• 1. Where to Stay
• 2. Where to Eat
• 3. What to Do
• 4. Insider’s Tip
• 5. An Oddball Day

Hamilton’s Grill Room   (Photo: Courtesy Hamilton Grill Room)

Manon’s (19 N. Union St.; 609-397-2596) saffron-yellow and deep-blue exterior and its intimate, 36-seat interior (with a ceiling painted like Van Gogh’s Starry Night) is reminiscent of dining in a family home in Provence. But the true French connection comes from the kitchen where Arles-born owner and chef Michel Dumas serves an inventive menu that includes all the classics.

Sometimes you just want pizza, and for this nothing beats family-owned Giuseppes (formerly Jacks). Although the décor and menu are more refined since Jack’s daughter took the reins, the elder’s original, secret-crust garlic pizza remains sacred.

Jim Hamilton built Broadway sets (The Subject Was Roses, The World of Suzy Wong), before switching gears to cook with Alain Saillac, Jasper White, and Jeremiah Tower. Not surprisingly, his renowned Hamilton’s Grill Room comes with a theatrical charcoal grill as the centerpiece.

The only disappointment about the BYOB Thai restaurant Siam (61 N. Main St.; 609-397-8128) is its popularity; without reservations, expect a long wait for the house’s beloved crispy whole fish and mee krob.

Published on Nov 15, 2006 as a web exclusive.