REVIEW:
Among the best: Bernards Inn in Bernardsville in a league of its own
Published in the Courier News on November 18, 2004
By HILARY HARDING
Correspondent
The Bernards Inn always wins me
over completely, from the minute I enter the lobby, where comfortable
sofas, gorgeous large bouquets and, in winter, a warm fire beckon. Only
memories of dinners past and the immediate warm greeting from the host
get me past this elegant, comfortable room.
The
inn first welcomed guests for overnight stays and dining in 1907.
Today's diners can choose between two carefully restored dining rooms,
one near the bar and one set unobtrusively at the back of the
restaurant. The latter, which seems almost private, is my
favorite. It has dark wood beams, molding and wainscoting and warm
cream-colored walls. Liberal use of adornments (mirrors, handsome
chandeliers and carefully placed bouquets) enhance the exclusive
private club feeling of the room. Tiny candle-like lamps sit in the
middle of each table. In summer, you can dine al fresco on a romantic
terrace.
I
wasn't worried that chef and part owner Edward Stone, long credited for
attracting national acclaim to the inn, recently left to become chef at
Baltusrol Country Club in Springfield. I was sure that his
replacement, Corey W. Heyer, would continue to produce the same quality
of American contemporary cuisine. And I was right.
Heyer delivers
straightforward, simply presented delicious food. Menu item
descriptions are not strained by superfluous adjectives; they say what
they need to and so does the food. If you happen to catch a glimpse
of him as he strides through the dining rooms, you will be astonished
to discover that this incredibly young looking blond lad could have
already achieved what he has. He doesn't look like a day over 22.
While
attending New York State's Culinary Institute of America, Heyer
externed at the Frog and the Peach and also at Daniel in New York City
under the direction of the esteemed Daniel Boulud. Following his
graduation, Heyer enhanced his credentials with stints at the
Fromagerie in Rumson, where he obtained the executive chef position
after just one year. He then chose to return to New York to
broaden his horizons by working with an almost unheard of number of
great chefs including Jean-Georges Vongerichten in his namesake
restaurant as well as Vong and Mercer Kitchen, and Tom Colicchio at
Gramercy Tavern. He also spent time working with other celebrated chefs
like Wayne Nish at March, Rocco DiSpirito at Union Pacific and Floyd
Cardoz at Tabla. Eventually, his culinary journey led him back to
New Jersey when he was selected as the opening chef of Restaurant
Nicholas in Middletown before earning his current position at the
Bernards Inn.
The inn's staff is professional and well-organized.
Our servers were unobtrusive, but got the job done flawlessly. The pace
was restful but not agonizingly slow. Water glasses seemingly filled
themselves and the table was crumbed at each appropriate moment. And,
very important, we did not wait endlessly for the bill at the end of
the evening, as so often happens at fine dining restaurants. It is
important to recognize the difference between allowing your patrons to
linger and forcing them to languish. For this kind of excellence, you expect to pay a price.
Dinner
for two without wine can easily exceed $100. The
inn has a commanding, award-winning 50-odd page wine list. It is pricey
but offers a wide selection and extensive offerings by the glass. Our
server was helpful in picking an excellent choice at a price we could
tolerate.
One
of the many attractions that make this restaurant special is that the
food presentation is always creative without pretension. Food looks
lovely on the plate without unnecessary dustings and little squiggles
of raspberry puree. Ingredients make perfect sense; they are not added
for shock value.
Starters
at the Bernards Inn are truly designed to enhance the appetite rather
than deplete it, something a restaurant reviewer, committed to trying a
selection from every course, deeply appreciates. The delicate but
earthy flavor of the roasted beet salad ($12) was enhanced with frisee,
nuggets of fresh goat cheese and dressed lightly with a walnut
vinaigrette. Scallops don't get sweeter than Day Boat sea scallops
($15). They were served simply with frisee and green apple slices
gently coated with black truffle vinaigrette. If you like eathier
beginnings, you are sure to fall completely in love with the Hudson
Valley foie gras ($18), lush, satiny, pillows of the goose liver
evoking autumn with a small slice of pumpkin bread on the side along
with tart, tan colored gooseberries. Two soups, lobster bisque
($11) and the soup du jour, a wild mushroom puree ($9), could not have
been more intriguing to the taste buds.
I
was disappointed that they were out of the braised suckling pig, grown
locally in Griggstown (as is the roasted chicken). However,
we recovered quickly. We were astonished by the amount of flavor coaxed
from the crispy North Atlantic halibut ($32), which was served with
English peas (the common green pea) and honshimeji mushroom in lemon
caper sauce. Meaty prime tenderloin of beef ($40), served
perfectly cooked to order, came with an uncommon pairing -- polenta and
vegetable terrine. The ahi tuna ($30) had substance. It was a
remarkably tender steak that was served with edame succotash and
watercress with yuzu (a sour Japanese citrus fruit) vinaigrette. But
my favorite entree of the evening was the incredibly tender and
flavorful Colorado rack of lamb ($42) that was served with Tarbais bean
cassoulet and lamb sausage with roastgarlic jus. With its wonderful
autumnal flavors, this dish was a stunner.
For dessert, the inn's
trio of creme brulee (vanilla, Grand Marnier and sensual chocolate)
worked nicely to complete the dining experience, as did the amazing
chocolate souffle served with caramel ice cream and hazelnut tuile, a
thin cookie ($11).
I've always thought that the Bernards Inn is in contention for best restaurant in New Jersey. And I still think so. |
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Our entire wine collection encompasses approximately 8000 bottles with an acclaimed variety of older vintages. A custom designed day cellar on display holds 960 bottles.
Click to view our wine collections |
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