Game Changers
Build a better bowl with seafood and rice, a better dip with hearty greens, a better snacking bite with mini open-face meatloaf sandwiches. Chili, guac and wings might be Super Bowl traditions, but surprise plays lift a crowd to its feet.
Four Green Cats Café
Danish and doughnuts – of course. We’re visiting an outpost of the Cezch Republic, after all. But don’t miss the chlebicky, the star of the savory show at a very relaxed day café.
Rooted in the Season
Strange bedfellows? Ha! If you think parsnips, turnips, rutabagas and their kin have nothing to say to mandarins, Cara Caras, clementines and their mates, you’re missing out on some energizing winter eating.
Fortune Cookies
Not your grandma or grandpa’s local Chinese joint, this Hunan specialist is proudly authentic. There are dishes that hit the heights, and dishes that fall short, but there’s nothing that sidesteps sincerity.
Diablo-Cado con Huevo
Got avocado toast fatigue? Kitch Organic in Red Bank refreshes a tired trend with none other than salt and pepper.
Amayar Kitchen
Experience harmonic convergence of the culinary kind at this Burmese storefront where a chef’s command of his homeland’s iconic foods is on display in dishes both simple and complex.
Flavor Forward: 1-31-22
Nothing shy about our latest Fab 5, which includes plush foie gras with a counterpointing conserve; super-smoky charred cauliflower; and a bold cilantro salad that goes pungent-on-pungent.
Lunar New Year
Plot, plan, organize feasts fit to toast the holiday. But be open to whatever might beckon when you shop your local Asian market.
Ehren Ryan: Common Lot
After working on three continents, the Australian-born chef who is this month’s chef-picked honoree planted a flag in Millburn. Can a menu be rooted in local seasons but also borderless? As his fan and selector to this elite club notes, “This man has no rules when it comes to putting ingredients together.”
Gub Khao Thai
Simplicity and complexity converge at a newcomer in a food-centric city that showcases the talents of a chef who cooks for diners much like he cooks for himself at home.
Sweet Melissa Patisserie
With its wide range of fine-tuned pastries, detailed to thrill upon first sight, this French-accented bakery plays at a high level, for sure. But don't ignore its savory fare, which sits at the intersection of classic and creative and brings uncommon culinary muscle to its part of the menu.
Magnificent in Magenta
Radicchio is the valentine of vegetables, a leafy chicory of ravishing beauty. Saute the leaves of a winter-grown head and you’ll be sending a message of love to those you serve.