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Cafe Panache
- Hours:
Mon 5:30 pm - 8 pm
Tue-Thu 5:30 pm - 9 pm
Fri-Sat 5:30 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Dogs Allowed:
- No
22 reviews for Cafe Panache
Review Highlights
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"Ravioli Panache (filet mignon ravioli) - delicious." In 3 reviews -
"My wife had a foie gras mousse on some type of crostini..." In 2 reviews -
"BYOB also helps to keep the price down." In 5 reviews
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22 reviews in English
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Review from Steven P.
Upper Saddle River, NJ
3/4/2012
Cafe Panache never disappoints. Spectacular specials. Awesome flavors. Superb service. The only thing I've ever had here that was not five stars was a pretty poor flan once, but otherwise, much as it pains me to push Saddle River Inn down a notch, this is easily the best place in Northern New Jersey. With a wide range of original items, and always fresh and perfectly cooked, this is the pace to go for a celebration, or, just a great meal (if you want to spend the money anyway). Just remember, you get what you pay for.
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Review from Charles C.
New York, NY
5/25/2012
Rude. Dirty.
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Review from Claudia B.
Paramus, NJ
1/25/2012
Okay what am i missing? Went there for dinner and totally disappointed. The menu is outdated and boring. Where's the creativity? And there is no way that the highly rated 'filet mignon' ravioli is stuffed with ravioli. It's more like short ribs or shredded beef of sorts. It was so stringy.
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Review from Karen M.
Old Tappan, NJ
12/5/2011
Had dinner here Thanksgiving week. It was NOT a crowded night, and the service was horrible. This is not the first time - as a party of two - the service was woefully inferior to the attention given to larger tables. Shrimp appetizer was salty almost to the point of being inedible. Chicken entree was very good, but just on par with other similarly priced restaurants in Bergen County. Wake up, Kevin. Your wait staff is killing you. You can't possibly table-schmooze enough to compensate for that kind of shoddy service. Not to mention the fact that it doesn't look good when the service is so slow, and the chef isn't in the kitchen.
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Review from Andrew G.
Union, NJ
5/14/2011
Cafe Panache is a quaint little place locate in Ramsey in the town center. I just had dinner here tonight with my girlfriend and her family for a birthday celebration and we were STUFFED STUPID.
The decor and vibe is very nice and relaxing -- low lights, more upscale and formal (but you can still rock casual-formal attire). The staff was VERY prompt and timely. We had about 3 waiters for our one table, so everything was getting brought to and away from us in an effective manner.
I had the Montauk Swordfish with a Tomao Vinaigrette Sauce which was absolutely delicious. The swordfish was cooked to perfection and came with a side of potatoes and artichoke hearts. The sauce was a great touch to the thick and meaty-like swordfish meal.
I would recommend this place to ANYONE who is in the mood for some good French or good seafood. The prices were a bit high, but you get what you pay for (as always in life). ROCK EM PANACHE. $$ -
Review from Maurice H.
Bergen County, NJ
Updated - 10/23/2011
After dining there last week, I want to add that IMHO you need to pay intense attention to the specials being served. Some of them are remarkable in their description, and I have noticed that most times they are enticing enough that I order them and have not been disappointed. That is not to say that the menu items are less interesting, but why do you think they call the announced offerings "specials"?
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/5/2011
I have dined here a few times, most recently at a private surprise birthday party. Although that… Read more »
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Review from Jeff K.
Saddle River, NJ
Updated - 1/4/2010 2 photos
This joint is getting upgraded.
No, it wasn't the very affordable lunch menu.
No, it wasn't the BOYW...but yes, I fully enjoyed my cab. They even re-corked it for me for free.
No, it wasn't a beautifully presented dish.
It was this bowl full of otherwise plain ravioli. The fillet mignon ravioli was out of this world.
Let's start with the shell. This wasn't just someone slapping together 2 layers of pasta. The goodie was trapped inside perfectly thin and al dente shell (see picture). I was in heaven as soon as I bite down on this.
So eaters beware, multiple foodgasms are totally possible with this experience. As my teeth sank in more into the meat, the juice greeted my tongue with an absolutely flavorful sensation.
