Seed to Sprout
Modern-day plant-based fare that’s not afraid to go bold is the order of the day at this congenial eatery in one of the Shore’s quieter boroughs, a place possessing a quiet charm that’s quite the complement to the jazzy, look-lively savories prepared by conscientious co-chefs.
Smoke, without Mirrors
Three of five favorites this go-round use various notes of smoky flavors to their advantage. You’ll catch those notes more with taste than sniff, no games being played. Then there’s a fine fry and a statement in ice cream, no gaming, either.
Smoked Whitefish Salad Spread
The end justifies the wee bit of effort to make from scratch a salad that tastes infinitely better than the prepared version. Work those extra minutes into your schedule and exult in the result.
Drew Araneo, Drew’s Bayshore Bistro
The newest inductee into TPW’s chef-picks-chef society of top toques might be Jersey all the way, but the food at his destination in Keyport speaks with a decided N’Awlins accent. The very personal ways this local hero reinterprets Southern classics with Garden State ingredients have been drawing diners for almost two decades.
Grazie Bistro
A seasoned chef looking to tilt Italian in the direction of modern has taken over the former Fedora Café space in the village of Lawrenceville, a charmer of a commercial center whose Main Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Balkan Market
For New Jersey residents of Balkan heritage, the fundamentals of home-cooked meals often depend on procuring critical ingredients made in their homelands – ingredients that, fortunately, are imported and found in the Garden State at small, family-owned and independent groceries, such as this shop in Manalapan run by Timi Marke and his family.
Game Day Take-away
Call this Mid-week Quarterbacking: Up your game-watching eats into next-level nutritional value by faking out your mates with a spread that allows everyone to pass right by the antacid aisle.
Fancy Fish
"Fry" is the method done right at this storefront deep in the heart of Havana on the Hudson that’s all and only about fishes. Long may it reign, absolutely unchanged. P.S. It’s one in a family of five siblings.
Fresh, Young Ginger, for Gari
Youth isn’t wasted on this rhizome that’s juicier and livelier in its smoother-faced prime. As the cognoscenti know, now is the time to kick into ginger-pickling production.
Chocolates, with Super Powers
It’s actually elemental: cacao and honey, with a sprinkling of functional superfoods. That’s how a couple working out of a 1940s repurposed building in Union City is crafting a guilt-free line of chocolates by hand.
Deccan Spice
The traditions of thali fail to receive the respect they deserve at a high-style space where the premise is much about majesty, but the practice of reheating leftovers and an indifference to freshness prevail. It’s a disgrace to a ritual built on pride of place, process and ingredients.
Ube Ice Cream, at Sweet Dynasty
The purple yam popular in the Philippines shines in ice cream form at this diminutive shop in Edison. Subtle and sophisticated, it’s a flavor to favor in fall.