Roti Plus
Trinidad takes its rightful place as the inspiration for fare that concurrently thrills and comforts at a family-run strip mall storefront. A few dishes into a meal also may have you wondering if there’s a new breadstuffs sheriff in town.
Kiko’s Peruvian Kitchen
All is homey and bright at a new cubby-size spot that brings an underrepresented cuisine and its riveting eats to a restaurant-rich town.
The Innocents: 04.10.23
Who’d think spare ribs, fried mushrooms, a slice of fish, a tangle of greens or a bowl of soup could emerge complex and alluring? It’s what a consummate culinary pro does to each that commands attention anew.
Sausage Király
Hungarian sausage-maker Jozsef Hirs crafts noble versions of the classics right here in the Garden State. Catch him when and where you can at farmers’ markets, festivals and by ordering online.
Rabes to the Rescue
Bridging the traditional leanest-season produce gap are lesser-known but decidedly not less-flavorful greens: kale rabe, spring rabe and arugula rabe.
Cultivate
Dishes that cut to the chase of plant-based eating and reveal unassailable splendors is what this revelation in Union County is about. For many, it will be an unforgettable introduction to a chef who nails, and hails, vegan cookery.
The Spot
Times are a-changing at this day café with a casual, globe-trotting menu. But chances are you still will be able to find that dish that brings you back.
Hand-Held Salad, Vietnamese-style
Get wrapping, with a no-fork salad that makes splendid use of vegetable odd-and-ends already in your fridge – or what will be coming in, with spring’s new crop of Garden State produce. TPW’s resident food-upcycling wiz has a plan that is party-ready.
Color Your World
Pluck a veritable bouquet of spring rabe, a green that often rings in spring. Work it hard – it can take it – and let it brighten these weeks when the earth transforms from brown to blooming. First up in ’23: Rabe and Ramps Risotto.
Yamagata
We live in an age of the local sushi joint. So where does a stalwart with legions of loyal regulars and skilled chefs stand?
River Lea House Kimchee
Start with a tub of made-on-a-farm, small-batch fermented/pickled vegetables, then customize your very own bowl of nutritious deliciousness.
Hu Tieu Mien Tay
A pioneer in Atlantic County is this old-school Vietnamese that makes up in sincerity what it lacks in any sort of a scene. Unless, that is, your scene of choice is much about the serious, focused eating of classics.