Pachamama
Chef Ricardo Ramirez has a firm handle on a handful of Peruvian classics he prepares with respect for tradition and a nod to spirited innovation. Not all is as it needs to be at this newcomer, but what’s done right deserves attention.
Lucille’s Country Cooking
There is nothing about this barn-red roadhouse of a breakfast-lunch joint that isn’t peachy keen. Y’all ought to come back and visit her again sometime. Soon.
Smadar’s ‘Beets in the Limelight’
A sturdy, reliable root vegetable gets a star turn with an unexpected and exhilarating accent. It’s a how-to developed by one of the faithful at the CSG at Genesis Farm.
Christo’s Wake and Steak
You don’t have to be sitting squarely in Philly to feel as though you’re in the middle of the Cheesesteak Universe. At a newcomer to a Garden State suburb with a burgeoning restaurant scene, hyper-care with details makes the traditions of a regional sandwich taste brand new.
Gabriel’s Fountain Kitchen & Creamery
Homemade artisan ice cream and updated classics from the all-American family-style genre are harmonious companions at this popular haunt. Yet it’s a place where it’s possible to make a discovery or two while innocently drinking a soda.
Why/When It’s 3, Not 5
All told, the salmon belly, cauliflower taco and buttery claytonia would make a most delightful meal. So we’ll move past what might have been, toast this trio and hope for better in the weeks to come.
French Sorrel’s Sunny Disposition
As soon as the lovely spring herb rears its pretty head, snip and clip and let those lemon-tart-sour leaves play in all sorts of dishes. Especially simple white beans.
Akai Lounge
Its strengths command attention even as its weaknesses frustrate. But sushi purists who learn how and what to order at this swanky second take of a Japanese standby tend to find themselves regulars.
Ramps, Vintage ’24
Beware the hawker of this wild allium whose sales pitch comes with strings attached for that person is not paying the darling of spring the respect it needs to survive. Buy only sustainably harvested ramps and in this, a slow year, use more sparingly in accenting roles. In other words: Enjoy, but mindfully.
Meximodo
Full disclosure isn’t what this festive and spirit-centric in every way newcomer to a downtown with a rollicking restaurant scene is about. That’s a shame because everyone in the Garden State’s foodstream deserves better – and its kitchen very well might benefit.
Burnt Leek-White Bean Dip
At first glance, leeks are sandy and coarse members of the allium family. In American cooking, they’re easy to avoid. When given a little extra time to roast in their own husks, leeks can be incredibly sweet, smooth and evocative of early spring flavor.Â
Mohican Farms
An animal farm in Warren County has expanded its scope to include a 7,000-square-foot marketplace and kitchen and now serves a veritable world’s fair of edibles.