A South Jersey Irish pub, an All-American eatery, a popular Italian bistro, and a new healthy alternative are some of the top places to eat this month
Welcome to NJ.com's monthly feature, "Where to eat now in N.J.," highlighting the most exciting restaurants of the moment, including places new to the scene and ones that have been here a while but are still firing on all burners. If you'd like to recommend a restaurant to be considered for a spot on a future "Where to eat now in N.J." list, let us know in the comments section below, or e-mail: bodkinwrites@gmail.com.
OLD GLORY KITCHEN + SPIRITS: The latest addition to the Keyport restaurant roster may be one of the best additions to the entire Jersey Shore's culinary scene in 2016. Old Glory opened its doors in early October, taking over the site of the old Trinity Restaurant, and the two-level bar and restaurant specializes in innovative American comfort food, and brick oven pizzas. The atmosphere of the restaurant is one of a kind -- picnic-style seating, a sprawling outdoor bar and dining area, and the American flag emblazoned on the cathedral ceiling. The food here is absolutely tremendous. The aforementioned brick oven pizza is to die for. The Old Glory pizza ($12) features the perfect sauce-to-cheese ratio, an exquisitely crispy crust, and roasted garlic that melts in your mouth. Classic comfort food such as the thin and crispy chicken parm ($15), succulent braised ribs ($17), and the outstanding bacon-wrapped meatloaf ($16) are just the tip of the culinary iceberg. Everything here is prepared with loving care, giving you a mom-cooked dinner in an extremely cool and fun atmosphere. 84 Broad St., Keyport. 732-497-5555.
The classic pad Thai dish at Metuchen's Phattra Thai.PHATTRA THAI: Despite its small size, Metuchen is one of the most culinarily diverse towns in Central New Jersey. Walk down Main Street and you'll find dining options from around the world, including Phattra Thai. Owned and operated by a Thai family, Phattra Thai prides itself on putting "love and care" into every single dish. The reason for this love and care? They want to bring the "true flavor of Thailand" from their plates to your stomach. This gorgeous Thai restaurant sports playful appetizers such as the crabmeat pancake ($9.95) and the shrimp phyllo ($9.95) as well as the classics such as the spring roll ($7) and a steamed dumpling ($7). Phattra Thai has four main curry dishes -- green, red, panang, and massaman -- that will run you $12.95 per dish. Phattra also serves up a wide variety of duck, seafood, sauteed, and grilled entrees. 426 Main St., Metuchen. 732-515-9333.
HAT CITY KITCHEN: This restaurant, bar and live music venue brings a little bit of New Orleans to Orange, with appetizers including the Cajun fried calamari ($10), Abita BBQ shrimp and grits ($10), catfish sticks ($9), and po' boy sliders ($12). Burger aficionados can sink their teeth into a 9-ounce crab burger ($13), the classic "Righteous" burger ($12), or the andouille sausage-topped Cajun burger ($14). HCK's entrees will have you forming your own second line after devouring them. Other tasty options include Creole shrimp ($20), the catfish fry ($20) or the comforting Southern buttermilk fried chicken ($18). Don't forget to add black-eyed peas ($4), collard greens ($5), or cornbread ($4) as a side. Hat City Kitchen is also a home for jazz, blues, blues and soul music that can be heard throughout the week. 459 Valley St., Orange. 862-252-9147.
FRESHII: Founded in 2005 by Matthew Corrin, the Freshii chain is marketed as the "global health-casual, fresh food concept that provide nutritious meal choices that energize people on the go." Its first New Jersey location opened on Nov. 1 in Flemington. With fall in full swing, Freshii is offering a selection of hearty and healthy chilis to warm the bones, including sriracha chicken chili and steak and cheddar chili. If you're on the go in the morning, Freshii offers health-conscious items such as green eggs and kale (scrambled egg and kale, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, pesto), the spinach, mushroom and cheese grilled egg pocket and the Cali smoothie bowl (freshii green smoothie, banana, mango, strawberries, granola, and coconut). It also offers a plethora of burritos, soups, smoothies, and salads for lunch and dinner. 100 Reaville Ave., Flemington. 908-367-5691.
Brunch is a huge part of the success of Echo Tap and Grill in Mountainside.ECHO TAP AND GRILLE: Echo is an absolutely intriguing restaurant from both a visual and culinary standpoint. You can easily find yourself staring, mouth agape, at the wild, and innovative design of the restaurant -- it's truly one of the more unique restaurants you'll see in New Jersey. If there is one word that can describe its menu, it's options. For lunch or dinner you can find yourself ordering from brick oven pizza, mac and cheese, flatbread, taco, gyro, burger, sandwich, or salad options -- and that doesn't even include its entrees. Those include snow crab legs ($24.95), churrasco ($25.95), penne vodka ($21.95) and baby back ribs ($26.95). Echo also serves a killer brunch on weekends from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The poached eggs and avocado on toast ($12) are absolutely dynamite, as are the homemade pancakes ($10-$13.25), Belgian waffles ($10-$13), and its Benedict stack ($13), which has scrambled eggs, fried chicken, and chipotle hollandaise sauce. 1079 U.S. Highway 22, Mountainside. 908-264-7100.
