The Record from Hackensack, New Jersey • G14

BL-14 THE RECORD CUISINE NOVEMBER 6, 2015 BL-15 CRAFT HOUSE IN SUFFERN, N.Y. OFF PREMISE CATERING AVAILABLE GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE BUY ONLINE SAFE AND SECURE STEAKHOUSE SEAFOOD CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAYS MOW 1 19 TUES 1 110, 2015 14 oz. NY Cut Black Angus Steak your CHOICE 5 oz. Lobster Tail Combo or QC Twin 5 oz. Broiled Lobster Tails or 9 I ''3 Double Steamed Lobsters (Valid at Little Ferry location only) 217 MAIN STREET, LITTLE FERRY 201.814.1100 www.segoviasteakhouse.com NJ Monthly Magazine 2015 Readers Choice: Best SpanishPortuguese Restaurant in North Jersey RESTAURANT jj 150 Moonachie Road Moonachie 201.641.4266 www.segoviarestaurant.com rr Thanksgiving Brunch Thursday, November 26th Recommendations CARLSTADT GI ANNA'S This longtime Italian spot is the culinary equivalent of sinking into a favorite cozy chair, offering oversized portions of familiar and delicious Italian and Italian-American dishes, served by veteran wait staff.

Prices: Appetizers $6.50 to $16.95, "single" entrees $15.95 to $28.95, "family-style" entrees feeding several $26.95 to $47.95. Recommended dishes: Long hot pepper special, spedini, chicken scarpariello, spumoni ice cream cake. Hours: 1 1 :30 a.m. to 1 0 p.m. Monday to Friday, 3 to 1 1 p.m.

Saturday, 2 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Liquor, wine: Full bar, wine list is mostly moderately priced familiar commercial brands. Noise level: Not an issue on my visits. Credit cards: AE, DC, MC, V.

Reservations: Recommended for Saturday night and for special events. Accommodations for children: Children's menu, highchairs. Dress: Neat casual. Early-bird specials or deals: No. Takeout: Yes.

Parking: Lot. Reviewed: July 1 7, 2015. 843 Washington Carlstadt; 201 -460-7997, giannas.biz. TOTOWA SPIGA Passaic County has one of its best high-end dining options in this spacious, upscale Italian restaurant. Prices: Appetizers $8 to $15, entrees $18 to $29, specials can run higher.

Recommended dishes: Gnocchi with pesto, cavatelli pasta with short ribs, figs and prosciutto (special), polenta-crusted soft-shell crab (special). Liquor, wine: BYO. Hours: Noon to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday, 5 to 1 0 p.m. Saturday, 1 to 9 p.m.

Sunday. Noise level: Not an issue. Credit cards: AE, MC, V. Reservations: On Saturday, accepted only for parties of six or more. Accepted all other days for all parties.

Accommodations for children: Items on request, half-portions, highchairs. Dress: Neat casual. Early-bird specials or deals: No. Takeout: Yes. Parking: Valet parking on Friday and Saturday nights.

Otherwise, small lot and street. Reviewed: July 31, 2015. 331 Union Totowa; 973-389-0200, spigaitalian.com. CLIFTON MATTHEW'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT Owner Matthew Tyahla holds court at a well-oiled neighborhood institution that opened in 201 0 but feels like it's been around for decades, with homey dishes and waits for a table. Prices: Appetizers $6 to $1 4, entrees $1 2 to $32.

Recommended dishes: Manicotti, "Sunday sauce," veal Valentino, desserts. Hours: 1 1 :30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 1 1 :30 a.m. to 1 0 p.m.

Friday and Saturday. Liquor, wine: Full bar, 43-bottle wine list, basic beers. Noise level: Generally comfortable, though grows louder when busy. Credit cards: AE, MC, V. Reservations: Accepted only for parties of six or more.

Catering available. Accommodations for children: Half -orders of pasta and items on request, highchairs. Dress: Neat casual. Early-bird specials or deals: No. Takeout: Yes.

Parking: Lots, street. Reviewed: Jan. 16, 2015. 1131 Bloomfield Clifton; 973-928-4300, matthewsitalian.com. RIDGEWOOD PICNIC ON THE SQUARE irkVz Christine Nunn's beloved original Picnic is no more; Picnic on the Square, in an urbane brick-walled space, is its replacement.

Prices: Appetizers $8 to $20, entrees $22 to $36. Recommended dishes: Lobster roll, Ipswich clams, tenderloin of beef. Hours: Lunch 1 1 :30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, dinner 5 to 9:30 p.m.

Tuesday to Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Liquor, wine: BYO. Noise level: Not an issue. Credit cards: AE, MC, V.

Reservations: Strongly recommended on weekends. Accommodations for children: No kids menu, but kitchen is happy to prepare special meals. Dress: Smart casual. Early-bird specials or deals: No. Takeout: Lunch and dinner.

Parking: Plentiful parking at train station parking lot, street. Reviewed: Feb. 13, 2015. 26 Wilsey Square, Ridgewood; 201 -444-4001 picniconthesquare.com. Craft House 12 150 Lafayette Suffem, N.Y.

845-547-2555 crafthouseny.com Food: Creative comfort food. Ambience: Comfortable family restaurant and bar. Service: Polite, accommodating. Value: Prices are moderate and quality is generally good. Appetizers $6.59 to $1 3.59, entrees $9.59 to $25.59.

