[ad_1]
Lists of best restaurants are as common as waiting at a neighborhood hangout on a Saturday night. But the USA TODAY Network decided to try something different to create its first 2024 USA TODAY Restaurant of the Year list.
While other organizations parachute in and sample food, our writers live in the communities they cover. So USA TODAY Network asked a team of food journalists to share the best of the towns and cities they cover.
47 restaurants were named 2024 USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year. These restaurants are places we frequently recommend and take friends and family. These places are so nice that I often finish dinner there and sit at a table while planning my next visit.
There are two more in New Jersey. Sushi by Sea in Ridgefield and Al-Basha in Paterson.
But the USA TODAY Network has more than 200 sites in 42 states, so we couldn’t include all of our favorites. That’s where this list comes in. Here are the Central Jersey spots you’d like to see on the 2024 USA TODAY Restaurants Of The Year list.
Brunch by De Martino (Somerville)
Located in Somerset County’s glittering restaurant scene, Somerville, Brunch by De Martino is literally a hidden gem just off West Main Street. Executive Chef and Owner Martino Linares is just a few meters from where he grew up cooking at his father’s restaurant, Martino’s His Cuban Restaurant.
Brunch by De Martino is also one of the few brunch spots in the area, and no two menus are ever the same. There’s always a wait, but it’s worth it.
That’s because Linares always gives American cuisine an imaginative Latin flair, like his coquito French toast. Guava and coconut cream pancakes. Crispy mushroom mulita. Epazote walnut pesto gnocchi. Bacon guava jam avocado toast.
Brunch, breakfast and lunch dishes are served in a cozy 60-seat space featuring neutral, relaxing colors and hand-painted artwork depicting national and national scenes.
Cuban-inspired design and decor Paradales, a quaint and charming private family restaurant. Many restaurants have a friendly, welcoming atmosphere and feature patio-style setups. Linares sought to bring that to Brunch by De Martino, which features indoor green space. Gorgeous antique tiles reminiscent of good old Cuban architecture. Frames and mirrors inspired by Havana’s famous San Cristobal restaurant.
go: 9 Davenport St., Somerville; 908-722-8602, demartinolatin.com.
Canal House Station (Milford)
Being named USA Today’s Restaurant of the Year would have been just one notch above the knife block for Canal House Station founders Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hersheimer.
The chefs are luminaries in the New Jersey culinary world and run a publishing venture, Canal House, and a culinary, photography and design studio. In 2022, they were semifinalists for the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
Mr. Hirsheimer is the co-founder and former editor-in-chief of Saveur, a gourmet, food, wine and travel magazine with 325,000 subscribers and known for its essays on timeless culinary traditions. Throughout his 25-year history with this magazine, he has won 23 James Beard Journalism Awards and seven American Society Awards.
Hamilton is the former test kitchen director and food editor at Saveur and has worked in the kitchens at Martha Stewart Living and Cook’s Illustrated. She is the co-founder and first executive chef of Hamilton’s She Grill She Room in Lambertville.
Despite Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Hersheimer’s credentials, you won’t find small, pretentious fare at Canal House Station. Enjoy American favorites in a comfortable environment, unfettered by trends or gimmicks.
The restaurant’s cafe area, lined with rustic farmhouse-style tables, welcomes guests with a bright and airy interior, complete with an open kitchen. The casual layout is dotted with colorful details like Canal House cookbooks, aprons, and fresh produce.
“It just feels delicious:”Canal House Station owner nominated for James Beard Award
The fine dining area recalls the circa 1870 history of the historic Milford Station where the restaurant is located. Dark wood meets tall windows that let in natural light. Wooden tables are offset by intimate lighting, paintings, and photographs of the Delaware River region.
Some of you may still cherish the time when your family gathered together for Sunday dinner. Canal House has revived that tradition, making it one of the only restaurants in the area to serve food from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The prix fixe, five-course, $95 feast comes with marinated baby artichokes and lemon mayonnaise. Caramelized onion and anchovy tart. Roast chicken with smoked pimenton and lemon. Chicory and endive leaves. And an old-fashioned apple tart.
go: 2 Bridge St., Milford; 908-995-7200, canalhousestation.com.
Frog and Peach, New Brunswick
Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, The Frog, as it is affectionately known, has been named the state’s best restaurant by numerous sources and organizations, including Business Insider and the Garden State Culinary Arts Awards.
Since purchasing The Frog and the Peach from founders Jim Black and Betsy Alger more than a decade ago, executive chef Bruce Lefebvre has made sure to never get tired of American cuisine. I’ve been careful.
