Flemington is more than shopping, whether it’s for bargains at the outlets and malls or for cars. Excellent restaurant choices abound, including eateries offering outside dining. Some of the best combine peculiar local personalities and original, hearty fare.
Shaker Cafe
Tucked in a storefront at 31 Main Street, the Shaker Cafe features sidewalk dining for sandwiches, breakfast, brunch, and its renowned Mexican Night on Fridays. Featuring the freshest ingredients and original thinking, the Shaker Cafe combines a delightfully quirky interior with great, simple dishes.
Hot lunch selections include the BLTA wrap (bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and chipotle mayonnaise), salsa cheddar hamburger, and grilled turkey with tomato, cheese, and honey mustard.
A sampling of Shaker’s salad offerings include the Combo, which is chicken salad, tuna salad, and egg salad in pairs or all three, and the Venetian chicken salad with tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, carrots, Romaine lettuce, and herbed Italian dressing tossed with chicken.
Friday brings Mexican Night, with a long menu of south-of-the-border offerings. Enjoy posole stew served with a salad and a yogurt corn muffin, grilled fresh salmon tacos with mango salsa and lime slaw served with Mexican rice and black beans, bean and cheese chimichangas served with Mexican rice and beans, and Bunuelos (sweet Mexican sundae) with vanilla ice cream.
The Shaker Cafe is open year-round Tuesdays through Thursdays from 7 am to 3 pm, Fridays from 7 am to 9 pm, Saturdays from 8 am to noon, and Sundays from 8 am to 1 pm. Reach them at 908-782-6610 or contact them online.
Cook-to-Order
A BYOB restaurant and deli, Cook-to-Order (CTO) has an English garden patio that provides a fun but intimate outdoor dining atmosphere. Chef and owner Brendan Stokes comes from Yorkshire, England, bringing with him a healthy respect for classic fare.
From appetizers to pizza to cold sandwiches, CTO provides plenty of light dishes, including coconut shrimp, vegetable samosa, and goat cheese salad. Entrees include the crab cake sandwich, pulled pork barbecue, fish ‘n’ chips, surf and turf, and flat-iron steak
Located at 299 South Main Street, CTO can be reached at 908-284-1172 or online to learn more or discuss catering your next Flemington party.
Matt’s Red Rooster Grill
This contemporary American restaurant ranks equal to or better than many New York City dining spots. Chef, owner, and passion-keeper Matt McPherson uses locally grown ingredients, a wood-fired grill, and a beautifully restored Victorian home to set an ambience that locals and visitors find appealing.
Outdoor dining on the porch gives you a great view and plenty of fresh air. The menu includes appetizers such as the balsamic pickled beet, grilled asparagus with jumbo crab meat, and the farmers’ artisan cheese plate.
Lighter fare such as their carrot ginger soup, Red Rooster seafood chowder, and signature grilled romaine salad are both healthy and original.
These beginning pieces set up the main course beautifully, which include lemon-grilled lobster tails, 30-day dry-aged steak, cedar plank roasted salmon, wood-fire grilled ahi tuna, and coffee-rubbed pork tenderloin.
If you have room for dessert, the pastry chef strives for fun and toothsome delicacies, with plenty of variety. Matt’s is a BYOB eatery with no corkage fees. Bring your bottle and Matt’s Red Rooster Grill supplies decanters and wine glasses. Keep in mind the constantly changing menu, based on the ingredients available and the innovative mind of Chef McPherson.
Matt’s Red Rooster Grill is open for dinner at 22 Bloomfield Avenue Tuesday through Friday from 5:30 pm to closing, Saturday from 5 pm to closing, and Sunday from 5 to 8 pm. Call 908-788-7050 or visit their website for more information.
No matter where in Flemington, NJ you chose to outdoor dine this summer, we were at Rossi Buick Chevy GMC hope you and your family have a great time!