Once I started chewing the shell with the STUFF, there was just no stopping my total enjoyment. The stuff appeared to be a mixture of pulled fillet mignon, onion and god knows what they put in there.
At this point, I don't care what else they have. As long as they have this ravioli, I'm coming back.Listed in: Best BYOW
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/29/2009
One Liner: Great food with BYOW; do lunch for half of the damage
Food: (scale of 0-4) 3.2
The food was… Read more »
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Review from Mike J.
Wayne, NJ
1/22/2012
Excellent American French. Food is consistantly great as is the service. Can be a little noisy on a saturday. Some of the best food in NJ one of 6 places I give 5 stars. Chef goes to local farm daily and the freshness of the food shines because of it. Filet mignon raviolis as stated in other reviews are as good as Batalis place in NYC -JoJo's beef cheek ravioli.
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Review from Kristin C.
NY
1/3/2012
My favorite restaurant in NNJ! #1 truffle butter filet minon ravioli's....the ambiance is better than Chef's Table which is the only comparable food in the area! ENJOY!
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Review from Jon K.
1/11/2010
Reluctantly, I give 4 stars. I think they are operating closer to 3 stars.
Let's get my few minor annoyances out of the way.
I hate bistro style seating. I don't enjoy being on top of a neighboring pair of diners. Maybe I just seem to get stuck next to some obnoxious peeps.
Second, ditch those wine glasses. Yes, you are a byob but that doesn't mean that you have to use those thick heavy glasses.
The daily specials were recited sans prices. Please just print and hand out the daily specials. Thanks.
I told the waiter that we wanted to start by sharing half a dozen west coast oysters, vague, and then have our appetizers and mains.
So, out comes our first appetizers. My wife had a foie gras mousse on some type of crostini with some lightly dressed greens in the center. She raved about it! My appetizer was pei mussels in a pesto broth. It was a well executed dish and quite enjoyable.
Next came the aforementioned oysters. Yes, I should have said something when they didn't come out first but wanted to see how they were going to handle things. Plus my wife and I were pretty hungry. The oysters were great but would have been perfect if served first as requested.
My wife's main dish was veal with some mashed potatoes and a nice pile of spinach. She raved about it.
I ordered off the specials and had braised short ribs. They used some type of beer/sweet sauce and had some sliced almonds and diced fried scallions. It came over some very buttery whipped potatoes which might have been parsnips. It was a very good dish.
Overall, I thought the menu was boring and uninspired. All the food that we ate was delicious but I would have liked more creativity. I had a difficult time picking a main course and didn't order the interesting sounding filet mignon ravioli because I wanted the short ribs.
We passed on the run-of-the-mill sounding desserts.
I liked our waiter but overall service seemed to be off.
I would return and give them another shot. -
Review from Greg G.
Hackensack, NJ
4/21/2009
I went here a couple weeks ago on a Saturday for my birthday and was very happy I did. This place has been around forever but apparently they had always been booked months in advance for a reservation. From what I can remember, it used to seem a bit intimidating and did not have many windows. They completely redid the place and now the entire front is full of windows.
We called for a reservation at 7:30pm but they only had a 6:30pm "seating" available. Apparently it is a 2 hour seating and they try to get you out before the next group comes in at 8:30 pm.
I was there with a group of four and the service was great. The waitress would always come over at the right time and wasn't over bearing. Two of us ordered the Filet Mignon which was cooked perfectly and melted in your mouth. Someone else got the duck which was surprisingly a huge portion. I ordered the chicken and that was great too. Everything came out very quickly and we were done eating by about 7pm. Two people ordered dessert- the creme brulee and the flourless chocolate cake. Both were also great. The best part was the waitress came over with desserts and then said she couldn't let them eat alone and she brought us a white chocolate mousse that had chocolate chunks in it.
The only reason I deducted a star was because for our table there weren't any entree specials but the two tables next to us were offered a lobster entree. I think it had something to do with the seatings but it would have been a nice option, probably would've ordered it.
It is pricey but definitely worth it. BYOB also helps to keep the price down.
I'll be back. -
Review from Chris W.
