Fantastic Dining at White Birch Restaurant

Fantastic Dining at White Birch Restaurant

White Birch Restaurant, situated in Flanders, New Jersey, offers one of the best dining experiences in the Garden State in a handsome space staffed with a friendly, welcoming team.

About the Space

The spacious open dining room is modern, airy and comfortable. The far wall is papered in white birch wallpaper creating a calming, peaceful feel to the space.

The color palette is whites and creams with some rustic wood accents. The same carries over to the table setting which features crisp white tablecloths, white ceramic dinnerware with some serving pieces in darker wood. The contrast is stunning and a perfect conduit for the beautifully-presented food.

About Chef Sam Freund

Chef Sam Freund grew up in a small farming town in New Jersey where his family had a restaurant. It’s there that he learned about local sourcing and working with area purveyors. Spending summers in the kitchen learning about hospitality inspired Freund to pursue a culinary career.

Chef Freund holds a culinary degree from the New York Art Institute and has a wealth of experience, which started in New York City at One Hudson Catering and Eleven Madison Park under Chef Kerry Hefferman, then as Executive Chef at One If By Land, Two If By Sea.

From the Big Apple, Chef Freund spent time in top kitchens in Denver prior to returning to New Jersey in 2013 where he created a seasonal tapas place, The Café & Wine Bar in Long Valley, and then opened Slamwich Scratch Kitchen in Madison, NJ, a deli concept where everything is homemade.

About the Food

The food at White Birch is both beautifully-presented and simply delicious. While some do ‘pretty food’ well and others serve tasty food that’s not necessarily Instagram-worthy, Chef Freund excels at both plating in a creative way and serving delectable food.

Agnolotti

White Birch works with some of the finest local purveyors including Ashley’s Turkey Farm, Donaldson Farms, Greater Greens, Ort Farms and Valley Shepherd Creamery. The menu, as should be the case in a restaurant with this level of focus on seasonality, changes frequently to reflect the freshest available ingredients.

Foraged Mushroom Croquettes Special

When we visited, our favorite starters were the Ricotta Agnolotti, delicate stuffed pasta with pancetta, lemon and spring beans, the Octopus, which was flavorful and tender and served with olive tapenade, spiced chickpea and blood orange and lastly the Onion Tart served with carrot, frisée and Gruyere cheese.

Chicken Duo

Outstanding entrées were the Chicken Duo with black garlic, lollipop kale, spring onion and a rich chicken jus and the Black Bass paired with leeks, carrot in a bold lemongrass broth.

We couldn’t pass up the special dessert of the evening, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie which featured a flaky, buttery crust and a lovely sweet/tart filling.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Special

I look forward to visiting White Birch for lunch and brunch. It’s a truly special place.

White Birch – 380 US-206, Flanders, NJ 07836. https://whitebirchrestaurant.com

Cheers,

Veronique

Bird Dinner at Crystal Springs Resort

Bird Dinner at Crystal Springs Resort

Chefs Bucco & Viana

Award-winning Crystal Springs Resort is hosting a fun collaboration between its Chef, Anthony Bucco, and Chef David Viana of Heirloom Kitchen on Sunday October 8th at 7pm in the Chef’s Garden at the resort.

The three course menu will feature each chef’s unique preparations of different birds and fall seasonal vegetables, all cooked in the Chef’s Garden wood fired ovens and stoves. Dishes will be true collaborations with elements from both chefs on every plate.

Some dishes include Chef Bucco’s Pheasant Sausage paired with Chef Viana’s roasted pears and walnuts and Chef Viana’s Stuffed Quail served with Chef Bucco’s baked heirloom beans. Black Dirt Applejack cocktails, Naked Flock hard cider and wines from Alba Vineyard will be paired with the menu.

Seats for the dinner are $105 (tax & gratuity additional) and reservations can be made by calling 855.698.2283.

Chef’s Garden is located at 3 Wild Turkey Way, Hamburg, NJ; www.crystalgolfresort.com/dine/garden/.

Cheers,

Veronique

Pacific Northwest Dinner at Redux – October 23

Pacific Northwest Dinner at Redux – October 23

redux-logoOnce again, Chef Rob has paired with Dave Mendez from The Grapeful Palate in Morristown for a Pacific Northwest Wine Dinner, to be held at Redux on October 23 at 5:30PM.

Join us for an evening celebrating the fabulous wines of the Pacific Northwest and of course, Chef Rob’s wonderful cooking! Dave from The Grapeful Palate has selected wines from the region to pair with Chef Rob’s four course dinner!

