Montclair Magazine May 2016 | Page 68

DINING OUT GUIDE Beef short rib pappardelle ESSEX JUNCTION CRAFT KITCHEN & BAR 90 Washington St., Bloomfield 973-680-8110 thejunctionusa.com y f otb gh Stationed at Essex Junction J eremy Goldberg knows Miami well, having owned two highly successful restaurants there. But the North Caldwell native is just as familiar with New Jersey. His home state is where the restaurateur and his wife, who currently have a three-yearold daughter, wanted to raise a family. So they sold the Miami locations, and packed their bags for North Jersey. 66 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE MAY 2016 Hello, Essex Junction Craft Kitchen & Bar, the 4,080-square-foot gastropub that Goldberg owns with partner Gordon Pratt. It seats 200 and has great food, a wide selection of craft beer, killer cocktails and artisan wines. “It’s meant to be a really comfortable neighborhood joint,” Goldberg says of the Bloomfield establishment. Some might call it an around-theclock neighborhood joint. Starting at 6 a.m., Ricardo of Bay Street Station/Montclair is on wake-up duty, serving his yogic chai coffee to morning commuters bound for the Washington Street NJ Transit stop across the street; customers can also make a meal of it at the breakfast-togo window. Lunch and dinner are available seven days a week, and brunch is served on Sundays. Happy hour is a regular feature; now that COURTESY ADAM HOLZ-BE TERRIFIC!! WRITTEN BY BILL GELMAN