Bergen, Passaic Restaurants Rank As Best In State

BERGEN COUNTY —Several restaurants in Bergen and Passaic counties ranked among the best in the state, according to NJ Monthly magazine’s recently released list of top eateries.

For 2019, the publication increased its annual list from 25 to 30 positions because “choosing the best restaurants in New Jersey each year is a challenge.”

Here’s who made the cut – along with commentary from the magazine about each establishment:

Café Panache – Ramsey

“I’m oceany in summer and gamey in the fall,” Kevin Kohler told the magazine of his menu moods. After 34 years running this relaxed yet elegant BYO, the 62-year-old is entitled to his whims. They have produced generations of regulars who delight in his New American creations with French and Italian accents.

Saddle River Inn – Saddle River

“As a young cook, you want to get it all on one plate,” chef/owner Jamie Knott told NJ Monthly. “But as an older cook, you want to get everything on the plate right.” Knott has been cooking in restaurants since he was 13. He now owns three: Cellar 335, also on this list; the new Saddle River Café; and the inn, a beloved old barn he took over in 2013, modernizing its fine-dining menu. Now he strives not for innovation, but for “the best rendition of a dish.”

Viaggo – Wayne

“Robbie Felice has a knack for creating dishes that taste even better than they sound, such as a recent tagliatelle with shrimp and corn in a buttery jalapeño pesto. You don’t want to share it, yet you want everyone at the table, maybe even the world, to taste it. At the same time, he reinvents dishes you think you know," the magazine said.

Felina – Ridgewood

“Anthony Bucco has led several top restaurants in the state, most recently Latour at Crystal Springs. But until he opened Felina in January, he had never been an owner as well as the chef. Being Italian, he says, he wanted to “create an Italian restaurant that didn’t line up with perceptions of Italian restaurants in North Jersey, but built on my strength in local, seasonal, contemporary cooking," the magazine said.

The Hill – Closter

“Ben Pollinger won a Michelin star in his decade as executive chef of the Manhattan seafood restaurant Oceana. But he returned home to do something he had never done: open a restaurant and own it, too. Now a year old, the Hill has rounded into top form," the magazine said.

Osteria Crescendo – Westwood

“The two immediate differences between Viaggio, Robbie Felice’s first restaurant (also on this list), and his new one, Osteria Crescendo, is that Crescendo has a liquor license and a “large format” section of the menu," the magazine said.