Chef’s Table

Just delicious. Amazing French food. I had the mussels, monkfish and the orange marmalade crepes and my husband had the escargot, bouillabaisse and the baked Alaska!

Food:
Heard so many good reviews about this restaurant so we had to try it. I am a huge fan of French cuisine. Made reservations for Valentine’s dinner last night. I must say, I was very pleasantly surprised. This restaurant has the classic French fare. The potato leek tart was excellent, the escargot, although not prepared in the Burgundy style were also great. Instead of butter, I think they used French olive oil which is milder and less grassy than Italian olive; topped with puff pastry (pâté feuilletee). My main course was (Boeuf Bourguignon) or Beef Bourguignon. awesome sauce, beef was nice and tender, the presentation was class A. Again, a very nice interpenetration of the classic with a slight twist. We also ordered Duck a l’Orange. Perfectly prepared with crisp skin, very delicate orange sauce and delicate aroma. For deserts, we had Crème Brulee and Baked Alaska. My Crème Brulee, although had a nice flavor, I think the custard was not set properly yet and it was little too sweat for my liking. The Baked Alaska I think was in what was supposed to be on a bed of a chocolate raspberry sauce; but had a burned flavor, I think as they were bruleeing the basked alaska, by mistake they burned the chocolate in the sauce.
Service?
Well, the service was lacking. The lady that took our order, well, she was not impolite, nor was she polite. We brought Champagne with us, and we were refilling our own, not a big deal, but throughout the dinning experience, she never once stopped by to ask «how is everything?» after we were done eating, she stopped by dropped the check!!! I my books, that is a no no, when customer is done, the customer will ask for the check. There were other 2 younger gentlemen who were assisting, and they were pleasant. But again, through out the evening, no one asked how everything was? We felt ignored. Now this is not a cheap restaurant, with these prices, one expects little courtesy, a little service.

We have been going here for years!
The food is excellent and the presentation is «classic»!
Claude never fails to give every dish nothing less than 100% effort into every bite.
For a memorable meal, you can’t do better for French food in Northern New Jersey or Southern New York State!
Howard and Sandy Applebaum

Good but not great. My wife says my salad is better. Thief salad Nicoise was not as good as ours. Lacked flavor. White canned Tuna doesn’t cut it. Needed dark Italian tuna.

I love this place, great food and good service. Once you get over the entrance of the place witch looks like a pizzeria you will be happy with the quality of food and taste.

This restaurant is a find. It is tucked into the back of a strip mall, but that should not mislead anyone about the quality of the food and the service. I have been there now a few times, and the food is fantastic. Whether you have the venison stew for the more adventurous, or a simple Croque Monsieur sandwich, the food is outstanding. The venue is small, so make sure to get a reservation.

I went today and the woman my server was amazing and so sweet. very Accomodating and humble, it’s rare to get s dining experience like this. The food was outstanding and u never guess from a strip mall but omg. The server/​host told me someone is driving 100 miles for their food and I can see why. Highly reccomend

Charming resistant with hearty entrees. I started off with the onion and leek tart– the crust was so flaky and good. Then had the tuna, rare, perfect consistency with great plate presentation. Also had the strawberry shortcake, perfect dessert to finish off the great meal.

my daughter recommended the chef’s table for a dinner out tonite — a snowy, icy, cold evening. we had checked out their reviews which were excellent. we have enjoyed dining at many of the great restaurants in our area so we wanted to try yet another of the wonderful places we are surrounded with. when we got there, we found only one other pair of diners at 5:30. the maitre d seemed less than enthused to see us and asked if we had a reservation. we did not, (my daughter noticed many blank spots on the chart) but we were seated, albeit seemingly reluctantly. ariane was on call for her duties as an emt for wyckoff so we felt it was fair to notify the maitre d that her pager might go off, that we might need to leave quickly, that she had turned the volume down so as to not to disturb other diners but were still greeted with a disapproving look. while that did cast a bit of a pall on our dining experience, the food was truly excellent and the other servers were above par. particularly enjoyed the chicken pâté served with their wonderfully crusty, light rolls. wish we had only felt just a bit more welcomed there!
la tour is a much friendlier place!

