Hi Eden - Welcome!
The steaks at Prime and Beyond are awesome!
This picture is from my last dinner there.
I live in Montclair. Please keep me in mind if you go back.
Cheers!
Diving Horse in Avalon in the summer
Welcome!
Itās funny you say that about DāAZur. The menu has never driven my interest, so we havenāt even gone.
Jessicaās for me is really about the apps. Itās a great place to go crazy with the apps. The pork chop is my favorite of the entrees, but I had a conversation above here with @Mike_Cohen about how NJ seems to really have that as a consistent theme- great apps, so-so entrees (100 Steps being among the most notable for me!)
We have a group getting together in November of board members if youād like to join. I can dig up the thread.
We are doing Basilicoās in Millburn.
Agreed that apps are usually better than mains in NJ, but honestly, our biggest gripe is that we are essentially the same distance from NYC as Brooklyn, and yet our restaurant options are embarrassingly poor by contrast. No excuse and just downright depressing.
Ian - worth trying Bistro dāAzur at least once. 100 Steps never really āgot thereā IMO - even when Jim & Andrea launched it. Ah, the demise of ATHā¦ donāt get me started. Do loop me in on the get-together in November, please - thanks for the offer! I canāt guarantee that Iāll be able to make it as Iām recovering from foot surgery, which is unpredictable ā but I am hopeful that I will be in some condition to start getting out by then, and would love to meet some actual NJ foodies!
Youāre on, Paul! Absolutely drag Jay out here, and help hubby and me understand what all the hype is about. 
here is the thread. If you jump to the bottom, you will find in the last 5-10 posts all the info about it.
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Kinda reminiscing here. Iād guess that my wife and I were top 10 customers at both ATH and OHS. For a number of years, ATH was truly special. When they opened OHS, we didnāt love it at firstā¦but grew to love it as we like shellfish and the small plates thing. I have a distinct memory of sitting at the bar at OHS late one night and Jim stopped by to chat. He was always so cheerful and happy to taste what we were drinking but this night he was clearly angry and upset. After he left, I turned to my wife and said, I bet they close OHS. Sure enough, they sold OHS a month later. And then a short time after that they sold ATH.
I grabbed a drink with Jim and Andrea after the sale and chatted with them. They were burned out. Working seven days a week (and Jim had a day job). They missed all their family events and milestones and their family was mostly in the midwest.
Since the sale I would say that ATH had itās ups and downsā¦mostly downs. Although there was a short time where AJ Capella (now at Summit House) was the chef and it was really good. Then it sold again and became Wasai which despite some service issues, is really good japanese (for NJ).
OHS took a step down IMO but then turned it around pretty quickly. Covid messed them up but when they came back it was solid. Weāve had a couple of meals there over the past few months, mostly good, one was off. These days, Iām happy they are still there, but itās not my first choice despite being about 1.5 miles away.
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Kara stilll cooking at OHS? I havenāt been there since right after Covid. Never really did it for me or my wine group but I would be willing to try it again.
She was during COVID, and I went and it was fantastic. We were supposed to go last weekend with some other people, but the whole night fell apart. Probably going in the next few weeks though.
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We had dinner with friends last night at Cafe LāAmore (Oakland, NJ). We have often gotten take-out from here, but havenāt dined in for several years. Food was outstanding. Dining room was a little noisy. Bring stems. They now take reservations. Place was packed. Parking was always a problem but they have valet service.
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I see that the vast majority of the posts relate to Northern NJ, but I will echo Brianās earlier recommendations of Park Place in Merchantville and Two Fish in Medford Lakes. Both are tasting menu formats, which I guess turns some folks off, and Park Place is cash only.
June BYOB in Collingswood is also nice, and the private/back room at Nunzioās in Collingswood is one of the cooler places to host a tasting for between 6-8 people, as the chef is willing to customize your menu to pair with your wines.
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I grew up in Medford Lakes and lived there until 12 years ago. Good to see there is a nice byob. Sadly Sagami in Collingswood is or will be closed. Used to stop by Moore Bros fora bottle. Had been going to Sagami forever.
Is that so, Sagami closed? My stepson is based most of the time in Haddonfield with his mother, and weād often hit Sagami going to or from. Jonathan has been going there for ages. It has gone downhill, but we still enjoyed it on the last visit.
I should have checked, still open but one of the owners died. https://www.sagamirestaurant.com/
Collingswood restaurant is reopening on Aug. 1
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anyone ever try char kol in freehold? byobā¦happen to be in the area now and then for family.