New Jersey

Steam clouds the window, onions crackle on the grill, and somebody near the register calls out an order…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 8

A plate of salmon is heading toward the table, somebody has just ordered another round, and a pontoon…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 8

A church bell carries farther when there is no traffic competing with it. That is the appeal of…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 8

One minute, you are standing beneath a greenhouse roof surrounded by orchids, hanging baskets, and enough vegetable seedlings…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 7

A bowl of pasta lands on the table just as Manhattan begins flickering to life across the Hudson.…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 7

A flat toasted baguette can handle plenty, but the Holy Toasty gives it a serious workout. Cornflake-crusted chicken,…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 7

Somewhere between the first blistered edge of a pizza and the last spoonful of panna cotta, an ordinary…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 7

A bright orange building beside Delsea Drive does not exactly whisper “destination dining.” It looks more like the…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 7

A wooden walkway rises above a Vernon marsh, turns through shoulder-high reeds, and keeps going until the road…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 7

The pool at the end of this Pine Barrens trail has no stream flowing into it, no spring…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 7

The best hour in a waterfront town is often the one before anyone starts looking for parking. Bakery…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 7

The pizza has not even reached the table, yet somebody is already scraping the last streak of cultured…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 6

The first warning is the skewer. It stretches three feet from end to end, arrives loaded with slow-roasted…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 6

Rain is rattling against the windows, the wind has turned every umbrella inside out, and the forecast appears…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 6

A hammer rings against an anvil beyond the trees, a pottery wheel hums inside a converted village building,…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 6

The first real sign of summer is not a date on the calendar. It is a handwritten flavor…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 6

A plate of snow crab legs is already a respectable start. Add a few slices of tuna sashimi,…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 6

A fluorescent rock glowing electric green inside a former zinc mine. A six-story elephant with a staircase hidden…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 6

The morning decision gets serious the moment a Rise & Shine Burrito lands on the table at Comfort…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 5

There is always one object that stops the whole expedition: a ceramic panther the size of a house…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 5

A small flame flickers in the middle of the table while skewered beef, shrimp toast, spare ribs, and…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 5

There is a particular kind of New Jersey lunch that requires both hands, several napkins, and a willingness…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 5

A wooden path curls through shoulder-high reeds, a suspension bridge gives a gentle bounce underfoot, and then—because New…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 5

A bright pink storefront is not exactly designed to blend into the background, especially when it is planted…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 4

A stone wall slips past the passenger window while the Delaware River flashes through the trees, and suddenly…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 4

The first hint that Cattus Island is not a typical Jersey Shore stop comes before you even park.…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 4

The route to one of South Jersey’s bluest bodies of water begins in a decidedly ordinary place: behind…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 4

At Harold’s in Edison, a matzo ball arrives with the size and confidence of a small moon. A…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 4

A Cape May–Lewes Ferry moves silently across the horizon while cedar branches scrape together behind you and rusted…

By Duncan Edwards · Aug 4