The avocado rice dish at Jersey City's Cellar 335.CELLAR 335: Chef/owner Jamie Knott (who operates The Saddle River Inn) opened Cellar 335 over the summer. It's a visually stunning restaurant that serves "progressive American cuisine with Asian influences." There's a number of dishes that fall under the "to share" portion of the menu, so if you're with fellow diners who like to mix and match their food, they'll totally dig what's happening here. You can share items such as crispy Duroc ribs ($14), avocado fried rice ($12), Korean-style wings ($10), chicken wontons ($12), and charred edamame ($8). The "large format" entrees include crispy chicken with mozzarella, shisho pesto and tomato jam ($24), prime Polynesian prime rib ($39), and the duck duet ($39). Behind the bar, tiki-style cocktails will help you wash everything down. If you want dessert, you can grab classics like zeppoli ($10), pumpkin crumble ($10), chocolate cheesecake ($10), and homemade ice cream sandwiches ($10). 335 Newark Ave., Jersey City. 201-222-1422.
PIATTINO: Mangia in Morris County at Piattino, where they put a modern twist on classic Italian dishes. Love pizza? Then you "knead" to check out Piattino's hand-stretched Neapolitan-style pizza, baked at 800 degrees in its imported Italian stone-fired pizza. You can order up the cheese-centric Formaggio (herbed-milk ricotta, fresh mozzarella, provolone and Parmigiano-Reggiano, $14) or the sweat-inducing Calabrian ($13) topped with hot soppressata, Calabrian chilies, smoked mozzarella and yellow tomatoes. Outside of pizza, you can order options from the Piedmont section of the menu, including cauliflower carbonara ravioli ($17) and the Piemontese baguette (braised veal and beef, fontina, and salsa verde, $13). In 2017, Piattino will be opening another restaurant in a 5,200-square-foot space in Summit. 88 East Main St., Mendham. 973-543-0025.
RAISE THE BAR LOUNGE: This new sports bar and restaurant, opened in mid-October, is located in the heart of South Amboy's downtown. RTB is the brainchild of celebrity drink slinger Rob the Bartender, whose goal is to open a fun and friendly sports bar and restaurant that can become the city's favorite hang. He's looking to build this atmosphere with classic tavern fare such as jumbo wings ($10.95), nachos ($9), fried ravioli ($8), Reubens ($11), turkey clubs ($8), and classic mac and cheese ($8). But keep your eye out on the menu and you'll notice some more creative options such as the delicious truffle mac and cheese ($9), the delectable steak salad ($11), and the creative (and gut-busting) mozzarella stick-topped burger ($12). Any place that offers to throw an egg on top of your burger for $2 is doing it right. 117 North Broadway, South Amboy. 732-599-3399.
WHISKEY BAR AND BISTRO: The Whiskey Bar and Bistro has taken over the legendary Whiskey Cafe, which was a staple in the North Jersey scene for a number of years. Opened in late summer, the Whiskey Bar and Bistro offers breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as a complete football menu. In the a.m., you can grab yourself a yogurt, bagel, pastry, or breakfast sandwich to fuel your morning commute. For dinner or lunch, kickstart your meal with "pork and beans," a braised pork belly app ($14), duck confit poutine ($16), adobo-spiced wings ($10), or a baby kale salad ($10). There's a number of delicious pizzas ($12-$14) and house-blended burgers ($9-$12). If you're looking for something a little more high-end, check out its entrees: pan-fried skate ($23), coriander-crusted scallops ($21), and chicken fricassee ($19). Recently it added truffle mac and cheese with candied bacon crumble, beet salad with aged balsamic, apple cinnamon and a pork chop with chipotle dust to the menu. 1050 Wall Street West, Lyndhurst. 201-896-5500.
TIR NA NOG KITCHEN AND IRISH PUB: One of the hallmarks of a good Irish pub is delicious food. The menu at Tir Na Nog is crazy diverse for an Irish pub. Will you find corned beef ($14), fish and chips ($17), and shepherd's pie ($17) here? Of course you will. But how many Irish pubs are serving up chicken liver pate ($9), Mediterranean sea bass ($24), or Korean-style BBQ wraps ($9)? Exactly. You can get fancy as you want at Tir Na Nog, or you can keep it simple with a burger, pizza, or sandwich. The pub also has a number of wallet-friendly dining options on its $10 lunch menu or $30 three-course price fixe menu on Sunday and Tuesday, plus a pretty affordable and mouth-watering Sunday brunch. 482 East Evesham Road, Cherry Hill. 856-520-8312.
Bill Bodkin can be reached at bodkinwrites@gmail.com. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.