Finnbar
The setting’s been brushed up and the menu’s gone fully day-by-day seasonal. A landmark has been reborn, and now needs to dig a little deeper into its sourcing and fine-tune its preparations to better suit place and time.
Free-wheeling Range
A soda and a gravy, a burrito and a love child of a cross-cultural rice dish. Throw in a groovy green and you’ve got quite the spectrum of top eats of past two weeks.
A Fabulous Four
Benchmark’s country loaf, Chickadee Creek’s arugula rabe, Valley Shepherd’s smoky butter and a tin of anchovies (of all things): Can this be supper? Yes. And many other meals coming your way.
David Viana, Lita
The newest inductee into TPW’s elite chef-picks-chef society of top toques in the Garden State first garnered acclaim from diners and his peers for his innovative and technically precise plates. Powered today by a commitment to consistency and person-to-person connections, David Viana is far from finished when it comes to innovating. At his newest restaurant, Lita in Aberdeen, he’s serving up riffs on family recipes as well as a fresh perspective on hospitality.
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.