BERNARDS INN, BERNARDSVILLE
From an amuse of intensely flavored mushroom soup to a candy tray filled with jellies and chocolates, the Bernards Inn, 27 Mine Brook Road, Bernardsville, creates a memorable dining experience from start to finish. It is one of the best restaurants in New Jersey, and executive chef Corey Heyer puts out some don’t-miss dishes. At a recent dinner, starters included fabulous, “do not ever take this dish off your menu” sweet potato ravioli with black truffle pecorino, toasted Austrian pumpkin seeds, sage, and brown butter sauce. Equally delicious were the Lantern Bay scallops with potato gnocchi, porcini mushrooms, celery root purée, foie gras, and yuzu emulsion. Hamachi sashimi was beautifully presented with pickled green papaya, crispy shallots, and persimmon purée, for a perfect blend of flavors. Roasted butternut squash soup was enhanced with black trumpet mushrooms, roasted chestnuts, and five-spice crème, creating a sophisticated dish that was perfect on a cold winter night. A huge salad of mixed organic baby greens came with Anjou pear, toasted hazelnuts, and pumpkin seed vinaigrette. Addictive fried broccoli, a new one for us, was scattered around a tender 28-day dry-aged rib eye, which came with a Bordelaise sauce. Slow-cooked suckling pig—yes, Lowell ordered that—also had a spectrum of flavors, from McIntosh apple purée; bacon-wrapped, peanut-butter-stuffed dates; baby turnips; and black cardamom jus. The Bernards Inn’s vibrant version of surf and turf was an unusually clever combination of Maine lobster (out of the shell) and braised veal cheeks. Presented with black truffle potato purée, quince, rosemary, citrus-braised endive, and sauce Maltaise (a classic hollandaise-style sauce flavored with the zest and juice of blood oranges), this dish was exceptional. My new favorite ice cream is marshmallow graham cracker, which came with warm chocolate bread pudding. Pastry chef Duane Hendershot also creates a chocolate-cherry crème frâiche torte, a chocolate lover’s dream. Wine director and sommelier Terri Baldwin oversees a 1,500-selection wine list, which has earned the Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator since 1999. The list runs 58 pages, so you many want to check it out online before you dine here. Be prepared to pay, but although the restaurant is expensive, lower-priced items are available on the bar menu, and a Sunday brunch buffet is a steal at $29.95 for adults and $14.95 for children ages five to twelve. For a really special evening, you can stay overnight at the inn, which also offers getaway packages; visit www.bernardsinn.com. For reservations, call 908-766-0002.
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SCOTCH & STEAK DINNER AT THE STRIP HOUSE, LIVINGSTON
On February 28, a five-course Glenmorangie Scotch & Steak Dinner will be held at the Strip House, Westminster Hotel, 550 West Mount Pleasant Avenue, Livingston. Chef Bill Zucosky will present the following menu:
New England sea scallops with edamame succotash, black truffle butter, and corn broth
(Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or)
Strip House roast bacon salad with Russian dressing, baby arugula, and grape tomato
(Glenmorangie Original)
Shepherd’s pie with caramelized parsnips and carrots
(Glenmorangie 18)
NY strip steak with fried onions, black truffle creamed spinach, and sauce bordelaise
(Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban)
Warm apple pie with cinnamon ice cream
(Glenmorangie Lasanta)
7 PM; $125 including tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 973-548-0050.
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WINE DINNER AT CASA DANTE, JERSEY CITY
On February 24, a five-course seasonal dinner featuring the wines of Antinori along with live music by the Don Carter Trio jazz band will be held at Casa Dante, 737 Newark Avenue, Jersey City. Executive chef Gregg Freda will present the following menu:
Burrata cheese salad with haricots verts and chopped heirloom tomatoes, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil from Puglia
(Chardonnay: Tormaresca, 2009)
Monkfish Fiorentina simmered in tomato sauce, served with sautéed spinach
(Chianti Superiore: Santa Cristina, 2008)
Manicotti with porcini mushrooms and white truffles, topped with braised bison Bolognese
(Chianti Classico: Peppoli, 2007)
Veal osso buco served over risotto Milanese
(Chianti Classico: Marchese Antinori, Riserva, 2005; special tasting of Tignanello, 2007)
Apricot-glazed apple and almond cream tart, served with vanilla gelato
(Muffato Della Sala, 2006)
6:30 PM; $95 plus tax and 18 percent gratuity. For reservations, call 201-795-2750.
