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New Jersey Digest •

Surprise, Sofia Still Excels With Sizzling Steaks, Caviar and More - New Jersey Digest

There are few things in the food world that I enjoy more than a classic steakhouse. The intoxicating aroma of aged steaks—sizzling on hot plates—wafting through the dining room, the showy seafood towers adorned with chilled lobster and caviar, the slabs of thick, house-cured bacon, pours of whiskey to start and full-bodied reds to take you through the meal. I love everything about the classic steakhouse template. 
In North Jersey, Englewood’s Sofia has long impressed diners with Italian-inspired...
New Jersey Digest •

Bar Classics and Community Intersect at Jersey City’s Wing Bar - New Jersey Digest

I love buffalo wings. I have been asked many times throughout my career what my death-row meal would look like. The answer changes a lot, but the most recurring character is a simple plate of buffalo wings. So, when I heard buzz of a spot in Jersey City called Wing Bar with a mission to bring diners some of the best wings in the state—well—I knew I had to try it. 
What I found is a place that does much more than just wings. We’re talking excellent smash burgers, hand-breaded tenders, juicy chick...
New Jersey Digest •

Sunday Motor Co. Is More Than Just a Cafe, It's a Brand - New Jersey Digest

“We try to approach it as a more holistic brand, rather than just a restaurant” says Nick Vorderman, as he looks around the dining room of Sunday Motor Co., his auto-inspired cafe in Madison, NJ. One look at the place, and that statement rings true. Racks of thoughtfully designed merch line the walls, and a green-infused color palette works to define an unmistakable brand identity. Sunday Motor Co. is unlike any cafe I’ve been to in New Jersey—maybe anywhere.
For starters, the cafe is set in an...
New Jersey Digest •

Chef Robbie Felice to Host Hell’s Kitchen Winners for an Exclusive Farm-to-table Dinner - New Jersey Digest

—We’ve got the inside scoop on an exclusive collab dinner with Chef Robbie Felice and Hell’s Kitchen Winners Alex Belew and Ryan O’Sullivan
When I talk to Chef Robbie Felice about cooking, the passion in his voice is palpable. And while the accomplished restaurateur gets excited discussing the Japanese-inspired noodles at his ever-famous pastaRAMEN, or salumi program at his flagship Viaggio, it’s perhaps his NJ farm dinners that excite the chef the most. 
“I shouldn’t even be telling you this ye...
New Jersey Digest •

NJ Pizzeria Makes List of Nation's Best - New Jersey Digest

The New York Times released a list yesterday highlighting 22 of the best pizza places in the US right now. The list, which highlights a variety of pizza styles, includes pizzerias in New York, Alaska and, yes, New Jersey. The Garden State possesses just one spot on the list (as compared to Alaska’s two), but so does New York—so we can’t really complain too much.
So, which NJ spot made the list? Well, you don’t have to be a genius to guess that the New York Times named Jersey City’s Razza as one...
New Jersey Digest •

Stop What You’re Doing and Head to this Belmar Pizzeria; It’s One of Jersey’s Best

I will be the first person to admit that I was late to Pizzeria ‘Lucci in Belmar, NJ. Despite it opening a few months back, and the many, many claims I’ve heard calling it one of Jersey’s best, it took me some time to get there. Better late than never, I say.

My visit to Pizzeria ‘Lucci came with some of the highest expectations I’ve ever placed on a pizza shop. Chefs I respect immensely raved about it. Would it meet that gargantuan bar? You don’t need special powers to know the answer: of cour
New Jersey Digest •

Dueling Tuna, Scallops and More at Five Tastes Collab With 7 Doors Down

If you haven’t yet been to a Five Tastes pop-up dinner, then I’m not really sure what you’re waiting for. Five Tastes is Executive Chef Cedric Gayon’s tasting menu concept, which revolves around modern cooking techniques and globally spanning flavors. He runs Five Tastes along with Chefs Juan Vizueta and Kleber Gomez.

The most recent event was held at, and in collaboration with, 7 Doors Down in Bloomfield, NJ. You probably already know my opinion on 7 Doors Down, which is a restaurant I conside
New Jersey Digest •

New Taco Truck Concept Exceeds Expectations During Montclair Pop-Up

Last week, we broke the news of a new taco truck—Lulu’s Truck—coming to Montclair at the hands of the expert team behind Gioia Mia. You can read that announcement here.

