Please post your favorite NJ restaurant
 

Hello! I love to dine with friends and I am always looking for someones favorite! One of my favorites is Angelica's in Sea Bright. Please also post the town and possibly which dish is to die for! Thanks in advance! It also does not matter what part of the state...I travel a lot with work.

Have a great day everyone!

one of our favorites is meils in stockton--especially for breakfast/brunch. the almond croissant french toast is to die for. and the corn fritters are damn good too.

In Edison Lucas is my favorite for veal or salmon dishes or crab cakes. Their fried calamari appetizer is also great. In Freehold, Ferrari's on Rt. 9 has excellent Italian dishes. Both are BYOB.

LOLFN....ummmmmmmmm I have not had corn fritters in sooo long!! Thanks!

TEACHER D---- I agree I have been to Lucas and agree with you! Can you tell me if you have tried Ferraris under the new owners? I have eaten there before when the old owners were ther (The wife who never smiled !)

Just wondering how it is now.Thanks!!

Cucina Rosa, Cape May. Also Waters Edge.

Harvest Moon Inn. In Ringoes just south of Flemington.

Yum....

Bebe0711, That's funny that you felt that the former owner's wife, Doreen I believe, never smiled. I guess since we were frequent diners there she always smiled and talked to us. We've only eaten there once since the new owners took over and didn't see a really big difference in the food. Isn't one of the new owmers one of their chefs?
By the way we also have tried and liked Christie's Seafood on Rt. 9 Howell which started out as a second restaurant by Luca's but changed ownership. Good food once again.

Oh and I have to recommend for lunch the Java Moon Cafe. Started out on Rt. 537 in Jackson near Great Adventure and now is a franchise. I know there's one in Manalapan on Rt. 9 and several others. I have friends who insist on having lunch there every time they're in the area. Really great and unusual sandwiches and fresh soups and fabulous desserts. Not cheap but the portions are huge so you get 2 meals out of them!

I was wondering....is the Public House in Chester still there? That used to be our special occasion place while we were dating. Always loved the room with the roaring fire. Ah, memories...

I live in northwest New Jersey and work in Bedminster.
The Public House in chester has been closed for about 6 months.
We used to go there also ~those are days gone by ~

Ohhh, yes...those were certainly the days of yore!!

The Hamilton Grill Room in Lambertville is wonderfull.

Of all the restaurants in the area this is the one we keep going back to.

Correction - the Publick House (that's the way it was spelled) is there, just under different management and renamed. It actually underweant management changes before that as well - from the Victorian inn that was probably the warmth and the great Christmas time place to the back patio tratoria it tried to be. And now it's changed again with a different name.

Best Indian in NJ is Chand Palace in Parsippany - all veg and I thought the Morristown location they closed was better when it had meat. Honorable mention to Cloves in Mt Olive that pulled out the red carpet for us last time we went.

I like Nero's in Livingston since Marco Polo isn't around any more. Sette Bello in Morristown for the small intimate romantic Italian. Il Capricio (Whippany) and Il Giordano (Cedar Knolls) both great for higher end Italian.

Mason Jar in Mahwah for that burnt end sandwhich (their other BBQ is good too, but that's the best). Mahwah Bar and Grill on a sunny Friday afternoon back on the patio for a cajun prime rib.

Cafe Metro in Denville for healthy Mediteranean pasta, Thai Kitchen in either Denville or Sommerville for masaman.

For a huge burger or steak - Athur's in Morris Plains. No reservations and cash only, but worth any wait. Runner up for the bacon cheese burger derby - Pub 199 up the hill in Mt Arlington - don't expect decor but you'll be full and happy afterwards every time. For the warm winter fireplace, talk to Michael at Black River Barn in Succasunna.

Pamir in Morristown for a change of pace - Afghanistan but kind of small portions.
Both out of the way, great French at Silver Spring Farm in Flanders, and
Mattar's in Allamuchy.

