Whether you know the food or not, a tasting menu is a fun way to try new dishes and ingredients. The experience allows diners to see what the restaurant offers, and a well-organized restaurant will delight all taste buds. North Jersey has no shortage of talented chefs capable of pulling off such fare. Read on to find out where to get a great tasting experience locally.
Bistrot d’Azur | 14, rue de l’Académie, Orange Sud
(Photo credit: @bistrodazur)
This intimate bistro offers a dining experience less formidable and more affordable than typical establishments with white tablecloths. The dishes are vaguely French and/or Mediterranean in style. In addition to a daily prix fixe menu ($69 for two courses, $84 for three courses), it also offers an all-vegan tasting menu that features dishes such as grilled artichoke hearts and vegan shakshuka ( $59 for two courses, $69 for three courses). ).
Matisse Coffee | 167 Park Avenue, Rutherford
(Photo credit: @cafe_matisse)
The restaurant opens for two dinners (5:45 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.) every night, each offering a four-course prix fixe menu ($115). The kitchen is French bistro style. A sample meal might start with roasted beets with hazelnut and whipped goat cheese, move on to seared scallops with sage shortbread, culminate with venison and foie gras on a bed of mashed cauliflower and date jam with ginger, and finish with a cherry and vanilla cheesecake.
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Common lot | 27 Main Street, Millburn
(Photo credit: @common_lot)
After two visits to the Millburn restaurant when it opened in 2016, A New York Times food critic called the chef “among the most talented cooks in the state.” The seasonal menu draws inspiration from cuisines around the world, and every month or so the chef hosts a “tasting night” ($135) where guests can sample highly creative dishes not available on the a la carte menu. A recent four-course event, for example, features Japanese-style bluefin tuna, white asparagus with seaweed salsa verde, French-style lamb (or grilled mackerel with ajoblanco, an Andalusian soup cold) and dark garlic chocolate mousse.
Hudson table | 1403 Clinton Street, Hoboken
(Photo credit: @hudsontable)
Try cooking yourself an extensive tasting menu in the popular cooking studio. Thematic “hands-on” courses are held at least once a week, during which guests prepare a set of courses under the guidance of a professional. Some of the upcoming events feature pan-Mediterranean classics (tabbouleh, tzatziki, pita bread, grilled prawns, Adana kebab and spanakopita), Cambodian street food (spring rolls, lemongrass beef skewers, prawn curry, noodles and Thai tea ice cream). ) and vegetarian Mexican (tortillas, three kinds of tacos, smoked cashew cream, cabbage and jicama salad, pico de gallo and coconut horchata). There are also gastronomic events where guests can simply sit down and enjoy a magnificent multi-course dinner prepared by renowned chefs.
Latour Restaurant | 1 Wild Turkey Way, Hamburg
(Photo credit: @restaurant_latour)
The restaurant is consistently ranked among New Jersey’s top restaurants and was recently named one of America’s Top 100 Wine Restaurants by Wine Enthusiast, joining nationally recognized establishments such as French Laundry and Le Bernardin. A three-course prix-fixe menu ($120) can start with a kohlrabi rabbit roulade, continue with quail glazed with squash and tahini, and end with chocolate mousse with coffee cream. Diners can also opt for the chef’s seven-course tasting menu ($195).
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Restaurant Serenade | 6 Roosevelt Avenue, Chatham
(Photo credit: @restaurant_serenade)
It is one of New Jersey’s most famous fine dining restaurants with a famous wine collection. The cuisine is more traditional than avant-garde, with traditional French dishes as well as crowd-pleasing American and Italian classics. The three-course tasting menu ($79, $45 for wine pairing) starts with corn chowder or curly asparagus salad, with options of grilled salmon or roast rack of lamb for main course main, and ends with a red velvet cheesecake.
The Frog + The Fishing | 29 Dennis Street, New Brunswick
(Photo credit: @thefrogandpeach)
The widely acclaimed New Brunswick restaurant prepares creative American dishes with New Jersey produce. Besides the seasonal à la carte menu which consists mainly of simple pan-European classics, themed tasting menus are frequently available for holidays and special occasions. The Easter tasting menu, for example, offers traditional Eastern European cuisine with modern touches. A three-course lunch ($38) starts with potato caviar latkes, with Kobe beef goulash as the main course and cheese and fruit pierogi for dessert. The dinner menu (five courses, $73) also includes beet and pickle salad and Bulgarian sarmi (fermented cabbage leaves stuffed with pork and rice).
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