Tillie’s
“Caesar kale salad was lightly dressed and perfect, and we all split the key lime pie, which was the best I've had in any restaurant.”
“My wife got the shirmp with grits which she devoured and our friends got the Cod which i thought was outstanding also.”
“My caesar salad was flavorful and served with a cloud of freshly grated cheese.”
Tillie’s
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
2 reviews
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Went to Tillie's on a Friday night with two other couples. We were seated by the attentive staff and the wine (BYO) was quickly flowing. The restaurant is small and inviting. The breads they brought out were delicious and warm. I started withe slab bacon appetizer served with a an amazing slaw and very coarse grained mustard. I could eat this every day. It tasted almost like a slow roasted beef briscuit. Sublime! I then had as my main the cassoulet with Duck. Outstanding I wanted to lick the bowl. One of the most deeply satisfying dishes that I have had in some time. The staff was extremely helpful and was also able to navigate the menu for a friend who has some food allergies. My Wife got the steak which was nicely done and served with potatoes and mushrooms. She raved about her kale caesar sale as well. Another dish ordered by our group was the mussels appetizer which was shared and devoured. We had a chicken dish but I can't remember what it was but the person who ate it enjoyed it. For dessert I had the sundae with sea salt caramel and pretzels which was in my opinion one of the better desserts that I have had in quite some time. Another dessert ordered was the cheesecake which was also well liked at our table. The menu is seasonal and locally sourced so I guess experiences vary. I saw the negative reviews and ignored them and I am glad that I did. I will be back there again. A welcome addition to the Millburn food scene which is somewhat tired. Yea for Tillie's.
When Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse in 1971, she probably didn't expect her philosophy of supporting small farms and sourcing locally grown ingredients to turn into a national movement. Nowadays, the "locavore" ethos is a huge trend. It seems that farm to table restaurants are popping up everywhere and bringing their fresh and local gospel to would-be diners and there seems to be no shortage of people willing to pay for it.
Restaurants that provide F2T dining (yes, it even has its own abbreviation now) have been growing in popularity, enticing customers with names and addresses of local farmers on their menus and making sure that you know clearly that the vegetables are organic, the chickens are free range and the beef is grass fed. With so many restaurants using the F2T buzzword, its tough to tell which is the real thing and which just added a few token green market ingredients to the menu.
So when my friends invited me to dine with them at Tillie's, I have admit I was a bit skeptical.
The slab bacon appetizer was the absolute star of the meal. It was perfectly cooked and had a wonderful balance of smoke and salt, the fat was rendered properly, which helped bring out its unctuousness. The accompanying slaw and grainy mustard was a smart addition that married the flavors well. This was a very strong dish.
The coarsely ground meal in the corn bread stood up to the thick bacon nicely. It was a good choice to go with something heartier than the usual finer grind. It was moist and had a lot of structure to it, not mention taste.
The braised short ribs was overall fairly tender but under seasoned and a tad stringy. It also needed a glaze to give it a proper finish and reinforce the earthy flavors of the braising liquid.
Serving any braised dish is difficult for a restaurant because it can't be prepared to order and must be prepped well in advance of service. Cooks have to pay particular attention because if seasoned too early, it becomes too salty as the braising liquid reduces. If braised too long it becomes tough because the cellular structure of meat doesn't allow moisture to be retained after a certain point. I can't say it was the best I've had, but it certainly didn't suck.
The Caesar salad, however, was over dressed and the anchovy flavor was very pronounced, which overpowered the subtle taste of the underlying greens. There was also too much grated cheese that when combined with the dressing made it too salty.
Aside from some textural and seasoning issues that could easily be adjusted, the more prominent issues were service and the dining room layout/lighting. Upon arriving it would have been nice if the hostess got up from her chair and off her smart phone more promptly to greet us. Also, our server didn't refill our water glasses throughout the evening, even after having asked.
The dining room lighting is quite dark, to the point I had to us my iPhone flashlight to read the menu. Also, the number of diners relative to the space made the room noticeably loud and uncomfortably crowded as customers began filling the restaurant. As for seating, the tables with a banquette apparently are in high demand as we were denied seating even though no one was seated on any of them. Apparently, they had all been "reserved". If you don't care to be bumped by the person seated behind you, I highly recommend reserving a banquette table.
With a few tweaks in the kitchen and some realigning in the front of the house, Tillie's could be a great restaurant. They have a good concept, promising menu, and some bold flavors in their dishes. It was also nice to see the chef/co-owner in the kitchen expediting orders.