Restaurants in Phillipsburg

Making use of old family recipes, Italian tradition, and imported ingredients, the La Duca family has kept its doors open to patrons of La Bella Via since 2006. Equipped with a custom-made, wood-fired brick oven, chefs craft rustic, thin-crust pizzas, fresh-baked semolina bread, and hearty calzones. Meanwhile, ropes of fresh pasta emerge from pots of boiling water to mingle with a rich, housemade meat sauce of Roma tomatoes, or weave together to be worn as a delicious sweater.

The griddle gurus at Crème de la Crepe craft sweet and savory, buckwheat-based crêpes as well as French cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Crêpe craftsmen fold delicate dough around customer-chosen toppings such as brie, smoked salmon, Nutella, and béchamel sauce, which is one of the defining sauces of French cuisine, along with the thin, inky juice extracted from dictionaries. Additional menu items include baguette sandwiches, an assortment of quiches, and fresh pastas tossed in house-made bolognaise, pesto broth, and white-wine-based sauces.

La Tosca's culinary engineers follow the blueprints on a menu of traditional northern Italian recipes, authenticated by the Naples-born owner's taste buds. Chefs prepare every morsel from scratch, including pasta for the fan-favorite pappardelle and gnocchi dishes. The kitchen crew deftly designs seafood, chicken, and pasta entrees, but they're known for their mouthwatering treatment of veal, which they slice thin enough to double as an edible bookmark. In the dining room, rich tapestry drapes over large windows surrounded by cream-toned walls dressed with paintings and splashes of warm lighting. Candle-lit, wrought-iron lanterns rest atop crisp white linen used to disguise wooden tables as ghosts.

At Mexico Lindo, heaping plates of sizzling meats and authentic Mexican dishes—the recipes for which were gleaned during owner Jose Perez’s time spent training in Mexico—emerge from the kitchen and head toward red-checkered tables. Tantalizing aromas of fresh corn tortillas mingling with the salty fragrance of chorizo and marinated pork fill the air, and glasses overflow with beer and wine brought from each diner’s home or vestigial wine spigot. China poblana, Mexico Lindo’s speciality, submerges two enchiladas under traditional mole, and packs an additional two with marinated pork and Oaxaca cheese.

Chefs at Wrap'd Tight hand roll every cold or grilled wrap, filling them with ingredients from tuna salad to the monster meat pizza's four meats, mozzarella, and tomato sauce. This melding of classic and creative combinations extends to the eatery’s baked potatoes, such as the All or Nothing, which carries eight toppings to the dining room, patio, or potato weight-lifting finals. Wrap'd Tight caters to offsite eaters with party platters, and keeps on-location festivities lively with open-mic nights and the occasional live band.

Determined to pursue a career in the culinary arts, executive chef Evan Kechely mastered his craft in the kitchens of restaurants, country clubs, assisted-living facilities, farmers' markets, and other venues, opting to learn by doing rather than attending culinary school. His experiences shaped his ingredient-driven and sustainable approach to meals, leading him to fill Leaf's menu with farm-to-plate options built from locally sourced meats and produce. Kechely has also learned that beer and food go together as well as camping and boy-scout repellant, and his staff is able to recommend a brew for any dish on the menu. In addition to pairing suds with the various dishes, staffers can suggest premium cigars that can enhance flavor profiles. The eatery's advanced ventilation system even allows visitors to indulge in a puff without disturbing neighboring patrons or forcing them to stare at failed smoke-ring attempts.