Porta Rossa
No coulda or shoulda about it: The pastas at this focused side-street spot are top-tier contenders for the Garden State’s finest and where high craft meets the vision and mission of chef Matt Ruzga.
Val Pals: Share Foods
Fish Head Soup at Tasty Moment in Edison kicks off a chain of eating thoughts inspired by a TPW subscriber’s most thoughtful observations: There’s more to a hearts-and-flowers holiday than dining in traditional deuce form. Read on to learn why – and on what and where.
Vegetable Stock Cream Soup
Employ the old adage “honey from a weed” and turn the makings of a broth into a meal of its own. P.S. The “cream” is only an illusion.
Downtown Peru
Chef Laly Acosta, cooking out of a new roost in the blueberry capital of the world, already is shifting local dining perspectives to favor classics of her homeland that she deftly energizes with technical precision and unshy spicing.
Sportsmanlike Conduct
For the Super Bowl, a Cheesy Corn Bake is a diplomatic solution to the problem of what to serve to a crowd that might be on opposite ends of the rooting game. Or, merely inconsolable – until this dip is set before them.
For Valentine’s Day: Embrace a BYOB
Prefer a quieter scene, a place where you can bring a special bottle you’ve kept in purposeful abeyance, a restaurant well known for its top-quality food yet manages to exist off the radar of relentlessly perambulating scenesters? When a tete-a-tete over thoughtful, provocative plates is your desire, consider these 10 BYOB restaurants, listed in alphabetical order, where the dining is fine.
What Wonderful Whorls
Circling back to favorites of the two weeks just past brings us to bowls and orbs of baked goods that deserve a round of applause.
The Avocado Update
What do you get when you zhuzh up a mash of your most favorite green food? Not exactly guac.
Wu’s Crab House (Xie Bao Crab)
The delicacy that is crab roe from China is the franchise player at a specialist restaurant in beyond-bustling Festival Plaza. It’s where you best can explore crab eggs’ interactions with less-showy staples such as noodles, tofu and rice.
Cassoulet de Bayshore
With respect for traditions as well as a true love of hometown culinary culture, a stew of justifiable renown gets a perk-me-up at an award-winning restaurant in Keyport.
24 Karrot Spread
You don’t have to be a carrot cruncher to appreciate a new spread on the market aimed at vegans but being embraced by all.
Yuan
A new and celebration-ready Chinese restaurant in the Newport neighborhood has the right idea for upscale dining that focuses on razzle-dazzle marquee dishes without leaving authentic family-style fare on the sidelines. It’s a happy new year spot year-round.