Reimagination Is Fun: 5-24-21
Spins on the familiar spark smiles and show off the skills of Garden State food artists. These are my favorites of the fortnight just past; what are yours?
Stewing, Warm-Weather-Style
Surprisingly quick and easy to cook, unsurprisingly satisfying to eat with its beans-and-greens base, this cassoulet’s smoked pork and dried fruit accents get a lift from energizing heat.
De Martino
A season-tipping menu, reimagined standards and broad scope of ingredients elevate a second-generation Latin-leaning restaurant to destination-dining stature.
Smitty’s
The Clam Bar at Smith’s Marina, widely known and loved as its nickname, Smitty’s, is the definition of a summertime seafood shack. May it serve clams and “Pink” and fried fish eternally and never, ever run out of the Thursday special.
Mustards! (And More)
Greens signal the start of the seasonal flow – and mustards are on fire right now. Get ’em while they’re hot off the farm.
Indochine
What’s the right night for an interlude of classic Vietnamese fare? Maybe spring rolls, a rice plate and pho? Any night.
What’s a kati roll?
Traditionally a hand-held street food and beloved in India, this near-endlessly versatile bundle of flavor is ready for its close-up. Behold, and then become besotted.
Elsie’s Pickles
Remember when we said we “reserve the right to continue telling” at a future date the story of this pickle sandwich paradise in Haddon? Well, we’re doing just that today, with news of the impending opening of another Elsie’s in the town known as the Jewel of the Bayshore.
Past Perfect: 5-10-21
Riveting versions of foods first experienced long ago highlight a spate of exhilarating mid-spring eating.
Basturma: Unforgettable
Finding in Paterson the cured beef with roots in the Eastern Mediterranean brings to mind a mentor who taught generations and put into the spotlight neglected ingredients now fundamental to our cookery.
Gandom Bakery
If you’ve not yet experienced the iconic breads of Iran, high-tail it to a storefront in Paterson’s Middle Eastern district and dive in to the world of sangak, barbari and taftoon.
El Tule
We’ve come for the Peruvian specialties at this cheerful indoor-outdoor eatery whose dualities extend to a menu that spotlights dishes from both Peru and Mexico. It’s technical precision and careful plotting of composition that score a knockout.