From New York to just over the George Washington Bridge in Englewood, New Jersey: Sofia, a farm to table Italian steakhouse complete with a sexy cigar bar and lounge, is the most happening restaurant in Northern New Jersey. So much so that I would— and in fact do—leave New York, where there are no shortage of buzzy spots, to spend my Saturday night here. Let’s start with the setting: Sofia is chic to say the least and has several spaces for you to enjoy your time. They’re each unique but all appealing. The main dining area features airy ceilings, mirrored walls, and handsome flooring. And I can’t forget the impressive-looking bar (more on that later) stocked with so many spirits that it reaches all the way to ceiling. In the back, a garden room has a retractable roof, hanging plants, and a black and white patterned floor— it’s the epitome of indoor/outdoor dining. Downstairs, there’s a handsome cigar and speakeasy style lounge featuring a top of the line ventilation and air filtration system. Places in New Jersey where you can smoke indoors are few and are between, but this happens to be one of them and has a devoted clientele as a result. Come here for the rare cigars, hard to find whiskies and bourbons, and crave-worthy steaks. Sofia’s lower level also has an 80-seat heated pergola that owner Eddy Sujak built during the the pandemic and feels like a hideaway of sorts with its subterranean setting. Now, back to the bar because, really, who doesn’t like to imbibe, even if it’s with a non-alcoholic cocktail? Sofia, hands down, has the best bar in the state— maybe even in the Tri-State- with a staggering lineup of 900 spirits that span from impossible to source tequilas (Clase Azul’s Day of the Dead anyone?) and whiskies (Yamazaki 18, yes I can) to artisanal vodkas and an incredible selection of wines from the affordable to the extravagant. The cocktail list is incredibly creative— is it the Seductress you’ll have with lemon vodka, peach, lemon juice, and Lillet blanc shaken? Or are you more a No Money, No Honey person because you like the combination of tequila, spicy honey, lime, pineapple, and mole bitters? Places as glamorous and scene-y as Sofia with good looking customers to boot usually don’t bother to pay much attention to the food— it’s an afterthought instead of the main event. But eating at Sofia is a highlight. The ingredients in the Italian dishes are top of the line and comparable in quality to what you would find at a two or three Michelin starred restaurant in New York. The current chef Emanuele Cipolla hails from Sicily and sources caviar from a farm in upstate New York, red shrimp from southern Sicily, a first-press olive oil from Puglia, and seafood from all the Mediterranean. His menu travels the Italian map. It’s the perfect combination of indulgent and Mediterranean-style clean— my meat loving kids have plenty to pick from while the seafood fan healthy eating me has more choices than I know what to do with.
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