Fricassee French Bistro
“I was so happy when I heard the owner of Epernay was taking over this restaurant space again.”
“We started with onion soup that wasflavorful as the onions and broth exploded in your mouth.”
“I had the hanger steak rare with frites and the duck breast with faro was also on the table.”
Fricassee French Bistro
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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I went here a little over a month ago on a first date. I asked him to choose a restaurant because I love trying new places. I had never even realized this restaurant was here, even after all the times I went to Mesob right around the corner.
First off, it's BYOB so remember that but across the street, there's a liquor store!
We had reservations and we were seated right away. The dining area is a bit cramped, very NYC like. Also, it can get quite loud in there.
Our server was amazing. Very friendly and attentive. On top of that water, which I like. I hate seeing an empty water glass, especially on a first date where you're talking a lot.
I was so happy to see they had a whole Mac and Cheese MENU! YAY! I love mac and cheese so much. Already, this guy was getting some points for picking the spot.
For an appetizer, we split the profiteroles au chevre (Goat cheese mousse in pastry,
black olive vinaigrette $14), which was DELICIOUS. So good. I love goat cheese.
For my meal, I of course ordered something that came with some mac and cheese. I had the poulet rÔti (Free range chicken, truffled macaroni and cheese, glazed vegetables $28). The chicken was really good. The mac and cheese was amaaaazing.
My date had the boeuf bourguignon (Beef stewed in red wine, potatoes, mushrooms, pearl onions, baby carrots and turnips $29), which he gave me free range to try and test out as he knew I was obsessed with eating. So good!! The beef was so tender. Definitely delicious.
We had one of the chocolate desserts to end the night and it was really great. Such a huge fan!
Well, the guy's my boyfriend now so let's just say this place was a hit for me!
I've been wanting to come here for the longest time. When I found out they were open on Christmas Eve I made a reservation right away.
My main gripe with this place was the service. When we walked in I gave the guy my name, he said sorry your reservation was for 6pm. I said it was originally for that time but I changed it to 7pm the day after I made my reservation. He then asked "who did you talk to." Buddy I'm not lying to you…Instead of saying sorry for the mixup or whatever, he just made me feel like an A hole. We asked for more bread and butter a few times throughout the night and we just received a rushed "okay."
Anyway – onto the food. Everything was pretty good. Nothing that I would come back for though. The bread was OK and the butter definitely needed some salt. I ordered the Salmon dish. The mustard cream sauce was interesting. The hanger steak was delicious. I thought the white wine mussels were awesome! I did not care for the beef stew or veal noodle dish, those just tasted alright.
The atmosphere was not pretentious. It was simple and cozy.
I've been here a few times now. The service is excellent every time.
Last time, the duck cassoulet was so salty it was as if my plate was submerged in the ocean, brought back up, dried off and then served to me. The beouf bourginon, meanwhile, was unseasoned.
Positives:
-The place is immaculate.
-Parking on Park St. isn't too bad. It's pretty easy to avoid the $5 lot across the street.
-The menu is truly a compilation of French classics.
-The complimentary bread is good and fresh.
-BYOB.
We had a great meal, and experience, at Fricassee. Hannah, our server, was a lot of fun and very helpful with our navigating the menu. She guided us very well in terms of our selections, and was super fun to interact with, too. (Neil was also friendly and fun.)
We started with the escargot and the wild mushroom and truffle mac n cheese. Both were very good. The escargot were really well prepared and flavorful and the mac n cheese was super decadent and rich. For our main courses we had the steak au poivre and the cod. The steak was a perfectly cooked medium rare and incredibly flavorful. I was impressed and grateful that all of the beef they offered is grass fed. He said the cod was delicious, but I didn't try it. For dessert we shared the creme brulee which was also very good.
The meal overall was both incredibly delicious and wildly rich, but it's a French bistro, so….
We'll absolutely, without a doubt, be back.
I went here ages ago a couple times back when it was Epernay.
I more recently went when it was Fricassee.
I had the Mac and Cheese with Mushrooms/Truffle. It's quite rich. I'd recommend sharing it with someone else. They have nice service here.
I also just noticed they have Cassoulet as a main dish now. I might have to go back soon.
Came here with Boo Boo for our 6 months anni.
We parked at the garage across the street.
Reservation is a must for a Friday from whenever to 9pm.
Make sure you order everything at once. OR things will come out staggered.
The waitress warned us. We mistakenly ordered our entrees to another waiter and the waitress who first asked for our drink order did not place our appt order. But, in the end everything was great.
I ordered the duck and Boo Boo got the steak. then we got our salad and fries. My duck was under seasoned. it needed a little of more salt.
BYOB and CC accepted. It's a nice place to dine on special occasions or every other week if you own a hedge fund.
First off, I have to point that one of the perks of living in Montclair is the diversity in restaurants! In one week I can have Peruvian, Cuban, Brazilian, French, Ethiopian, etc food. This one evening I decided to visit Fricassee French Bistro for my first "French" dinner and had a great experience! First off, the hostess/waiters were really friendly and accommodating. We asked where we wanted to be seated and we chose to sit outside – this was not a problem and they had a table for us right away. As for the food, I had the Salmon entree and it was delicious. This is my first time trying French cuisine so I can't really compare but overall it was good. Definitely recommend this cute restaurant if you're in the Montclair area.
I came here for Christmas Eve dinner. The ambiance reminded me of a place you'd find in NY. Small, two stories and minimalistic in decor.
The bread that is served with dinner is sourdough. The butter came in a cute mini cast iron skillet. The bread wasn't anything special – kind of bland and over cooked.
The house salads came with goat cheese. I HATE goat cheese and really wish the menu indicated that because I would have asked for it on the side.
We all shared the white wine mussels. They were pretty good.
For my meal I ordered the hanger steak cooked medium rare. It was very rare. Almost too rare for my liking, but I didn't want to send it back. The fries that came with the steak were excellent – very crispy despite being next to the juices of the steak. The green beans were very good too.
One thing that I found off was that we were waiting for one other person to arrive and the waiter said that we should wait to order all of the apps until everyone was there. I'm not quite sure why. We went ahead and ordered the apps anyway. When our friend did arrive, he ordered a French onion soup and his meal. He never got the soup. It's like they just decided to not serve it to him because he came a little late. Not sure if that's the case but that's what it felt like.
We also had a 6 o'clock reservation initially but had to change it to 7 o'clock because of a time conflict (hence the late guest). When we arrived the host said that he was not aware of the reservation time change and asked us who we spoke to on the phone. Instead of being apologetic for the mix up, we were made to feel like we did something wrong – as if we were lying about calling to change the time. So the dinner started out a little awkward and uncomfortable.
All in all, the atmosphere is cute and the food is decent. Nothing outstanding though. I don't see a reason to come back but I'd say to give it a shot. You may like it.