Ramsey, NJ
2/8/2010
Overrated.
Menu seems dated, service can be spotty (on one occasion - fine, on another - piss poor), food quality is decent, especially for around here, and preparation is OK-to-good.
I've visited both before and after the renovation, and while it looks a whole lot better and more current now, the seating is still a bit tight.
There is no liquor license, which really bugs me - I like a cocktail before dinner, and I like choosing my wine based on what I decide on from the menu, thank you very much. -
Review from M J S.
Westfield, NJ
6/16/2010
Three stars:
4 1/2 stars for the appetizers
2 - 3 stars for the entrees
3 stars for the desserts
We came here to celebrate a birthday and there were 4 couples so I got to taste several different dishes. Here is the breakdown:
Appetizers:
- serrano ham - typical... good, nothing notable
- Ravioli Panache (filet mignon ravioli) - delicious. I give it 4 stars because it was a tad too salty. It would have been perfect if they lightened up on the salt.
- Curried Bouchot Mussels- SERIOUSLY DELICIOUS! The sauce is so good, I could have slurped it up like soup but since it was one of my friend's appetizers, I refrained. Instead, we all dipped our bread in her sauce.
- Woodland Mushroom Salad with arugula, parmesan and truffle oil- one of the best salad's I've ever tasted!
Entrees:
- Seared sirloin steak- good but not great. My husband makes the most amazing steaks and so this one did not compare.
- Crispy wasabi halibut with wild rice- not good. The "crispy" part was not crispy but rather hard and chewy. The flavor was weird. This dish was a complete disappointment.
- Sauteed calves liver in mustard seed crust with raisins and port wine- my friend ordered this and I reluctantly tasted it as I am not a fan of liver but this was GOOD! Great flavor!
Desserts:
- peach cobbler was highly recommended by our waiter and he was right- it was delicious! It had a tart/sweet taste.
- all the other desserts were OK- nothing special.
If I were to come back, I would just order a bunch of different appetizers and be more than satisfied. I felt their appy's were much better than their main's.
The crowd is older (50's, 60's, 70's). It made us feel very young. Love the fact that it is a BYOB... helps to keep the bill reasonable! -
Review from Michelle S.
Montvale, NJ
12/6/2011
I love, love, love this restaurant. I have been going for years and always the food is spectacular. My husband and I were there a couple of weeks ago 3 nights out of 8, not our usual thing to do, it just happened we were going out with multiple different people and everyone wanted to go there. I have to say I was a little worried that it might get boring, but no way. Each time we had something different and each time it was out of this world. Would highly recommend this restaurant and so would our friends, as if that's not obvious.
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Review from Mark M.
Wayne, NJ
11/9/2008
My wife and I were invited to dine out at this establishment by close friends. I had reservations, ( literally and figuratively) and still do.
Bottom line: this is a great chef in search of a great staff to make a great restaurant.
Food: appetizers and entrees were great, desserts just ok.
Service: lousy, innatentive, complacent, snotty
Atmosphere: converted house, nothing special. noise level intermediate, not great ambience.
We waited 20 minutes past our scheduled reservation to be seated. ugh. the entry foyer is small and crowded. Cafe Panache suffers from the pangs of success, it is too crowded and there is too much demand. The staff is swamped and service suffers. We waited an additional 30 minutes for our waitress to locate menus for us. There was an atmosphere of disorganisation that pervaded the evening.....
We all shared and tasted: curried mussels( wicked aroma to awaken the most jaded palate); filet mignon ravioli ( stupendous demi glace sauce.......worth a trip from Idaho). Fall greens with squash and goat cheese ( remarkable subtlety and restraint).
The Sirloin steak entree was done to order, presented beautifully and just awesome. It is listed as "...with Burgundy Bordelaise sauce". hello.; Bordelaise sauce is from Bordeaux, and features the wines of the region. Burgundy is a whole other region.......but it was great nonetheless. Lobster in vanilla carrot sauce: vanilla scented sauce with reduction of chardonnay over shellfish is an old saw in French cookery....... the chef here has brilliantly conceived and executed a version for autumn that is true to the original yet fresh and appealing to modern diners. And delicious. the Lobster was soft and juicy, not tough and overdone.The beef short ribs braised in beer were succulent, rich and mouth coating. Like a trip to Munich without the jetlag.
