john r.'s Profile

Post-Gordon Ramsay.  First time eating here so I have no basis for what it was before.  Lived in Montclair for over a year now and have tried several (not all) of the Italian restaurants in town.

Had high hopes because of Gordon's presence, the fact that it's been around town for a while and some of the better, previous reviews.  All of those were dashed pretty quickly.  Hopefully, they work out the kinks before the episode airs.

The food was decent but the service was extremely lacking.  Whomever sat us took the time to point out the most expensive dishes on the menu to us before even letting my girlfriend sit down.  He literally blocked her from sitting down while suggesting to us what we should eat.  I don't think it was intentional but it was certainly obvious.

Our waiter seemed very scattered and stretched all across the restaurant.  He took our drink order not too long after we sat down but another 20 minutes passed before we were able to place our dinner order.  He passed by us several times, telling us he'd "be right back" while tending to other tables.  Finally, after he took the order of some folks who arrived to their table several minutes after us, he decided to take ours.

It took him a while for him to offer us bread and when he did, I had to remind/ask for it twice before he finally brought it (after our first course had arrived).  The restaurant wasn't busy but it seems that they could use much more wait staff for the space they have and the amount of people there.  Either that, or ask Gordon to train them a bit better.

Five paragraphs about the service at a restaurant before even getting to the food should be telling.  Devil is in the details, if the service was much better - the entire experience would've been much better.  Plain and simple.  However, the food was decent.

We ordered a pizza to start.  It was a basic pie with salumi and roasted tomatoes.  It was cooked decently, the crust could've used more flavor and the tomatoes were huge, 1/4 chunks which made it almost impossible for you to eat the pizza with your hands b/c the crust wouldn't hold.  Decent flavor, needs better dough & execution.

The best part of our meals were our pasta dishes.  She had Orecchiette (they were out of Pappardelle) in vodka sauce, pancetta and peas.  Great flavor and not too creamy (as in, you can taste the actual cream in the sauce).

I had the Capellini with crab, lime, chili and mint.  Great summer pasta dish that I finished and actually would try to make on my own.

Net:  best of luck to this place, it's been around for a while.  If they can nail the experience and the service and take their food to where Gordon wants it to be, they'll do great.  If not, they'll keep having a hard time comparing to other, stronger Italian restaurants in Montclair.

Pretty much everything everyone has written in all of the reviews before mine is correct.  Both weird and comforting at the same time.

ate here with my girlfriend, valentine's day 2011.  took a later res to let the crowd pass (9pm) and what i was a fan of the most is that the dishes were still executed amazingly well this late into a fully-booked night on a day the restaurant isn't usually open.

as much as i wanted to do the 7-course tasting dinner, i passed and we went for a cheese plate to start the night with a bottle of chianti we brought.  bread for the table was focaccia:  tasty & solid.  cheese plate had good range & focused selection.  a good start.

second course was the rabbit ravioli for me, arugula salad for her.  both very good.  the salad was a special to the menu and the ravioli was very good.  buttery, not gamey.  mushrooms & onions in the sauce gave it range.  anise was a differentiating touch.

main course were the short ribs and sous vide suckling pig w/ lentils respectively.  both solid entrees with great range of flavor and, importantly, the right notes for an entree.  you could tell, across the range of food, all of the dishes required expert execution & focus.  if those weren't present, they wouldn't be as excellent as they were.

desert was solid as well.  next time i'd try the pineapple foster.

great experience, can't wait to go back.

Good inital experience, can't wait until kitchen & service matures.

This is definitely some of the best BBQ I've had to date and, odds are, will probably be some of the best I'll ever eat.

Food this good and cooked with such care is worth the price you'll pay for it.  For $26 I got probably what would be two dinners worth but didn't leave anything behind.

I got my BBQ sampler with two sides (cole slaw & corn bread) and the hot sauce (you have a choice between mild, hot or super hot bbq sauce).  Tender and flavorful beyond belief and the sauce takes it all to the next level.  Wings, amazing brisket and ribs (extra thrown in which is testament to great hospitality) - I couldn't decide which I liked more which is a rarity.

A delicious slice of the homemade red velvet cake topped it all off.  Amazing meal.

Come early and come often.  Great food and restaurant that I'm sure I'll come back to.  Had the ricotta gnocchi which was balanced very well with the veal bolognese.  All the other dinners (branzino, pork burger and orecchiette) were solid stars.  Desert was amazing as well.

Fortunate to have solid service since we got there very early.  Saturday night seating was in full-swing when we left at 7.

Didn't want to bug Ryan too much about his recent Chopped loss but at the end of the day, he wins with Bar Cara.

House French Press to go.  No milk & two spoonfuls of sugar in the raw.  Just what the doctor order.  You could complain about the exact process of french press coffee and the sustainability of the cups themselves but 10-to-1 this will be a much better cup than you would've gotten anywhere else in a several block radius.

Went midday and it was empty (sure that's not the case in the morning).  Great place for a nice walk from my office for an afternoon cup.

No sign yet so keep an eye out.

These are the kinds of places that make a neighborhood.  Focused, flavorful and great value.  4-piece chicken dinner for less than $10?  Some of the best southern fried chicken I've ever had.  Three legs, one breast, large portion of fries and some of the best corn bread I've ever had.

To boot?  The owner was very welcoming and everyone in the place had great things to say about the food.

My girlfriend and I tried this place out last night (it was a Wednesday and later than usual for dinner - 830pm).  The restaurant was moderately busy, a solid bar crowd and a few tables having dinner.  It was a little noisy but that added, I think, to the character of the restaurant - if it was quiet, your attention would be drawn to the spartan (but spacious) interior.  I'm a big fan of the open kitchen as well.

Overall:  great flavor, solid execution and service, a bit pricey.  We started with the steak skewers.  The meat was cooked properly and the sauces were flavorful.  I had the scallops which were delicious and she had the short ribs - also flavorful.  For desert, I had the banana bread pudding and she had the tres leches cake.  Both solid closures.

A great addition to the area's restaurant scene and looking forward to heading back again.

this is a review of the ninety acres cooking school and not the restaurant.  my girlfriend and i just had and participated in the "valentine's date night" class.  the menu:

wild mushroom and brie beggar's purses
mixed greens with bacon, apples and red wine vinaigrette (dish we made)
pan-seared beef tenderloin
sweet potato-crusted scallops
lemon-pepper beurre blanc
grilled asparagus
strawberry and creme-filled crepes with warm chocolate sauce.

this was a great experience and dinner that exceeded expectations.  i can't wait to dine at ninety acres and see natirar when the spring comes around.  the space was beautiful and modern.  chef mike was great.  professional, knowledgeable, engaging, attentive and supportive.  all the dishes were great choices that turned out delicious.  it was a small class of 12 people.  6 couples, one of which owned natirar (disclosure:  we did not know they were going to be in the class ahead of time and their presence did not impact our experience).  bonus:  they had cricket hill on tap.  great local nj beer.

judging by this experience and the other reviews - i'm really looking forward to coming back again and again.

photos here:  http://www.flickr.com/...