Restaurants in Hopatcong Hills

Through a set of solid mahogany doors, the dining room at Remington’s teems with seasonal dishes inspired by the Jersey Shore. Executive Chef Dominick Rizzo gathers ingredients from farmers, fishmongers, and local cheese makers from the tri-state area, letting the harvest inform his constantly changing menu of upscale American cuisine. Recent dishes have included locally caught fluke sautéed with yellowfoot chanterelle mushrooms and served with lentils and a drizzle of chive oil. For libations, Remington’s sommeliers refer to a long list of wines from Europe, South America, and California. All this good cooking comes with good scenery to match—there’s a 5-foot freshwater aquarium decorating the dining room, alongside hand-painted murals of beaches, ocean scenes, and Moondoggie’s leash.

Strains from live DJs and the happy chatter of busy silverware resound off the exposed-brick walls and looping whorls of the wooden bar at People's Republic of Brooklyn. Red tabletops billet platters of seared, fried, or blackened catfish, and plates of free-range chicken don adventurous garnishes such as avocado or the essence of an air kiss. Comfort-fare sides conjure nostalgia among guests perched at the bar, with options including mac 'n' cheese, deviled eggs, and sautéed arugula serving as foundations for a wide range of cocktails.

The Old World–inspired eats at Café 50 West import flavors from Mediterranean, rural French, and South American cuisine. Unique ingredients such as guava-based barbecue sauce and caramelized-onion jam add piquant variety to the menu's succinct selection of plates, from slow-roasted duck confit to simple grilled-cheese sandwiches. At night, beats from live jazz musicians echo off the exposed-brick walls, and a selection of specialty cocktails and imported wines plays its own notes on thirsty palates.

The sandwich and salad slingers at Cafe Basil, a casual Midtown East deli, quickly assemble breakfast and lunch fare. Beneath a giant black menu board, gloved chefs toss colorful veggies into custom salad creations, box up meaty entrees with savory sides, and build skyscrapers using paper-wrapped sandwiches and paninis. Metal ladles sit parked in pots of warm self-serve soup, and sushi selections roll across the counter on weekdays. Schools of noodles swim through containers of udon soup, and egg sandwiches may be ordered all day.

Nestled inside a Midtown storefront accented with a sleek maroon awning and floor-to-ceiling windows perches Café Nunez, a Latin American cuisine hotspot that serves up Spanish tapas. Head chef Rene Hernandez parlayed his education from Spanish culinary institute El Bulli into a gastronomical career, churning out flavorful morsels from the prolific menu. Both cold and hot shared appetizers—or _tapas_—rev up taste buds for main courses such as Chilean-sea-bass fillet or chicken medallions, which diners can devour or don as trophies, and desserts, including traditional flan or three-milk cake, add decadence to savory Latin American flavors. The lounge displays a variety of hookahs smoldering with fruit essences, and Latin Friday events transform the eatery, beckoning guests to boogie on an expansive dance floor to hip-shaking beats alongside succulent steaks dancing the merengue.