Kimchi Mama
Enlarged in menu and space, a revived Korean comes to the Shore and perks up classics with subtle yet effective riffs. BTW: There’s groovy ice cream and an artful shop to explore nearby.
Main Street Café
Don’t let the plain-Jane name fool you. There’s more than coffee and pastries at this Colombian day café with a host of authentic specialties that includes your new favorite anytime-of-day food, the baleada.
Wakai Japanese Craft Ramen
A standout not only for ramen, this sleek storefront from which Waki Ng serves forth is able to accommodate the chef’s worldly view while showing proper respect for cherished classics.
Brasa Wood-Fired Grill
Portuguese classics charred and burnished by flames that spring up from wood steal the good show at a new storefront in a Somerset County ’burg.
La Barca
Right in a special way, gnocchi take the lead at this bayside newcomer with a pedigreed past. But there’s more to learn how to love across the bills of food and drink fare.
IndeBlue
Rakesh Ramola’s often playful, mostly modern Indian dishes return to the Garden State in a dressed-up shopping center storefront. The chef is at his best when he successfully furthers the influence of every spice in the republic’s culinary vernacular.
Josie Kelly’s Public House
Evolving Irish food traditions are reflected on the menu of a South Shore chef whose talents smile upon elevated pub classics. That some of the best cocktails in Atlantic County also are served at this colossus keeps diners happy out.
Tacowala
Amish Shah’s very personal street fare has its roots in both Mexican and Indian cookery. That it’s all gluten-free and, at turns, vegan or vegetarian, is a challenge the chef meets with ingenuity and, very often, finesse. P.S. A bonus nearby is the ice cream parlor called Summer Ville.
Zaitooni
At a buffed-up side-street storefront, Lebanese classics remain the focus. The menu, and the hours, may be truncated these days, but whatever chef-owner Fred Messihi cooks up is never short on flavor.
The Lookout
The drama unfolds at Ferry Park, where an old restaurant hand on the peninsula with a new concept competes with entertainment courtesy of both Mother Nature and humans. Is there a clear winner?
Tsuki
Purist sushi doesn’t dominate at this neighborhood BYOB where chef-owner Ginn Huang spins out rolls that reveal an Expressionistic spirit. All that riffing is balanced by service that’s invariably personalized and welcoming.
Thisilldous Eatery
Oh, what a wondrous thing Mike Moyer’s Sausage Gravy Bowl is! And his sweet-hot omelette. And especially his Cowboy Brisket Sandwich. But these days there’s a bittersweet ending to a meal at this beloved luncheonette, and it has nothing to do with the desserts.