Sebastian’s Schnitzel Haus
For more than 30 years, cheerful, hearty German-American food has been the calling card and draw at this roadhouse heavily populated by Hummels, dolls and beer steins. It’s old-fashioned in other ways, too – cash only, menus encased in plastic, checks written in long hand – and that’s A-OK by all who belly up to the brats.
Old Favorites, New Looks
Pasta, meatballs, rice, chicken and a mini version of a familiar fruit each get new life from culinary pros determined to lift them up from roles typical and perhaps a bit tired. Each of our five favorites from the two weeks just past brings zing to our tables.
In the Greens
The bounty of the new season is verdant and versatile – and it’s ready to be cooked. Not overcooked, mind you. But stir-fried into one of the quickest, most nutritious meals around.
Poy’s Kitchen
Sporting mostly Thai, with a side of Lao-style dishes, this storefront in the county seat of Sussex County is helmed by a chef with some serious chops. Take a flier on the less available cuisine and be rewarded with mindful cookery.
Kiwiberries
Uncommon and uncommonly refreshing in a zesty-sweet way, this vine-grown fruit is now being cultivated by a handful of Garden State farmers. One bite is all it takes to make a fan.
Espo’s
Nowhere does the flag saluting the red, white and green in the Garden State wave more deliciously that at this mainstay in a Somerset County borough long steeped in Italian-American traditions. Here, it’s always Sunday Gravy time.
Apple Stew-Stuffed Honeynuts
It’s a supper that’s a happy collision of early fall ingredients and is customizable for vegans, vegetarians and carnivores. It makes the most of two universally loved staples and requires no techniques that necessitate completion of a cooking school course. Ready, set, eat.
Jade’s
From a roost in a small borough in Sussex County, a couple who made a name for themselves at a chicken-centric spot in the county seat serve hearty self-styled Afro-Latin fare that does more than toe-dip into seafood and waffles.
Saja & Shawarma
Not just a shawarma standout, this newcomer to the best Main Street of Eastern Mediterranean eateries in the U.S. also sports beatific broasted chicken and savory crepes overstuffed with juicy meats. It’s the Triple Crown winner for cookery you’d otherwise need a passport and plane flights to experience.
Tico & Atypical
Call these a rather eccentric quintet of favorites: Three dishes that seem imported directly from Costa Rica, a curious specimen that’s North America’s largest native fruit yet not found in supermarkets, and a burger hardly fit for grill or griddle. These are the chart-topping five from the two weeks just past.
Charred Beans with Lemon Yogurt
Enter a border-free zone and make supper out of an in-season vegetable by taking what’s on hand, zapping it with spices you favor and bringing it all together on one plate.
Lokotas Argentine Empanadas
Hearty empanadas from a mother-daughter team have a home in a brick-and-mortar takeout locale in Southern Ocean County. You won’t need to ask “Where’s the beef?” – or the chicken, vegetables or sweet stuff – inside these homey, hand-held pockets. Their fat bellies betray all.