Diners looking for fresh, locally grown food needn't look any further than their favorite New Jersey restaurants. Many of the state's best-known eateries feature fresh produce, meats, seafood and wines from the Garden State. Menus change throughout the year so be sure to ask for the specialties of the season.
The chef at Ramsey's Café Panache self-selects organic herbs and vegetables at MEVO Farm in Mahwah to cook up in specialties like spring asparagus bisque profiteroles and roasted farmhouse duckling with wild rice, dried fruit and wildflower honey.
At Jersey City's Kitchen Step, the executive chef and chef de cuisine honor local purveyors by incorporating their ingredients into a modern American seasonal menu with specialties like crispy zucchini fries and celery root tagliatelle.
Ryland Inn's mantra is "locally sourced, responsibly handled." And that plays out on the plate at this Whitehouse Station restaurant where fresh herbs from the inn's own garden top dishes with heirloom carrots, riesling-pickled green strawberries and Hubbard squash puree.
The loss of the meaning "Garden State" so struck the founder of the Beach Plum Farm Market, that he started growing farm-fresh produce — more than 100 varieties of fruits, veggies, herbs, and flowers — for their own restaurant and several others around Cape May. In summer months, a four-course, family-style meal is crafted by the chef and served among the honeysuckle and hydrangeas and includes hand-harvested tomatoes, sweet bell peppers and squash blossoms.
