Blue Bottle Café
Some 15 years ago, a pair of chefs looking to make a commitment to a community opened a little place with big-hearted food. Their culinary style? Well, it’s something like a roasted chicken.
El Matador
Break out of your same-old, same-old rut at this Mexican stalwart, where the less-common shines and a spirit of adventure is rewarded.
The Butter Chicken Factory
While the marquee-billed star at this modest storefront does its part, the supporting cast doesn’t let it steal the whole show. Nope, not with forceful, focused flavors chewing scenery at every turn.
Lorena’s
In new and expanded quarters, with a bar to boot, chef Humberto Campos still pledges his troth to beloved French classics. But he’s got a knack for finding the shake of nuance that can ratchet up familiar to fabulous.
Sushi by Kazu
Ply the menu at this outlier where elegance in the artistry of Japanese cuisine long has been celebrated to find dishes that showcase the chef’s considerable skills. Avoid intrusions of mod oddities.
Mustache Bill’s
The summer love that lasts forever: That’s chef-owner Bill Smith best-of-all-time diner, where the fish and produce are local, everything’s made from scratch, and a culture of civility reigns.
The Borscht Belt
Cue the hype! Enter the schtick, stage left! Is this new deli a showstopper or a comedy of too many errors?
Baguette Delite
Banh mi as good at the granddaddy’s in New Orleans East? Yes, and reliably so for a decade now.
Local Greek
Just off the main drag, but inked on the dine cards of locals, is this hit restaurant where soul-satisfying foods conspire with a convivial scene to make for anytime eating.
The Smithville Inn
A pretty setting, a gracious staff and a nod to history cannot make up for food that shuns in-season ingredients, plates that are marred by carelessness in the kitchen, and concepts that fail to show respect for the Garden State’s cherished foodways.
TST BBQ
Follow the smoke signals almost to Sandy Hook – but stop five miles short, right here, for brisket, burgers and ribs. And, maybe, a game of miniature golf.
Thai Tida by Mike and Natta
Across from the Delaware in a tourist-destination small city sits a classic-fare Thai that’s a locals’ love – and an away-from-the-crowds find for day-trippers.