NorthJersey.com
A cataclysmic event like the pandemic that has forced people to stay in to work, study, socialize and shop can t help but transform a business that is all about getting people to dine out.
But how will restaurants look, feel and be when the pandemic fingers crossed is finally in our rearview mirror? It s never going to be the same, said Bob Wagner, who owns Ott s Restaurant in Medford, Berlin and Sewell and Braddock s Tavern in Medford. We are never going back to normal. We are never going back to 2019.
March 16 marks the first anniversary of the closing of New Jersey restaurants due to the pandemic. And while their doors have opened somewhat over the year currently indoor dining is capped at 35%; on March 19 it will increase to 50% the damage the pandemic has inflicted on restaurants can t be overstated.
NJ chefs tell us what, how we ll be eating in 2021
As a new year begins, food-loving folks delight in thinking about the delicious things to come.
We search for restaurants serving the next it dish (this year, it s Cantonese steamed rice noodle wraps, or cheung fun) and track down trendy ingredients (watch for ajvar, a Serbian red pepper and eggplant condiment, and Chili Crunch, made with fried chili flakes mixed with oil, garlic and vinegar). We download new recipes and snap up reservations at new restaurants.
It s all so optimistic, as fresh starts should be. But on the heels of a year that turned the world upside down, looking even a little ahead feels like tempting fate.