I should preface this by saying that this is not a restaurant review, but rather, a declaration of how much I love fresh food executed well. You know that flushed heartwarming feeling you get after you've had an amazing meal? Rob's Bistro in Madison, New Jersey earned it's keep in my heart after my dinner there last Friday night.
You know you're being fed by a proud chef when there is not salt or pepper on ANY of the tables; in fact, there are no condiments at all. A proud chef is aware that everyone has a different palate, but you should know that his pork is cooked with just the right amount of salt - any more would mask the flavor of the meat. If you do want more salt, you must get your waiter's attention and risk the chance of a contentious side-eye as you nervously ask for a salt-shaker that may or may not exist. But this small French restaurant is not contentious or stuffy as is the French restaurant stereotype. The lighting is a perfect shade - not too bright, but enough so you can see every detail on your plate. The wait staff is friendly and unpretentious. The menu is partially written in French, but the waiter was happy to describe anything we had questions on. If we had any doubts about how authentic the cuisine was, the table across from us was speaking fluent French and an American lady who had too much wine was proudly wearing a black beret.
This was my second time at the restaurant. The first time, I had organized a team event where the hostess worked with me so that we had the entire restaurant to ourselves. I had to choose a special prix fixe menu for our group of 16+ people with different meat options. Everything was delicious. I had salad of mixed greens with lardons that was out of this world. The roast chicken entree was also delectable, but my favorite was the crème brûlée; cooked to perfection, it was neither hot nor cold - a comfortable room temperature with the gleaming sheet of golden caramelized sugar you had to crack with your spoon to get into. That dessert is main reason I wanted to go back.
This second time around, on a date with my fiancé, I decided to try different dishes and be a little bit more adventurous. I know you really just want to see the food pictures, so here they are:
Side-note: this place is a BYOB, so we brought some white wine. We had an Australian Riesling, which went well with everything I ate.
You know you're being fed by a proud chef when there is not salt or pepper on ANY of the tables; in fact, there are no condiments at all. A proud chef is aware that everyone has a different palate, but you should know that his pork is cooked with just the right amount of salt - any more would mask the flavor of the meat. If you do want more salt, you must get your waiter's attention and risk the chance of a contentious side-eye as you nervously ask for a salt-shaker that may or may not exist. But this small French restaurant is not contentious or stuffy as is the French restaurant stereotype. The lighting is a perfect shade - not too bright, but enough so you can see every detail on your plate. The wait staff is friendly and unpretentious. The menu is partially written in French, but the waiter was happy to describe anything we had questions on. If we had any doubts about how authentic the cuisine was, the table across from us was speaking fluent French and an American lady who had too much wine was proudly wearing a black beret.
This was my second time at the restaurant. The first time, I had organized a team event where the hostess worked with me so that we had the entire restaurant to ourselves. I had to choose a special prix fixe menu for our group of 16+ people with different meat options. Everything was delicious. I had salad of mixed greens with lardons that was out of this world. The roast chicken entree was also delectable, but my favorite was the crème brûlée; cooked to perfection, it was neither hot nor cold - a comfortable room temperature with the gleaming sheet of golden caramelized sugar you had to crack with your spoon to get into. That dessert is main reason I wanted to go back.
This second time around, on a date with my fiancé, I decided to try different dishes and be a little bit more adventurous. I know you really just want to see the food pictures, so here they are:
Side-note: this place is a BYOB, so we brought some white wine. We had an Australian Riesling, which went well with everything I ate.
This was my first time having escargot, which is the French word for SNAILS! Yep, I had snails and they were great! They have a similar texture to clams with a milder flavor so they take on whatever flavors they are cooked in. These were smothered in butter, garlic, and parsley, and cooked to perfection. Snails cannot be under-cooked because they may carry harmful bacteria that needs to be cooked off, and they cannot be overcooked or else they will be rubbery and unpleasant. Good escargot is the sign of a well-trained French chef.
This is a pork loin wrapped in bacon on top of a polenta bake with caramelized pearl onions. It was served with a side of roasted brussel sprouts and a whole grain mustard aoli sauce. Eating this dish reminded me of a quote by acclaimed three-Michelin star chef Juan Mari Arzak on a documentary called "Three Stars," where he explained that food should be seasoned with it's own flavor. For example, onions should be seasoned with onion powder. In this case, the pork loin was seasoned with bacon and when I took my first bite of it, I understood what he was saying.
I ended the meal with a lemon financier, topped with house-made honey lavender ice cream and a crumbled almond cookie. A financier is like a small French cake (similar to spongecake), but with a crispy exterior because it's made with almond flour. It tasted like springtime in my mouth. The floral notes of honey, lavender, and almond, complemented by the lemon, worked extremely well together. It had a balance of warm, cold, soft, crunchy, and creamy. I would go back for this dessert, but then again, I had originally gone back for the crème brûlée and instead, discovered this treasure.
People like to think that first impressions are the most important, but in this case, it was my last. Hook, line, and sinker - I will be back... again.
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