Luscious, juicy and sweet: Jersey tomatoes shine at these restaurants
Rejoice, tomato lovers. This is peak tomato season, the best time to enjoy the candy-sweet, lusciously juicy, tasty beauties that are nature's culinary gift to summer. A delicious gift that just happens to be planted, grown and harvested in New Jersey.
The Garden State is among the top 10 tomato-producing states in the nation (California is No. 1). But, if you ask us, New Jersey turns out the juiciest, most flavorful, most awesome tomatoes in the country, if not the planet.
"I love tomato season," said Michael Matonti, executive chef of stalwart Cafe Panache in Ramsey. "Tomatoes are so incredibly sweet then."
Sweet — and ripe for using in a myriad of dishes. From salad and soup to entree and dessert (yes, dessert!), here are some of the most luscious, most creative, most stunning tomato dishes to relish in North Jersey restaurants. But hurry. Like summer itself, heavenly, succulent, vine-ripened tomatoes will disappear way too soon.
Mevo Farm Tomato Gazpacho with Crab Salad and Heirloom Tomato Salad at Cafe Panache, Ramsey
Executive chef Michael Matonti admits that his summertime tomato dishes are super simple — for obvious reasons. "Tomatoes are great as they are. We're not messing with them." So great au naturale that he features them in two summer-only dishes. One is "a nothing crazy" heirloom tomato salad composed of local heirloom tomatoes atop a thin layer of pesto, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, that are crowned with a mound of whipped ricotta cheese and sprinkled with hand-picked arugula leaves. The other is a bright, refreshing gazpacho made with Mahwah-based Mevo Fresh Roots Farm's slicing and cherry tomatoes capped with zesty crab salad and garnished with four different types of basil. The basil too is grown at Mevo farm. The dishes, he said, "are as local as local can be."
Go: 130 E, Main St., Ramsey; 201-934-0030, cafepanachenj.com.
Summer Tomato Salad at Viaggio, Wayne
Award-winning chef Robbie Felice along with his chef de cuisine Felix Gonzalez offer a tomato salad at Viaggio, Felice's rustic Italian restaurant in Wayne, that allows the late summer fruit (yes, tomatoes are a fruit) to take center stage. The tomatoes — all from various small New Jersey farms — are combined with slivers of red onion and bits of cucumber and drizzled with a bit of high-quality olive oil and sprinkled with fresh local oregano and basil.
"It's as simple as can be," Felice said. "We are highlighting Jersey tomatoes." Which, Felice noted, will only get better as the summer advances and the fruit gets even sweeter.
Go: 1055 Hamburg Tpke., Wayne; 973-706-7277, viaggioristorante.com
You Say Tomato at Huntley Taverne, Summit
As soon as executive chef Thomas Bellas can get his hands on New Jersey tomatoes, he rushes to turn them into a dish cleverly called You Say Tomato. Bellas is a fan of not only juicy Jersey tomatoes but Southern cuisine. You Say Tomato serves both interests.
He takes a favorite Southern ingredient, fried green tomatoes — in this case, the tomatoes are from nearby Jersey farms — and uses them to make a sandwich stuffed with roasted tomato basil ricotta. He sits his sandwich atop roasted tomato vinaigrette.
"The dish has tomatoes all over it," he said.
Go: 3 Morris Ave., Summit; 908-273-3166, thehuntleytaverne.com
Tomato Ziti with Summer Scampi at The Pasta Shop, Denville
Tommy Pollio, chef and co-owner of The Pasta Shop, a beloved neighborhood Italian restaurant serving made-front-scratch pasta and wood-fired Italian classics in Denville, believes that he has finally nailed his famous summer-only tomato ziti.
"We've been doing this for a few years, different versions, and we finally feel that we've got it just right," Pollio said.
No doubt his diners think so too. "People ask us, 'Why don't you make this all the time?'" he said. "We only make it when tomatoes are at their peak," he said. "For a month or two."
Blended with tomato powder, the hand-made pasta sports a bright red hue. After cooked, they're enveloped in a tweaked scampi sauce replete with tomatoes, parsley, lemon and garlic — and then garnished with heirloom cherry tomatoes, fresh parsley and crispy fried breadcrumbs.
"It makes a lot of people happy," he said. "It is a light, simple way to highlight summer tomatoes." Simple and delicious.
Go: 13 1st Ave., Denville; 973-253-4143, thepastashopdenville.com
Burrata Pizza at Wood Stack Pizza Kitchen, Pine Brook
If the burrata pizza is not the bestselling pie at Wood Stack Pizza Kitchen, a popular Napoli-style pizza spot, it's close to it, according to manager Nelly Chinchilla. "It's to die for," she declared.
The slightly charred dough wears a thin layer of tomato sauce, a sprinkling of pecorino romano cheese, a layer of arugula pesto and a blanket of sliced roasted tomatoes. In the middle sits a creamy ball of burrata cheese. It's like a tomato burrata salad with the bread included.
Go: 29 Route 46 East, Pine Brook; 973-227-3007, woodstacknj.com
Vegan Beefsteak Tomato at Fiorentini, East Rutherford
Antonio De Ieso, chef and owner of Fiorentini, an acclaimed seasonal Italian restaurant in Rutherford, always has a vegan entree on his menu. Thinking cauliflower steak? Think again. Come summertime, De Ieso takes full advantage of flavor-packed Jersey tomatoes, treating them as he might steak. He sears thick slices of marinated farm-fresh yellow and red beefsteak tomatoes, keeping the inside tender and juicy, the outside firm and crunchy, and serves them with patty pan squash, fresh peas and potato-leak croquettes. "It's tremendous," he said. "Even people who love meat love it."
