For the Host Who Has Cooked Everything
On the day before Thanksgiving, please accept these recommendations of what you can give in thanks to the cook that might either serve to supplement all that home-cooked fare or be something useful, thoughtful and/or delicious to indulge in at some point after the party’s over.
goodbeet
A decade-old plant-based eatery strikes notes of individuality in a bowl rallying around chickpeas, a serious take on a wrap-free burrito, and through orbs of eggplant in a sultry tomato sauce. Though there’s a bit of controversy afoot – read on – there’s reason aplenty on the menu to keep supporting what’s been a community favorite.
Big Bonuses
What do a chili-laden hot dog, jar of fig jam, head of Romanesco, big bowl of chickpeas and mates, and a skillet of ground beef Karachi-style have in common? Besides the fact that all hail from South Jersey, they’re also the favorite eats of the two weeks just past and they all benefit from big bonus flavors.
Freshen Thanksgiving
Scooping up a basket of produce from our Garden State farms is a sure-bet way to brighten the holiday table. Today, we take four vegetables from Savoie Organic Farm and turn them into Turkey Day sides with little effort. The result? A bushel of vivid flavors.
All’Assassina
An important dish that flourishes in Italy is defamed at a restaurant in Union County that purports to celebrate it. It’s the fault of improper execution and it’s not the only pasta (or pinsa or antipasto) that’s being mistreated.
The Taste-Maker’s Gift
There’s a No. 1 in preserves-making in the Garden State and it’s someone you’ve met before here at The Peasant Wife: Amanda Newman, of Spotted Horse Provisions. Grab her peerless preserves while you can, in time for gift-giving and your own holiday tables.
Miss Saigon
The menu at this decade-old storefront eatery showcases classics, but the execution of dishes fails to reflect the freshness, balance and respect for high-quality ingredients fundamental to Vietnamese cuisine. It’s neither comforting to the cautious nor the adventurous.
Fresh Cilantro Sauce
Green and vibrant and ready to toss with noodles of all sorts is an herb-dominated tonic for those with the tomato-missing blues. And anyone who thinks it’s time for a change-up.
Bright Side Kitchen
Off-season in Manahawkin, across the causeway from Long Beach Island, finds this daytime café hopping. That’s thanks to the ways the amiable crew dresses up soups, salads and sandwiches with accents designed to edify – and cheer.
Pasta e Fajioli
A most beloved friend cooks for you the most comforting of Italian soups. That’s not just amore; it’s a reason to be thankful for those who turn to the kitchen when it’s time to soothe.
Pals’ Night Out ’25
Gathering your besties during the heart of the holiday season is always a challenge of time and place. It’ll be up to you to make time for those who are dearest, but we’d like to help out with place. Here’s a heaping helping – 20! – of suggestions culled from our Restaurant Revue columns posted so far this year.
Flavors Full of Fall
It’s the season to be hearty, all the while managing to be bright, and it’s leaning on noodles with a sumptuous glaze, mushrooms, beans with the plushness of a pudding and a mini pie true to its namesake. Herewith, the quintet of favorite eats from the two weeks just past.