Restaurants in Montclair

Foxfire Grill prides itself on cooking its own versions of American classics sure to please a variety of appetites. Nosh delectable brunch plates such as eggs chesapeake, which updates the traditional benedict by adding buttery-smooth crab meat ($13). Lunch offers a dazzling lineup of edible all-stars, including such unique eats as a peanut butter and apple sandwich with honey, bacon, and melted cheddar cheese ($7). For dinner, raise your body temperature back to the national average with a starter of smoked corn tortilla soup ($4 cup) before moving on to a warming entree of pan-seared steak medallions with mushroom-sherry sauce ($18), or bacon-laden mac 'n' cheese ($15). With the main course framed in your mind’s eye, Foxfire’s licensed sommelier will personalize your meal with a wine selection from less than $20, picking from global varieties or rare extra-solar wines, some of which may be able to support life.

Flame-kiss the fresh-ingredientful menu and your fellow diners with a hot, saucy starter of the vegetable spring rolls (with Thai chili sauce, $9), and then dive into the meat of the menu with a full order of steamed pei mussels ($18). A trip to a grill is lacking without a skewer of meaty meat pieces, so have a combo skewer platter with impaled and roasted steak, shrimp, chicken, and vegetables ($28). Celebrate the waterfront views with an order of jumbo lump-crab cakes ($32) and a side of lobster macaroni ($10). All entrees come with a choice of two sauces, which range in intensity from sleepy baby to Al Pacino plays the Devil, including apricot tarragon, sweet Thai chili, blackberry demi, red-pepper aioli, green tomatillo, chipotle-mango chutney, and abominable snowman.

The Grille at Morrison House sets tongues atwitter with a menu, helmed by Chef Dennis Marron, of modern American cuisine boasting a French influence. Sample the gastronomic goods with the chef's tasting menu, featuring five courses running the gamut from starter to dessert and prepped with local ingredients. Appetizing openers are yellowfin tuna sashimi with pickled red onion and seaweed salad, or soup, available in fennel-bisque, baby-carrot-puree, and fingerling-potato-cream variations. Next up is the choice of foie gras torchon or braised pork cheeks—both scrumptious segues into the third course. While a shrimp cocktail is offered as tray tres, diners may wish to opt for The Grille's signature dish, the progression of scallops. The Poseidon-preferred plates of mouthwatering mollusks begin with a diver scallops crudo —the Italian version of sushi—before delving into a cold smoked scallop and a seared day-boat sea scallop, and then ending with a coquilles St. Jacques. A lamb loin and a pork loin are the carnivore-friendly options for the fourth course, with a cheese plate or a dessert rounding out the tasting menu.

Mark Bucher still remembers from childhood the enticing aroma of burgers being grilled by Mr. Kaufman, his neighborhood butcher. For years, Bucher tried to find a burger that would match up to those memories, but never did—so he founded BGR The Burger Joint and started making his own.

BGR’s burgers start with high-quality ingredients—most importantly, all-natural beef from grain-fed cattle, free to run in the fields and given zero hormones, fillers, or antibiotics. The prime beef is dry-aged, blended, and ground fresh to form patties that are grilled over an open flame, and then placed atop buttery, locally made brioche buns delivered fresh each day. For nonbeef eaters, the menu's selection of burgers also includes turkey and veggie varieties, as well as The Greek, a seasoned lamb patty topped with tzatziki and feta, a combination that won out on the Food Network's Throwdown With Bobby Flay.

Diners can request all of BGR The Burger Joint's freshly made fries—from thick-cut yukon gold potatoes to asparagus fries—be topped with parmesan, rosemary, roasted garlic, or a tiny tiara. The staff hand-spins shakes with Gifford's or Breyers ice cream to create extra-thick treats for finishing off meals, and some shops curate their own selection of bottled vintage sodas.

Though they’re one of the main ethnic groups in Ethiopia, the Gurage people are primarily known across the country for their cuisine. So, it’s no wonder that Merkamo Ethiopian Bistro borrowed a Gurage word, “merkamo,” for its name. The term, which describes a beauty that “radiat[es] purity of heart and ‘Joie de Vivre’ for all,” has also been used to describe the owner’s mother—a woman who kept a warm, inviting house where friends and family gathered for decadent meals.

Inviting diners with decadent Ethiopian feasts and a welcoming ambiance, Merkamo Ethiopian Bistro also impresses with a lunch and dinner menu that flourishes with hearty vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals. Patrons can sample lamb tripe with spicy beans, and doro wett—a simmering chicken dish typically served on special occasions such as successfully hot-wiring your car after losing the keys in a play-area ball pit. Merkamo also accommodates children with tasty dishes that range from mild beef stew to chicken nuggets.

Provincial French cuisine abounds at Yves' Bistro, an intimate dining hub that bookends the day with breakfast and dinner menus. Whether it's a classic sirloin served with steak frites and maitre d' butter or a plate of penne carbonara drenched in a parmesan cream sauce, Yves' dishes are culled from revered French recipes renowned for their bold flavors and refined preparation. Suds gush from foam-flecked taps at an onsite bar, where bartenders mix top-shelf spirits, pour robust wines, and accept tips in upturned berets.