This year, my birthday fell on a Friday. T mentioned we could do a nice evening in Manhattan but we then agreed that it would be kind of nice to instead try out a nice spot out in New Jersey. We have a few favorite staple restaurants but have yet to try any of the high end options. Now, we just had to narrow down to one! After looking at menus and reviews, I was most curious about Restaurant Serenade in Chatham so that became our winner.
We made an early reservation, so the contemporary French restaurant was still filling up around us as we ate. They sat us at a nice table, alongside the large window in the front. Our table’s location really added to the experience. I was a bit bummed to be missing out on the cocktail menu but was pleased to see they had several non-alcoholic options. The one I tried was soda, Madagascar vanilla syrup and small flowers. Still warm out at the time, it made for a refreshing start to the meal.
They were coming off of a special week-long focus on tomatoes and corn, so the menu that week still had a lot of options featuring both. I was torn between two soup options. I was leaning toward the lobster chowder, which was served with Kaffir lime, coconut and lemongrass (what a unique take) but the server steered me another direction. Instead, I ordered their sweet corn chowder and it did not disappoint. It included diced potatoes and parsley. It had so many great flavors to it. I was’t sure about the corn/potato combo, but it really worked well together.
We then had their endive salad, prepared with fresh peaches, pistachios, a goat cheese fritter and a white balsamic vinaigrette. Salads can often blend in to the meal, but this one really stood out. I stand corrected on the taste of New Jersey peaches, as again these were so flavorful. The goat cheese fritter was really the standout — creamy with that slightly crispy outer shell.
We also tried their fresh bacon, which was house cured and served with a green tomato jam, sunflower seeds and apple chip. The bacon itself was quite good, but portion size was a bit small for the $17 pricetag. We did love the combo of the bacon and the tomato jam. Super fresh and made for a nice balanced bite.
For our main, we went with their fish of the day – halibut. It was a top of a healthy serving of corn and fregula, which was topped off with roasted snap peas and a carrot. The corn/fregula combination made for an interesting visual, as you could almost not tell which was which as they look so similar! Fregula is a fun pasta. It’s essentially semolina dough that has been rolled into balls 2–3 mm in diameter, so just a small bite.
And of course, dessert was a must. I am usually adamantly opposed to anything remotely savory for dessert, but their Baked Alaska piqued my interest. It was served with a sweet corn ice cream, green tomato jam and husk tomatoes. It sounded weird, yet interesting and I have to say it was surprisingly delicious! The tomato flavor was present, yet not overwhelming. The sweet corn ice cream leaned much more savory than most other ice creams I’ve had so helped to bridge the gap between the sweeter elements and savory. The restaurant decorated it all up just for the occasion as well.
Not to skimp too much on satiating my sweet tooth, they subsequently sent out a plate of additional sweet bites. The entire night was such a treat. Definitely recommend and look forward to making another trip to Restaurant Serenade sometime in the future!
Restaurant Serenade – 6 Roosevelt Avenue, Chatham, NJ – 973.701.0303
Reservations Required
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