The Pom Mol Difference
Add to a tapenade/muffaletta olive spread repertoire a zingy, lively combo united by pomegranate molasses and find yourself with a multi-purpose condiment as well as a dip in its own right.
Koi Matsu
At James Dong’s newcomer to a restaurant-rich community, Japanese fare gets taken on a world tour and brings home souvenirs that inspire both fun and fancy. It’s a joy ride, and the chef wants to personally welcome you aboard.
Ideal Lasagne
At Porta Rossa in Maplewood, the layering of flat noodles, tomato sauce and cheeses reaches its apex thanks to a process that requires a couple of extra steps. It’s time that proves very well spent.
Makana’s
Breakfast-lunch eateries have seized the dining scene and continue to make themselves at home in our downtowns. This happy place, anchored in the Jewel of the Jersey Shore, is where the work-from-café crowd congregates and the notion of “nutritious” eats promulgated. How’s that panning out?
Simple Only at First Glance
A quintet of dishes that seems to be composed of mild-mannered members – an omelet, a whole fish, a cake, a lasagne and a stir-fry – is distinguished either by expert cooking or thoughtful partnering accents. Or both.
Garlic Confit
An easy-to-make preserve is turned by a skilled and imaginative culinary pro into a hearty snack that can be the star of the playoffs-to-Super-Bowl season. Bet on it scoring big with your fellow game-watchers.
Bonney’s
A couple with irreproachable technical skills and a love of jolly good food took fundamentals of Filipino fare and Jamaican dishes and mixed till matches were deemed sound. They call it fusion, and it’s a delicious new way of eating island-inspired foods.
Evergreen Dairy Bar
Hard on the east-west byway of Route 70 in South Jersey, a few miles east of downtown Medford, sits a drive-in that was born in 1949 and still serves ice cream and also classic breakfast and lunch fare all year long. It’s much more than throwback vintage.
Karley’s Brussels Sprouts
Jeff’s Organic Produce, a farm in Upper Freehold Township, offers a fresh-harvest winter crop of lovely little cruciferous-vegetable globes that can work magic in dozens of dishes – including one that riffs off a cousin from the Far East and makes a fitting showcase for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.
Shanghai Bun
Explore the authentic Chinese menus at this dressed-up storefront near the train station at Princeton Junction and find a wealth of house specialties you’ll be hard-pressed not to order on repeat visits. The solution? Order your favorites and also order new dishes destined to become new favorites.
Chez Alice Patisserie
Tea time! The tiered trays of designed sweets and savories are a mix of fun and frustration at this upscale bakeshop offering a range of tea services in a space behind the pastry-snatching crowds coming in off the streets. Unevenness in preparation is the problem. But there’s a talented team behind the scenes who should be able to fix flaws.
A Flair for Upgrading the Ordinary
Taking a chance on a switcheroo or doing something new to something old benefits the eats that are the favorites in this latest round of standouts. Time not just to say ahh, but ah-ha.