| Author |
Message |
    
Projects Dude
Citizen
Username: Quakes
Post Number: 70
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 8:28 am: | 
|
Cheesy name, bumbling service (but charmingly bumbling) but EXCELLENT FOOD!
The owner(?)/maitre'd of the place was very warm and friendly, and a superb hostess. The waiters are clearly inexperienced - they do try so a lot more acceptable than snooty/lazy experienced waiters anyday - but that will only improve over time.
But the food! I had the lamb shank and it was awesome! Done to perfection. Tender, tasty and juicy morsels fell of the bone easily without needing to hack it with a knife... while retaining a nice bite that was flavorful.
Also tried the mussels that came in a really good tomato-based broth that was done very nicely too. The mussels were fresh and done right - not overcooked. But the broth was too good to leave so I had to mop it up with bread (which was warm when served!).
This is the kind of new place that people who've been spoiled by NYC have been waiting for here in the burbs! Heck, it's the kind of restaurant I would go back again and again if I were still living in the city.
The restaurant is pretty small, and after the good NY Times review it got this past weekend, the place is going to be packed solid for awhile. So definitely make reservations. It was pretty well filled for a late night early week dinner when I was there.
It's in Millburn within easy walking distance of the NJ Transit station. On Millburn Avenue on the next block up from Samurai Sushi.
|
jem
Citizen
Username: Jem
Post Number: 1489
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 12:25 pm: |
|
There was a glowing review of it in the NJ section of Sunday's Times. They also mentioned inexperienced wait staff, but the food sounds great. Can't wait to try it. |
kevin
Supporter
Username: Kevin
Post Number: 587
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 1:20 pm: |
|
NYT review:
http://events.nytimes.com/2006/01/15/travel/15njdine.html?pagewanted=print |
Miss L Toe
Citizen
Username: Miss_l_toe
Post Number: 439
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 3:44 pm: |
|
I'm going to Cafe Monet tomorrow night (Thurs) with the 'Foreigners Group' (of expatriate women residing in the local towns). It is a very favourable review in the NYT, thanks for posting it Kevin. 
A fellow English expat dined there a few weeks ago and said that the meal was excellent and the service a little spotty as the restaurant was so new. Best of all, she said that it was like eating back home in the UK....you are not rushed through your meal as is the case in so many other restaurants around here, in order that they can get you out and put other bums (bottoms) on the seats.
|
Eats Shoots & Leaves
Citizen
Username: Mfpark
Post Number: 2871
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 4:09 pm: |
|
Hope the food is better than traditional food in the UK.
(Sorry, could not resist) |
AlleyGater
Citizen
Username: Alleygater
Post Number: 1074
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 4:16 pm: |
|
With a name like Cafe Monet I can't imagine it's English food. If so what an inappropriate name for the place. |
Projects Dude
Citizen
Username: Quakes
Post Number: 71
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 4:34 pm: |
|
It's really a French bistro more than anything else. Definitely not English altho I think MLT said that it's like English in that they don't rush you out.
Then again, Cafe Monet really sounds somewhat tacky for a bistro. But all is forgiven since the food is great! 8) |
Mummite
Citizen
Username: Mummite
Post Number: 201
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 10:24 am: |
|
Its wonderful. Food is awesome. Great atmosphere. |
summerbabe
Citizen
Username: Summerbabe
Post Number: 49
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Monday, February 6, 2006 - 10:50 am: |
|
We tried this place on Saturday night. The food was excellent! Nice atmosphere, too, and the owners seemed very sweet and eager-to-please. Like the above poster (and the Times), we experienced some bumpy service throughout the meal, but the staff was really trying hard, so you can't complain too much. As my husband put it, "I'd rather have waiters that are charmingly inept over snooty/arrogant, but competent ones anyday." Anyway, the food was fantastic, especially the apple tart for dessert! This place is a great addition to our area. I hope they have a lot of success. |
Da Lat
Citizen
Username: Sidrn
Post Number: 170
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 12:26 pm: |
|
I may get flamed for this one but are they children friendly?
|
summerbabe
Citizen
Username: Summerbabe
Post Number: 51
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 2:06 pm: |
|
On Saturday night, it was pretty much all adults on our side of the restaurant except for one six-top that consisted of a family with teenagers. The atmosphere is "funky french bistro" with French music playing in the background -- I wouldn't say it was going for a super-romantic serious vibe, but for a crowded restaurant, the noise level was pretty low. Another thing to consider is that it's small and tables are fairly close together, so there could be no roaming or anything like that. You should probably call and ask. They were very nice. |
Projects Dude
Citizen
Username: Quakes
Post Number: 78
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 2:42 pm: |
|
The owners clearly won't have a problem with kids. In fact the lady who helps manage it said I should bring in the family even after I warned her my kids are under 3 years old.
