Holy Smokes!
What do you do with an XL-size ham hock smoked by Pulaski Meat in Linden? Add it to beans for a hearty stew and, while you’re at it, throw in a smoked baby-back rib just for fun.
Ray’s Roadside Kitchen
It’s a lot about country-style comfort foods at a new eatery in New Egypt from a champ in the barbecue world who takes pride in place.
Bosphorus
Modest in every way except for its skillful executions of Turkish fare, a small storefront in a college town is run by a couple laser-focused on serving dishes both authentic and sincere. Exhibit A: Magnificent homemade manti.
Sue’s New Beans
In a new iteration of a useful, inspiring column, a longtime cooking teacher takes on the challenge of turning doggie-bag Asian-style string beans into a company-worthy dinner. Meet our food-upcycling wiz, Sue Sell Bernstein.
Turban Squash
Using a little oven magic, a lesser-known, colorful and comely hybrid of the Hubbard and acorn can be both dinner and a centerpiece.
Café Paris
Come for the galettes, linger for no reason at all, finish with a sweet crepe. While the menu needs lightening of its excesses in order to allow for better control in the kitchen, there’s something to be said for time at the table in a classic café.
Sagami
What becomes a legend? Adam revisits a pioneer to see if its sushi and cooked fare still duel for supremacy – and its atmosphere remains placid and service warmly serene.
Tomatillos
The intriguing fruit that looks like a small green tomato covered with a flimsy papery shield does much more than shine in a classic salsa verde. Ella experiments with a recipe that puts the citrusy-sour ingredient in a different starring role.
Power to the Pumpkin
Get to the heart – or, rather, the guts – of the matter and follow Ella’s lead: Cook more pumpkins this month than you decorate. You’ll find it’s fun to carve them, but even better to fashion into dinner.
Kimchi Mama
Enlarged in menu and space, a revived Korean comes to the Shore and perks up classics with subtle yet effective riffs. BTW: There’s groovy ice cream and an artful shop to explore nearby.
Main Street Café
Don’t let the plain-Jane name fool you. There’s more than coffee and pastries at this Colombian day café with a host of authentic specialties that includes your new favorite anytime-of-day food, the baleada.
It’s Personal: 9-26-22
You love a certain food. So why not order what you love? Especially if a new spin, a new take, a new incarnation can bring more reason to love it? Each of this fortnight’s favorites have a history of some sort – but also a certain extra something that intrigues and propels.