Montclair Magazine May 2019 | Page 24

S
O
F
FUN O D
list
Sometimes they just hit the spot
WRITTEN BY ESTHER DAVIDOWITZ, REBECCA KING AND CINDY SCHWEICH HANDLER
E
MONTCLAIR BREAD COMPANY MONTCLAIR
DIESEL & DUKE MONTCLAIR AND CALDWELL
The 2019 Montclair Readers’ Choice poll winner for Favorite
Burger, Diesel & Duke recently opened a Caldwell location, the
fourth including Jersey City and New Brunswick. Its classic burger,
called The Standard ($7.49), is stacked with American cheese, let-
tuce, tomato, aioli and ketchup. Diesel & Duke also offers more
creative burgers like the S.P.B.B. ($8) with peanut butter, sriracha
and bacon; the Holypeno ($8), with bacon, aged cheddar, onion
ring and barbecue sauce; and the Smokeshow ($8) with bacon,
aged cheddar, onion ring and BBQ Sauce. They also serve fries,
poutine and fried Oreos. The poutine fries are served with cheese
curds and scallions (pictured here) separately — it’s a meal in
itself. • 455 Bloomfield Ave. in Caldwell, [phone];
39 Glenridge Ave. in Montclair, [phone]; eatdiesel.com.
22
MAY 2019 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE
Owner Rachel Crampsey’s doughnuts are the stuff of Montclair legend.
Created from leftover brioche dough as a diversion on a slow Sunday in
2012, they have rapidly become the shop’s, ahem, bread-and-butter. As many
as 6,000 doughnuts roll out of the bakery’s new retail store and produc-
tion facility on Label Street every week, headed for bakeries throughout the
state and even to donut-savvy New Yorkers shopping at farmer’s markets
in Manhattan. Montclair commuters on their way to and from the Walnut
Street train station are greeted with a dizzying display of donuts daily. But
resist getting too attached to a flavor: Crampsey likes to change things up
and surprise customers with her whimsical confections, often tied to holiday
and cultural themes — for example, her April Fool’s mystery doughnuts, Obi
Wan Cannoli and Chewbacca doughnuts for Star Wars day on May 4th. A
classic apple cider doughnut goes for $2; specialties like maple bacon and
Boston cream, $3; and the premium variety, including Nutella and tres leches,
$4. • 16 Label St., 237 Lorraine Ave., [phone], montclairbread.com.
MONTCLAIR
picureans find a lot to love in Montclair,
where there are dining options like
Fascino, Laboratorio and Turtle + the
Wolf, and an endless variety of ethnic
cuisines, from Mesob’s Ethiopian fare to
SLA Thai. But sometimes, there’s noth-
ing quite like the perfect burger fresh off the griddle,
or a sweet, spongey donut, or crunchy crinkle fries.
Here are some of the best places in our area to satisfy
those once-in-a-while cravings.