If you’re in the NY Metro area of NJ and want to find someplace to spend your money, here are a few of my personal favorite spots.

The kids are older, and mostly not too finicky about food, so they get to go with us to a lot of these places:

TERRAZZA RISTORANTE & BAR in Nutley, 507 Franklin Ave., (973) 661-4300. Very tasty food, Italian, but not a pizza and linguini place. I loved their gorgonzola ravioli with balsamic vinegar tomato sauce, and they have a salmon and steak that are house specialties that are wonderful.

And speaking of good Italian –I Fratelli Ristorante at 1099 Broad St. in Bloomfield is fabulous. (973) 338-4888. I had a stuffed portabello mushroom appetizer and I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. The calamari is cooked just right (harder than it sounds) and the eggplant rollatini is delightful, with the addition of golden raisins.

Another short trip for us is Bloomfield Steak and Seafood at 409 Franklin Ave. in Bloomfield, (973) 680-4500 is in one of our historic homes, and the atmosphere is nice and cozy. The food is American/Continental, tasty and well-presented.

Brookside Thai just opened on 378 Broad Street in Bloomfield, and the food is authentic and fabulous. They still have some kinks to work out in the speed of service department, so either plan a long, leisurely meal or order takeout. (973) 566-0057.

Our latest favorite for Indian food is Satish Palace at 397 Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair. (973) 746-4477. They have an extensive menu, and on Wednesday nights there’s a buffet. (We usually go out the back and across the street to Montclair Book Center to top off that night’s trip out.) Of course, if you’re looking for real Indian – the stuff they eat, not the stuff they serve to the general public, take the Iselin exit off the Garden State Parkway (127) and head over to Oak Tree Road. Restaurants, jewelry, groceries, clothes, bakeries, video stores, all for the Indian population of NJ.

We’re still looking for good local Chinese. We have tons of places, but since the management at our old favorite left, we haven’t been able to find anything to compare. If you have recommendations, e-mail me.