Fig Italian Rustic Kitchen
Problems in cooking and communication plague a newcomer to Long Valley that aims to serve hand-crafted Italian cuisine in a scene that’s “always vibing.” Rather than counting on vibes and branding to impress, old-fashioned focus is needed to bring thoughtfulness and care to the entire process.
Manila Café
Today a Filipino house of foods divided into a restaurant and a market located in the same shopping center, Arlyn Baker’s little empire flourishes with emphasis on authentic preparations that do its multicultural soul proud.
Shahzad’s Halal
A Middle Eastern counter-service take on city-style street-cart fare hums along astride the Garden State Parkway in Parlin, serving forth fat-and-happy gyros and many-layered rice bowls built on the principles of good, hearty home-cooking.
Tamada
At a swanky Georgian newcomer, dinner is a built-in show of well-prepared classics and the occasional riff on something routine that doesn’t wholly reinvent a dish, but reimagines it in sunnier form. With standouts that showcase its homeland at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, it’s ready for a close-up on date night.
Pho Viet Express
A Vietnamese family whose skilled kitchen team turns out well-crafted versions of classics that never stint on authenticity has developed a strong diner base in a locale not known for hosting culinary adventures. They come for a surfeit of fresh rolls and uncommonly robust pho.
Carnitas Taco Factory
Come armed with an appetite and maybe even an army of sturdy flatware when you visit this fast-casual Mexican in a storefront that barely contains the gargantuan quesurritos made right in front of you.
Bread & Culture
Breads and pastries deserving of praise fly out of this popular downtown eatery. But sandwiches with promising concepts falter due to lack of focus in the assembly.
S&Y Mini Hot Pot
An eminently pleasant, casually covert eatery run by a couple steeped in on-point cooking and hospitality might be the leader of a most respectable pack of hot-pot specialists now raising the bar on the genre in the Garden State.
Sushi on Fleek
Brazilian sushi is at the core of the menu at an off-the-coast specialist located near the center of this Shore city. While its kitchen’s knife skills are vastly improved, it now has another key technique that needs work.
Casa de Masala
Take classics from culinary canons Indian and Latin, pair thoughtfully and cook just right, and the result can be a menu of long-term, lovable partnerships. Like the ones found at a newcomer to the Bayshore.
Tiam Tiam
Thrillingly flavorful foods mark the menus at this modest, but mighty storefront piloted from original market to destination restaurant by an extraordinary and idiosyncratic wife-husband team of chefs, Jennifer Cheng and Jesse Kim. It’s a dine card must.
Ideal Eating
Call this a U.O.U. and take a few minutes to plan for some pleasurable dining-out time while summer’s still in its prime. It’s a personal process, one that involves a bit of ruminating and selecting, so we’ve got some recommendations to get your thinking off and running.