A pop-up dinner was held for Lulu’s at Gioia Mia this past Sunday, which featured a menu rife with Mexican fare in place of the restaurant’s normal menu. If this sneak peek is any indication of what Lulu’s will bring to the table, then Montclair diners are in for a treat when the truck opens officially this summer.

As we popped
New Jersey Digest •

Top Montclair Restaurant Unveils Plans To Open Taco Truck

A top-rated NJ restaurant has unveiled plans for a taco truck—yes, you heard that right—coming early this summer.

Gioia Mia opened in 2023 to instant critical acclaim for their chef-driven menu, which is defined by seasonal produce and global flavors. Owners Mary Cumella and Chef Logan Ramirez have put together restaurant experience that takes diners through the likes of gelee-topped chicken liver mousse, handmade semolina cavatelli with fatty sausage, blood orange-soaked scallop tiradito and H
New Jersey Digest •

What Is New Haven Pizza? Plus: Where To Get It

In New Jersey, pizza isn’t hard to come by. At all. Styles range from New York slices, to Neapolitan-ish pies, to Detroit-style pizza, to paper-thin NJ bar pie. The pizza options in the Garden State are endless. Almost. There is one style of pizza that has yet to become mainstream in NJ, and fans of it say it’s the best in the world. It’s called New Haven pizza, and it comes from—you guessed it—New Haven Connecticut. So, what is New Haven pizza? And why are its fans so passionate about it?

What
New Jersey Digest •

The NJ Media Agency Driving Restaurants to Success in the Digital Age

With the growing market for Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts, restaurants have begun to invest in quality video that can set them apart from their competitors. In just a few years’ time, we’ve seen restaurants have virtually zero social media presence beyond the occasional still image, to managers dabbling with video on their iPhones, to studying Instagram Reels and TikTok trends and, finally, hiring professionals to make video that goes beyond their prior capabilities. The digital age
New Jersey Digest •

This Supper Club Is NJ’s Best-Kept Culinary Secret

In Park Ridge, NJ—tucked inside an unassuming empanada shop—is one of New Jersey’s great dining experiences. A supper club of sorts, specializing in fresh pasta and high-quality meat and produce. Think ramps at the peak of their season, imported A5 Wagyu from Japan, briny Hokkaido uni and lobster. The list of what you might find is endless, changing daily depending on what’s available. That Pasta Club offers an unforgettable culinary journey, highlighted by culinary technique, friendly service a
New Jersey Digest •

The Best Restaurants in Jersey City (2024 Guide)

We’ve rounded up the best Jersey City restaurants so you don’t have to. From decades-old Italian-American red sauce joints to underground cocktail bars and award-winning Bangladeshi food, these are the best restaurants in Jersey City.

You have to know where to look to find this stellar cocktail bar in the heart of the city, but once you do, you’ll enter a world defined by boundary-pushing beverages and tasty bites. Gabriel Rieben and Arto Ozgun teamed up to bring JC a bar that isn’t just impres
New Jersey Digest •

Chef of Top-Rated Laboratorio Kitchen To Open Second Restaurant in Maplewood

A new restaurant is coming to Maplewood, NJ, adding yet another sought-after dining destination to the Essex County hot spot. Chef James De Sisto, owner of Laboratorio Kitchen in Montclair, has unveiled his forthcoming restaurant: Osteria LK.

Like Laboratorio Kitchen, Osteria LK will place a heavy focus on farm-to-table cooking and simple flavors—a style that De Sisto has mastered at his first restaurant. What sets Osteria LK apart from its predecessor is De Sisto’s full attention to showcasing
New Jersey Digest •

This Italian Tavern Is Taking Classic Bites To the Next Level

A welcome trend within the food world is more and more restaurants sprouting up that merge the reliability of NJ pizza with the complexities of a full-service restaurant, complete with Italian-American staples and inventive dishes alike. Grano in Scotch Plains exemplifies this to a tee. So much so that, while the pizzeria side of the space is impressive, I find myself sitting down in the dining room for a full-service meal each and every time I end up there.

Grano proves that we don’t have to c
New Jersey Digest •

Is This Distllery One of NJ's Best Date Night Spots?

By this point, you’ve probably heard of Bellemara Distillery in Hillsborough Township, NJ. This premier craft distillery produces single malt whisky, gin and a list of other creative and fun spirits. You can buy many of these bottles as is, or enjoy them at the distillery—neat, on the rocks or in one of Bellemara’s many handcrafted cocktails. This dedication to quality, artisanal spirits has made Bellemara one of the hottest destinations in Somerset County.