A family run neighborhood fine dining place located beside a vet’s clinic will surprise you with its sophisticated selection of French favorites. There is a standard menu with delectables like oysters on a shell, escargot, foie gras — all fresh and well executed. There are daily specials, which the wife recites before you take a look at the menu.
I had a fig salad with a walnut vinaigrette dressing which I ate every morsel of. They also accommodated my 11-​year daughter who wanted a simple aglio olio penne even though it was off menu.
The dinner rolls come out scalding hot and is served with pâté and fresh butter. They are so good. Do not expect wine because they expect you to bring your own.

Great honest french food with a warm atmosphere and outstanding service. The owners son (manager) was absolutely a professional and an expert in his trade. Made us feel totally at home with out feeling rushed.
For appetizers: escargot cups & cape may oysters were both off the charts good.
No question the tuna was the best we have ever tasted. The hint (just a hint) of charcoal made it so flavorful and its paired sauce clinched it as a most amazing dish. The duck (Pièce de résistance) and its orangey goodness was just quacktastic (sorry couldn’t help it) cooked to a perfect medium and nice and lean.
BYO :)
well worth it
Bön appétit

PLEASE DON’T CLOSE, CHEF’S TABLE!
Also: Everything is so delicious. If you don’t believe me, go look at my photos, drool for a while, then come back and read.
Traditional French baked onion soup Lyonnaise with gruyère cheese: So crazy good!
Ribeye charcoal grilled, cut fan shaped, served with crisped french fries, bordelaise red wine sauce: I think I licked the plate.
Chocolate Cake, Individual layered mousse and chocolate genoise cake with fresh raspberry sauce: Even tastier than it was beautiful… and it was gorgeous.
Traditional Crème brûlée, French custard cream torched with brown sugar crust: I would camp outside of the Chef’s Table, just for this. Yes. It was that good.
Everything that hit the table was wonderful. Don’t miss out!

Everything here is amazing. The duck is THE BEST I have ever had. BYO which is a plus. Location is a little hard to find, but once you walk in you know you’re in an authentic French restaurant. Claude is talented.

Great great great meal
If ever possible get the lamb, but it is not always on the menu

Came here last night for a Christmas Eve dinner with my entire family. Everyone’s meal was amazing!
It’s sad that the family is closing the restaurant in a month. The chef/​owner Claude came out to our table at the end of dinner service to chat with us a bit. Really humble and friendly individual. If you haven’t eaten here yet, I do suggest getting a reservation before this gem closes down.
Aside from the typical porcini mushroom ravioli and Louisiana crab cake that we typically order, my sister ordered the escargot as her appetizer. Nicely cooked. For entrees, I had the peppercorn tuna. Cooked to perfection. The white wine butter sauce that came with it worked really well with the tuna. Best seared tuna I have ever eaten, hands down. My sister ordered the scallops and shrimp. While the dish is nothing to rave about, the scallops were cooked perfectly. My mother had the duck breast special, which I found to be much better than the duck a l’orange that is on the regular menu. for dessert some of my family members chose the baked Alaska, while I tried the crêpe suzette for the first time. It was a great end to dinner.
Had a wonderful time here. I really wish they won’t close down. This place it too good!

Excellent excellent. Owned by a local family and you. can tell with the warm service and personal touches. My mother and I came for a weekday lunch. I had the French onion soup which was out of this world. The right amount of cheese to make it difficult to eat and delicious ! Great flavor. We had the beef bourguignone which again was incredible. Served a large enougg portion to take some home. We also had the chicken madiera served with tender spinach. The flavors were all right on. Presentation of food was excellent.
Décor is older and warm. Small pace so definitely need a reservation for dinner. Lots of parking available. Absolutely recommend !

Wonderful little place. The food and the service was great. Not sure why we just found this gem. Will be going back.
They even have Crepes Suzette! Need I say more?

