Dining

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Port from Oporto warms the soul

by John Foy/For the Star-Ledger

Tuesday December 02, 2008, 5:09 PM

With winter's weather already here, a glass of Sandeman's Late Bottled Vintage Port 2000 will soothe the shivering.

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Holidays feature flavor and flair of fennel

by Mary Ann Castronovo Fusco/For the Star-Ledger

Tuesday December 02, 2008, 5:02 PM

Aromatic and crunchy, fennel makes its most abundant appearance in local supermarkets at this time of year.

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Count on top-notch food and service at LuNello

by Cody Kendall/The Star-Ledger

Saturday November 29, 2008, 10:00 PM

SARAH SIMONIS/FOR THE STAR-LEDGERThe larger dining area at LuNello in Cedar Grove. Chef/owner Louis Seger has turned out stylish meals at the Italian restaurant for 19 years.

LuNello, 182 Stevens Ave., Cedar Grove. Lunch: Noon-3 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. Dinner: 3-9:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 3-10:30 p.m. Fridays, 5-10:30 p.m. Saturdays. Closed Sundays. Full bar. Major credit cards. Neat casual dress. Wheelchair accessible. Reservations recommended: (973) 837-1660. www.lunello.com. THREE AND A HALF STARS

LuNello is a very predictable restaurant, and that's a good thing.

It's the type of place where you can bring guests with the assurance that the food, atmosphere and service will be high-quality, which is no small comfort in an increasingly uncertain world.

For 19 years, chef/owner Louis Seger has turned out stylish Italian-inspired meals. In 2007, the operation moved from Totowa to larger quarters with more parking space in Cedar Grove, which was a vast improvement.

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Jackie's Grillette serves combination of Mideastern and all-American fare

by Pete Genovese/The Star-Ledger

Wednesday November 26, 2008, 10:00 PM

JERRY MCCREA/THE STAR LEDGERFrom left, Tina Arsheed, owner, grills chicken kabab as Fairouz Korbeh and Tina's son, Wassem Arsheed work the lunchtime crowd at Jackie's Grillette in Montclair.

Jackie's Grillette, 614 Valley Road, Upper Montclair. (973) 744-0090. 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays. jackiesgrillette.com.

Tina Arsheed has owned several delis and coffee shops in Montclair and Little Falls, but Jackie's Grillette, open a year, is something different.

Much of the menu is devoted to Middle Eastern and Mediterranean sandwiches, salads and entrees, but those pining for all-American fare can always order a cheesesteak, Sloppy Joe, or tuna salad sandwich. And, for breakfast, bacon and egg sandwiches and omelets.

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Camillo's Cafe in Princeton is a gem

by Teresa Politano/For The Star-Ledger

Wednesday November 26, 2008, 10:00 PM

ARIADNA

Camillo's Cafe, Princeton Shopping Center, 301 North Harrison St. Princeton. (609) 252-0608. camilloscafe.net Hours: Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. Dinner: 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Mondays- Saturdays; 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Sundays. Area: Mercer County THREE STARS

You know you're in Princeton when the philosophy of the restaurant is summed up by a Virginia Woolf quote: "One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." And, as always, Woolf knows of what she speaks.

Camillo's Cafe is a lively bit of real estate in the otherwise sleepy and somewhat oversized Princeton Shopping Center, which itself is not your typical compilation of New Jersey strip mall shops. We're not quite sure what the philosophy of the shopping center is meant to be, but the collection of its unusual mishmash of stores won't really matter once you're inside this cozy bistro.

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