About a month ago, I made lunch plans with a friend for this afternoon. At the last minute, I found out that the restaurant we had been planning on would not be opened for lunch. What seemed like a huge bummer at that moment turned out to be a lucky break, as I remembered that I’d wanted to try Uptown Bistro for quite a while. We got there at around 1:30pm with my year-old son in tow, and were warmly greeted with the confirmation that they do indeed have highchairs (hooray!). The server gave us a few minutes to settle in before taking our drink order (two raspberry iced teas, each with a slice of lime), but came by right away with water—much appreciated on this unusually warm afternoon.
Confession of the day: I am a sucker for anything served with avocado. It didn’t take long for me to decide on the crab salad sandwich (one of the specials), especially once I heard the A word listed as an ingredient. The sandwich was presented with a hearty portion of mixed greens and carrots on the side, splashed with a dijon-esque dressing that had a real kick, but wasn’t too much to handle. In general, I steer clear of sandwiches served on croissants—the bread’s daintiness is often no match for the sandwich’s other components. In this case, however, the croissant’s heartiness rivaled that of the side salad. A slice of tomato and a slab of avocado were stacked atop the crab salad, which was mixed with just a bit of mayo. My only problem with the sandwich was that it looked too pretty to eat. I got over that right away, though.
While there was no dessert menu, there was dessert. Oh yes, there was dessert. My pal and I shared a deliciously gooey piece of chocolate lava cake, and it was more than enough for the two of us.
My son befriended a four-year-old at the next table, and I couldn’t help but notice that both parents and the child each had their own order of the same dish: pancakes with fresh strawberries, cantaloupe, and blueberries. I didn’t ask, but my guess is that they’re regulars.
The menu, downloadable on Uptown’s website, features an array of brunch, lunch, and dinner items ranging from omelettes to pasta to a mahi mahi burger. Lunch prices range from $4.50 to $9.95. The kids’ menu items range from $4.50 to $6.50 and include mini burgers, grilled cheese, turkey and cheese on whole wheat, and more.
A steady stream of people came and went while we ate, primarily made up of families, groups of twentysomethings, a few couples, and a few shopped-out mom-and-daughter teams, as evidenced by their many bags.
The restaurant’s design is earthy and clean, with branches peeking over a few dividers, and fresh flowers displayed in the center of the room. A pillow-lined bench runs the perimeter of the space, and they were some comfy pillows.
I’ll be leaning on those pillows again soon, perhaps to the tune of pancakes with fresh fruit.
Uptown Bistro
596 Valley Road
Montclair
973.744.0915
www.uptownmontclair.com
Tuesday through Saturday 10am to 10pm
Sunday 10am to 4pm
Takeout available
Catering available
Essex County Regional Editor Rachel Bozek is a writer/editor living in suburban Essex County, where she has resided since 2003. She grew up in Bergen County, and has lost track of how much time she has spent on LBI and in the Wildwoods. Her editorial gigs to date have included a 10-year stint at Nickelodeon Magazine and freelance writing for a number of outlets including Hasbro’s Trivial Pursuit and Cranium. She continues her search for the perfect pancake. www.rachelbozek.com
I read a few complaints about the Fine Diner on the interwebs, mostly about the prices, and it drove me a bit mad. Yes, the side salad is $4.50, and you could probably get a side salad at a diner elsewhere for $2.00, but I’m betting that one would have iceberg lettuce, maybe a few shreds of carrots, a grape tomato or two, and bottled dressing. Personally, I’m willing to pay a little more for a house-made dressing, especially one so nicely swilled with tasty balsamic vinegar. The salad had fresh baby greens, roasted red peppers, julienned carrots, thick slabs of cucumber, and thinly sliced red onion. And it was big enough for Jim and me to share. Definitely worth $4.50.
Jim ordered a blue cheese burger, because if anyone should be appointed blue cheese burger judge, it’s him. The man orders the blue cheese burger every chance he gets. So when I tell you Jim deemed the burger “one of the best blue cheese burgers” he’s ever had, that’s supremely high praise. And I whole-heartedly agree. Between the well-chosen blue (strong, creamy), the roasted red peppers and lightly sauteed onions, and the beautifully charred meat (I swear, chefs should have to spend one year just charring), you’re not missing bacon in the least. Really, it’s better without. And the choice of bun impressed us even more: a whole wheat soft enough to mold to the burger, but grainy enough to maintain its integrity to the last un-mushy bite. My only nit to pick was the size of the patty — which, had it been bigger, would have made this the best blue cheese burger either of us had ever had without qualification. But that’s more a wish than a complaint. For nine bucks, the burger’s a steal.
We ended the meal with a linzer cookie. The raspberry jam sandwiched inside was hardly sweet, which was a good thing because there was a lot of powdered sugar on top. It worked very well — big, soft, crumbly almond cookies with thick raspberry jam and a sugary sweet kick on top. And when I say big, I mean it: 3 people could share it.
On a very cold February morning after re-scheduling my visit three times due to three different snowstorms, I was finally able to make a visit to the Turning Point in Holmdel. This comfy restaurant fixed in the Commons at Holmdel is located next to the Barnes & Nobles and was a welcome respite from the still angry winter wind.