Angelos in Lyndhurst used to be a favorite. I have been out of NJ for a couple of years, but fabulous italian food!!!!
I also knew the Publick house in Chester. Do they still have the Larsons Turkey farm? I remember waiting on line when I was little for Mother's Day I think. We were a family of five so we had to wait a while for a table (in the rain). I don't think Mom was thrilled. Still she didn't want to go home and cook! LOL!!

If you like sushi, Sagami is great. Its near Voorhees, South Jersey.

<b>15 Fox Place</b>, in Jersey City -- an unparalleled culinary experience. Something like 15 courses, prix fixe. You'll feel like a Roman emperor.

<b>Dock's Oyster House</b> in Atlantic City is fantastic -- don't miss it.

Also, in Somers Point, the <b>Crab Trap</b> for great seafood and <b>The Breakfast Shop</b> for, yes, a great breafast (with scrapple if one desires).

Spirito's in Elizabeth is one of our favorites for down &amp; dirty red sauce Italian. They are the epitome of old school. Inexpensive &amp; delicious.

Brix 67 in Summit for Asian/Italian/American fusion, BYO, but with NJ wines for sale.

Momontaro in Clark for great Sushi.

DejaVu in Montclair for great Thai, Tuptim is also good.

Garlic Rose for garlic inspired Italian/American cuisine in Madison or new location in Cranford.

Now I'm hungry! :)

Wow! Thank you ever so much everyone for posting! I love starting threads like this! Some places bring back memories...Spirtos...I LOVE their homemade ravioli! TEACHERD....thanks for your info on Ferrari's. I like Chrisite's, too! Have you ever tried Brioso in Marlboro? I like that place a lot as well.

GEKKO...15 Fox Place...what type of cuisine? Ecletic? Sounds amazing!

Yum. I recently tried Fascino's in Montclair; it can take several weeks to get a Saturday night reservation. Great contemporary Italian food that can wander far from Italian, such as an appetizer of delicately flavored salmon tartare. No liquor license, so BYOB. Montclair is full of good ethnic places.

Besides Garlic Rose in Madison, Soho 33 down the block is consistently good: creative modern American food in minimalist atmosphere.

For Italian, Augustino's in Hoboken. The food is very good, reservations are a must as it has only 8 tables, bring cash, and don't let Diane push you around. She treats everyone like a regular so don't mind the goodbye peck on the cheek. BTW, NJ magazine rated it one of the best Italian places in the state.

Also in Hoboken, we really like both places owned by the Finn's - Amanda's and the Elysian Cafe. The latter is a nice casual French bistro that is even better when the weather is nice and you can sit outside.

For Chinese, we'll often go out of our way to hit Chengdu 46 in Clifton. Well known for it's great Peking Duck.

At the Shore, we love the Crab's Claw in Lavalette.

Of course, a good pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich at times beats any 4 star spot.

Bebe0711,

Will have to try out Brioso before we move to Florida in June! I also used to eat at Spirito's when we lived in Linden. Didn't know it was still there!

Maria's, in Manasquan. My favorite pizza anywhere, also delicious red-sauce Italian food.

Ryan I miss the taylor ham, egg and cheese on a good hard roll!!!!! I ate them every morning commuting to New York.(when I was a younger lass and could eat those kind of things without getting fat!!!)

Here goes my list for Northern NJ - Bergen County Area:

-Fondue at the Melting Pot in Westwood
-Great Steakhouse called Brickhouse in Wyckoff
-The Greek Village in Northvale
-Esty Street in Park Ridge for new age American
-Sandam (I think that's how you spell it) in Cresskill for Turkish/Mediterranean
-Country Pancake House in Ridgewood for breakfast (longist list of different pancakes you'll ever see)
-Blend in Ridgewood for American/Italian food
-Cenzino's in Oakland - Best Italian food around IMHO
-Marcello's Roman Cafe in Hillsdale for great Italian food, but just not as good as Cenzino's.
-Tony's Brother in Oakland for the best pizza around this area

Now I'm drawing a blank.

Sorry! Made a mistake - Marcello's Roman Cafe is in Harrington Park, not Hillsdale.

When I was a kid on Staten Island, my father used to take me to the Hoboken Clam House. Is that still around?

