Previous BYO Restaurants

BYO Restaurant Index - a list of all previously reviewed restaurants with location, type of cuisine, and links to our "reviews."

Browse BYO Restaurants -  browse through all the restaurant "reviews." (They are in chronological order.)

Other BYO Restaurants - we haven't reviewed these, but we hear from various sources that they are very good and/or very interesting. Most are in other parts of the state, including many at the shore. Quite a few are in New York. Since we can't update these regularly, call before you go.

Other Restaurant Links

EXPLANATION: This section is a resource for dining out in northern New Jersey, one of the few states that are blessed with a great number of restaurants which do not serve alcoholic beverages. Most will allow patrons to BYO - bring your own - wine or beer (Alcoholic Beverage Control regulations prohibit patrons from bringing hard liquor!). This significantly cuts down on the cost of dining out, since restaurants frequently and unconscionably charge twice the retail price for wine. Sometimes, even more! It also vastly increases the selection of wines you can enjoy with dinner, since many restaurants with wine lists have a very mediocre as well as over-priced selection. Of course, we hope you will purchase your wine from us at Beekman's.

The "reviews" are not traditional, extensive restaurant reviews, but are simply a listing and brief description of restaurants that we have tried and found to be worthy. Any restaurant mentioned here should provide an enjoyable meal. Some are clearly superior and those are noted with either 1 or 2 pots of gold (). Expect them to be more expensive. All restaurants in New Jersey are now non-smoking ()!

Dinner prices will be indicated by dollar signs. The amounts are for a modest, but sufficient dinner for two, including a shared appetizer, two average priced entrees, a shared dessert, and two coffees. They do not include tax or gratuity. "Specials" are often priced higher.

• $ - inexpensive; below average for northern N.J. Less than $42
• $$ - moderate; about average for northern N.J. $43 - $57
• $$$ - above average for northern N.J. $58 - $75
• $$$$ - expensive. Above $75

The date of the review will appear in [brackets]. The pricing structure was accurate at the time the restaurant was reviewed, but may have changed since. We will try to delete or revise the reviews of restaurants that may have closed or changed owners, but it would be prudent to call restaurants reviewed more than a year ago before going.

The majority of restaurants in the area are Italian. While we love Italian food and have reviewed many Italian eateries, we make a special effort to seek out different ethnic restaurants. Also, you may note that there are some obvious omissions, well known restaurants which we have not reviewed. In some cases this is because we simply haven't gotten a chance to try that restaurant yet. In other cases, it is because we had an unsatisfactory experience there. These restaurants are not mentioned because my mother always taught me: "if you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all!"

LINKS TO OTHER RELEVANT SITES for general restaurant information in New Jersey:

• Rosie Saferstein's Food at http://home.att.net/~saferstein/ or at
• The magazine New Jersey Monthly at http://www.njmonthly.com. (Click on dining reviews)
• She also oversees a nice (but slow-loading) forum at http://www.egullet.com.
• Lots more information and reviews are at http://www.nj.com/dining/.These restaurants are not necessarily BYOs, and they are all over New Jersey.
• Many restaurants near you can be found at http://www.atFood.com. These are not necessarily BYOs, and only restaurants that advertise with this service are listed.
• Although it is not a restaurant, every food lover should visit White Toque (201-664-2812), at 441 Broadway in Westwood. It specializes in high-end frozen foods, both meals and individual items like berries, vegetables, desserts, etc. This is top quality food at reasonable prices. They also offer cooking classes. Visit http://www.whitetoque.com for more info.

E-Mail: beekman@conversent.net

Website Design ©Maron Marketing Consultants, Inc.