RECEPTION

Light Hors d’Oeuvres

2014 Evening Land Seven Springs Pinot Noir Rose

FIRST COURSE

Hood Canal Oysters, Melon Granita, Sea Beans

2014 Wildstock Pinot Blanc

SECOND COURSE

Wild King Salmon, Wood Ear Mushrooms, Barley Risotto

2012 Boedecker Stewart Pinot Noir

THIRD COURSE

Rogue Creamery Smokey Oregon Blue, Honey, Apple, Tartines

2012 Hedges Red Mountain Cabernet Blend

FOURTH COURSE

Dark Chocolate Merengue, Blueberry Ice Cream, Candied Orange Zest

2014 Barnard Griffin Port

Cost is $88.00 plus tax and gratuity. ($62 for food (payable to Redux) and $26 for wines (payable to Grapeful Palate). 

For reservations, please call David Mendez at (973) 859-0527 or email: info@grapefulpalatewines.com 

Redux: the Restaurant & the Market at Redux – 3 Central Avenue, Madison NJ 07940. 973-845-6263 / 973-845-6264.

Cheers,

Veronique

Thanksgiving at Crystal Springs Resorts

Thanksgiving at Crystal Springs Resorts

Crystal ApringsLast year, we had the loveliest time dining at Crystal Springs Resort (1 Wild Turkey Way, Hamburg, NJ, 844-207-3203) for Thanksgiving so I thought I’d share all the options available to you if opt to dine out and let others do all the heavy lifting!

Crystal Springs Resort has five options for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday November 26, from family-friendly ballroom buffets to casual prix fixe menus in the Springs Bistro and Crystal Tavern to a creative five-course menu in Restaurant Latour.

Grand Cascades Lodge will host a Thanksgiving buffet with live music from 11:30am – 4:30pm in the Emerald Ballroom. Guests can enjoy a seafood bar, salad bar, Honey glazed Smoked Ham, Herb-roasted Heritage Turkey with cornbread stuffing, and more, as well as all-American desserts like Apple Pie and Pumpkin Pie. The buffet is $49 for adults, $24 for kids aged 4 – 11, kids under 4 are free (tax & gratuity additional). The full menu is here.

Restaurant Latour will serve a five-course Thanksgiving tasting menu from 5pm – 10pm for $129 (tax and gratuity additional). Executive Chef Anthony Bucco has created a menu full of fall flavors and twists on the traditional holiday ingredients: Chestnut Agnolotti topped with white truffles, Heritage Turkey served in a croquette with a “gravy sponge” and Roasted Venison accompanied by beets and black walnuts. For dessert,Pumpkin is roasted in hot ashes and served with honey and spice bush berries.

Thanksgiving at Restaurant Latour

Orchard Apples – Caviar, Uni, Browne’s Pt. Oysters

Chestnut Angolotti – White Truffles

Heritage Turkey Croquette – “Gravy Sponge”, Autumnal Vegetables, Stuffing Crumble

Split Roasted Venison – Beets, Black Walnuts, Curds

 Pumpkin Roasted in Hot Ashes – Honey, Milk Skin, Spice Bush Berries

Springs Bistro at Grand Cascades Lodge offers an Italian take on Thanksgiving with a three-course menu for $59 from 5pm – 10pm (Kids 4 – 11 $18, under 4 free). The menu starts off with a Carrot Salad with pistachio, capers and parmesan or an Autumn Squash Soup with pancetta and sage. The main course is Traditional Turkey Dinner with all the fixin’s. For dessert, guests can choose a Ricotta Crostata or Apple Pie. The a la carte menu is also available.

Springs Bistro Thanksgiving Menu

Shaved Carrot Salad – Pistachio, Capers, Parmesan

or

Autumn Squash Soup – Pancetta, Sage

Traditional Turkey Dinner

Ricotta Crostata

or

Apple Pie

Crystal Tavern will serve a traditional three-course prix fixe menu for $59 (kids 4 – 11 $21, under 4 free) featuring Oyster Chowder,Brussels Sprout Salad with cranberries, walnuts and pecorino, a Traditional Turkey Dinner with all the fixin’s, and a choice of either Bourbon Pecan Pie or Apple Turnover. Crystal Tavern will be serving from 11am – 10pm and the a la carte menu is also available. A wine pairing is available for $30 and the a la carte menu will also be served.

Crystal Tavern Thanksgiving Menu

Oyster Chowder – House-Smoked Bacon, Peanut Potatoes

or

Brussels Sprout Salad – Cranberries, Walnuts, Pecorino

Traditional Turkey Dinner

Bourbon Pecan Pie

or

Apple Turnover

The Diamond Ballroom at Minerals Resort & Spa (Rte 94 Vernon) is another option for families with a buffet from 11:30am – 4pm for $45 (Kids 4 – 11 $25, under 4 free).  A calvacade of meats will be carved including Bourbon Barrel-Aged Maple & Thyme Glazed Turkey BreastRosemary & Garlic Encrusted SirloinRoulade of Pork with fennel and sausage and more. Kids have their own corner of the buffet with mac ‘n’ cheese, chicken fingers, pizza bagels and more. The full menu is here.

Cheers,

Veronique