Old Friends
Pit-stops at three favorite restaurants prove you can go back and move forward at the same time. You just have to have the right chefs in charge.
APEM
Alex Saneski is an ice cream chef whose work is so distinctive that, like the dough of the tippy-top pizzaiolo, you can taste Saneski’s ice creams, sorbets and gelatos blindfolded and pick them out of a crowd.
Ray’s Roadside Kitchen
It’s a lot about country-style comfort foods at a new eatery in New Egypt from a champ in the barbecue world who takes pride in place.
Bosphorus
Modest in every way except for its skillful executions of Turkish fare, a small storefront in a college town is run by a couple laser-focused on serving dishes both authentic and sincere. Exhibit A: Magnificent homemade manti.
Café Paris
Come for the galettes, linger for no reason at all, finish with a sweet crepe. While the menu needs lightening of its excesses in order to allow for better control in the kitchen, there’s something to be said for time at the table in a classic café.
Sagami
What becomes a legend? Adam revisits a pioneer to see if its sushi and cooked fare still duel for supremacy – and its atmosphere remains placid and service warmly serene.
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.