Matthews Seafood Market
Peak-season local fishes are on the docket at this seasonal spot in Cape May’s county seat. If you’ll be lickety-split about it, you might catch New Jersey’s own soft-shell crabs prepared by a veteran fisherman who knows how to get them to your table in perfect form.
Zoe’s Emilio’s Kitchen
A new dinner menu that extends well beyond the trodden in the Mexican vernacular brings options in fine-dining that uncover the very glamorous possibilities of vegetables and fishes – and even how to glaze ribs more intriguingly than popular standard sauces allow.
Shokra Soups
The sincere folks behind a plant-based café make a point of likening the dishes on their casual-fare menu to well-known standards. They shouldn’t need to sell a mushroom as “like” a meat nor a mélange of sea vegetables as “like” tuna to prove the worth of what they’re cooking up. It’s good stuff.
Shumi Leonia
An iconic chef and his one-time pupil join forces at one of the more gracious sushi restaurants around. It’s a meeting of minds traditional and inventive yet always respectful of the integrity of their main subject matter: Fishes, glorious fishes.
Mia’s Vietnamese Cuisine
In the heart of the Garden State’s Spice Route that wends along Route 27 from Newark to Princeton sits a decade-old independent restaurant where classic foods of Vietnam play out with purity, simplicity and technical precision.
Ishtabach
Signature dishes from the Kurdish-Syrian repertoire are in the spotlight at an anchor of an upscale shopping center called The Row. The lively, high-ceiling eatery is an import from Jerusalem and it’s one of the few places where the savory pastries called shamburak reign.
Bovine Burgers
Indifference and unmannerly attitudes make matters of flaws in the marquee specialty at this bustling downtown-style roadhouse worse. Time for management to step up and set things right in both food and service.
Maria’s Bread Sandwiches
Side-by-side storefronts in the downtown district harbor a peaceful drop-in for breakfast and lunch that goes beyond the rote and taps into originals with style and verve. Breakfast Salad, anyone? Or Old Bay chicken on a za’atar croissant?
J. Bone’s Barbecue
The pitmaster at this newcomer may have rubbed elbows with accomplished stars of the national BBQ circuit, but has lots of lessons still to be learned. Primary among them is making sure meats are served at optimal temperature and texture. Room temp and bone dry are not what barbecue is about.
Pop’s Corner
The concept of this daytime luncheonette is exactly what a Shore destination requires. But poor execution of personalized twists on the familiar too often ruins promising ideas, leaving dishes in need of fixes.
Ma-De’s Chat Shop
An uncommonly common spot for life’s old-school eats exists in this northernmost of Hunterdon County’s River Towns. Set a spell. Talk to your dining companion or your next-stool neighbor. You’ll always want to come back.
Nettie’s House of Spaghetti
Not all that long ago, this staunch Italian-American fine-tuned classics with care and craftsmanship. Today, servers bumble and the kitchen too often stumbles. And all the while, the crowds party on.