Former NFL player dishes up Mom's Meatloaf and other Southern comfort foods.
"We dare you to leave here hungry." That's the motto of Simply Southern, a restaurant in Belmar opened by former NFL player Rasheed Simmons, with his mother, Rita Simmons. Judging from the photos of the food and the menu descriptions, that's just not possible. Featured dishes include Mom's Meatloaf, a catfish sandwich, an all-day Southern breakfast, salmon croquettes and fried pork chops. Also, for fans, on the wall is a framed jersey -- No. 60 -- from Simmons' pro football days. Visit simplysoutherncomfortfood.com.
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The culinary buzz in Montclair centers around the chicken liver toast and rosemary focaccia at Turtle + The Wolf. The restaurant was opened by Lauren Hirschberg, who worked for 13 years at Tom Colicchio's Craft restaurant in New York City with fellow Montclair native Matt Trevenen. On the restaurant's website, Hirschberg is poetic about provenance: "As a chef, I bought into the philosophy that the source of the ingredient was more important than what it would become." For more information, including the chef's explanation of the restaurant's name, visit turtleandthewolf.com.
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Sofia, where you can order a 16-ounce center-cut Berkshire Farm pork chop, a colossal shrimp cocktail or a whole Maine lobster, has opened in Englewood. The restaurant, a dramatic steakhouse also specializing in Italian cuisine (it has a wood-burning pizza oven), has another interesting draw: a downstairs smokers' lounge (the restaurant has an indoor smoking permit). The owner is Eddy Sujak, who also owns a Zagat-rated pizzeria in the Bronx. Sujak is not new to the restaurant business. His Tosca Cafe in Throgs Neck -- featuring straightforward Italian cuisine from family recipes, plus pizza from a restored pizza oven -- is also known for its rooftop brunch and for its place-to-be-seen lounge. Visit sofiaenglewood.com.
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