Your Top 10 NJ Restaurants for 2001

[Rosie]

Give us your list.

[Helena Robinson]

OK, here we go...  After convincing Ken that we HAD to limit it to New Jersey (so that leaves out all the great places we tried in California this summer), here's our list - in no particular order, or you'd NEVER see this.  :-)

Restaurant Nicholas

Stage Left

Restaurant Serenade

Brothers Moon

Indigo Moon

Ryland Inn

Origins

Big Fish

Opah Grille

Limestone Cafe

Places with Potential:

Cafe Colore

Good Times

Metuchen Inn

Napa Valley Grille (new chef)

The Frog & The Peach (new chef)

Soho on George

OK - someone else give us ideas for places to try in 2002!  :-)

[Tom D]

Here's mine in no particular order.

CASPITA CAFE         ABERDEEN

INDIGO MOON         ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS

LIMESTONE CAFE     PEAPACK

MOONSTRUCK          OCEAN GROVE

BISTRO J                   OCEAN TOWNSHIP

BROTHERS MOON     HOPEWELL

THE BLACK SWAN     MT. LAUREL

LE ME TOJOURS        MARLTON

SIRI'S FRENCH THAI  CHERRY HILL

MEI THAI                   WOODBRIDGE

Lot's of others that come close.  The above list combines not only great food but a pleasant atmosphere and good service.

Living in the center of the state also shows that you need to drive to most places:)

Tom

[Tom D]

Whoop's.  Let's make it our top 11:) as I totally forgot ORIGIN in SOMERVILLE which was excellent.

How about a new topic for either 10 WORSE or 10 most DISAPPOINTING.

Tom D

[RockADS21]

Definately a few very good ones that will have to settle for # 11 through 15 but after some deep anylyzing here goes...

10) 28 - Montclair

9) The Grand Cafe - Morristown

8) Jeffrey's - Toms River

7) The Ebbitt Room - Cape May

6) Cafe Abbraci - Metuchen

5) Nikko - Whippany

4) Stage House Inn - Scotch Plains

3) Le Petite Chateau - Bernardsville

2) Scalini Fedeli - Chatham

1) The Ryland Inn - White House

[Rachel Perlow]

OK - I wrote this whole post about how I have had to prepare lists of restaurant recommendations for executives who are NJ immigrants in both the Morristown and Bergen County areas.  I created lists for both these areas, really useful lists for people who live or work in those areas. Then I starred the places that are worth a long drive. I just couldn't narrow the list any further.

Then I realized I starred 9 places... so here's that list, all in the northern half of the state (in alphabetical order). After agonizing over this for more than an hour, I couldn't decide on the tenth, forgive me!

- America, Tenafly (New American)

- Casa Vasca, Newark (Spanish)

- Cinque Figlie, Whippany (Italian)

- Garlic Rose Cafe, Madison (Eclectic, for serious garlic lovers only!)

- Hunan Cottage, Fairfield (Chinese, despite the name they specialize in Shanghainese cuisine, ask for the Chinese menu)

- La Vecchia Napoli, Edgewater (Italian, romantic)

- Moghul, Morristown (Indian)

- Pierre's, Morristown (but really Harding) (French, equally fabulous for lunch buffet or dinner, converted mansion)

- Rebecca's, Edgewater (Cuban/Carribean, romantic)

- Tie for #10: Kinara, Edgewater (Indian); Wild Ginger, Englewood (Japanese); Nagano, Morristown (Japanese); Bennies, Englewood (Lebanese); Sapphire, Tenafly (Turkish); Hae Woon Dae, Closter (Korean); Harold's New York Deli, Parsippany (gargantuan sandwiches); and last and certainly least... White Mana, Hackensack (Greasy Spoon).

OK - so none of them are the Ryland Inn, but I haven't been to the Ryland Inn!

Rachel ;) Whew!

[kimwb1]

Rats tops the list, other great meals of 2001 were had at:

Harvest Moon Inn, Ringoes

Soho on George, NBrunswick

Hamilton Grill, Lambertville

Verve, Somerville

Amandsa's, Hoboken

We were way off on dining in 2001...my broken ankle from Feb to April, and then the 9/11 attack...so we didn't go to as many "out of the loop" places as we would in a "normal" year.

Worst dinner was at the place in the Robert Treat Hotel,  across for NJPAC, I have blocked out the name of that horrible place, LOL!

[Rosie]

Maize

[walter maier]

Be sure to try Arthur's Downtown, just a block away from NJPAC.  It can be busy on concert evenings, so a reservation would not go amiss.   We went for my wife's birthday this past April, and they prepared a nice "special menu" that said Happy Birthday, which we got to keep.

[Rosie]

Arthur's Downtown. The problem I have with all of the restaurants around PAC is that you have to pay for parking.

[kimwb1]

Yes, I've heard good things about Arthurs Downtown...by the way, did Maize close?

[Rosie]

Maize is open.

[Rosie]

My favorites for 2001 in alphabetical order!

Amanda's--Hoboken

Andre's--Newton

Basilico--Millburn

Bernard's Inn--Bernardsville

Blue Sky Cafe--Montclair

Cafe Matisse--Rutherford

Corso 98--Montclair

Jocelyne's--Maplewood

Limestone Cafe--Peapack

Nicholas--Middletown

Origin--Somerville

Rat's--Hamilton

Scalini Fedeli--Chatham

Soho on George--New Brunswick

I am sure that I left some out! Give us your list.

