Different Strokes
This fortnight’s round of favorite eats is highlighted by less-common takes on the familiar, bringing delights either demure or double-barreled.
Ten Ways to Love Eggplant
Whether you’re an eggplant lover or you need the trappings of a parm to make it palatable, know that our Garden State is No, 1 in the nation for eggplant production and we at TPW want you to make the most of its time at NJ’s farmers’ markets and on local farmstands. That’s why we’re offering these non-parm how-tos.
Hen Vietnamese Kitchen & Bar
Miscues by both front-of-house and kitchen crews hinder what’s being served at a splashy, swanky restaurant and prevent diners from understanding key components of a cuisine that’s inherently vibrant and vivacious.
Rice Bowl, at El Pueblo Taqueria
Let a chef with know-how and an artillery of fine ingredients compose for you an edible mosaic in the Mexican manner that leaves the versions churned out at fast-casual chains in the dust. It’s all done the right way at a locals’ favorite in North Cape May.
Chutzpah Kitchen
In the distinctive downtown district that is the Village sits this Middle Eastern mecca that’s emblematic of the neighborhood’s singular charms. It’s owned and operated by Sagi Ohayon, a chef who is something of a Pied Piper for dishes that have been around a mighty long spell. But he never lets them feel old and always makes certain they get respect and TLC.
Tomato Butter
A summer staple to use now or freeze to warm winter later comes with a story that tips a hat to a couple of very grande dames.
Moksha Eats
The staples of India are on the menu of this fine-tuned storefront, but it’s the comprehensive listing of Nepalese fare that you must not ignore. Indeed, if you zero in on these flavors that are more subtle, with spices less prominent and dishes extra-carefully rendered, you’ll hit Himalayan heights.
Good Earth Organic Eatery
The name may suggest an all-out hippie bill of fare. But while the food divined by a couple from Italy is much about vegan and vegetarian, fish gets its own listing and local roots and homey styles prevail. It’s the place to plant yourself on Cape Island when trendiness isn’t your groove. Er, jam.
Up with Down-to-Earth
To be loved, a food doesn’t have to be earth-shattering or served in posh surroundings or sport pricey, luxe ingredients. It can be as down-to-earth as vegetables, fruit, bread, fish and beans can be and still rise to the top of our charts.
Zuke Cups
One of the season’s most prolific crops gets a new look and a new use with minimal effort. Sporty and cute, these little vessels offer smooth sailing in the kitchen on a summer night.
Finch
Disconnects to communities clip the wings of a restaurant designed to provide a high-toned dining experience at a remade landmark in the smallest of Hunterdon County’s River Towns. With too little respect afforded the region’s farmers and food artisans and lack of proper attention in the kitchen, flawed dishes dominate a menu designed by a chef with an impressive pedigree.
Kanpachi Sushi
Much loved and resolutely patronized by its fans, this johnny-on-the-spot for all things sushi is the definition of what a local is in 21st-century New Jersey.