Ten Ways to Love Eggplant
Whether you’re an eggplant lover or you need the trappings of a parm to make it palatable, know that our Garden State is No, 1 in the nation for eggplant production and we at TPW want you to make the most of its time at NJ’s farmers’ markets and on local farmstands. That’s why we’re offering these non-parm how-tos.
Hen Vietnamese Kitchen & Bar
Miscues by both front-of-house and kitchen crews hinder what’s being served at a splashy, swanky restaurant and prevent diners from understanding key components of a cuisine that’s inherently vibrant and vivacious.
Rice Bowl, at El Pueblo Taqueria
Let a chef with know-how and an artillery of fine ingredients compose for you an edible mosaic in the Mexican manner that leaves the versions churned out at fast-casual chains in the dust. It’s all done the right way at a locals’ favorite in North Cape May.
Tomato Butter
A summer staple to use now or freeze to warm winter later comes with a story that tips a hat to a couple of very grande dames.
Moksha Eats
The staples of India are on the menu of this fine-tuned storefront, but it’s the comprehensive listing of Nepalese fare that you must not ignore. Indeed, if you zero in on these flavors that are more subtle, with spices less prominent and dishes extra-carefully rendered, you’ll hit Himalayan heights.
Boat to Table: Collared
What arguably is the best part of a fish often is left on the cutting room floor, depriving pro cooks, home cooks and diners the chance to experience its sheer succulence and rich flavors. The remedy can come through a very direct way of getting local fishes to local people.
Up with Down-to-Earth
To be loved, a food doesn’t have to be earth-shattering or served in posh surroundings or sport pricey, luxe ingredients. It can be as down-to-earth as vegetables, fruit, bread, fish and beans can be and still rise to the top of our charts.
Zuke Cups
One of the season’s most prolific crops gets a new look and a new use with minimal effort. Sporty and cute, these little vessels offer smooth sailing in the kitchen on a summer night.
AwesomeYo’s Spiced Potato Chips
A chip that can make a snack into a meal is found at an eatery in Metuchen that sports savory fare and baked goods, as well as pure-gold finds such as these brashly seasoned homemade crisps.
Oasis
Moroccan classics may get the respect they’re due at this downtown storefront in a restaurant-rich town. Or they may not. Poor handling of what could be, what should be satisfying signature dishes results in failures too ignoble to dismiss.
Fajji’s Ice Cream
A fixture in Perth Amboy is this ice cream stand where the churner in charge pushes butterfat content to its limit even as he fully respects the flavor quotient. And there are quenching helados tropicales on board. Salud!
Flavor, Forward March
What’s ripe and ready at this moment of harvest and what comes from well-honed skills following tradition or riffing on old ways rise to the top in this round of favorites from the two weeks just past.