So the food is great at Cafe Panache, just expect to wait...... and then wait to be waited on........... and then wait some more........
it is mostly worth the wait! -
Review from Felix L.
Montvale, NJ
6/10/2011
Had dinner with a few friends last week in this place. It is a BYOB, however for a place trying to sell itself as an upscale restaurant, the wine glasses provided should not be thick generics, same glass for all wines we were drinking (looks like 25C/glass bought at a garage sale). Seemed like they ran out of bread in the beginning of the second seating. After waiting for bread for 15-20 minutes, bread we received was a warmed up bread from a supermarket. We have ordered 5 apps and 4 mains. The food was well presented and tasty, but some specials were already gone for the second seating. The price was right nevertheless.
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Review from Vic F.
Edgewater, NJ
5/22/2011
One of the two best restauants in New Jersey, the other being Cafe Matisse. What can I say, I think owner/chef Kevin does an amazing job. Ok, I know that the outside of the building looks like a Long John Silver's, but once inside I found NOTHING, not to like!!
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Review from Tinyee H.
Parsippany, NJ
11/21/2008
Came here for dinner and was waiting for my friend to arrive. I thought I would arrive early before our reservation and wait for him at the bar, but unbeknownst to me, they don't have a bar. What kind of restaurant doesn't have a bar?! Upon my friends arrival, we were seated right away, which is good. However, the seating area was very close to the kitchen entryway and along a high-traffic throughway. Ambience was okay; good enough for a date. Where's the wine menu? They kept on asking whether we brought wine...most parties brought their own (maybe no license?). Let's talk about food. We ordered the special appetizer, foie gras mousse bruschetta with side of greens: the foie had a smooth texture and was sweet, greens slightly over-dressed but nice touch of dill and fig. Entrees, Roasted duckling: cooked to order, tender meat, crispy skin and flavorful; maybe a hint of asian fusion with black forbidden rice and sweet plum-like sauce; side of vegetables, especially artichokes were vinegary. The calves liver was slightly charred yet tasty, but wasn't sure about the raisins. I would expect something more acidic to cut the fattiness of the liver. Mashed potatoes were smooth and delicious, probably the best part of the dish. We saw nothing special about dessert items. I am disappointed about dinner, but my friend says otherwise about lunch. We'll see...
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Review from Cortright E.
Franklin Lakes, NJ
2/13/2011
O.K food. Horrible service. The atmosphere is very cramped and they pushed you through the meal so they could do another seating. I would never go back. Fresh farm to table concept is done way better in Vermont. BLEH!!!
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Review from ron g.
Wyckoff, NJ
8/5/2010
Love the food...most of the time. We ordered two appetizers that they were out of all ready on a slow Thurs night (unacceptable). Service here is hit and miss. During the week, it is fine. On a Sat. is just OK. The four stars is mainly do for the food and the new decor.
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Review from bruce s.
Englewood, NJ
1/9/2010
I'd give this another 1/2 star if I knew how btw.....We really enjoyed this place. Our appetizers and entrees were all special and very enjoyable. Well worth making the trip from our n jersey (bergen cnty) residence. the byo is always a great feature.
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Review from Risa H.
Nanuet, NY
6/12/2011
We ate here several years ago and liked it. We went back and they have totally redone it, it is beautiful inside. The waiter was lovely but it felt a tiny bit rushed (handed our menus immediately and told specials immediately). But overall the service was very good. My wild mushroom salad with pecorino was excellent but felt heavy for a salad because of the dressing but it was excellent. My husband liked his arugula/apple salad. The waiter brought us gnocchi before our main dish as a 'treat'. It was absolutely delicious but again felt a little heavy (two large gnocchi). I then had the wild Alaskan salmon over rice. It was excellent and the rice was terrific but I was feeling very stuffed. My husband had the lobster and said it was excellent but again a bit heavy in the cream sauce? We didn't have dessert. This was an excellent meal in a nice atmosphere with good service but go very hungry!
