Restaurants in Rutherford

The scent of exotic spices drifts through Indigo Indian Bistro's dining room as cooks sear, roast, and grill Indian dishes in the kitchen. Percolating sauces exude aromas of peppery tomatoes, almonds and saffron, or incendiary chilies as they arrive at the tables. A clay tandoor oven bakes orders of vegetables, lamb, or fish in one of the sauces, infusing entrees with flavors more harmonious than a barbershop quartet made up of clones of your high-school music teacher.

Native Vietnamese chefs cover An Nhau’s wooden tables with modern and traditional dishes concocted from fresh vegetables, meats, herbs, and spices. Catfish simmers in a clay pot, curry cloaks tofu and chicken, and fillets of salmon sizzle atop grills. Indoors, saffron-hued murals of Vietnamese street scenes peep through the fronds of potted palms, and outside floral-printed banquettes line a patio flanked by sheer red curtains and off-duty waiters posing as live bamboo.

Chef Sam Bryne and the staff at The Purple Fig acknowledge that their goals might be ambitious for such an intimate bistro, but the challenge of reviving French bistro cuisine with contemporary cooking methods and unusual ingredients is just too exciting for them to pass up. They're true artisans: not only do they butcher and fillet their own meat and fish, they also make their own terrines and other “squeamish things” such as blood pudding and Care Bear cake. The results are toothsome dishes plated with style and levity. Entrees have included dover sole with tomato confit jauntily topped by a pane of crisp prosciutto and other dishes like cylinders of rare lamb crowned with ratatouille and couscous.

The food isn’t the only thing that’s artfully arranged, the restaurant itself alternates between vintage and elegant. Exposed brick walls and dark wooden columns back the marble-topped bar and recall a glamorous speakeasy. White-clothed tables populate a dining room with purple patterned walls and a geometric skylight that allows the moon to slaver over the food below.

Born in Eastern Europe near the Italian border, executive chef Mario Curko has an innate rapport with Mediterranean flavors, one that he's honed throughout his four decades in the restaurant business. His menu for the occasional celeb hangout Destino stays true to homestyle southern Italian cuisine, although the restaurant's environs are far from rustic—a Renaissance-style ceiling mural looks down over minority owner Justin Timberlake's piano and quilted banquettes, wooing diners with its vibrant colors achieved by layers of garlic-scented oil paint.

Atop white tablecloths, appetizers such as sautéed mussels and housemade meatballs rest in simple, elegant preparations. Mussels, clams, shrimp, and fresh fish of the day all catch themselves in the frutti de mare's net, offering a hearty complement to turfy plates of new york strip steak.

Destino's wine list rambles from California whites through dozens of regional Italian reds. The dessert menu shines a spotlight on four flavors of housemade gelato, molten chocolate cake, and traditional tiramisu.

When he cofounded his first sandwich shop in 1965, 17-year-old Fred DeLuca planned to use his profits to pay his way through medical school. But the combination of quality ingredients and friendly service at the shop—then called Pete's Subway—proved so popular that nine years later, he and his partner found themselves in charge of 16 locations across Connecticut, and Fred left behind his doctoring plans for a career in business.

Today, Subway restaurants number over 34,000 around the world—almost as many shops as there are sightings of Elvis buying cold cuts. At each location, staffers pile sliced ham, marinara-slathered meatballs, and other fillings into halved loaves of bread before customizing handhelds with tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and other healthy toppings plucked from chilled containers behind the counter. Salads free crisp veggies from bread's overprotective embrace, and crunchy baked chips or apple slices accompany entrees to tables. Subway's website also facilitates health-conscious eating by listing each item's nutrition information and fastest mile time online.