Eric Levin

Aug 26, 2023 | njmonthly.com | Eric Levin

Rafael Ruiz thought the only tools he would ever need were the ones he carried as an electrician. He was midway through his five-year apprenticeship and looking forward to taking the exam that would make him an electrical contractor. Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and he was out of a job. Now his favorite tool is probably the wooden paddle he wields at his Nutley restaurant, Emilio’s Wood Fire Pizza, which he modestly calls “my store.”Pizza was never the plan. It was the follow-up to a fallback.

Jul 31, 2023 | njmonthly.com | Eric Levin

Like most chefs, David Burke spends a lot of time on his feet. Unlike most, he also spends a lot of time on a seat. Burke—who owns or operates nine restaurants, including the 2023 NJM Top 30s Red Horse in Rumson and 1776 in Morristown, plus the Dixie Lee Bakery in Keansburg—racks up about 50,000 miles a year keeping tabs on his tasty empire. Which just got a little bigger. He and his partners have taken over the venerable Bernards Inn in Bernardsville.

Jul 25, 2023 | njmonthly.com | Eric Levin

Moghul chef Sanjeev Kumar with his Jersey corn and pea patty. Photo courtesy of Mehtani Restaurant GroupSummer is a great time to celebrate Jersey sweet corn, our famous and locally cherished gift to the foodie universe. The corn is ripe for pickin’ or purchasing at markets and farm stands. Here, some of our state’s top toques get to the kernels of what makes this crop so special.

Jul 25, 2023 | njmonthly.com | Eric Levin

At James on Main, the nose perks up the moment you step through the door. The aroma of the wood-burning stove and oven “polish the flavors,” says Bill Van Pelt, chef/owner of the Hackettstown restaurant—named one of New Jersey Monthly‘s Top 30 restaurants in the August issue. “Sometimes I can’t put my finger on it, but I know people enjoy it.”Gathering fallen branches or unneeded wood from a local peach farm, Van Pelt gives it new purpose. It fuels all his cooking.

Jul 24, 2023 | njmonthly.com | Eric Levin |Jill P. Capuzzo |Victor Fiorillo |KT Harrison

New Jersey dining is striking in its range of cuisines and price points, high quality of food, and the lack of pomposity in service—snootiness is not our thing here in New Jersey. You will see all of these elements reflected in this year’s 30 Best Restaurants list, one of our most hotly anticipated stories each year, requiring months of research (and eating!) by our dining editor and restaurant critics to put together.