With so many of us on vacation these weeks, restaurants that are not down the Shore can struggle to fill tables. So chefs in South Jersey and in Hudson County are fighting the summer doldrums with region-wide dining specials next week.

South Jersey Hot Chefs, an organization of local chefs and restaurant owners, is sponsoring Farm to Fork Week July 27-August 1 (some places are extending it through Saturday, August 2). For $35 at participating restaurants, you get a four-course menu—take your pick from steakhouse, American, Italian, Mexican, Creole, Indian, Japanese. 

Whatever the cuisine, you’ll eat Enn-Jay – every dish will feature local South Jersey ingredients.

“We do this to help local farmers from the South Jersey area, and because the quality of the products is going to be higher, fresher, and our guests absolutely love it,” says  Robert Minniti, of Bàcio restaurant in Cinnaminson and president of the chefs group.

At his own restaurant, Minniti’s Farm to Fork menu will include bruschetta with spicy Jersey tomato vinaigrette, Hunter's Farm Sweet Corn Bisque, a chocolate and Jersey peach dessert. But it’s not only produce – entrees include Barnegat bay scallops, clams, mussels and monk fish, Jersey Shore swordfish fillet, cheeses and free range chicken from local farms.

Up north, meanwhile, it’s Hudson Restaurant Week, July 28-August 8 in 37 restaurants (at last count) mostly in Hoboken and Jersey City.

Here, each restaurant sets its own prix fixe. Most places are offering three- or four-course menus for $30-$35; at a few eateries, it’s less than that — for $23 at Arthur’s Tavern in Hoboken diners can choose from two salads, two soups plus an entrée of either sirloin, sirloin and shrimp or barbecued ribs. 

You can do lunch, too. Honshu Lounge in Jersey City will offer a four-course menu of soup, salad, entrée choice of Chirashi fish, vegetarian roll or Champon Ramen in pork broth plus dessert, $18.  

If you are not away next week, these Hudson County and South Jersey eats are waiting for you.

If you still haven’t made Mother’s Day reservations, do not abandon hope. We found six culinarily and geographically diverse eateries that told us they would take people who called today.

Black Forest Inn, Stanhope, (973) 347-3344: The a-la-carte Mother’s Day menu at this restaurant, located on Rt. 206 just before it gets rural, features German cuisine like the maultaschen appetizer ($8.50), a kind of ravioli stuffed with meat, and entrees like jagerschnitzel with wine mushroom cream sauce ($26.75). They expect to accept reservations as late as Sunday morning.

Braddock's Tavern, Medford, (609) 654-1604: You’re cutting it close for the brunch, but manager Jeremiah Goldovitz says he is pretty sure that today he’ll have seatings for dinner. The building has been an inn or hotel since the 1840s. Braddock’s serves upscale tavern fare like steaks, a four-cheese pub pie, and shrimp and scallops stuffed with crab meat.

Congress Hall, Cape May, (609) 884-8421: You may not have a choice of which dining room (the pub? the airy indoor garden? outside, if it’s nice?) in this beautifully renovated 1879 landmark, but we are told “there’s a pretty good shot there’s going to be availability at the last minute.” The Mother’s Day brunch ($23.95 per adult, $10.95 per child) includes herb-crusted salmon fillet with midori-melon salsa and Cape May cobb salad with baby shrimp, bacon, avocado, chopped egg and blue cheese.

Gaetano’s, Red Bank (732) 741-1321: A big banquet room means this traditional Italian in hip downtown Red Bank still had open tables as of last night, and is likely to have room if you call today. Homemade pastas with seafood dominate the Mother’s Day menu, at around $25. Wines from Westfall Winery, in Montague, or BYOB.

Las Palmas, West New York, (201) 861-1400: Our favorite of the Bergenline Ave. Cubans in Union City and West New York will open the big upstairs space, sometimes reserved for private parties, to complement the smaller street-level dining room. Just show up, we are told, and owner Olga Cartagena will seat you. Try the sautéed palomilla steak ($14.95), marinated in garlic and lime, with rice and frijoles negros.

