It’s been a very busy summer in the Montclair restaurant scene. So here’s a quick wrap up of the events!

Late spring, had a lot of interesting foodie news concerning Church Street – specifically what was happening at 12 Church Street. First, Market, the picket fenced, organic restaurant tried to reinvent itself as The Honest Dog. About two weeks after the opening, the honest dog “had run off” and Cheryl and Greg Spinelli stepped in to open the space as a tapas restaurant, creatively named, Tapastry, in the space.

In May, Cilantro, a new Mexican restaurant opened at 537 Bloomfield Avenue opened.

June was relatively slow on the restaurant news front and saw only the closing of Sesame, a Chinese restaurant, on Bloomfield Avenue.

In July things heated up a bit. Gordon Ramsay visited Leones and created a Kitchen Nightmare, and Little Phil’s Artisanal Delicatessen opened in Upper Montclair Plaza in the space formerly occupied by Tallmadge Cheese Market. 32 Church closed its doors, and Restaurant Passionne closed its doors on Walnut Street to seek a larger space.

July also saw one of Montclair’s biggest restaurant scores when the smoking hot Brick Lane Curry House crossed the Hudson and opened on Valley Road. That’s Brick Lane’s third restaurant! Toward the end of July, Petit Paris opened its doors on Church Street and began selling French pastries and macaroons.

In August, Café Amici moved into what was 32 Church at 32 Church Street, and Café Eclectic announced it would be moving out - at some point. Mexicali Rose had its doors closed by NJ tax officials, and across the street, Park St. Gourmet announced it would soon become Samba Montclair offering a Brazilian menu in the evening. Finally, Taqueria Autentica, the beloved taco truck, opened a brick and mortar restaurant on Broad St. in Bloomfield.

77 Walnut StreetWhat can we expect this fall? Grid Iron Waffles will be opening in Upper Montclair in the space formerly occupied by Sticky Buns on Bellevue Avenue. Another Italian restaurant, Acapello plans to open in the former Sesame location. October 1st will see the opening of Fin, a new raw bar on Glenridge Avenue, which will be operated by the same owners of Salute. Lastly, I’m eager to see who and what fills the space at 77 Walnut Street.