If I hadn’t read reviews and gotten my hopes super high, this may have been a 5. However, after reading the gushing, raving reviews of Chef’s Table, I was a little let down.
The place is much nicer than you would expect given the location in the middle of a strip mall. The décor feels like your parent’s or grandparent’s house from the chairs which I swear we had growing up to the eclectic mix of waterfowl paintings on the walls.
The food was very good, if nothing especially out there. The menu is a very traditional French menu largely composed of fowl and fish. Everything we had was very good, though I just felt it was lacking the last 5% that would have really made anything stand out. Maybe this is the result of such a traditional menu, but though everything was very good and I’d definitely go back, I just felt each item was missing something tiny that would have made it truly spectacular.
We started with the escargot crocks which were nice and garlic buttery and the little baked caps for each were amazing. The fresh baked bread which also came to the table, paired with the liver spread was fantastic and a delicious touch. We then had the french onion soup which was nice and cheesy. I then had the daily special, a casserole of duck leg and sausages, which was very good though again, missing that something special. The duck leg was very good and the lamb sausages were fantastic. I had a hard time finishing due to the immense amount of beans and baked crust. My wife had the duck breast which she really enjoyed and came with maple sweat potatoes and a medley of veggies. We passed on dessert but opted for espresso which was clearly fresh pressed and excellent tasting.
The service was very good. Our water was constantly refreshed, much appreciated given the heat of the day and the heat of our dishes. Our server was friendly and offered suggestions. Each course took a while between, but I appreciated this as part of the laid back European atmosphere and relished the opportunity to sit back a little.
It is also BYOB which helps with the cost and really made for a great atmosphere. The pace also allowed us to get through a bottle without rushing and truly enjoy it with our meals.
As mentioned, I thought Chef’s table was very good, and had I entered with lower expectations, I think I would have enjoyed it all the more.

Really nice atmosphere, great and attentive service and very, very good food. Had our anniversary dinner there and the place is cozy and welcoming without all the pretentiousness. We started with the oysters and escargot and both were delicious. The oysters were very fresh and nicely presented. The escargot puffs were very tasty and the individual presentation was very elegant. Wife had the lamb shank which was very well prepared (she said it was a little salty) but was probably due to the heavy reduction in the liquid. I had the duck and wow — super crispy on the outside and very moist in the inside. Perfect seasoning and the accompanying sides were perfect parings. We were very full so shared a Strawberry Shortcake and the strawberry reduction sauce was excellent.
Overall — great place and BYOB another big plus.

Talk about unpretentious – Chef’s Table is located in a nondescript strip mall right by a Chinese take-​out place. If you didn’t already know about it, you would walk right past the best restaurant in NNJ.
The food is elegant, plentiful, and absolutely delicious. IMHO Chef’s Table is as good as any upscale restaurant in NYC without the snobby service and upscale pricing. It is also a BYOB, so you get to drink what you know you’ll enjoy without inflating the bill.
When you are seated you are given complimentary hot rolls right from the oven, along with butter in an classy domed ramekin and a wonderful liver pâté. I have to stop myself from eating too many of them.
My dinner recommendations are as follows–
Appetizers–
The shrimp and crab cocktail, which is loaded with shrimp and lump crabmeat
The mushroom and leek tart, which my wife swears by
The porcini mushroom ravioli, which is incredibly flavorful
Escargot– I don’t eat them, but my friends say they’re the best they’ve ever had
Entrees–
Crispy duck with orange sauce, mashed sweet potatoes, and string beans– the best duck dish I’ve had anywhere. My go-​to dish
Cassoulet (Saturday only) — Duck confit, lamb, sausage– unbelievably good
Chicken Florentine– For those who aren’t adventurous but love great food
Ribeye– Their version of Steak Frites
Desserts–
Apple tart w/​vanilla ice cream
Strawberry shortcake
Poached pear
The service is very good, but can be a little hit and miss at times. One time I had asked the waitress for a decanter, and she said that they didn’t have any. Considering I had been to the restaurant over a dozen times and always decanted my wines that just was flat-​out untrue. I asked Dolores (the owner’s wife) and she brought one right over. On more than one occasion we have had to wait 10 – 20 minutes for our check, which can be a bit frustrating.
That being said, Chef’s Table is a winner. A meal for two will generally run between $ 90 — $ 120… and it will be memorable.