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Restaurant Serenade Restaurant Review

6 Roosevelt Ave. (Main St.) Send to Phone
Chatham, NJ 07928
973-701-0303 | Make Restaurant Reservations | Menu
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Restaurant Serenade captivates with its subtle charm. Restaurant Serenade is one of our 2012 | Top 10 North Jersey Wine List Restaurants | Top 10 North Jersey Food Rating Restaurants |

Cuisine

Open

Lunch Mon.-Fri., Dinner nightly

Features

Wine

Great Wine List

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Dining room at Restaurant Serenade, Chatham, NJThe dining experience at Serenade includes fresh flowers in abundance and the sounds of pleasant conversation filling the rooms. In the cold months, the entryway provides a warming welcome with its roaring fire. It is almost impossible to choose poorly here, every dish is carefully thought out and prepared, but notable is the rack of lamb that has seasonal variations. One night it might be offered with a garlicky infusion, adrift in a sea of mint purée; on another night, with Basque piperade, herb crouton and curry. Fish, too, are beautifully handled. Consider the seared sea bass with lobster-tomato risotto, baby leeks and marinated vegetables. Try the pumpkin soup---a creamless purée with apples, chestnuts and chives---or the ginger prawn salad made with grilled, Asian calamari, avocado, wasabi and black sesame seeds The wine list has been assembled from the world’s major wine producing areas but is also notable for its large selection of wines by the glass as well as half bottle offerings. Service, especially wine service, is polished yet friendly.

User Ratings & Reviews for Restaurant Serenade
Average rating    2
Reviews 1 - 2 of 21
Dinner - 12 August 2011
by mshalpy on 08/14/2011
 
Disappointing! Especially of “critical issues” in an establishment such as this; that bills itself as Fine Dining. I give it an F for FAIL. Service is off for things that shouldn’t be. The food tasted good there is no denying that, but small, critical, easily correctable issues cannot be overlooked. My cocktail was incorrect. A simple specific Gin martini served a normal way, nothing special was requested. We ordered one each of the Tasting menu offerings with the wine pairings. We were provided a smaller copy of the menu printing to “follow along”. My second course was served to my dining partner and I received hers. The third course omitted some items and added others. The core proteins were there but some of the accompanying items had substitutions. Seared potatoes replaced sweet corn. The desert course was served to a different table. This course also had two different vintages of the same wine. We both received the same vintage. I understand a tasting menu. Don’t have me follow along only to provide me with a different plate than what is listed. The attire is also somewhat relaxed from what I recall as “jacket preferred”. It seems from my observation that Polo shirts and Denim pants sans jacket is the norm. There was one patron in cargo shorts and a button-down shirt. The food is good. It is arguable if it is worth the price. I would answer in the negative due to my recent experience. The above mistakes should not occur in an establishment of this one’s supposed caliber.
 
Too many mishaps....way to expensive for 'that"!
by ljschwarz on 12/05/2010
 
Too many mishaps, even if it was a Saturday evening.

We choose Serenade as a special place to entertain an important client.
My wife and I arrived, checked in with the hostess, who acknowledged our reservation, and we were taken to the table. When the client arrived they were told we hadn't arrived yet and they were asked to wait at the bar....it took a ten uncomfortable minutes to figure that out.

When seated, I was immediately presented with a drink menu and wine list (cool). It took about 20-minutes for the wine stewardess to turn up, she knew nothing of our wine and then it took another 5-minutes for the Sommelier to show up. Basically we were seated for nearly 30-minutes before the wine arrived. The first four glasses were poured and I immediately asked for a second bottle to be opened and aired. The sommelier confirmed the instruction.

There was no service other then delivering food! During our appetizers and even through the main course no one ever asked how things were and no one ever turned up to refill our empty wine glasses. The water boys kept the $14/bottle water flowing; however.

The first bottle of wine was poured and finished before the main course arrived. Fortunately, the sommelier was standing at the next table engaged in a friendly chat with regulars. I had to call out to him to get his attention as he left their table. I asked for our second bottle and "he forgot". When the second bottle was poured, everyone was finishing their meal. We paid for the second bottle but no one at the table really touched it. That was a total waste and nothing but poor service is to blame.

Of the four meals, one was the Filet Mignon. Admittedly our guest asked for her steak well done, but even I, as an avid cook, would never have served what came out of the kitchen. The steak was about 5-minutes beyond well done and a minute away from 'leather'.

Not to mention that it was sooooo loud that we had to speak at noisy-bar level to converse

Not only didn't we impress our guests, but at $600 for 4-people. It was a total waste.
 
Reviews 1 - 2 of 21



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