This boisterous and lively spot is on our list of top places serving American cuisine.
ON DAY 2 of our best choices in American cuisine, we offer ...
ARIANE KITCHEN & BAR
We love the energy of chef Ariane Duarte and the brilliantly playful energy of her food, but we also love her attitude toward family. "You don't hold them at arm's length, you let them in."
Ariane Duarte, in one of the colorful, oversized chairs that brighten the dining area at Ariane Kitchen & Bar in Verona Duarte's restaurant has always been a family business, with husband Michael as co-owner. (Her aunt's artwork decorates the restaurant walls.) And Duarte and family reveled in a four-game winning streak on "Family Feud" in early 2015. Competing on the show was on Duarte's bucket list; she's been a fan since the '70s.
In 2014, Duarte closed her well-loved elegant and subdued restaurant in Montclair to open a more boisterous and lively spot in Verona. Some favorite signature dishes remain -- the cornmeal-crusted oysters with horseradish, the delicate sashimi tuna flower. But her burger, topped with pickled shallots, just rocks, and the gamy rib-eye is a pretty terrific option as well.
TOMORROW: Cafe Matisse, Rutherford
As for more television, Duarte keeps telling herself, "I'm done, I'm done, I can't." Then, inevitably, she returns. "I'm on the list," she says. "I get a lot of casting calls."
Keep an eye out for an appearance with Bobby Flay. Duarte may believe she's an accidental television star, but viewers beg to differ. She's a natural.
• Ariane Kitchen & Bar | 706 Bloomfield Ave., Verona | (973) 744-0533 | arianekb.com
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