Go: 98 Park Ave., Rutherford; 973-721-3404, fiorentinirest.com.
Heirloom Beefsteak Tomato Salad at Satis Bistro, Jersey City
The heirloom beefsteak tomato salad at Satis Bistro is the No. 1 bestselling salad, said chef Alex Diaz. It is a salad that requires no cooking. "The tomatoes are ready to roll," he said. "They're ready to eat." And ready to wow diners not only with their heady flavor but their multicolored beauty. Forget leafy greens. This salad's superstars are yellow, purple, red and green heirloom tomatoes that dazzle along with pickled red onions, sliced English cucumbers and bits of feta cheese. But hurry if you want to catch this edible show; it's only playing until the end of summer.
Go: 212 Washington St., Jersey City; 201-435-5151, satisbistro.com.
Tomato Semifreddo at Blue Morel Restaurant and Wine Bar, Morristown
Executive chef Bryan Gregg will be offering a special tomato-focused four-course dinner on August 22 at Blue Morel. "It's going to be tomato-centric," said Gregg. "I'm a big fan of the tomato in late August and early September, when they are most flavorful." And while the dinner ($99/person plus tax and gratuity) sounds nifty —big-eye tuna with black cherry tomatoes; morcilla with tomato pistou; tomato-crusted lamb with sungold tomato — it's the tomato dessert course that has our mouth watering.
How does tomato semifreddo sound to you? An intense frozen tomato custard lounging on a ginger-cookie crust with a whimsical pinenut brittle draped around it and a hefty dollop of green tomato jam. "People are always amazed that you can make dessert with tomatoes," Gregg said. Amazed — and delighted.
Go: 2 Whippany Road, Morristown; 973-451-2619, bluemorel.com.
Tomato Panna Cotta at D'floret, Lambertville
Okay, so Lambertville is not in North Jersey but we couldn't resist letting you know about a tomato dessert created by celebrated chef Dennis Foy, one of the principal founders of the farm-to-table movement. Besides, considering that diners are wild about it — "The reaction to it is insane," said his wife, Estella, managing partner. "People just can't believe it's a tomato dessert" — we thought you just might want to take a little drive and try it.
Foy said he wanted diners to know that the tomato, despite what many believe, is a fruit; it is in fact technically a berry. So why not, he said, offer panna cotta, a well-loved, classic, Italian dessert, embellished with the red fruit. "It was a logical conclusion," Foy said.
Logical, perhaps. Gorgeous, without doubt. Foy combines a silk-smooth eggless custard with pureed heirloom tomatoes that he pours into a glass dessert bowl, and tops with a raspberry and strawberry gelle. The dessert is garnished with thin slices of heirloom tomatoes and a leaf of mint.
"The flavors just burst in your mouth when you take a spoonful," said Estella. "It is so luscious, so beautiful." And a scrumptious testament to tomato's versatility. It could be used to start a meal (hello, tomato salad) and end a meal.
Go: 18 S. Main St., Lambertville; 609-397-7400, dfloretrestaurant.com.
You're So Vine at Ironbound Cider, Asbury
Up for a drive? Ironbound Cider, home of Ironbound Hard Cider and New Ark Farms, officially may not be in our region, but don't let that stop you from hopping into your car on a nice, sunny day to visit what is a one-of-a-kind regenerative farm and cider house. There's live music and food on the weekend, as well as some nifty crafted cocktails that feature fortified cider or fortified (apple) wine as a base.
May we recommend the You’re So Vine, yes, a play on Carly Simon's popular You're So Vain ditty.
If you haven't had "tomato water," a heady liquid extract that is the essence of tomatoes, here's your chance. You're So Vine combines herb-infused beefsteak tomato water with lemon verbena and fortified wine to make a glorious red-hued drink that is as refreshing as it is lovely.
"It is not a traditional cocktail," said its creator, bartender Stefanie Markowski. "It's unique." Reason enough to take a drive this weekend.
Go: 360 Co Road 579, Asbury; 908-940-4115, ironboundhardcider.com.
Heirloom Tomato Panzanella at Gioia Mia, Montclair
Chef and co-owner Logan Ramirez did not want to "mess around" with the classic Italian summer salad called panzanella that features soaked stale bread and, of course, tomatoes. The only fancy kitchen footwork he allowed was to use tomato water in the vinaigrette dressing.
Otherwise, he lets the tomatoes — in this case, a range of New Jersey heirloom tomatoes from sungold to beefsteak to cherry — shine as is. He does, however, add some pickled cherries and a mix of fresh herbs, so "you get a little freshness in every bite." Who is going to argue with that?
Go: 331 Bloomfield Ave., Montclair; 973-233-0350, fascinorestaurant.com.
Tomato Cappuccino at Meet Me at Madison's in Montclair
Really? Tomato cappuccino? Well, more like tomato soup with a frothy top. The soup served at Meet Me at Madison's — an 8-month-old bistro that is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch — contains local tomatoes, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, olive oil and, like a cappuccino, it is topped with a heady white foam, this one made with olive oil and heavy cream. It is the brainchild of executive chef Saverio Stassi.
"It is very popular," said co-owner Madeline Sanchez, who named the restaurant after her daughter, Madison. "We've had it on our menu since Day One and we expect it to stay," she said. "We're not taking it off."
Go: 121 Watchung Ave., Montclair; 973-604-2221, meetmeatmadisons.com.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ restaurant menus with best tomato dishes, sauce
