on movie night? It’s a favorite, gone jazzy.
Patidar Supermarket, Bridgewater
The new flagship store of this small chain of Indian markets is not just a stock-up spot for South Asian ingredients, but a place for shoppers less-versed in the region’s cuisines to be educated – and entertained by the excitement of the unfamiliar.
Lucky Star Tasty Food
The foods of Fuzhou in China’s Fujian Province are the marquee dishes at this minuscule storefront that takes its comforting classics seriously.
Café at Patidar Bridgewater
Stifle the hunger pangs that can lead to less-than-optimal impulse buys by taking a break to eat Indian classics at a café conveniently cloistered within a new mega-market in Somerset County.
The Power of Blueberries and Time Travel
When Chef Andre de Waal’s Blueberry Buckle is in a nearby oven, no one has a right to sing the blues. Read on, be inspired and bake this lasagne of desserts to his specifications.
Lan Ramen
Chinese sauerkraut shines at a noodles specialist where the marquee dish can be lackluster. Is it time to break out the bubbles and feature a trend that’s thousands of years old?
Memelas and Memelitas
From villages in Mexico to Garden State restaurants come an antojito in forms that range from a comely tart to an open-face giant of a sandwich. We tip you to two.
Most Approachable Exotics
Nothing as-per-usual in TPW’s latest round of favorite eats. No, this time it’s all about the less-familiar done enticingly right.
Cucumbers to the Rescue
A minted cukes salad is destined to serve as a side show to anything grilled. Toss when its primary ingredient starts to flood our fields and markets – i.e., now – and give yourself a reprieve from heat.
Indispensable on Independence Day
What New Jersey food must be on your Fourth of July table? That’s the question we posed to top professionals in the culinary crafts and trades in the Garden State. Their answers reflect the season and deep-seated traditions.
Toasting the Indies, 2026
A year ago, in honor of Independence Day, we toasted some of our favorite independently owned and operates restaurants in the Garden State, culling some 32 to tout and also shout out for staying alive during particularly tenuous times. Today, as we mark the 250th anniversary of our nation declaring its own independence, we continue that tradition by noting 16 indies reviewed since the start of this year.