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LOLA LATIN BISTRO, METUCHEN
Take one attentive owner, Nick Borzone, and his charming personality, along with creative Latin cuisine under the direction of Chef Grace Castagnetto, formerly of the Frog and the Peach in New Brunswick, and you have a winner of a restaurant. Lola Latin Bistro, 140 Durham Avenue, Metuchen, is a small but comfortable BYO with moderate prices, and it’s popular with the locals, so be sure to make a reservation. Warm rolls in a cigar box arrived as soon as we were seated, accompanied by a feisty garlic and sun-dried tomato oil for dipping, setting the mood for the evening. We started with black bean soup with queso fresco and a rich Mexican-style chicken soup with avocado and chickpeas, which was enhanced with lime essence. Both soups were served in large bowls and warmed our innards. Peruvian ceviche presented as a salad with cubes of tilapia, yellow corn, and red bell peppers got its liveliness from a refreshing lime juice marinade. A whole dinner can be structured around the tapas offerings, and parties of eight or more can order a sampling from the menu, with foods served family style for $30 per person. The tapas we tried included pork brochettes; yucca croquettes with spicy chili-lime aioli; chorizo with garlic; and Spanish meatballs with chipotle salsa. All are recommended. Everyone ordered a fish entrée, but the skirt steak with mashed sweet potatoes and salsa Mexicana at the next table looked and smelled so good that we will be sure to order it the next time we dine here. Camarones con ollucos, a colorful, attention-grabbing dish, contained grilled shrimp with yellow corn, sweet peas, and ollucos, which are similar to potatoes, in an aji panca (chili pepper) lobster broth. Perfectly cooked pan-seared salmon was livened up by a spicy mango glaze and cool pineapple salsa. It sat atop fried polenta sticks, which no one could resist. Two splendid pieces of pistachio-crusted grouper with mashed butternut squash and asparagus, a special of the evening, also impressed everyone at the table. Desserts, a dense flan and a raspberry tart, both made in house, sealed the deal for us. Lola Latin Bistro is a go-back-to restaurant. For reservations, call 732-548-5652.
Salmon with spicy mango glaze and pineapple salsa, with fried polenta sticks.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein.
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DAVID BURKE FROMAGERIE, RUMSON
On February 23, a five-course Stag’s Leap wine dinner will be held at David Burke Fromagerie, 26 Ridge Road, Rumson. The following menu will be presented:
Hors d’oeuvres
(Domaine Ste. Michelle)
Grilled octopus with fingerling potatoes, celery, black olives, and salsa verde
(Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2008)
Pastrami salmon with whole-wheat blini, date chutney, and pickled sunchokes
(“Karia” Chardonnay 2007)
Handmade pappardelle with braised lamb shank, black olives, chickpeas, and oven-roasted tomato
(“Artemis” Cabernet Sauvignon 2007)
Petite 45-day dry-aged sirloin with braised short rib and smoked pommes puree
(SLV Cabernet Sauvignon 2007)
Fromage blanc mousse, wine gelée, apricot sorbet, and crispy sugar tuile
(Chateau Ste. Michelle Late Harvest Chenin Blanc 2005)
David Burke’s cheesecake lollipops
6:15 PM; $105 plus tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 732-842-8088.
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ESCOFFIER DINNER AT RAT’S, HAMILTON
On February 23, an Escoffier dinner will be held at Rat’s Restaurant, Grounds for Sculpture, 16 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton. Executive chef Shane Cash will use Georges Auguste Escoffier’s cookbook to create a unique meal paired with wines from France; 6 PM. For reservations and price information, call 609-584-7800.
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FOODIE FRIDAYS AT ELEMENTS, PRINCETON
Foodie Fridays are celebrated at Elements, 163 Bayard Lane, Princeton, with a five-course tasting menu composed from the day’s specially procured, seasonally inspired ingredients; $69, $99 with wine. For reservations, call 609-924-0078.
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