July 22, 2001, Sunday
THE SUNDAY STAR LEDGER
SPOTLIGHT: DINING
By CODY KENDALL

Hopewell is an exceptionally charming town, with wide front porches, tree-shaded streets and intriguing art galleries. Now it's got a restaurant that fits right in, since The Brothers Moon made its debut this spring.

Located in an old general store that underwent massive renovations, the 50-seat establishment has a blue and gold theme carried out in everything from the cobalt-colored water glasses decorated with moons to the lettering and star- struck curtains on the windows. The moon that is the restaurant's signature was inspired by the last name of chef Will Mooney and his co-owner twin, Sean, who put up financing for the project.

"We are casual, but we cook some serious food," said Mooney, a Culinary Institute of America graduate who has worked at the Hotel Pierre in New York, Patina in Los Angeles and a lot of places in New Jersey, including the Stockton Inn and the Frog and the Peach in New Brunswick.

Organic foods and fresh produce from local farms are a big part of the picture, and there are a number of vegan items made without animal products. "We're not afraid of tofu or tempeh," said the chef, who also cooks a mean rack of lamb ($24) and filet mignon ($24) highlighted with blue cheese.
So there's something for a wide range of tastes, and those who like to try new things won't go wrong here. You're likely to find such exotic greens as slightly sour purslane or thick- leafed tatsoi in the salads. Maybe you'll get hooked on the addictive marinated shallots that combine so well with prosciutto, Parmesan and Romaine lettuce hearts in a striking appetizer ($8.50), or investigate how smoked salmon ($9) tastes with a smooth celery root remoulade.

Soups change daily, but I'll bet you'll be seeing a lot of a flirty gazpacho this summer. It's perfect for hot weather, touched with accents of fennel and red pepper. A vegan black bean and corn soup ($5) tasted as rich as if it were made with a beef stock. The beans had a strong supporting cast of characters -- corn, peas, chopped tomato and carrots. We used slices of the lovely fresh-baked olive bread, and then the sun-dried tomato and basil loaf, to sop up what we couldn't get with our spoons.

A special starter featured crab stuffed into fried zucchini blossoms ($12), served with sun-dried tomato and the dark green tatsoi. It was such an interesting juxtaposition of flavors and textures that I accepted the small size of the portion. The emphasis was on the experience of tasting, not stuffing yourself. A more traditional crab salad ($12) offered a mound of meat with tangy marinated tomatoes.

The pan-seared halibut special ($24) came with spaetzle so light I thought it would float away, but bits of roasted vegetables and herbs kept it anchored to the plate so we could eat every bit of it.
The four prettily pink pieces of the rack of lamb sat atop fluffy mashed potatoes covered with grilled eggplant, asparagus, zucchini, red pepper and yellow squash. Those who order this abundant dish are not in danger of leaving hungry.

Don't leave until you've tasted the desserts by Sharon Vecchiarelli. Angel food cake ($7) was decorated with oval Alpine strawberries, with crème Anglaise to wed them to the cake. A molten chocolate cake was as good as I've had, with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries adding colorful punctuation.

Our cheery, well-versed server announced prices with items that weren't on the menu. That's a good thing, but I'll still say -- as I so often do -- that specials should be printed out for perusal by patrons at their leisure. It's easy to do in the computer age, and it saves the servers' time, since they don't have to constantly repeat descriptions for customers who have forgotten the recitation by the time they must order.

Great care has been taken with every element of this place, down to the napkins of real linen that actually have some absorbency, as opposed to those awful polyester rags we've encountered elsewhere that can't handle even the tiniest drip.

Brothers Moon is a great addition to New Jersey's restaurant scene. It's got a perfect vantage point for enjoying the summer weather and the town, with outdoor dining right in front of the building. If you don't have time for a sit-down lunch or dinner, head for the take-out shop behind the dark blue barrier on the other side of the dining room, where you can get such items as the celery root remoulade and a Swiss chard and white bean salad to go.

Copyright 2001 The Star Ledger