TIO : ANNE-MARIE CARUSO ; ALL THE SMOKE : COURTESY OFALL THE SMOKE
TIO TACO + TEQUILABAR CLIFTON
Tio Taco + Tequila Bar opened next to its sister restaurant , Tommy ’ s Tavern + Tap , over the summer . Owner Tommy Bonfiglio has created a small yet rapidly expanding empire of Tommy ’ s Tavern + Taps , with one in Staten Island and five in New Jersey ; Tio Taco + Tequila Bar is his second concept . There are two already open in Edison and Marlboro .
For eats , Tio has tacos , guacamole , burritos , empanadas , tortas , enchiladas and more . Tio also has dozens of tequilas behind the bar that you can try on the rocks , neat or mixed into a cocktail .
• The Promenade Shops , ( 973 ) 773-5044 , tiotacotequila . com
ALL THE SMOKE , CLIFTON
When chef Kenny West found himself out of work due to the pandemic — he was the executive chef at Pharmacie Bar & Kitchen , an American pub in Montclair that ’ s temporarily closed — he got himself a smoker and started “ playing around .” West , a longtime Clifton resident who today lives in Rockaway , took his barbecued grub to a few gigs and events , where the response , he says , was phenomenal . “ I ’ d hear , ‘ We can ’ t get anything like this around here ,’” he says .
Now they can . In September , West launched All the Smoke , his casual mostly delivery-and-takeout spot , where Clifton-and-nearby barbecue lovers can enjoy his smoked meats and sides .
“ I always wanted to cook with wood ,” says West , an alum of the French Culinary Institute ( today the International Culinary Center ). “ It ’ s a different element than just turning on a stove .”
All the Smoke offers the following smoked meats by the half-pound : brisket , pulled pork , ribs ( half and full rack ), chicken , turkey breast and chicken wings . There are three sandwiches on the menu : The Piggy Wiggy , pulled pork with coleslaw and homemade mustard barbecue sauce on a toasted King ’ s Hawaiian dinner role ; The Molly Moo , brisket with horseradish cream barbecue sauce on a King ’ s roll ; and a “ New Jersey-style deli ” sloppy joe with smoked turkey , Gouda cheese and coleslaw on marble rye bread with barbecue Russian dressing . • 64½ Market St ., ( 973 ) 864-3443 , Facebook . com
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