CHEF’S CHOICE Head
Chef Anthony Lo Pinto
prepares dishes like
seared double cut pork
chops, Tavern 5 burgers
with pepper jack and
avocado and fish tacos
with seared cod pico
de gallo, avocado,
lime green and rice
bean salad.
TAVERN 5
710 Newark Pompton Turnpike
Pompton Plains, NJ 07444
973-835-1426
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Five Fired Up and Ready To Go
S
WRITTEN BY ADRIANA MARIELLA
ince June 2016, Pompton
Plains has been home to
Tavern 5, a new familyowned restaurant and bar.
Getting its name from its
five co-owners (all members of the local Carbone family), the
Tavern offers everything from stone
fired pizza to fresh seafood to savory
burgers, on a menu that changes
weekly, depending on what’s fresh.
Led by head chef Anthony Lo
Pinto, a New York Times-reviewed
graduate of the Culinary Institute of
America whose appreciation for inseason food is reflected in the restaurant’s menu, the restaurant offers
something for everyone, made from
scratch every day. For starters, guests
will enjoy appetizers like the arrancini
(fried rice balls with tomato jam and
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNE-MARIE CARUSO
basil pesto), the PEI (Prince Edward
Island) mussels (with chorizo, white
wine, and garlic), or the meatballs
(served with polenta, basil, and
ricotta salata). For the main course,
the menu offers a selection of salads
in addition to stone-fired-pizza, and
entrees like seared scallops with
asparagus risotto, fish tacos (seared
cod served with pico de gallo, slaw,
avocado, and lime crème), and
tagliatelle with braised veal, sweet
peas, and tomato. Guests should be
sure to save room for desserts like
chocolate espresso cake (chocolate
avocado mousse, coffee ice cream)
or the roasted pineapple (served
with coconut pudding, Almond Joy
ice cream, toasted almonds, and
chocolate pieces).
With 11 beers on tap, including
limited edition, locally brewed
options from Magnify Brewing
Company in Fairfield, and a carefully
curated wine list, the Tavern is also
a destination for craft beer hunters
and wine lovers alike. On Friday
and Saturday nights, the restaurant
caters to a nighttime crowd, offering
a full bar and live music until
midnight or later.
When the weather allows, guests
can enjoy a game of corn hole in the
restaurant’s backyard, or dine al fresco
on the back patio, the same space in
which the Tavern’s events like beer
tasting and Oktoberfest are held.
For small, private parties of up to
35 people, Tavern 5 offers a private
party room, which is adjacent to the
back patio allowing guests their own
entrance and a view of the backyard. ■
FALL 2016
WAYNE MAGAZINE 69