Esquire has named this NJ restaurant one of the best in the nation

Another New Jersey restaurant is getting some national attention, this time from Esquire, a major publication.

We have all manner of restaurants in the Garden State from upscale steakhouses to mom-and-pop neighborhood joints. It’s hard to say which is best, but people try.

For Esquire, one of the best new restaurants in the country is Lita in Aberdeen, an Iberian-inspired eatery run by founder Nelly Robinson and chef David Viana; they also run Heirloom Kitchen in Old Bridge, and Heirloom at the Saint Laurent in Asbury Park.

Esquire says of Lita’s large, visible hearth,

Many things come from this hearth, but the paella beckons. The fire gives it criminally generous amounts of socarrat, the smoky, crunchy, flavor-packed bits of rice that, to many, are the primary reason for the dish’s existence.

The author, Kevin Simutuang, wrote,

But there is depth to Neilly Robinson and chef David Viana’s menu beyond the hearth. Lightly fried pieces of Manchego will make you rethink how cheese should be fried. The tuna tartare, dressed in ajo blanco and jalapeño, topped with roasted almonds, wrapped in a shiso leaf, and served atop a bed of ice? One of the most sublime bites you’ll have this year.

According to their website, the restaurant is named for David’s mother, Rosa Lita; he wants the place to be a celebration of the culinary legacy of his family, who immigrated from Portugal to Newark, New Jersey in the 1970s.

To make reservations at one of the best new restaurants, go here.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.

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