Bellemara Distillery’s focus is singl
New Jersey Digest •

Inside NJ’s Most Legendary Dive Bar

New Jersey is home to a diverse array of bars—from craft cocktail joints and old-school taverns to hidden lounges and sleek distilleries. But in Cranford, there’s one bar so famed, it’s seldom called by its real name. “The Dive” (or, “Da Dive” according to its owner). So, how did a seemingly normal dive bar become The Dive? Is it the perfect pours of Guinness or the ice-cold PBR cans? How about the fresh-griddled hamburgers or the French dip sandwiches? Is it the walls plastered in decades of ar
New Jersey Digest •

Newark Restaurant Wows With Japanese Bites and Hip Ambiance

My first visit to Chef Jamie Knott’s latest restaurant Kinjo was back in November for their soft opening. The Newark restaurant is the brainchild of Knott and Head Chef Bill Sanders. It was an impressive dining experience—accented by bold flavors and concepts. Still, there is always room for improvement, especially considering the restaurant was so green my first time there. My second visit to Kinjo exceeded expectations, bolstering a feeling I had already assumed to be true: Kinjo is just getti
New Jersey Digest •

Did a Chinese Diner Just Become NJ’s Best Vegan Restaurant?

That’s the usual reply I get when I bring up Fat Choy, and you wouldn’t be totally wrong to ask that. Fat Choy is a vegan restaurant. But it’s also much, much more than that.

At Fat Choy in Englewood, NJ, Chef Justin Lee crafts an exceptional dining experience that traverses the many flavors and techniques of Chinese cooking—from playful, veggie-forward riffs on Cantonese dishes to reinvented Chinese-American take-out staples.

It’s an overcast afternoon with sporadic bursts of 10-minute rain s
New Jersey Digest •

Sliders, Chili Dogs and Beyond: Pop's Place Resurrects the Roadside American Grill

When Owner Erion Lenas opened Pop’s Place, he looked to bring the roadside burger stands of the past to Rockaway, NJ. What followed was months of planning that would center around a simple concept: high-quality food at a fast-food pace. It’s a simple idea, but not always easy to pull off. When done right, there’s perhaps not a more fun dining experience in the world.

You’ll feel like a kid again when you walk into Pop’s Place—and that’s the whole idea. From griddled Taylor Ham sandwiches and on
New Jersey Digest •

NJ’s Best Chefs Call This Expert Potter For All Their Plate Needs

You eat with your eyes first.

It is well known in the restaurant world that the first sight of food is extremely crucial. When eating at chef-driven restaurants, the plating is often as important as the taste itself. It might seem ridiculous to think, but as diners and humans, we truly do eat with our eyes first. When a dish is visually appealing, it sets the rest of its parts up for success. The sense of taste and smell are inherently distinct, but it has been proven that visual stimuli in foo
New Jersey Digest •

Bracco Bread Co. Pizza Pop-Up At Aquila

Since 2020, there has been a spike in at-home pizza and bread makers. If your Instagram algorithm is laced with food like mine is, then chances are you can’t scroll through your feed for more than two minutes without seeing a homemade pizza or sourdough loaf.

For Chris Bracco of Bracco bread Co., this obsession with pizza and bread has garnered him a decent following. This past Sunday, he put his skills to the test with his first official pizza pop-up—hosted at none other than the legendary Aqu
New Jersey Digest •

America's Oldest Distiller Is in NJ and They Just Released 2 New Products

America’s oldest distillers are right here in New Jersey. They don’t make bourbon or gin—not vodka or rum—but instead, a spirit known by fans as Applejack. Laird & Company has been making their signature apple brandy since 1698 when founder William Laird emigrated across the pond to New Jersey.

He began distilling his signature spirit—a strong brandy derived from locally produced apples—to share with family and friends. By 1717, popularity grew and Laird established the original Laird & Company
New Jersey Digest •

Sopranos Fanatics Can Now Bid On Booth From Show Finale

The Sopranos is perhaps one of New Jersey’s greatest contributions to mankind. The hit HBO drama created by David Chase explores a Tony Soprano, who must navigate between the mundanity of normal family life juxtaposed against the intricacies of running NJ’s most notorious crime family. The show celebrated its 25th anniversary earlier this year.

Perhaps more famous than the show itself is the infamous final scene—which takes place in Bloomfield’s own Holsten’s with Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin
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