La Fe Pupuseria
Start with the marquee item at this Salvadoran newcomer and proceed with the rest of the splendid classics from the Central American country. There’s more than griddled, stuffed cakes that rule at a smash-hit dine-card must.
A Show of Handhelds
Fork-free fare dominates our quintet of favorites that includes a savory infused with fruit that you’ll want to eat with a spoon and an early spring green ready to pluck from its curly head.
Curlesi, from Black Sheep Farm
The baby escarole and frisee would have is this ruffle-headed chicory that could be partnered with a variety of other foods, from citrus to pasta to tinned fishes. Or it can be plucked straight from the earth and eaten unvarnished, happy to charm and satisfy.
Mauli
The powerhouse kitchen at this Indian specialist in Somerset trains its keen eye on Maharashtrian, Indochinese and North Indian dishes. There’s much to tempt. But if you let yourself fall prey to the usual, you’ll be missing out on some of the most delicious and emotionally exhilarating dishes in the subcontinent’s vernacular.
Vegan Tree Fried Rice
Both black and white rices form the base of what could be a staple at more plant-based restaurants if only thoughtful flavor-layering methods and not short-cut shots of salinity are employed. At this modest storefront in Matawan, vegan fried rice is done right.
Rayaki
Japanese street fare takes charge of the menu at this storefront covered in images of anime and populated by students, parents with kids and remote workers skilled at not dripping on their laptops as they eat. It delivers in short order robatakayi, ramen and rice platters that only rarely rise above rudimentary and often fail due to incompetence in the kitchen.
What the Devil!
Got leftover hard-cooked eggs? Be fearless, be bold, be wacky – and use up leftovers and dregs from what’s already in your fridge and pantry to make deviled eggs that decidedly are not from a Junior League cookbook.
Pide 28
The distinctive stuffed flatbreads from Turkey are the main attraction at a modest, yet comfortable storefront in the Eastern Med district of this food-centric city. With more than 20 various fillings and a skilled pideci at the oven, it’s the place to go for your bachelor’s degree in pide.
For the Sport of It
At Taliercio’s Gourmet Deli in Middletown, there’s a sandwich that demands the attention of a certain currently sidelined pro football running back. There are many other piled-high well-made subs that already get the attention of the hordes that invade the storefront, but this is the one with the potential to change the course of recent woebegone history.
Famous Sgt. Bob Smoke BBQ & Grill
Filipino-accented barbecue takes a stand in the town that sits at the far-westernmost point of the Garden State, a couple blocks in from the Delaware River. It’s where Southeast Asia and America’s best ’cue pits converge in border-free pleasure. P.S. Stop for dessert at Pennsville Custard.
From Minor to Major
This round of winning favorites is dominated by dishes that spotlight elements not ordinarily deemed headliners. Batter? Rice? Plant leaves? Mashed eggplant? Stout? Sometimes it’s the supporting cast that steals a show.
Dashi: What Are You Waiting For?
Celebrated chef André deWaal has delighted and educated diners in the Garden State’s Northwest Kingdom for decades. Today he shares his fascination with dashi, that umami-charged base essential to Japanese cookery, in a new column that both spills the tea on dashi and offers a recipe to jump-start your own exploration of this fundamental flavor.