Chatpati Delhi
A strip mall storefront along the Garden State’s own Spice Route is where Chef Hema Singh leads a 14-person kitchen and her husband Jimmy Poonawalla runs the floor show. It’s not the Taj Mahal, but it’s a wonder of tastes and right now is New Jersey’s finest South Asian restaurant.
The Floor Show
Traditional front-of-house team members might benefit from learning a few tricks of an updated model of the service trade. The discourse on “The New Counter Culture” continues.
Sergeantsville Inn
Another chef who once led a big-name, big-city kitchen has taken charge of the stoves at an iconic restaurant in Hunterdon County. Is the multi-tiered menu serving its mission and community?
K-Towne Kitchen
A mom-and-pop shop lets well-turned-out staples of Korean street fare such as kim bop, kup bop, wings and ramen share menu space with American standards overplayed everywhere. Time to let the K in the name truly rule.
Andre’s Lakeside Dining
Chef Andre deWaal and his wife Tracey pioneered a modern, globally influenced style of fine dining in Sussex County more than a quarter-century ago, gleaning inspiration from the seasons and also from travels that stock their personal pantry of ideas.
Tony’s Lunch(eonette)
In the Deep South of the Garden State a breakfast-lunch spot within the region’s famed Produce Auction complex serves as an emblem of place, all the while capsulizing its marquee industry, most influential culture and the needs of locals on a proudly old-school menu.
The Inn at Glen Gardner
The 21st-century shows its rustic-modern side on the plates and in the welcoming scene created by a husband-and-wife team in a northern Hunterdon County borough. Tweaks? There could be a few. But much of what’s on tap is satisfying to a regular crowd of locals and day-trippers.
Chamoyz Snack Bar
Mexican bites and sips built on a foundation of produce come in all forms at this storefront in a food-filled downtown. N.B.: It’s one of an increasing number of pop-in spots statewide where the fueling is easy, varied and inevitably vivacious.
Porta Rossa
No coulda or shoulda about it: The pastas at this focused side-street spot are top-tier contenders for the Garden State’s finest and where high craft meets the vision and mission of chef Matt Ruzga.
Val Pals: Share Foods
Fish Head Soup at Tasty Moment in Edison kicks off a chain of eating thoughts inspired by a TPW subscriber’s most thoughtful observations: There’s more to a hearts-and-flowers holiday than dining in traditional deuce form. Read on to learn why – and on what and where.
Downtown Peru
Chef Laly Acosta, cooking out of a new roost in the blueberry capital of the world, already is shifting local dining perspectives to favor classics of her homeland that she deftly energizes with technical precision and unshy spicing.
For Valentine’s Day: Embrace a BYOB
Prefer a quieter scene, a place where you can bring a special bottle you’ve kept in purposeful abeyance, a restaurant well known for its top-quality food yet manages to exist off the radar of relentlessly perambulating scenesters? When a tete-a-tete over thoughtful, provocative plates is your desire, consider these 10 BYOB restaurants, listed in alphabetical order, where the dining is fine.