3 NJ Spots Are On USA Today’s Restaurants Of The Year List
If you are on the hunt for some new delicious and local establishments to try, you are in luck. USA Today recently published their list of restaurants of the year, and three New Jersey spots were featured.
The selections in USA Today’s list vary widely in cuisine type; their major similarity is that they offer a truly authentic experience that is representative of the area. “They’re places with stories to tell, places that should be on your dining bucket list and, lest we forget, places serving delectable dishes we can’t stop talking about,” USA Today said.
In other words, these establishments are places you need to try. In New Jersey, the restaurants highlighted cover a lot of ground when it comes to what they are cooking up. From sushi to Middle Eastern classics, you can be assured you will receive a homecooked flavor stepping into any of them. However, let’s start with a Farm-to-Table spot in Old Bridge.
Heirloom Kitchen
Located at 3853 County Road 516, Heirloom Kitchen even offers cooking classes. “The restaurant serves creative and colorful renditions of classic dishes with a four-course prix fixe menu and a vegan prix fixe menu,” USA Today states.
Their menu details the four plate options the guests can choose from. This is in addition to appetizers, bread service, salad, desserts, and wine options.
Where Else In New Jersey?
If you are on the hunt for the best sushi in the state, you can head a bit north to Ridgefield. Sushi By The Sea actually started as a pop-up during the pandemic. Now, they are bringing their culinary visions to life with their restaurant. You can get a glimpse of their “Best Omakase in New Jersey” process here.
Then, in Patterson, you will find, “A Taste Of Ramallah From Our Family, To Yours,” at Al-Basha. This includes salads, lentil soups, falafel, and beef shawarma. Al-Basha describes the experience of visiting them by saying, “Located in a vibrant neighborhood, the restaurant soon became a beloved culinary hotspot, where locals and visitors flocked to experience the authentic flavors and warm hospitality.”
Redrafting Each Of The Giants First Round Picks The Past 5 Years
This is the time of year when sports talk starts to get dominated by NFL draft talk. Speculation and theories galore factor into analysts’ suggestions on who each time will or should take. Here, we will “redraft” all of the Giants first round picks of the past five years. The team is an important spot this year, with high hopes that they will get it right and set the franchise up for future success.
Let’s face it: it’s been a tumultuous ride since the GMen last won the Super Bowl in 2012. It has been a roller coaster of sorts, where certain players have unexpectedly succeeded, and many have not met expectations. What’s unique about analyzing the top picks since 2019 is that it covers different front office staffs. Dave Gettleman was the team’s General Manager from 2018 to 2021. Joe Schoen then took over in 2022. In addition, the past five years have seen three different head coaches. Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge each had less-than-successful two-year runs before Brian Daboll came in.
Of course, much of the draft discussion revolves around quarterbacks. The Giants are no exception to this. In fact, what to do with often-injured Daniel Jones is one of the two primary topics this off-season (the other being Saquon Barkley).
Our Redrafting Guidelines
As acting GM from 2019 on, this exercise considers the success players have had in the NFL over the past five seasons. It’s important to note that each player listed below that we are saying the Giants should have selected was drafted after the choice they actually made. In other words, the Giants passed on each of these players.
Now, with the NFL combine underway, pro days coming up, and prospective meetings, there is a ton of due diligence that goes into each team’s draft process. While no team bats a thousand each year, the preparation the organization does pre-draft is essential to creating a plan that is best for the team. Furthermore, the GM and player personnel departments need to be ready to adjust and make quick decisions based on what happened in the current draft before their pick. This is where the Giants fell short (mostly in the Gettleman days) in years past, and had to make a panic move.
Nonetheless, as we wait for this year’s big draft day in Detroit, here are our Giants 1st round redraft picks from the five previous years. Imagine this: the Giants could have had Justin Herbert passing to Garrett Wilson, with Micah Parson patrolling the defense.
Jeff Gorra is a Boston-based writer who has been with Beasley Media Group since the beginning of 2023. He writes about restaurants and food, as well as sports and rock music. His experience also includes show hosting and in-depth creative writing in rock and reggae dub music. Jeff’s an avid surfer, New York Giants, and Pearl Jam fan, however, if you make unforgettable pizza, he is sure to find you.
