Rockin’ Around the State
Once again, the quintet of favorites takes in a world’s-eye view from Garden State restaurants. This time: South America, China, Italy, India and Mexico. And all without need of a passport.
Layered Like Lasagne
Take staples – bread, onions, beans, greens – and turn them into a bake that’s awfully sporting at this time of year. It’s light on effort, heavy on using what’s already on hand, and satisfying for solo eating or feeding a crowd.
Wisdom in a Cup
Sinofilia Tea Shop in Boonton fulfills the promise of its name, delivering a love of Chinese culture and its people through both the hand-picked teas and the gong fu cha ceremonies it offers. Kate Munning sits at owner Feng Xiao Liu’s tea station to experience and be enlightened.
Porta Rossa
No coulda or shoulda about it: The pastas at this focused side-street spot are top-tier contenders for the Garden State’s finest and where high craft meets the vision and mission of chef Matt Ruzga.
Hot Breads
Plum cake that’s confidently spiced, cookies that stand apart from their sugared brethren, and pastries rolled with savory fillings keep company with specialty Indian breads at a storefront with a fired-up kitchen out back in Franklin Park.
Val Pals: Share Foods
Fish Head Soup at Tasty Moment in Edison kicks off a chain of eating thoughts inspired by a TPW subscriber’s most thoughtful observations: There’s more to a hearts-and-flowers holiday than dining in traditional deuce form. Read on to learn why – and on what and where.
Vegetable Stock Cream Soup
Employ the old adage “honey from a weed” and turn the makings of a broth into a meal of its own. P.S. The “cream” is only an illusion.
Beverage Revelation
Much is brewing in the world of beverages that’s about “dry” and abstinence and zero-proof. A new adult drink is emerging that’s all about craftsmanship, flavor and – hallelujah! – healthy ingredients that offer a different kind of buzz. It’s called Seraphim. Meet its maker, Stephanie Schaich-Bricken.
Downtown Peru
Chef Laly Acosta, cooking out of a new roost in the blueberry capital of the world, already is shifting local dining perspectives to favor classics of her homeland that she deftly energizes with technical precision and unshy spicing.
Sportsmanlike Conduct
For the Super Bowl, a Cheesy Corn Bake is a diplomatic solution to the problem of what to serve to a crowd that might be on opposite ends of the rooting game. Or, merely inconsolable – until this dip is set before them.
For Valentine’s Day: Embrace a BYOB
Prefer a quieter scene, a place where you can bring a special bottle you’ve kept in purposeful abeyance, a restaurant well known for its top-quality food yet manages to exist off the radar of relentlessly perambulating scenesters? When a tete-a-tete over thoughtful, provocative plates is your desire, consider these 10 BYOB restaurants, listed in alphabetical order, where the dining is fine.
What Wonderful Whorls
Circling back to favorites of the two weeks just past brings us to bowls and orbs of baked goods that deserve a round of applause.