Having said that, I personally don't think it's the best place to bring very young kinds because I don't think they are well set up with baby/kid booster seats and all that. Plus the place is pretty small and a loud child will definitely be heard by everyone easily. Obviously if your kids are old or well behaved enough, and they appreciate bistro food, it's a fabulous place. |
michael brant
Citizen
Username: Mbrant
Post Number: 78
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 1:32 pm: |
|
I just did not get it. We ate there Saturday evening...the food was OK the service was horrible and I mean horrible! I would not return. Take the train...drive to New York go to Balthazar! |
kmk
Supporter
Username: Kmk
Post Number: 988
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 2:00 pm: |
|
Uh oh....
We have reservations for next Saturday night and my husband is very suspect about eating in NJ to begin with. (BTW: We love to hit Balthazar at 9:00AM on Sunday mornings with our kids. It is pre-brunch and oh so yummy without being too filling.) |
dave23
Citizen
Username: Dave23
Post Number: 1334
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 2:15 pm: |
|
Michael,
You like the service at Balthazar? It's a good restaurant, but rather overrated. |
Lemonhead
Citizen
Username: Lemonhead
Post Number: 44
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 2:25 pm: |
|
i have to agree with michael. my husband and i were excited when cafe monet opened. we're big fans of les halles and i always enjoy balthazar (especially for lunch when it's a bit less crowded). we tried cafe monet in december and were disappointed. the food was good, not great. NOTHING to rave about. terrible coffee and i am a stickler for good coffee. the service was ok; our waitress was very friendly, but the timing of everything was inconsistent. we have come to realize we much prefer to drive or hop on the train and go to our favorite haunts in the city. sorry to disappoint... |
I'm Only Sleeping
Citizen
Username: Imonlysleeping
Post Number: 121
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 2:28 pm: |
|
Aside from the fact that it's good food at a very good price for what it is, I like the funkiness of Cafe Monet. There aren't a lot of places around here that feel a little quirky and different. And as has already been said, the service is really friendly, so the incompetence is really more amusing than annoying. I think it's a warm, comfortable place that's not like anything else around here. |
michael brant
Citizen
Username: Mbrant
Post Number: 79
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 4:17 pm: |
|
lemonhead my point exactly.
dave23 I am happy with the service at balthazar. I was unhappy with the service at cafe monet. And now that I am thinking about it the only time we got service at cafe monet is when I got the waiters attention. He never came to the table to ask if we needed anything. I love the food at balthazar i did not like the food at cafe monet. |
I'm Only Sleeping
Citizen
Username: Imonlysleeping
Post Number: 122
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 4:27 pm: |
|
No NJ restaurant is going to be better than similar restaurants in NYC. Is Cafe Monet better than Balthazar or Pastis or Les Halles? Probably not (although it does have the advantage of not being a tourist hangout like those three are). But given what and where it is, I think it's a nice addition to the area. |
michael brant
Citizen
Username: Mbrant
Post Number: 80
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 4:34 pm: |
|
No nj restaurant is going to be better than similar restaurants in NYC...I could not disagree more. We have many great restaurants that have more to offer than NYC restaurants.
It is a nice addition to the area. But has work to do....if they want me to come back. |
summerbabe
Citizen
Username: Summerbabe
Post Number: 56
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 4:47 pm: |
|
Well said, I.O.S.
I stand by my original posts that Cafe Monet had good food, nice atmosphere and not great service. You can't possibly compare anything out here to Balthazar or any of the other great French bistros in NYC. That's like comparing Basilico (what most people consider to be one of our area's better Italian restaurants) to Babbo (what most people consider to be the best Italian restaurant in the city). Basilico is great, but it's certainly no Babbo and never will be. Plus, it's simply refreshing to have a French bistro option out here because the only other one I can think of is in Montclair.
And technically, even Keith McNally admits in interviews that Balthazar is not really an authentic French bistro, but a French bistro on steroids to please the American public. Cafe Monet is really more of a little neighborhood restaurant, and thus a little more authentic in spirit. |
Projects Dude
Citizen
Username: Quakes
Post Number: 80
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 5:29 pm: |
|
Balthazar's good... but standards seem to have slipped a bit recently. I remember having good meals there but have also been disappointed or underwhelmed.
In any case, regarding Cafe Monet... it's just so much easier to eat there at the spur of the moment without having to deal with heading into the city, or for me to head there after work rather than staying in the city and then having to deal with commuting back home after dinner.
Their service is spotty, but can only improve. What I like most is getting a check that is meaningfully less than what I'd be expecting to pay for a similar restaurant in the city.
Too bad they don't have a winelist. |
michael brant
Citizen
Username: Mbrant
Post Number: 81
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 14, 2006 - 10:36 am: |
|
(What I like most is getting a check that is meaningfully less than what I'd be expecting to pay for a similar restaurant in the city.)
For the record I had the steak frites and the frites were soggy the steak very salty and chewy it was $21.00 the same dish at Balthazar is $27.00 and it is very good and the frites are abundant and perfect. My wife had the Skate and it was good I do not recall the cost but at Balthazar the same dish is $19.00. Hardly an expensive restaurant. |
I'm Only Sleeping
Citizen
Username: Imonlysleeping
Post Number: 123
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 14, 2006 - 10:55 am: |
|
$21 plus the $7 train fare plus subway/cab fare there and back. Plus an hour travel time each way. When you think about it that way, Cafe Monet starts to seem like a real bargain.
