Restaurant Serenade
“Both options are on the expensive side; not overpriced, but it is a place to dine on a special occasion.”
“Shared delicious oysters, delightful raw tuna 'tacos' – little bites of fresh goodness- and the best burger in town.”
“I had the lamb two ways, and the scallops to start, on their weekend prix fixe menu.”
Restaurant Serenade
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$$ Price range Above $61
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Definitely a special occasion restaurant, as it's quite pricey. I suppose that's my only sticking point. While a fine restaurant, it doesn't quite live up to its steep price point. A good meal for sure, but by no means blow-away. Personally, I would not classify this restaurant as "French." I would classify it as American with a European/Continental/French influence.
On Saturday night in the main dining room they offer a strict prix-fixe (unless you choose to do their even more expensive tasting menu). I'm not a big fan of having an app or a dessert thrust upon me. Sometimes I like to share an app and/or dessert. Usually I'll skip dessert all together, or chose to change things up and go elsewhere. I simply prefer it to be my option.
To their credit, every dish, every protein, every facet was cooked spot-on to order. They did not miss their mark on a single dish. It was quite impressive. Every dish was expertly prepared and beautifully plated. The food was quite good, and the portion sizes are adequate.
What was missing, unfortunately, was a few touches in the service department. They did a great job of welcoming us and explaining the menu. They were on top of everything during the ordering of apps and mains and after the meal dessert. However, they dropped the ball on checking on us during the courses. At no point did a server, manager, whomever come over to simply check to see if all was well. I don't need to be fawned over, but an occasional, "is everything okay?" would have been appreciated.
I was not a huge fan of my specialty cocktail. I sampled a Boulevardier which in my opinion was cloyingly sweet. However, my drink preference is by no means a reflection on the quality of the restaurant.
The desserts were more hit than miss. The chocolate tart–absolutely delectable. The red velvet–just ok.
While I enjoyed my meal, I'm not rushing back. It's the kind of place everyone should try, but not one to include on any kind of regular rotation.
Had a lovely time here, with excellent, 5 star service.
I had the lamb two ways, and the scallops to start, on their weekend prix fixe menu. Everything was delicious. Nothing exciting or new, just classics done well.
What really makes this place 5 stars though is the service. From the hostesses to the servers, everything was professional, friendly, and above and beyond what you would expect in Jersey. Two thumbs up!
2nd time coming here and it confirmed my 1st visit thoughts. This place is amazing- both service and food!
This time I came on a Wednesday- which I like much better than the more crowded and popular Saturday night which you def need reservations for.
Don't get me wrong- this place seemed to get good business on Wednesday night but just a lot less people.
I tried the fish special- Hawaiian machong. Sooooo delicious! I had scallops for the appetizer- again- delicious! Texture and flavor were PERFECT.
Treated my parents for their anniversary and they both LOVED the place!
Staff is very professional and they KNOW their stuff!
Very nice touch that the chef/owner James comes to the table to greet!
Place is more on the pricey side but it is so worth it!
Bon appetit!
This may have been my second best non-steakhouse meal out of the year. (Del Posto being #1, what can I say, I love steak)
I didn't know much about this place before going in and maybe that helps b/c apparently the ratings are super high. Nevertheless, it was absolutely delicious. The duck special I had might have been the best duck I've ever had.
Wine list is very french which is not my strong spot so it was tough but they helped with that and ended up with an OK bottle.
Service was above average but not mind-blowing. But it still deserves 5-stars for the food. Absolutely wonderful.
We came around 5pm on a Friday a few weeks ago and sat at the bar. Drinks were excellent, as was the service.
Our small bites/tapas orders were ok. We ordered the tuna bites which were very small and served as tostadas. My friend loved the lamb meatballs. The side of lobster risotto was mediocre, bland and not worth the calories.
For what it's worth, those who ordered the burger seemed really happy. Overall, it was overpriced for a bar outing and not sure if we'll be back.
I have eaten in the dining room and had an excellent experience. Table of 4 with everyone enjoying their meals. 4 stars for that. Only complaint that night was the price point. ..need phenomenal or awesome for it to be 5 stars.
I loved this restaurant. My husband took me here for dinner on my birthday this past weekend. The decor and ambiance were modern and romantic. There's a bar when you first enter that was empty on a Sunday night. We'd probably come back to sit there for a glass of wine and a simple appetizer.
I got their October seasonal menu. Everything was prepared perfectly and all the ingredients were fresh. They have an extensive wine list and I had the most amazing full bodied white wine to start. I also had a glass of Cabernet with the rest of my meal that was smooth, flavorful, and easy to drink. Peej had a whiskey cocktail that was a nice balance of strong and refreshing. I usually don't drink whiskey cocktails because of their bite but I would consider getting this in the future. It was that smooth.
Dessert was the best. We ordered the creme brulee. They used a lot of vanilla bean that you saw at the bottom of the dish. They also give you a candy tasting dish with one of the best truffles I've ever had.
Service was excellent and attentive. Hope to come back here soon!
Came here with my brother and sister in law visiting from out of town. We were a party of 5 total. I was very excited as I had not been here either.
We ordered a bottle of wine to start… I was already close to finish my first glass before we finally got the menus and close to finished my second glass before we were even served the complementary bread.
I had read rave reviews about the Rosemary bread being something not to miss…. But when the server came by I almost missed it – it was so small I could barely see it on my plate. I immediately had to call him over for the larger roll to eat too.
For dinner I got the tomato bisque and the king salmon. Both of which were delicious, a tad on the creamy/buttery side but none the less delicious.
My brother however found a piece of aluminum foil in his tomato bisque. The serve immediately apologized and provided him with a new one. When we received the bill..they gave us a 10 dollar credit put towards to dessert to make up for the aluminum foil found in the soup but please note the soup was 15 dollars……. The least they could have done was given us the soup and dessert for free or at least a glass or two of wine. Considering we got two bottles of wine (both very expensive) and we were a party of 5 …. 10 dollas off the bill was not really a good compensation for finding aluminum in the meal. we were very disappointed with this.
I'm glad we tried it for the sake of it but will likely not return. The food is very expensive but on the other hand it's delicious in every way. However at the end of the day equally good food for less of a dollar can be found elsewhere with considerably better service if something does go wrong!!!!
Have been here for lunch three times recently and highly recommend it if you want a civilized, pleasant lunch in a pretty space with excellent food and gracious service.
Standouts are the avocado fries, which are impossibly crunchy AND creamy; the awesome burger and any of the salads with added shrimp, salmon or chicken. Also great is the grilled shrimp with lobster-tomato risotto. The biscuits and sourdough bread are first-rate, as well.
Looking forward to trying dinner here soon!