Above's Black Truffle Dinner

Above restaurant, located almost on top of the South Orange train station, has recently undergone some big changes. In March they hired Mark Sokolofsky as their new head chef, and overhauled their wait staff and menu. I recently attended an amazing truffle dinner hosted at Above, which incorporated truffles in some capacity into each dish, and paired each course with a different type of wine.  Given all the recent hype about truffles in the news, I was eager to try truffles incorporated in fresh and inventive flavor combinations. 

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A Taste of Acappello

If you dined at Sesame, the Chinese restaurant formerly located near the Wellmont Theater on Bloomfield Avenue, you would recall the space as dark, dimly lit, and sparsely occupied. But over a laborious and intensive ten-month renovation, the old Sesame space has been transformed into a bright, beautiful, multi-level space, that now houses Acappello.

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Leone's: Hearty, Italian-American

People in Montclair are particular about their Italian food. Everyone has their favorite place, absolutely convinced of its superiority up against countless competitors. Personally, I'm partial to Mr. Dino's, since that's what I grew up eating, always hesitant to veer away from my old favorite. Though Giotto and Fascino certainly occupy the upper echelon of Italian restaurants in the area, sometimes a little less pretension is in order for dinner.

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Lalezar Turkish Restaurant

The second stop on my survey of Montclair’s Turkish and Mediterranean restaurants was Lalezar.   Located at 720 Bloomfield Avenue, Lalezar occupies a large corner space at Bloomfield Avenue and St. Lukes Place.  

There are two dining rooms at Lalezar.  Both are decorated in bold Turkish fashion.  After having dined in both dining rooms, I would recommend the lower, sunk-in dining room with softer lighting and warmer color tones.

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Truly Artisanal at True North Osteria

Don’t let the name fool you; True North Osteria is not an Italian restaurant serving Northern Italian fare.  True North, though it is an osteria – a small, informal restaurant - is the dream restaurant of husband and wife team Leah and Dave Moon.  To the Moons, who are nautical enthusiasts, the words  “True North,” refer to the northern point on the compass.

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Restaurant Review: Cafe Amici

Church Street is now the new home of Café Amici Montclair, the sister restaurant of the popular Café Amici in Ho-Ho-Kus, both owned and run by the Franco family. Stacked with a full and diverse menu, Café Amici is at its core Italian, but offers a wide breadth of culinary options to choose from. 

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Restaurant Review: Aozora

Zen SaladIf you haven’t noticed, Montclair is absolutely fit to burst with sushi restaurants. Diners have their pick of ten or twelve places at any given time, making it difficult for restaurants to distinguish themselves from the pack.

Aozora manages to accomplish just that, and sets itself apart with high quality, elegant food served with a European bent. You could describe Aozora as a sort of Asian-European fusion, though they execute traditional Japanese classics with equal flair and precision.

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