Dining

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Uptown is a smart choice, early or late in the day

by Teresa Politano/For The Star-Ledger

Thursday January 15, 2009, 3:23 PM

Uptown. 596 Valley Road, Upper Montclair (973) 744-0915. Breakfast and lunch: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays. Dinner: 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. Brunch: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays. uptownmontclair.com. TWO AND A HALF STARS.

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Now that resolution season is in full swing, and what with that ominous gorilla the Great Recession filling every room, a sense of austerity has filled the land. We shall no longer overindulge. At least for a while, anyway.

Which may harbor bad news, perhaps, for restaurants that proffer truffles and other such riches, but truth is, we Jerseyans need to eat, and we still love to eat out. The question is, where should we go and not feel guilty about it?

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The white gloves come off as Mattar's goes bistro

by Cody Kendall/The Star-Ledger

Saturday January 10, 2009, 10:00 PM

Mattar's Bistro. Route 517 and Ridge Road, Allamuchy. Hours: Noon-10 p.m. Mondays-Sundays. Full bar. Major credit cards. Casual dress. Wheelchair accessible. Reservations recommended: (908) 852-2300. mattars.com. TWO AND A HALF STARS.

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For a quarter-century, Mattar's was synonymous with fine dining in its section of Warren County.

The formal presentation of the food and servers in tuxedoes were not what one expected to find so close to farm country. That unexpected element had charm, and a mission: Mattar's stood out as the go-to place for celebrations, special occasions and meals where business was conducted.

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Clydz has occasional sparks of originality, excellence

by Teresa Politano/For The Star-Ledger

Thursday January 08, 2009, 2:50 PM

Clydz. 55 Paterson St., New Brunswick. (732) 846-6521. clydz.com. Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays. Dinner: 4:30-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 4:30 p.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. Closed Sundays. TWO AND A HALF STARS.

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When it was new, Clydz was an uber-trendy city restaurant with all sorts of cachet among the perennially young and hip crowd that defines New Brunswick. The restaurant is below the street, and walking down the steps into the bar gave it an air of exclusivity, as if you were privy to some celebrity-only club.

It's a martini bar, and offers pages upon pages of outrageous drink choices, well more than 50 martinis alone (ice cream martinis, chocolate martinis, apple pie martinis) plus other specialty drinks (a cucumber gimlet, something called the green superhero). The food menu features game -- rattlesnake, buffalo, emu loin.

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Small eatery bursts with big flavor

by Peter Genovese/The Star-ledger

Thursday January 08, 2009, 2:33 PM

Just Like Nonna's. 130 Lincoln Ave., Orange. (973) 677-1888. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays. Closed Sundays.

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Two card tables, a half dozen folding chairs, a stove, deep fryer, meat slicer, a dessert display case and, perched majestically on a back shelf, what just may be the biggest boom box in Essex County.

The boom box at Just Like Nonna's in Orange might as well be a shoe box; owners-sisters Lucy and Laya Di lura are not exactly the toting-their-tunes-on-their-shoulders type and besides, if you blasted the music in this tiny restaurant/deli, you'd probably blow customers clear out to the sidewalk.

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Bay leaf: An old leaf for the new year

by Mary Ann Castronovo Fusco/For The Star-Ledger

Tuesday January 06, 2009, 1:59 PM

James Simon, a Rutgers professor who directs the university's New Use Agriculture and Natural Plant Products Program, has made the study of herbs his life's work. But there's one herb that presently has nothing to do with his research but is, nonetheless, always at hand in his Princeton kitchen. It is bay leaf, which he uses to flavor his soups, Moroccan-style dishes, and stews, and which the International Herb Society has designated "herb of the year" for 2009.

"Ninety percent or more of the bay leaf comes from the steep hills of Turkey. They manually pick the leaves and dry them to 10 percent of their moisture on drying racks out of the sun so they retain their green color," said Simon. "It makes a beautiful ornamental plant. You can grow it on your porch and bring it inside. You can use the leaves fresh."

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