New restaurant opens: Why top celeb chefs are betting big on New Jersey food scene

When people move away from New Jersey to escape high property taxes and the cost of living, almost always, you hear the one thing they miss most is the food.

It’s kind of like the end of “Goodfellas” when Henry Hill had to live in the Midwest in witness protection and complained, “I ordered some spaghetti with marinara sauce, and I got egg noodles and ketchup.”

Well, it’s not just the pizza and pork roll and to-die-for bagels. New Jersey has an ever-growing list of celebrity chef restaurants, and we can add a new one just opened to the list.

Anticipated restaurant opens in Montclair

Big Joe Henry let you know back in June that the Japanese chef of Food Network’s “Iron Chef,” Chef Masaharu Morimoto, was going to be opening a Japanese steakhouse this summer.

Happy to report it’s now open in Montclair, and it’s called MM by Morimoto. He already had dozens of restaurants around the globe and has been asked why he would open one here.

“A lot of people have been asking me, ‘Why New Jersey?’ Morimoto told NJ.com. ”And I say, ‘Why not New Jersey?’ It’s a really nice place. People don’t have to travel in the city anymore to try my food.”

Open since the end of July, you’ll find them at 193 Glenridge Ave. in Montclair, and you might just find Big Joe Henry there. That’s TV host Stephen Colbert’s town, so I’d be surprised if he doesn’t turn up too.

We have many celebrity chefs who have seen the great potential in the Garden State.

Bobby Flay has his steakhouse in Atlantic City and, of course, Bobby’s Burgers in several locations.

Chef Lorena Campos has her French cuisine at Lorena’s in Maplewood.

Chef Michael Symon has Angeline by Michael Symon at the Borgata in Atlantic City, which serves Italian. He also comes from “Iron Chef.”

There’s Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill in Atlantic City.

And David Burke? He’s everywhere. Burke has Red Horse in Bernardsville and Rumson; Son Cubano in West New York; Ventana’s At The Modern in Fort Lee; Orchard Park in East Brunswick; and even David Burke’s Dixie Lee Bakery in Keansburg.

Don’t tell me you won’t miss the food if you move away from Jersey. Even the best chefs know what’s up.