Sweet Dynasty/Old Bridge
In an old Exxon station with plenty of space to make her Asian-inspired ice creams, Song Lee continues a tradition of artisan craftsmanship in scoopable frozen treats.
Bread & Culture
Breads and pastries deserving of praise fly out of this popular downtown eatery. But sandwiches with promising concepts falter due to lack of focus in the assembly.
Potato-Tomato Causa
By subbing this season’s primo piece of produce for the usual chicken or tuna salads, you can put a new spin on the Peruvian classic that is so right for right now.
S&Y Mini Hot Pot
An eminently pleasant, casually covert eatery run by a couple steeped in on-point cooking and hospitality might be the leader of a most respectable pack of hot-pot specialists now raising the bar on the genre in the Garden State.
The French Fry Guy
Andrew Keris, potato farmer and master of the double-deep-fry, turns out carton after carton of superior frites from the confines of his snappy green food truck. Catch him wherever you can.
Sushi on Fleek
Brazilian sushi is at the core of the menu at an off-the-coast specialist located near the center of this Shore city. While its kitchen’s knife skills are vastly improved, it now has another key technique that needs work.
Mom-and-Pop Shops Shine
Couples joining forces are the forces to be reckoned with in this round of favorites dominated by foods that emanate from small, family-run eateries. And then there’s a man and his potatoes.
Knock, Knock. Who’s There? Zucchini
Chef Andre deWaal refuses to take the green tubular squash for granted. After you make his Zucchini Bruschetta, you’ll join the ranks of its boosters.
Casa de Masala
Take classics from culinary canons Indian and Latin, pair thoughtfully and cook just right, and the result can be a menu of long-term, lovable partnerships. Like the ones found at a newcomer to the Bayshore.
Tiam Tiam
Thrillingly flavorful foods mark the menus at this modest, but mighty storefront piloted from original market to destination restaurant by an extraordinary and idiosyncratic wife-husband team of chefs, Jennifer Cheng and Jesse Kim. It’s a dine card must.
Green Beans + Chimichurri + Feta
While not possessing quite the same cachet as others in the peak-season, high-summer realm, these skinny kids on the produce block can make friends with accents in ways that take them out from behind the shadows of tomatoes, corn and eggplant.
Ideal Eating
Call this a U.O.U. and take a few minutes to plan for some pleasurable dining-out time while summer’s still in its prime. It’s a personal process, one that involves a bit of ruminating and selecting, so we’ve got some recommendations to get your thinking off and running.