To say that
Chef/Owner, Mark Papera, of Fricassee French Bistro is excited to return to Montclair would be an
understatement. When he heard that his original restaurant (Epernay) was up for
sale, he moved lock, stock, and barrel, from Ithaca, New York, purchased the
business, and immediately started the transformation. In a little less than a
month’s time, he (and his merry band of family and friends) brightened the
interior, overhauled the menu, installed new furnishings, and reestablished his
NJ roots. Whew! Most restaurants take six months for that kind of work, but
Mark had been itching to return to NJ for two years so he was eager to get it
done.
I had never
been to Epernay when Mark was the original owner, but I did visit the second
incarnation a couple of times. Unfortunately, I was less than wowed. So when I
heard that Mark had returned, I was curious.
You’re
probably saying to yourself right about now, “OK, but what about the
food?” Let me sum it up this way: in two
weeks, I have been there three times and each visit was sublime. If you read my posts regularly, you know I am
not given to superlatives often, so if you are a lover of French bistro
cooking, read on.
In those two
weeks, I have probably tried almost 50% of the menu, thanks in part to Mark’s
hospitality. Foods that I was a not
particular fan of before are now on my “must
have” list. These include the delectable mussels,
swimming in a white wine-garlic-herb broth that just begs you to sop it up with
good bread (from Balthazar) or slurp with a spoon. In fact, I liked these so much that on my
second visit, I had the mussels for my entrée with plenty of bread, and a
lovely Cameron Hughes Lot 259 Riesling.
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| Dreamy mussel broth |
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| Roasted Beet Salad |
Also on my list of new favorite foods, Mark’s roasted
beet salad, which is comprised of mixed greens, roasted beets, goat cheese,
toasted walnuts, and a sherry vinaigrette. The salad tasted like summer with
herbs of mint, parsley, and basil.
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| Frisee Salad |
Mark also
does a classic frisee salad, which
was heavenly. Frisee lettuce with generous bacon lardons and bleu cheese,
croutons, mustard vinaigrette, topped with a poached egg, which envelops the
salad perfectly when pierced.
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| Pates |
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| Pommes Frites |
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| Cotes du Boeuf |
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| Wild Mushroom and Truffle Mac 'n Cheese |
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| Duck Confit Other winners on this tidy menu are the herb-crusted tuna, seared rare and served on warm green lentil salad, with mustard vinaigrette; the crispy skin salmon with a ragout of white beans, chorizo sausage, tomato confit, baby spinach, grain mustard cream sauce; and the duck confit served over pumpkin and bleu cheese risotto with walnuts and sage. |
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| Herb Crusted Tuna |
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| Crispy Skin Salmon |
Dessert does not take a back seat here! Fricassee serves a classic tarte tatin topped with vanilla ice cream, a light lemon tart with raspberry sauce, profiteroles, vanilla crème brulee, and chocolate mousse. I have tasted all but the profiteroles and I must tell you that while they were all delicious, the crème brulee was exquisite. Probably about the best I’ve ever had. And the chocolate mousse is a very close second.
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| Tarte Tatin |
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| Lemon Tart |
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| Creme Brûlée |
Fricassee
embodies the true essence of a French bistro – casual atmosphere, good service,
outstanding food. I, for one, am glad
that it’s close by. Say “oui” to Fricassee!
Fricassee French Bistro
6 Park
Street
Montclair,
NJ
973-744-2191
Open
Monday-Saturday, 5:00-10:00pm
BYO
