The 51 N.J. restaurants you need to eat at before you die

By Vicki Hyman | Originally appeared in NJ Advance Media for NJ.com – New Jersey Food and Dining | June 26, 2017

From deep-fried hot dogs to fresh caught seafood, from street food from all corners of the globe to every style of pizza you can imagine, there are countless ways to pig out prohibitively in New Jersey. But where to start? With lots of input from (and much arguing with) a handful of fellow Garden State food lovers, we came up with the ultimate restaurant bucket list — the 51 restaurants any self-respecting New Jerseyan should try before they die.

Many are among the state’s top fine dining destinations, but there are also roadside diners, pizzerias, barbecue joints, ramen bars, a hot dog stand and even a clam shack. Beyond sensational food, we also took into consideration dreamy views, peerless service, singular interior design, and just plain Jersey quirk.

So here are our picks for the state’s most defining and essential restaurants, listed alphabetically. How many have you checked out?

Here’s an excerpt highlighting us at Chengdu 23. Thank you so much for including us among so many worthy restaurants.

Jerry McCrea | Star-Ledger file photo

New Jersey’s best place for authentic, often sizzlingly spicy and exotically sourced Szechuan specialities is inside this unassuming strip mall. Don’t let Ants Climbing on a Tree scare you off.

Jerry McCrea | Star-Ledger file photo

Try: Ox tongue and tripe in a roasted chile peanut vinaigrette (above), $10, Firehouse chicken with black and king oyster mushrooms in a hot bean paste sauce, $16.

Where: 6 Willowbrook Road, Wayne, (973) 812-2800. chengdu23.com

For the full article, please visit:
http://www.nj.com/food/index.ssf/2017/06/50_best_restaurants_new_jersey.html