Many New Jerseyans knowthat Morristown is an historically significant town — after all Gen. George Washington's headquarters was located in town. Butmany probably don't know that Morristown, a town of some 19,000 residents and the county seat of Morris County, is aheck of a great restaurant town.
"It's aculinary mecca," declared Tim Schafer, aka The Brew Chef,a chef, caterer, restaurant owner and beer and food writer who grew up, worked and owned a popular restaurant in Morristown before moving to North Carolina.His popular New American spot on Speedwell Avenue, Tim Schafer's Cuisine, is today known asChef Fredy's Table.
"This is home,"said Schafer recently, as he proudly guided me along a deliciousMorristown Food Crawl where some of the besteats are in his hometown. He comes back home lots.
"You can park your car here and go to numerous drinking and dining places — many of them individually owned; they're not chains," Schafer said, estimating that there are some 150 restaurants in town today. It's what we did: We parked our cars — and popped in and out ofrestaurants and pubs, happilydevouringsashimi tuna pizza, pan-roasted breast of Peking duck, a fully loaded burger with polenta fries, an airy Shepherd's pie, grilled calamari with papaya and what is my current favorite dessert: Butterscotch Pudding.
Weate other terrific dishes.To find out where and what else we ate, read on.
The Grand Cafe
Desmond and Alice Lloyd,37-year owners ofthis traditional French restaurantsmack in the middle of Morristown,clearly did not get the memo about fine-dining dying.Neither, it seems, did their manyfans. Their guests appreciatethe elegant Old Worlddining room, with starched pink tablecloths and matching folded napkins,fresh-cut flowers, upholstered chairs and a well trained staff. "This is the epitome of fine dining," Tim Schafer said.
And while the menu is French — sautéed foie gras, steak tartare, mussels Provencal and grilled sirloin au poivre — there are lots of American and Asian touches throughout.Here is where you can indulge on a perfectly pan-seared ahi tuna resting on a bed of soft soba noodles ($25.95; can easily feed two); house-smoked salmon with capersand toast points ($16.95); stir-fried duckwith a sweet peanut and mint dressing($14.95); pan-roasted breast of Peking Duck with a chestnut purée and sticky rice ($32.95) and, if it's your day, a special of warm lobster salad on angel hairpasta with sautéed shiitake mushrooms.
"It's been a special for 30 years," a waiter told us. If the weather is nice, you can enjoy your meal al fresco on the lovely patiothat abutsthe MorristownGreen. "A greatlocation," Schafer said. One that maybe even better appreciated with a nice bottle of wine.
Story continues below gallery
End of Elm
End of Elm? If you're a longtime Morristown resident, odds are good that it was at this locationthat you and your mates came to drink beer and liquor,probably too much beer and too much liquor, when you were young(er).Schafer readily cops to it. But it wasn't called End of Elm then; it was Hennessy Washington Bar, right by the Morristown train station.
Local Paul Haley bought the joint five years ago and turned it into a welcoming gastropub. While End of Elm is open for lunch, Haley admits it's "more a night time scene."He also declared, "We're known for our co*cktails."
Let's just say that if the "Make It Snapea" we enjoyed is any indication, the popularity is well deserved. This lime-green drink isdownrightdelicious,made with Szechuan vodka and St. Germain (elderflower liqueur) as well as muddled snap peas ($13).
What's to eat? Highly recommended: the very creative sashimi tuna pizza,velvety tuna tartareflecked with chopped scallions on top of crunchy sticky rice($14); the flavorful and somewhat messy chicken and waffle sliders, three teeny buns stuffed with chicken, bacon, cheddar and maple Hollandaise ($16);the tender pork arepas with Jicama slaw ($14); and the short rib tacos with jalapenoaioli ($14) — the dish "that outsells everything," Haley said.
Go:140 Morris St.,Morristown;973-998-4534,endofelm.com.
Story continues below
South + Pine
Here's your fair warning: Be prepared to have your palate break into danceat this down-to-earth"American eatery" that's a stone's throw from MPAC theater. Chefand owner Leia Gaccione,former executive chef & chef de cuisine forBobby Flay, knows a thing or two about good cooking.
Tasteher humongous cut of perfectly grilled salmon on a bed of black coconut quinoa ($17) — and you may never want to have anyone else's.Bite into her crispy pork belly with fresh strawberries and balsamic ($15)and see if you canbring yourself to putdown your fork for even a second. Take a look at that fully-loaded burger with fried egg, house-smoked cheddar and bacon aioli ($16) and see how little time it takes you to polish it off. The polenta fries served with it may have you questioningpotato fries.
