Giant garlic knot chicken parm 🍗 + lobster spaghetti: Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother’s Day week, North Jersey!

Hopefully you’ve all booked your brunch reservations, gathered some breakfast-in-bed ingredients or called in an express order for a new Nespresso machine; because it’s time to spoil the most important woman you know.

Over the years, our moms teach us many valuable lessons and — as I prepare for this Sunday — I’ve been reminiscing on the ones I’m most thankful for.

In hindsight, though, I’ve realized, all of the best things I’ve learned from my mom have been embedded in my subconscious entirely by accident.

Here are some examples to show you what I mean:

1. When cooking Kraft mac and cheese, coconut milk can not be used in place of regular milk
2. Grilled chicken, carrots and orange bell peppers should never be pizza toppings
3. Marinara sauce and ketchup — when it comes to mozzarella sticks — are not the same thing
4. You can’t cook vegan cheese with the windows shut
5. Dr. Praeger’s Spinach Littles are not an adequate replacement for dino nuggies

And the learning doesn’t stop there.

But, instead of holding those culinary nightmares against my dear mother? I’ve decided — this holiday — to take her to a restaurant that would never make the same mistakes.

Perhaps, as we indulge in tender pork chops (glazed with honey and cooked to perfection), she might learn a bit, too.

These are the four best things I ate in Jersey this week; including one dish from the spot I'll be taking my mom to study.

New restaurant openings

Before I get to those eats, though, let's first cover new restaurant openings.

This week, there were two (of the same concept).

• Chick-fil-A , the nation's most popular chicken franchise, hit us with a DOUBLE doozy this week by opening two North Jersey locations; one on Route 46 in Parsippany, and another on Route 17 in Paramus. Menu highlights mirror the other franchise shops, and include spicy chicken sandwiches, popcorn-sized nuggets and underwhelming waffle fries.

The best things I ate this week

And now back to the good stuff.

Here are this week's top Jersey eats.

Reese's Mousse Pie, Anthony's Cheesecake

We're eating dessert first today, as I kick off this list with one of my favorite sweet treats in the region.

Made from scratch at Anthony's Cheesecake in Bloomfield, the decadent pie is an elevated play on a Reese's cup that — in my opinion — is even better than the shop's namesake cheesecakes. Here's why.

To start, the dessert features a flaky pie crust covered in a layer of sticky brownie batter. After that comes sequential striations of peanut butter mousse and homemade whipped cream, followed by a topping of crushed peanut butter cups and alternating drizzles of caramel and chocolate.

When combined, those ingredients create a pie that is cool, rich, sweet, salty and satisfying. The barely-cooked brownie at the base of each slice is moist and indulgent, and the mousse above it is as creamy as can be.

Go: 71 Washington St., Bloomfield; 973-415-8885, anthonyscheesecake.com .

Scallop Tiradito, Gioia Mia

Luckily for my mom, this bustling new Montclair fine-dining hotspot is where I'll be taking her to dine this Sunday.

And, though I know she'll order the pork chop, I'm going to insist we also order these scallops, because — elegantly plated and intelligently sauced — the spring appetizer looks (and tastes) like something straight from Le Bernardin .

One of the newest dishes to hit the Gioia Mia menu, the high-end starter showcases a ring of raw, thin-sliced scallops covered in leche de tigre, pickled shallot, aji amarillo and the tiniest pieces of vibrant blood orange.

Flavor-wise, the various sauces are ripe with notes of citrus, while the fresh scallop almost tastes like butter. The melt-in-your-mouth texture of the fish is outstanding, and the sweet and savory juxtaposition (between it and the leche) are a duo you'd only expect from the nation's top restaurants.

Go: 331 Bloomfield Ave., Montclair; 973-233-0350, gioiamianj.com .

Lobster Espagueti Ranchero, Arre Sinaloa

Arre Sinaloa is a true North Jersey culinary gem hidden on an urban corner in Union City. Behind the crowds of cosmopolitan foot traffic, it would be easy — on a busy day — to miss the spot completely.

But, now that I've told you about it? You can't possible miss it.

Or, at least, you shouldn't want to.

The high-end little restaurant serves the cuisine of Northern Mexico, but in fine-dining form. Street corn features summer truffles, while guacamole is smothered in black garlic and flanked by house-made tortilla chips. If you have yet to visit the restaurant, however, I highly suggest ordering the Lobster Espagueti Ranchero, as it's probably the top dish on the menu.

Translating, essentially, to "lobster spaghetti," the lavish entrée features a distinct seafood sauce made from the fatty juices of the shellfish itself (rather than butter or cream), as well as salsa tatemada, confit tomatoes, herbs.

The most delicious part of the dish, though, is the immaculately-cooked lobster. With a texture I've yet to see anywhere else, the tender protein nearly dissolves when you eat it.

Go: 4605 Park Ave., Union City; 201-710-0900, arresinaloa.net .

Giant Garlic Knot Chicken Parm Sandwich, Positano

This was house-breaded chicken, homemade mozzarella and secret recipe vodka sauce on a giant garlic knot .

So, yeah. It was insane.

(And, because it rocked so much? I decided to send it viral on Instagram ).

Go: 245 County Route 502, Wayne; 973-628-6863, positanorestaurant.com .

Hungry for more?

Want more on this week's latest food news? Check out some of my (and others') best articles below.

And, as for next week? Be sure to tune back for artisan panini, wagyu smashburgers and eclectic tacos — because all of those outrageous eats are on my schedule.

Kara VanDooijeweert is a food writer for NorthJersey.com and The Record. If you can't find her in Jersey's best restaurants, she's probably off running a race course in the mountains. Catch her on Instagram: @karanicolev & @northjerseyeats .

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Giant garlic knot chicken parm 🍗 + lobster spaghetti: Happy Mother's Day!