Inside the former Home News printing press, Mr. Lefebvre puts a fresh spin on everything from venison to profiteroles, offering upscale, seasonal American plates and small plates, and a large, approachable wine selection. doing. Dining here is a day out for creative diners looking to sample eclectic cuisine.
Sunday brunch, lunch and dinner are served in the heated garden room with floor-to-ceiling windows or in the restaurant’s brick and wood interior.
Today, the ever-changing menu features crispy pig ears, charred Portuguese octopus, venison tartare, shiitake mushroom and vegetable spring rolls, grilled shrimp ragout, and crème de muscadet napoleons. , peach sorbet with pizzelle and bourbon-glazed pecans. .
Gourmet-friendly events are always held here, including the recent five-course “Taste of Burgundy” dinner and wine pairing.
go: 29 Dennis Street, New Brunswick; 732-846-3216, frogandpeach.com.
Ristorante MV (Bernardsville)
Perhaps the only Central Jersey restaurant that’s gotten as much buzz lately is Ristorante MV, which opened two years ago in the former Rudolph’s Steakhouse site and quickly developed a two-month waiting list. Recently, celebrities such as Teresa Giudice, Elvis Duran, Governor Phil Murphy, and Eli Manning have visited the 200-year-old stone building for dinner.
Thankfully, these days it’s not that hard to eat Italian food like mozzarella made in-house twice a day or chocolate pasta filled with sweetened ricotta.
This contemporary restaurant features glossy cobalt blue walls, a copper ceiling, a white Carrera marble bar, refinished original wood, a backlit ham curing room, and a 14-foot-tall surrounding area. The olive wood features a rustic canvas with an eclectic Art Deco edge. This is a green velvet chair imported from Italy.
Everything is made in-house, including pasta, desserts, handmade gelato, sauces, and stock. For Ristorante MV’s New York-quality bread, a water expert was hired to make the restaurant’s water mimic New York’s soft water.
“Town’s Hot Ticket”:Bernardsville’s new Ristorante MV is fully booked for two months
It all goes back to 1958, when Pasquino and Michael’s grandfather, Anthony Vitiello, bought a Brooklyn pizzeria and sold 5-cent slices out the window, under the direction of the father-son team of Pasquino and Michael Vitiello. After immigrating to America from Italy.
It later became the popular Queen Mary Italian Restaurant, which recently closed after more than 60 years in business.
Despite its storied history, you won’t find Michael or Pasquino relaxing in the office during dinner service. Instead, they’re frequently in the kitchen wearing splattered chef coats, doing everything from cooking veal chops to stirring pasta.
go: 1 Mill St., Bernardsville; 908-766-7979, ristorantemv.com.
rooster spin, westfield, new brunswick
In 2006, long before everyone was hooked on creative street eats and fusion cuisine, Rooster Spin owner Mihae Cho put a fresh spin on traditional Korean cuisine at New York City eatery Mono + Mono. I was adding it.
Eight years later, she opened Rooster Spin in Westfield, taking Korean double fried chicken and other Korean fusion dishes to the next level, and in 2017 opened a second location in New Brunswick.
Cho’s Korean fried chicken with a rooster spin is twice-fried in soybean oil to disperse the fat in the skin, resulting in a light, super-crispy skin and juicy meat hand-brushed with rich soy garlic or spicy soy sauce. leave behind.
Reminiscing:New Brunswick’s Rooster Spin Mixing LP, Korean Cuisine
Other menu items featuring Cho’s always bold and timeless ideas include the Buffalo Chicken Sushi Roll, which features fried chicken strips, celery and cream cheese wrapped in sushi rice and topped with buffalo sauce. French fries with cheddar cheese and kimchi sauce. Korean rice cakes are shaped like gnocchi, fried and coated with honey butter. Sweet rice flour mochi waffles with blueberry butter and blueberry syrup.
Because karaoke is so popular in Korean bar culture, Rooster Spin also functions as a karaoke bar with two private karaoke rooms in each location. The DJ frequently visits the New Brunswick store.
Both restaurants feature an industrial feel and decor, with antique hand-rubbed antique wood, Edison bulbs, fairy lights, and metal details.
go: 20 Albany St., New Brunswick, 732-545-4500; 251 North Ave. West, Westfield, 908-233-7333, roosterspin.com.
Contact: JIntersimone@MyCentralJersey.com
Jenna Intersimone has been on the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey staff since 2014 after starting her award-winning travel blog and transitioning from blogger to reporter. For unlimited access to her stories about food, drink, and fun, subscribe or activate your digital Her account today. You can also follow her on Instagram at @seejennaeat and on Twitter. @JIntersimone.
[ad_2]
Source link