Rat’s Hamilton, (609) 584-7800: Three seatings Sunday afternoon at this French-Asian-Mediterranean eatery, located in the 35-acre Grounds For Sculpture, the art park founded by J. Seward Johnson. Small parties willing to brunch at 4 p.m. have the best shot at getting in. Prix fixe Mother’s Day special with champagne, hot and cold buffets and a jazz band is $65 plus gratuity.

If you haven’t made reservations, click through those links right now before the Mom in your life asks about the plan for Sunday. And don’t forget to tell her (and the restaurants) whoseidea it was!

Here are some seafood markets/restaurants our food editor Rosalie Saferstein has found where you can have a casual fish dinner or purchase fish to cook at home.

AT THE MARKET, NUTLEY www.atthemarketonline.com Eat there or buy your favorite fish and learn how to cook it at Saturday morning classes in this newly opened establishment. We’re partial to the simply grilled Mediterranean style with three-grain pilaf and roasted vegetables or the Caribbean with mango and black bean salsa. An early bird three-course dinner is $12.95. Side dishes are also available for take-out. BYO

CALDWELL SEAFOOD MARKET & CAFÉ, CALDWELL (973-226-2031) We love the red or white clam chowder, garlic shrimp, or halibut prepared any way. The fish is brought in daily from the Fulton Fish Market. BYO

KLEIN’S FISH MARKET, BELMAR www.kleinsfish.com Park your boat, sit on the dock, and dine on anything from sushi to fish stews. Family owned and operated since 1929, this Shore institution opens daily at 8 a.m. and has a wide selection of fish to purchase. Check out the early bird cocktail or dinner menu.

THE LOBSTER HOUSE, CAPE MAY www.thelobsterhouse.com A restaurant, raw bar, take- out, fish market, gift shop, and a view of the harbor where you watch the boats unload their catch. The fish market will pack your purchase in ice for traveling.

MARINOS SEAFOOD MARKET & RESTAURANT, CRANFORD (908-276-1333) This busy market serves lunch and dinner and fish so fresh it will bite you. Try any of the seafood platters or the combo with haddock, shrimp, and scallops. They come with tossed salad (we love the homemade blue cheese dressing), coleslaw, choice of linguine, vegetable, fries, or baked potato. BYO

Where do you go for seafood? E-mail Rosie at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

If you still haven’t made your plans for Easter Sunday, consider a brunch down the Shore. More great restaurants are putting an emphasis on brunch, and we came up with some offerings to satisfy your appetite and help you celebrate in style.

We spent a lazy Sunday not long ago at Rooney’s Oceanfront Restaurant (www.rooneysocean.com), where going to brunch is like attending a wedding. Their buffet stretches the length of the room. This Sunday they’re layering in a pasta station and adding a custom salad. The meal starts at 10 a.m. and you can see the ocean from every spot in the place. Adults $29, kids $15. 

Our friends at David Burke Fromagerie in Rumson (www.fromagerierestaurant.com) are serving up Easter brunch beginning at 10 a.m…$35 for three very creative courses.

Further south, Plantation Restaurant on LBI (www.plantationrestaurant.com) is offering spiced macadamia and buckwheat pancakes, and rum roasted bananas. Or try the brioche French toast and the house ham with maple Dijon sauce. Service starts at noon.

One of the best known resort breakfasts in the state is at the Mad Batter in Cape May (www.madbatter.com). They start serving at 8 a.m., and our insider recommends the Belgium waffles made with vanilla batter. No reservations taken, but call a half hour ahead if your party is larger than five.

Venturing a little inland up Rt. 9 we found a surprisingly satisfying Easter Brunch menu at the Sand Barrens Golf Club in Swainton (www.sandbarrensgolf.com). You don’t need to be a member to eat here, although you’ll need a $10 membership card to drink alcohol. Grownups pay $19.95, kids $10.95.

Reservations at these eateries were still available when we checked last night, but most said the later seatings were filling up fast. Call soon or you may find yourself cooking by default — and brunch is one meal that always tastes better away from home.