I don't think anyone is saying Cafe Monet makes a better steak frites than Balthazar. Who would expect them too? But that's an absurd comparison. If Balthazar opened a branch in Millburn, I'd go there instead. But that's not the case, is it?
As I said before, any NJ restaurant will suffer in comparison to similar places in NYC. Should I skip Arturo's because it's not as good as Lombardi's? Do I pass on Verjus because it's not Daniel?That's a really unfair standard. A better question is, where in our area is there another restaurant like Cafe Monet that's doing what they do better in a similar environment at the same price point? I can't think of one.
|
michael brant
Citizen
Username: Mbrant
Post Number: 82
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 14, 2006 - 11:24 am: |
|
I don't think anyone is saying Cafe Monet makes a better steak frites than Balthazar. Who would expect them too?---Why not? It is a steak and french fries.
But that's an absurd comparison.----I don't think so. I think it is a very fair comparison.
As I said before, any NJ restaurant will suffer in comparison to similar places in NYC. Should I skip Arturo's because it's not as good as Lombardi's? Do I pass on Verjus because it's not Daniel? That's a really unfair standard.----- That is a very unfair comparison for Verjus. They are a good restaurant and I do not think they are trying to be Daniel. Daniel is one of the finest restaurants in the World.
A better question is, where in our area is there another restaurant like Cafe Monet that's doing what they do better in a similar environment at the same price point? I can't think of one.-----
Hoboken has a lovely restaurant called Elysian Cafe. Great service and very good food. Oh and they offer free parking! The same owners as Amandas.
I had dinner at Cafe Monet Saturday evening with another couple the bill with the tip was $170.00 and we brought wine. These are New York prices. If you are going to charge New York prices then you should offer at the very least good service.
Food is a matter of opinion but bad service can kill a meal.
|
I'm Only Sleeping
Citizen
Username: Imonlysleeping
Post Number: 124
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 14, 2006 - 11:37 am: |
|
That's my point: Cafe Monet is not trying to be Balthazar any more than Verjus is trying to be Daniel. It's a modest place that's still finding its footing, but the food is good and the price is reasonable. That's all anyone here is saying. You might prefer to get better food in NYC (and a great steak frites is tougher to pull off than you seem to think). I prefer the food in NYC too, as would just about anyone, all things being equal. But I don't want to deal with the hassle of NYC all the time, so it's nice to have somewhere like this in our area. I don't see why that's worth arguing about, to be honest.
And sorry, but Hoboken is not in our area.
|
Captainwalton
Citizen
Username: Captainwalton
Post Number: 7
Registered: 2-2006
| | Posted on Friday, February 17, 2006 - 10:56 pm: |
|
I took the sweetie to Cafe Monet for Valentine's Day. It was fixed price menu: appetizers were a choice of duck risotto or an inventive Waldorf salad, entree choices were salmon or rack of lamb, dessert choices were lavender creme brulee or chocolate mousse. Champagne was on the house.
We ended up with everything. The salmon and lamb were PERFECTLY cooked -- and perfectly cooked wild salmon is a revelation. The duck risotto was like a warm, pillowy pudding -- with just a smidge too much thyme. The inventive Waldorf salad was topped with a DELICIOUS blue cheese. The rest (apples, walnuts, cabbage and a bit of beets?) in a cream dressing was tasty but not a knockout.
The lavendar creme brulee was a knockout. It could convert me to creme brulee. The chocolate mousse was really a dense dark chocolate ganache. Alas, just a mass of chocolate.
The food was rich yet went down very easy. The service in the small, boring room was flaky. I hate being called "you guys" by waitstaff ("you guys had a chance to look at the menu?"). I'm glad there were no kids in the restaurant. It's really too small and intimate a space.
We enjoyed it enough to want to go back. On my way out the door we perused the regular menu. Lots of things we look forward to trying.
|
kmk
Supporter
Username: Kmk
Post Number: 1027
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, February 20, 2006 - 10:21 am: |
|
Happy to report that we had a lovely dinner at Cafe Monet on Saturday night.
Food was very, very good. Some things were stellar others just nice. My frites were OK, my steak heavenly. My friends raved about the lamb and my husband was pleasantly surprised with his skate. I liked my creme brulee - my friends complained that it was too thin. The tarte tatin was gone in 3 bites and everyone wanted more!
Service was very inconsistent...no spoon with the soup, menus given to the gentlemen before the ladies and dishes set in front of the wrong diner etc. But the place had a great vibe...it was packed and a little noisy. I like that - that's why I go out! It is not a place to eat a quiet romantic meal for two...the lag time in service requires you to socialize and gab between courses. We had a great time and we were home early (compared to NYC.) We saved on the dinner tab ($180 for four with tip!) and the babysitter bill. |
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page