Home & Style Features

An Italian Romance

You won't miss trendy décor or hip twists at Il Mondo Vecchio, a tiny but outstanding Italian BYO on Madison's Main Street.

Tables Under the Stars

Warm summer nights in Morris County beckon you outside to enjoy the sunset, the breezes and-of course-dinner.

Take 10!

Nicole's Ten, a hip restaurant and bar on Route 10 in Randolph, specialized in creative New American and eclectic fare.

Spiced delights

From guacamole to peking duck rolls, dishes prepared at your table somehow seem to elevate the dining experience. Now chaat-Indian snacks usually sold from street-vendor carts-has joined the pantheon of tableside-prep.

Rock on

Fifteen minutes early for a 7:30 reservation at Rocca, and our table wasn't ready-no problem; we didn't expect it to be. The lovely hostess asked us to take a seat in the drafty foyer right inside the door. Within two minutes, she reappeared. "I moved the tables around so you wouldn't have to wait out here- it's too cold."

This spud's for you

They're the culinary equivalent of great jeans, a "humble" pleasure that offers instant comfort, goes with almost everything and on occasion can be dressed up to dazzlingly chic effect.

Steak around

How about some sizzle with that steak? You'll get it-and more-from the slabs of USDA prime beef coming out of the kitchen at Cliffs Steakhouse.

The power of polenta

This versatile cornmeal treat brings a touch of Italy to many a delicious dish is polenta one of those foods you've heard about but don't really know? Have no fear; it's not mysterious.

Where designers dwell

You let them inside your home-but did you ever want to see what your designers create when they have no fussy clients to please? Bergen Health & Life asked 5 local pros to reveal one room each in their homes-and to provide one take-home tip the rest of us can use when sprucing up our own abodes. Here's what they showed us:

Before & after

With family in mind, local designers transform too-bland living spaces into chic, inviting havens

5 facts labels don't tell you

Savvy shoppers know that checking food labels is a key to helping your family eat healthy. The bad news? "They're incomplete," says Bruce Silverglade, director of legal affairs for the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). He helped Bergen Health & Life identify five important points food packages fail to reveal:

Dad's pad

When Roy Weber first moved into his Ridgewood Colonial, the recently divorced father of two couldn't have told you what his design preferences were. "I'd never really thought much about decorating," admits Weber, 66, a lecturer at Rutgers Business School.

3 glorious gardens

"Nothing is more the child of art than a garden," said Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott. Indeed, with a hefty assist from Mother Nature, every garden possesses a unique, ethereal beauty-and Bergen boasts a wealth of private plots bursting with inspiration. Read on for an inside look at three, plus helpful tips from the Bergenites who tend them.