Links
Review
The Brick Lane Dining Room
Brick Lane brings the spirit and flavors of a British curry house to New Jersey at its Montclair location, opened in July. (The first two are in Manhattan.) I can easily see Brick Lane becoming part of our regular rotation for Indian food.
Past the “Mind the Gap” sign next to the door, the minimalist dining room features hardwood tables and some cool “colander” lighting.
British curry shops, originally serving the Bengali immigrants of London’s East End, focus on base sauces with spices added to make a variety of Masalas, Kormas and Vindaloos. Brick Lane offers an impressive list of curries served with lamb, chicken, goat, fish, shrimp, paneer (cheese), tofu or vegetables. There are also meat and breads from the tandoor clay oven. We grabbed some food to go earlier this month, and really enjoyed everything we tasted – a very spicy Madras Curry chicken; a yummy, also spicy, Biryani, rice dish flavored with whole cloves; well-made onion-chickpea fritters; a nicely charred Naan; and some tasty potato “veg. of the day” (Bombay Aloo). The Lunch Special and Lunch Box to go are a steal at $10 each. Follow the links below to read about Brick Lane’s Phaal Curry challenge, which involves the infamous “Ghost Chile.”
Parking on this stretch of Valley Road can be tricky. Try the Foodtown lot down the block.
Links
Take out: Yes
Review
Guest review by James L. Baker (age 12)
“Petit Paris, or, for those of us who spent French class throwing erasers at the blackboard, ‘Little Paris,’ lives up to its name. It is a charming little internet café that serves some of the world’s most delicious (and least nutritious) food ever. The most emphasized thing there are the macarons, of which they serve 17 different variations, including rose, mango and basic. We bought several and set to work.
The macarons have a crispy wafer shell, a soft , puffy layering, and, no offense, a filling with the texture of soft Oreo cream. The flavor makes up for it, especially in the case of the raspberry macaron. The chocolate macaron is freaking delicious.
The other desserts are the kind of thing to put in a heart-shaped box (cough, her birthday is next month, flowers are overdone, cough) and to have with your triple espresso. The coffee éclair is really espresso and not at all sweet; the reviewer’s mother was a big fan.
Generally, the pastries are high quality and tasty. Plus, there was one 20-something guy actually speaking French into his Bluetooth. Now excuse me, I need to work on my eraser-throwing.”
Links
Parking: Street, Metered
Review
Named after the iconic woven tables that hold the communal platter for Ethiopian meals, Mesob offers the unique flavors of Ethiopian cuisine in a stylish space.
Injera Platter
Mesob stands out among the ethnic delights of Montclair’s Bloomfield Avenue. Two storefronts up from Costanera, around the corner from Epernay, Mesob is richly decorated with dark wood tables, exposed brick walls and striking Ethiopian textiles on display. The dining room is upscale, the food is unique, and the owners and staff are happy to guide newcomers.
Ethiopian food has something for everybody, with meat and vegetarian dishes that can be spicy or mild. Try the delicate, flaky Sambussas (beef or lentil “samosas”) as an appetizer. The centerpiece, platter and utensil for an Ethiopian meal is the sourdough Injera. Mesob’s injera is light and tangy – the perfect crepe-like texture to grab some stew off the platter and pop it in your mouth. Chicken, lamb or beef is offered as Tibs (sauteed in a tomato-based sauce), as Aletcha Wat (mildly spiced stew), or as Key Wat (spicy stew). Each entree comes with two vegetable sides and two injeras for scooping up the food.
New Jersey's Best Injera?
Our favorite side dishes were the Ingudai Tibs (sauteed portobello mushrooms) and the Ye’shenbra Assa (chickpea biscuits in a spicy sauce). Kitfo (raw beef with herbed butter and spices) is a must for steak tartare fans. All the entrees are served on a round, flat injera platter. If you like the sauce, tear off and eat a piece of the sauce-soaked platter.
Our server helpfully suggested which dishes would be best for the kids – less spice – and served the kids’ portions on a separate injera platter just for them. Mesob is one of only four Ethiopian restaurants in New Jersey. It is well worth a visit to try one of the world’s most unique cuisines.
Links
Parking: Public Lot
Reviews
I learned about this new Montclair Peruvian via Baristanet. We arrived with high hopes, since the chef-owner is the son of the owner of Oh! Calamares in Kearny, one of our favorite Jersey Peruvian restaurants.
Costanera delivers very good, fresh Peruvian food in a sleek setting. The restaurant’s menu, focused on seafood, is more limited and a little pricier than other top Peruvian spots like Oh! Calamares and Rutherford’s Sabor Peru, but the food is similar. The ceviches (try Mixto and Tiradito Tradicional) are delicious. My wife is a big fan of the Arroz Chaufa. Our table tried three different Causas (crab, chicken and vegetarian-artichokes). The crab is the stand-out. My fish in spicy sauce was not spicy at all until I added the green chili sauce served with the Peruvian corn, but then the fish was delicious. The roast chicken is solid. You can order Inka Cola at Costanera, but no traditional anticuchos, unfortunately.
Service is friendly and unhurried. Costanera’s setting is much more Montclair than Cuzco, with one wall featuring a pattern of log cross-sections (no handpainted murals of Macchu Picchu here.)
I have a feeling Costanera is one of a coming wave of Peruvian restaurants that will expand from traditionally Peruvian neighborhoods into the rest of New Jersey. This is a very good thing. Hopefully, the authentic Peruvian food won’t be toned down too much for suburban tastes.
(Jun 2010)
Links
Parking: Street
Take out: Yes
Take out: Yes
Review
Savory and sweet pies to go. Try the chicken vindaloo - a spicy London curry trapped in a pie. Oh my! From smaller pasties (think overweight empanadas) to square dinner pies large enough to feed two or three people. The shop, a branch of Montclair’s London Food Company, also sells all kinds of British treats (Mars bars, tea biscuits and such).
(Jun 2011)