Get the duck tacos with caramelized scallions bathed in a rhubarb hot sauce ($15) anddon't be surprised if you hear yourself moan with delight."Everything here has excellentflavors," Schafer said.Agreed. Fair warning No. 2: Don't pass updessert, especially the butterscotch pudding with chocolate toffee crunch ($10). Let's justsay you're not going to care one iota about howfattening it may be. You're going to be too busy enjoyingevery calorie.
Go:90 South St., Morristown; 862-260-9700,southandpine.com.
Dublin Pub
Come to the Dublin Pub for a pint of beer and a largeplate of traditional Shepherd's pie ($15.95)and stay for the music and the history. The dark wood pub in the-turn-of-the-last-century squat building has been servingGuinness and hot Irish coffee for 45 years, thanks to owners Jim and Colette Mongey. "This place is like a Cheers," Schafer said. Cheers with an Irish lilt.
The food is unabashedly old-fashioned Irish with bangers and mash ($12.95); Irish beef stew ($15.75); corned beef and cabbage ($16.95);Dublin burger with imported Irishcheddar ($12.95); and Dublin-style fish and chips ($15.95). The music takes place on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Go: 4 Pine St., Morristown; 973-538-1999,dublinpubmorristown.com.
Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen
Visible but set back frommajor thoroughfare South Street sits Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen,astriking 15,000-square-foot Italianate mansion, built in the early 20th century by a former AT&T president. In frontof the mansion isa long reflecting pool surrounded byan expansive lawn;Inside,a grandmarble staircase and super-tallceilings. But don't let all that splendor intimidate you.Underneath all that grandeur, Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchenisdelightfullycheerfuland unpretentious.Credit the affableChris Cannon, a former partner of celebrated chef Michael White in New York City (Marea, Ai Fiori, Convivio, Alto). Cannon, today a Morristown resident, brought the estate back to life after it set empty for some 22 years and opened four distinct dining spacesinside: The Rathskeller, a beer hall and private event space; The Vail Bar, a hopping spotfor co*cktails and eats; the Oyster Bar, a boisterous brasserieoffering raw seafood, charcuterie and entrées such as lasagna, roasted chicken and burgers; and the new seafood restaurant dePesca, where the fishis sourcedfrom New Jersey fisheries,the ingredients from local farms. The dePesca dishes we sampled were all darn delicious — from the silky tuna tartare with rose-petal-like radish peelson a tangy freshchickpea hummus ($19) to the tendercalamari a la plancha with green papaya and crunchy peanuts ($18)to the hand-rolled pasta with heady black truffle, shaved ham and creamy burrata ($25). "A party of flavors," Schafer declared. But perhaps the most striking flavor party wasthe wonderfully caramelized day-boat scallops resting on a bed of black-garlic polenta flecked with baby morel mushrooms and topped by a sea-green sweet pea foam dotted with fava beans ($39)."This dish tastes like the ocean and spring," Schafer said. You can have it too as part of a four-course prix-fixe dinner for $86 or six course for $116.
Go:110 South St, Morristown;973-644-3180,jockeyhollowbarandkitchen.com.
More Recommendations
Chef Tim Schafer's other favorite spots in Morristown.
Chef Fredy's Table. This spot used to be Schafer's. He sold it and today he's a fan. He especially recommends the tuna tartare, octopus and jambalaya. It's aBYOB.78 Speedwell Ave., Morristown;973-538-3330cheffredystable.com.
Blue Morel. Chef Thomas Ciszak of Chakra in Paramus owns this place, so you know it's got to be good.2 Whippany Road, Morristown;973-451-2619bluemorel.com.
Rods Steak & Seafood Grill. A legendary steakhouse housed in The Madison Hotel. Upscale. 1 Convent Road, Morristown;973-539-6666rodssteak.com.
Famished Frog.This popularplace, Schafer said, has a bustling bar scene and "consistently good food," 18 Washington St, Morristown
Sushi Lounge. "The chefs here are real sushi chefs," Schafer said. "They're not doing $10 lunch sushi." 12 Schuyler Pl, Morristown;973-540-9601famishedfrog.com.
Cottage II. This Chinese restaurant serves "very fresh traditional Chinese food," Schafer said. "No MSG. It's chef minded and cool." 127 South St, Morristown;973-538-5601cottage2restaurant.com.
Town Bar & Kitchen.A contemporary American restaurant with, Schafer said, "a cool menu." It's "hip — where millennials like to go."80 Elm St., Morristown;973-889-8696townbarandkitchen.com.
