A romantic dinner doesn’t have to follow the candlelit script. In Central Jersey, many restaurants offer new takes on an intimate date. Here are five restaurants that are worth a visit with your significant other, as a way to get even closer over an exquisite meal.
- Smart farm-to-table: Ninety Acres
2 Main Street, Peapack, NJHoused in a 1912 manor that was once owned by the King of Morocco, this restaurant offers a menu built around the produce that comes from the onsite farm, Natirar, and other local areas.
Ninety Acres’ highlight is its Bring Me Food tasting menu. Aparty of 30 gets to sit at the restaurant’s open kitchen to watch how dishes from the seasonal menu are prepared and then immediately served.
To honor the history and distinction of the place, and to create a more memorable experience, guests are encouraged to come in business casual attire.
- Classic Italian: Da Filippo’s
132 East Main Street, Somerville, NJTraveling to Italy to sample authentic Italian and Sicilian cuisine seems excessive when a drive to Somerville, NJ to dine at Da Filippo’s will suffice. Owned and run by Sicilian master chef Filippo Russo, Da Filippo’s passes the exacting standards of many an Italian grandmother – and has regular patrons to prove it.
The restaurant’s rustic and intimate interior also lends itself well to celebrating wedding anniversaries and other romantic milestones. And special occasions may even include the owner himself playing the piano for the celebrant.
Specialties include Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe; Porchetta Alla Romana or Roman-style pork roast; and Pasta con le Sarde, bucatini pasta tossed with fresh sardines, wild fennel, currents, pine nuts, and saffron.
- BYOB French: Restaurant Lorena’s
168 Maplewood Avenue. Maplewood, NJThis French restaurant in Maplewood keeps romantic evenings well within budget by getting rid of wine lists altogether. Guests are encouraged to bring their own bottle of wine — at no additional charge. The staff takes over from there, pairing your bottle with a small but constantly evolving menu.
In accordance with the French way, each plate of the restaurant’s three-course menu is beautifully crafted and plated. A classic crème brûlée or caramelized apple tart for dessert rounds out a perfect dinner.
- Relaxed and casual: The Stone House at Stirling Ridge
50 Stirling Road, Warren, NJTucked in the verdant landscape of the Watchung Mountains, the Stone House at Stirling Ridge beckons to couples looking to relax in each other’s company. The menu is a celebration of adopted dishes – with guests traveling through continents with each plate. Start with sushi, move to foie gras and short rib, then finishwith s’mores. A gourmet yet truly American experience prepared with the freshest locally sourced ingredients.
- All about wine: Seasons 52
410 Commons Way Bridgewater, NJSeasons 52 is a must for couples where at least one partner is a wine lover. The restaurant has 52 wines in stock, which are constantly being changed to keep new and regular patrons coming back to explore new varietals. From whites and reds to blends and uncommon varieties like grüner veltliner, all wines at Seasons 52 are enjoyed with dishes prepared from fresh and sustainable ingredients.
With a wine list that playfully features value-priced wines under “Drink Them Before They’re Famous,” the restaurant and wine bar creates an inviting atmosphere that will keep couples entertained, engaged, and enlightened all evening long.
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