Jersey Best: 3-29-21
Could I be eating better any place else? No, I say to myself, as this fortnight draws to a close. Not with the skilled growers and fisherfolk, artisans and chefs working here in the Garden State.
Peak Cheese
You know the differences among cow, goat and sheep milks, right? You know proper serving temperatures, yes? You know not to ever wrap a cheese in plastic, perhaps? But do you know when a particular cheese, like a wine, is “tasting really good right now”?
Home Made
The name is no misnomer: There must be a coterie of babcia in the kitchen of this destination for Polish specialties making magic with everything from sauerkraut to pierogies to kielbasa.
Reviewing Revues
If there’s one thing we can be certain of in this pandemic era, it’s that our restaurants know how to change on a dime. In fact, several of the spots we’ve highlighted in the past few months already are introducing new dishes, planning special dinners and even expanding. Here’s a quick look at what’s happening as we celebrate early spring.
The Convenience of Eating Local
You can stop by your local convenience store to pick up packaged bites, soups and sandwiches or you can follow the micro-seasons of Garden State foods and savor the convenience of locavore eating.
Drew’s Bayshore Bistro
Can a restaurant bring vitality to a town, change culture and maybe even solidify community? Can a chef spark joy, educate and stimulate? Can a favorite dish not wear out its welcome, but actually improve with a little age? Yes; yes to all.
Ai Sushi
Front-row seats to the show of sushi chef knife skills aren’t available right now. But what is turned out by the masters are primo rolls and masterful sushi and sashimi. Eat, enjoy – and respect.
Promises, Promises: 3.15.21
The first rabe of the year; a soft pretzel that takes one back out to the ballgame; eggs that do Easter proud; a light, bright, decidedly non-wintery stew; a food meant to eat by hand at the first picnic of the season: These harbingers of spring flavors topped my personal eating chart during the fortnight just past.
One Potato, 2,000 Ideas
Does our collective love of the common spud stem from its versatility in the kitchen, its never-less-than comforting taste, its ability to play so well with other ingredients or the fact that it always seems to be there when we need it most? Dig in, and decide.
Nettie’s House of Spaghetti
Find classics respected, revered and fashioned with craftsmanship at once time-honored and modern at a restaurant that relies on the familiar without resorting to cliché. It’s amore.
Mexico Lindo
A true-love dish inspires a return to a go-to spot where the welcome was always warm and the Mexican fare cooked with sincerity, skill and a sprinkling of magic. Only the address has changed.