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.
A Mother’s Day for All the Moms
You’re allowed a restaurant that suits a desire for all-around lovely – food, setting, attitude. You’re also allowed to let you be you and toast the day in the manner you wish, with the kinds of eats you most love. We’ve broken down recommendations in categories that might not all be conventional, but we hope prove helpful.
Sweet Amalia Market and Kitchen
It’s the little restaurant that could, and did, grow into a must-stop spot on America’s national map. But its co-owners – a farmer, a chef and an entrepreneur – have no interest in laurel-resting. Just see how the menu at this destination in the Garden State’s Deep South is growing.
Tosun Mediterranean Cuisine
Home-style Turkish dishes dominate a classy neighborhood spot that sits apart from the increasing number of Asian eateries in a food-centric borough astride the Hudson River. Its spotlight favorites – pida, manti, kebabs – beckon when a change-up from pizza, dumplings and barbecue is on the dine card.
Shuu Café
Stars of a new confections show courtesy of a couple of recent Rutgers grads include customized cream puffs and bubble waffles filled with soft-serve and accessories. It’s a cheerful toast to an all-day dessert lifestyle.
La Unica Mexican Eatery
Refined classics betray a chef’s skills and sensibilities at a charmer of a storefront set in a crossroads downtown. It’s a world apart from chain-style Velveeta Mex and it’s no wonder the winsome dishes of Rafael Ponce de Leon are drawing diners from a distance.
Blue Café
In the downtown of Basking Ridge sits a corner storefront in which the food hasn’t lost its soul to corporate wonks or been fiddled with by A1 or focus groups or 24-year-olds whose minds have been mangled by too many marketing classes. It’s where eating is pure pleasure.