Would be good for: Dinner with the kids, or casual weeknight dining. Less appropriate for: Anyone focused mainly on atmosphere. Recommended dishes: Kale artichoke dip, kale salad, ricottagnocchi, short-rib grilled cheese. Hours: 1 1 :30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Monday, 1 1 :30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 1 1 :30 a.m. to 1 1 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 1 1 :30 a.m.

to 9 p.m. Sunday. Bar open later if busy. Liquor, wine: Full bar, more than 30 beers, enticing wine list. Noise level: Depends on the crowd; not an issue on our visits.

Credit cards: AE, MC, V. Reservations: Recommended on weekends. Accommodations for children: Menu. Dress: Casual. Early-bird specials or deals: Lunch prix fixe available; ranges from $9 to $12.

Takeout: Yes. Parking: Valet Friday and Saturday; self-parking on other days. Reviewed: Nov. 6, 2015. Ratings Poor Fair Good Excellent Outstanding In determining ratings, each restaurant has been compared with others of the same type and level of ambition.

Reviewers make at least two anonymous visits to a restaurant, and the newspaper always pays the tab. $34.95 per person KIDS 4-10 $16.00 a mUDIIUEMTADVn ACC rB MIMrtCA STAFF PHOTOS BY MARK0 GE0RGIEV On the menu at Craft House in Suffern, N.Y.: ricotta gnocchi, above left; short-rib grilled cheese sandwich, top right; and kale salad. The gastropub is run by two Bergen County restaurant veterans who found it cheaper to open with a liguor license just across the state line. Casual yet refined Coffee, Tea Soda Included 18 Gratuity 7 tax will be added to bill Call for reservations Dinner Menu Also Available Here's the best $12.59 restaurant deal around: the ricotta gnocchi entree at Craft House in Suffern, N.Y. Fat little dumplings, made of cheese, no less, that feel light as air nestled in with some excellent Italian sausage and a tomato-basil sauce.

Why is such a refined dish on the menu of a gastropub? Because this gastropub is run by two Bergen County Italian restaurant veterans who have brought fine-dining flair to their menu. Craig zel. Craft House's shiny, chewy twists can be dunked in two dips, honey mustard or Amber lager-flavored cheese Instead of the usual spinach artichoke dip with store-bought tortilla chips, kale joins artichokes and grana Padano cheese in a creamy, heavy-on-veggies dip with huge, crispy, house-fried tortilla chips The fantastic short-rib grilled cheese sandwich features slowly braised short ribs layered with caramelized onions and gooey fontina The kitchen isn't Meson Madrid The Next Best Thing to Dining in Spain Open for Lunch Dinner Large Private Parking Lot Private Party Room from 25-150 guests ELTSA UNG RESTAURANT REVIEWER ly wide-ranging wine list. We found that when looking for information on cocktails or just a fun discussion about seasonal pumpkin beers, it is best to head to the 16-seat bar to talk to the bartender or to flag down Beckert, who one evening smoothly replaced a cocktail that we didn't care for with a much-better-crafted one (the Not-So-Dark-and-Stormy with white whiskey, ginger beer and Owl's Brew Coco-Lada tea, $10). The servers are pleasant and accommodating and can provide basic information on dishes, but aren't exactly fonts of information on either food or drink.

I'd recommend slapping the salmon BLT -salty bacon meets oversalted salmon ($23.59) as well as the apple pie off the limited dessert menu; mine had a raw bottom crust But I would make a special trip to Craft House just for that gnocchi, particularly considering that the same gnocchi in a different preparation runs $21 for an entree at Rocca. Craft House is also good for families. Children who won't sit through a meal at Rocca may enjoy Craft House's poutine french fries topped with pulled pork and gravy ($11.59) while their parents can dig into a nice fall salad with caramelized sweet potatoes and figs Email: ungnorthjersey.com Twitter: elisaung CUSTOMER APPRECIATION SPECIALS MONDAY TUESDAY Sirloin Steak 5 oz. Lobster Tail Special Twin Lobsters, Steamed or Broiled for $(995 WEDNESDAY Sirloin Steak Lobster Tail Special or Levy, the longtime owner of Rocca Glen Rock, a contemporary Italian BYO, and Rocca's former manager, Robert Beckert, had been seeking to open a more casual spot with a liquor license, and found that doing so was much easier and cheaper if they crossed the state line. Craft House sits in a green-shingled house less than a mile from the Mahwah border.

Its comfortable if not particularly distinctive dining room features 90 seats around tables topped with black tablecloths and brown butcher paper. Like Rocca which received 2.5 stars from The Record in 2010 the restaurant presents dishes that are more thoughtful than those of many competitors in the same price range. Take a simple gastropub standard, the soft pret- stingy with lemon, anchovy or grana Padano in its kale salad that dieters might want to skip Fat pieces of moist battered cod are featured in fish and chips (market price; mine was while the burger features super-flavorful grass-fed chuck ($12.59 with a choice of two toppings and a sauce). I would have been even more enthusiastic about my friend's burger had it not been undercooked. Levy brines his own pickles for the chunky fried pickles appetizer ($7.59) and makes the french fries and chips that come with sandwiches and burgers.

He said he eventually wants to add more organic ingredients to the menu. The bar has six craft beers on tap and more than 30 in bottles and cans, plus a concise but unusual $1995 Two Lobster Tails 5oz. for 343 Bergen Boulevard Palisades Park, New Jersey 201.947.1038 www.MesonMadrid.com.