Also, second the love of Taylor pork roll. Finally found it here in Nashville at Publix.

Please keep this confidential but the best in south Jersey is the Tuckahoe Inn in Marmora, NJ and in north Jersey, Arthur's by the Middletown train station.Real people, real prices &amp; real food.

Can't believe no one has mentioned this yet...


How about the Bada Bing? Affectionately known simply as &quot;The Bing&quot;

teacherD, Yep, Spirito's is alive and well (with the same green wooden booths) in Elizabeth. Been around forever. We took our whole family there for dinner to celebrate our 1st anniversary, and my FIL made a point of reminding my SIL that he used to bring her there when she was an infant! :) Great times...just don't ask for BUTTER!

A great byob in Cherry Hill is the
Emerald Fish. Very tiny, not tons
of atmos. but the cooking is definately fine. Last night had
Halibut with A stone-fruit reduction
(not sweet at all, very light)served
on top of sauteed fresh spinach and
a DEVINE Polenta-Mascarpone cake.
It was superb. Can't wait to go back.

TPATRICCO---I made that mistake once asking for butter! That brings back such great memories! I remember when I was a little girl going there and thinking the waitress' had sooo much $$$ money because they would count their tips at that table! Is that Lemon Ice stand still there?

DANDYGIRL, that sounds great what you eat last night! Where is that restaurant located?

RYAN..Augustino's sounds up my alley also!

Yum!

bebe0711 - too funny about the butter at Spiritos! My now husband took me there for the first time about 13 years ago. He didnt' warn me about the butter thing...waitress just about bit my head off! He thought it was hysterical! When we took my parents, I had to explain to my father that it's a BYO Butter place. He thought I was nuts! We live near there...go all the time! YUM! Lotsa memories in that place. Funny about the waitresses and their $$. I'll have to look for the lemon ice stand. I'm sure my husband knows. :)

Oh, two more restaurants to add...

For fantastic Chineese Cathay 22 on Route 22 in Springfield is awesome!

On Park Avenue in Weehawken, &quot;Paula at Rigoletto&quot; for inventive Italian, small storefront restaurant with great decor &amp; showcases local artists. Paula is a former personal chef of Bruce Springsteen. She is fantastic &amp; her food is great too! Trish

Thanks Trish! I also laugh about Sprito's when you have to cut through the kitchen to get to the front (bar area) One time I was picking up food there to go, so I entered from the back (restaurant part)..the waitress told me to go to the front and walk through the kitchen. I wasn't the only customer cutting through either. So funny.

The place in Weehawken sounds great! Thanks for your help!

Ileen

Ileen, Spirito's pizza is great...wacky about walking thru the kitchen. I've done that a couple times myself!

Paula's is also the venue for our NJ/NY Fodorite GTG May 21st. We had the previous one in October there as well. Pics at www.pbase.com/tpatricco/njny_fodorite_gtg_2004

oohhh...I second Cathay 22!! Haven't been there in a long time,but the food is great!
I crave Arthur's every so often for the steak and that bowl of slaw/pickles they give you when you're waiting for the food.

Luna Rossa in Pluckemin has the best fried calamari I've tried,and Mugs in Raritan has great nachos.

When you're hungry and almost broke, there's always the $1.59 hot dog/soda at Costco!

Great pics Trish! The antipasto made me hungry now!

Thanks! If you're in NJ on May 21 please come to the GTG!! Had Cathay for lunch today...YUM!

I have eaten exactly two meals in Jersey in my life, both of them have been at those dumpy turnpike gas &amp; food stops, complete with terrible food and sky-high prices.

&quot;Gut Bombs&quot; were the norm on the menus there even if you opted to mix and match the fine cuisine available.

So yes, in my experience, although very limited, I've yet to beat the turnpike rest areas while in Jersey.

bebe0711--

Emerald Fish--where dandygirl had the terrific halibut--is in the Barclay Farm shopping center on Route 70 in Cherry Hill, about half a mile west of 295. Casual. Open kitchen. Regular menu plus nightly specials. (If a special doesn't appeal to you, try the crabcakes! And, be sure to order the carrot cake if it's available...)