[tommy]

i thought it might be interesting to bump this one back up. i wish i had provided a list. although i didn't spend much time eating in NJ in 2001. or 2002. but whatever.

[Rosie]

Tommy--You can still give us a list.

[Kim WB]

Rats tops the list, other great meals of 2001 were had at:

Harvest Moon Inn, Ringoes

Soho on George, NBrunswick

Hamilton Grill, Lambertville

Verve, Somerville

Amandsa's, Hoboken<p><p>We were way off on dining in 2001...my broken ankle from Feb to April, and then the 9/11 attack...so we didn't go to as many "out of the loop" places as we would in a "normal" year. <p>Worst dinner was at the place in the Robert Treat Hotel,  across for NJPAC, I have blocked out the name of that horrible place, LOL!

Hey, this is fun. Good idea, Tommy.

Rats still tops the list. Still Love the Harvest Moon. Had some service issues with Soho, but still like the food. Have not been to Hamilton Grill, and now if I'm going to the area, I go to #9.

Verve, just went there for lunch. Still like it a lot. Origins is now a competitor for my Somerville lunch dining, though.

Amanda's, have not been..Since the Hudson County executive got indited, I don't spend too much time up there anymore!

I would add Passage to India. Lawrenceville.

[Rosie]

Kim--Have you been to Verve for dinner? I haven't beenn there in years and was woondering if it was worth the trip?

[Rachel Perlow]

- America, Tenafly (New American)

- Casa Vasca, Newark (Spanish)

- Cinque Figlie, Whippany (Italian)

- Garlic Rose Cafe, Madison (Eclectic, for serious garlic lovers only!)

- Hunan Cottage, Fairfield (Chinese, despite the name they specialize in Shanghainese cuisine, ask for the Chinese menu)

- La Vecchia Napoli, Edgewater (Italian, romantic)

- Moghul, Morristown (Indian)

- Pierre's, Morristown (but really Harding) (French, equally fabulous for lunch buffet or dinner, converted mansion)

- Rebecca's, Edgewater (Cuban/Carribean, romantic)

- Tie for #10: Kinara, Edgewater (Indian); Wild Ginger, Englewood (Japanese); Nagano, Morristown (Japanese); Bennies, Englewood (Lebanese); Sapphire, Tenafly (Turkish); Hae Woon Dae, Closter (Korean); Harold's New York Deli, Parsippany (gargantuan sandwiches); and last and certainly least... White Manna, Hackensack (Greasy Spoon).

The only places I have been to in the last year that were on my previous list are America, Casa Vasca, Hunan Cottage, La Vecchia Napoli, Kinara, Bennies, Hae Woon Dae and White Manna.

I would replace Casa Vasca with Tapas de Espana, Hunan Cottage with China 46, Hae Woon Dae with Koreana. White Manna is irreplaceable.

[Kim WB]

Kim--Have you been to Verve for dinner?  I haven't beenn there in years and was woondering if it was worth the trip?

Hi Rosie,

Yes, I have...but just twice. I enjoy it for dinner as well, though his menu is rather fish and pasta oriented, which is not a favorite of my DH, so it's rarely a option for us.

'The owner is a great young man, Rick STl. Pierre, with a lot of Princeton Restaurant experience...I think its worth the trip.

[Jason Perlow]

- America, Tenafly (New American)

- Casa Vasca, Newark (Spanish)

- Cinque Figlie, Whippany (Italian)

- Garlic Rose Cafe, Madison (Eclectic, for serious garlic lovers only!)

- Hunan Cottage, Fairfield (Chinese, despite the name they specialize in Shanghainese cuisine, ask for the Chinese menu)

- La Vecchia Napoli, Edgewater (Italian, romantic)

- Moghul, Morristown (Indian)

- Pierre's, Morristown (but really Harding) (French, equally fabulous for lunch buffet or dinner, converted mansion)

- Rebecca's, Edgewater (Cuban/Carribean, romantic)

- Tie for #10: Kinara, Edgewater (Indian); Wild Ginger, Englewood (Japanese); Nagano, Morristown (Japanese); Bennies, Englewood (Lebanese); Sapphire, Tenafly (Turkish); Hae Woon Dae, Closter (Korean); Harold's New York Deli, Parsippany (gargantuan sandwiches); and last and certainly least... White Manna, Hackensack (Greasy Spoon).

The only places I have been to in the last year that were on my previous list are America, Casa Vasca, Hunan Cottage, La Vecchia Napoli, Kinara, Bennies, Hae Woon Dae and White Manna.

I would replace Casa Vasca with Tapas de Espana, Hunan Cottage with China 46, Hae Woon Dae with Koreana. White Manna is irreplaceable.

La Vecchi Napoli definitely does not deserve to be on the list anymore after our last experience, I am sorry to say.

[=Mark]

Bolero Cafe - Highlands (Cuban)

Mazi - Bradley Beach (Mediterranean)

Bella Luna - Belmar

Navesink Fishery - Atlantic Highlands

Have not been to Nicholas yet...

[eat good food]

what about Princeton - Lambertville area? Anywhere to "eat good food"?

[Rosie]

NO 9 or Manon in Lambertville. Both BYO.