Carolyn Dan Valerio, Turning Point’s bubbly manager, welcomed us during our meal and told us a little bit about Turning Point and their Director of Operations and Menu Selection, Bonnie Iavaroni, who was the chef for 10 years at the Little Silver location. The Turning Point breakfast brunch and lunch started in 1998 in Little Silver. In 2002 they opened their 2nd location in Holmdel. Kudos Bonnie, keep up the good work…your menu is outrageous! Judging by the number of items on it, I think we will both be growing old together!
Colleen Curry is a Jersey Bites Regional Editor for Hudson County where she’s busy trying every restaurant in Hoboken. She is also a hyperlocal web editor for the Asbury Park Press, exploring community news and citizen journalism in Freehold, New Jersey.
EarthShare New Jersey (ESNJ) is celebrating the beauty and bounty of New Jersey as part of their 4th annual EarthShare Celebrates NJ event. The festivities feature wine tasting, art in nature exhibit, and an “Experience New Jersey” auction. It will take place at the
Guest Bite by Meryl Boker
Our server was very attentive and knowledgeable about the choices on the menu. I ordered from the selection of specials a Grilled Long Steam Artichoke Heart appetizer baked with lemon butter sauce and topped with crumbled feta cheese and bread crumbs. It was delicious. So good in fact, I had to polish the plate with a nice hunk of great bread. My husband, Ricky, ordered the Stuffed Roasted Red Pepper which was stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese and topped with pignoli nuts and a sharp provolone cheese. It was served on a bed of greens with balsamic vinaigrette. The others at the table ordered the huge Homemade Meatballs and Fried Calamari and various salads that were presented beautifully and devoured immediately.
Meryl Boker is a dedicated foodie from Wall Township. She and her husband enjoy exploring new restaurants and taking culinary adventures in Monmouth County and beyond.
Jersey-based band, Kindred Souls came up with an idea to help. What if they performed at a diner in each of NJ’s 21 counties and got the diner owners and patrons to donate to the NJ Federation of Food Banks? And what if they hit all 21 diners in just 48 hours? That idea is now the Diners Donate Dollars Tour, slated for Friday, March 19 through Sunday, March 21.
On a recent Sunday, we had a very early dinner at Dish in Red Bank. The late afternoon light provided wonderful opportunity for pictures, so I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. (I was getting very hungry as I was editing them.)
Our meal began with the gorgeous Lobster Risotto you see above and the waitress recommended Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes as appetizers. I am allergic to Lobster, so I had to take the word of my dining companion who said it was fabulous. The empty plate kind of gave it away. Since mysteriously I am not allergic to crab (thank you God) I thoroughly enjoyed the crunchy goodness you see here. Served with a Red Pepper Remoulade, no filling, just crabby satisfaction.
watched it pass by with envy. The owner told me later that they tried taking the short ribs off the menu in the summer and were quickly informed by patrons that they had made a grievous mistake. So, if you’re hankering for braised meats in the middle of August, Dish is the place to go, much to the chagrin of the melting kitchen crew I’m sure.
We ended our meal with one of the best bread puddings I have ever tasted. Well, we didn’t actually taste it, we quite frankly inhaled it. At the end of the evening, I chatted with a very nice couple from Westfield who told me that every time they come to Red Bank for a show at the Count Basie Theater, they make it a point of dining at Dish. They admitted that they were not thrilled with my doing a review of their favorite place. Evidently, they’d like to keep this Dish a secret. Sorry folks.
They don’t call it the Irish 
Riviera for nothing, Folks. The central Jersey Shore knows how to get its green on. Even the dogs are Irish, evidently all of them.
KELLY’S CORNER TAVERN, State Highway 35, NEPTUNE CITY, NJ
Beverly A. Beveridge, Monmouth County Regional Editor, jerseybites.com 
Windows Dining Room is a hidden gem of Monmouth County where students from the Monmouth County Vocational School District/Brookdale Community College Culinary Arts Program prepare lunches and dinners under the supervision of master chefs.
I found EXACTLY what I wanted (everything!) and so did my assistant on this outing, my husband (and photographer), Bob. I ordered the Pork Roulade with Roasted Pepper Tomato Sauce appetizer, the INCREDIBLE Crispy Duck and Rice Noodle Salad and the Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Gruyere cheese served with Purple Potato Cream and Succotash ( a first of many times for me I hope!) Bob’s selections included the Maryland Crab Cakes with Remoulade appetizer, Poblano Corn and Shrimp Chowder and Pan Trout with House Smoked Bacon with Dried Cherry Cornbread and Creamed leaks (Did I mention all of this food is completely fresh and prep work begins at 2:15 daily?) Of course, I had to taste everything including Bob’s selections (a wife’s prerogative). For dessert, at the suggestion of the entire staff, (maybe because it took us 5 minutes and counting and we were still undecided) we chose a selection of ALL the desserts for the evening! Yes, you heard me, you can order a dessert sampler with generous samples of – EVERYTHING! Can life get any better?
Thank you Principal/Director, Michael Sirianni, for setting up this beautiful dinner for us, and Chef Anthony and his culinary staff for pulling it off superbly! The warmth of the room, soft music and attentive staff, lovely menu items with picture-perfect presentation and superb preparation …..and, of course, the unbeatable price!…will bring us back over and over again.
At WINDOWS, I have also enjoyed ala carte lunches, themed buffet lunches on Fridays, and now dinner. I just found out that they also serve a brunch (next week!). Please note that the menu changes frequently due to the three week rotation of classes and chefs.
