June 5, 2009 - David Burke Fromagerie

David Burke Fromagerie in Rumson, NJ
http://www.fromagerierestaurant.com/

I wasn't as excited about this restaurant -- to me the menu looked a little boring. But we went there last night with another couple, and it was really good food. Everything was cooked perfectly (I thought, apparently Kuau thought otherwise), and the flavors tasted really clean and fresh. The atmosphere was cute, too, it looked like an old-fashioned inn and had a nice restaurant side as well as a fairly busy bar on the other side, far enough that we could just hear the live singer they had that night but without it being intrusive at all.

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We started out sharing the foie gras, which has a different preparation each night, and the Hot and Angry Lobster Cocktail. (We had no idea what the lobster was and ordered it solely based on its #1 status from 2004.) The foie gras was served with some sweet jam or something and while it was really good, it's hard for me to remember what it really tasted like since it was split between 4 people. The lobster, however, ended up being a whole lobster chopped into manageable chunks, so we all got plenty. It was spicy and a little fried but not unhealthy at the same time, and it was excellent.

For meals, I got soy duck. This is not, as our friend thought, duck that is secretly made out of soy, but rather a soy-flavored duck served on "fried rice." I kind of prefer real fried rice better, but their rice was a little bit sweet and did go well with the duck. There was a good portion of duck with a thick, fatty skin and I thought it was pretty perfect. There was a sweet sauce on the side, but I actually preferred the duck on its own.

Kuau got the braised short rib. I only had a couple of bites but thought the meat itself was kind of boring -- very soft of course, but not much flavor. Some of the side ingredients were apparently good. I did enjoy the pasta noodles that sort of seemed doused with butter and covered in cream. Our friend got the scallops and it looked pretty with this fan of yellow garnish sticking out of the top. On a more culinary note, the pieces of scallop that we tried were very good, perfectly cooked and flavored.

For dessert, we had the apple galette, which came as a sort of thin crepe with a great cinnamon ice cream. Our friends got a caramelized banana tart which they said was good too. Then the four of us split a cheese plate (it is a fromagerie, after all) of eight different cheeses, none of which we could keep straight after we split them up. Most of the cheeses were very good (I particularly liked one cheese that was a mixture of goat, cow, and sheep), except for one, I think an asiago, that was so hard I couldn't bite it, let alone enjoy it.

Apparently the restaurant is known for its "cheesecake lollipops," which we didn't order since half the table didn't like cheesecake. We did see someone else get it though, and it came on a little Christmas tree-type arrangement that looked adorable.

Overall I thought it was a great meal and reminded me that even if the menu items sound traditional, they can still be prepared with fresh ingredients and seasoned cooking that makes the food outstanding. It was nice to go with another couple and be able to share and try more things than we normally would've been able to. (We shared two half-bottles of wine also, which I'll let Kuau comment on if he wants.) Even though I generally like trying different restaurants, I'd definitely consider going back for Sunday brunch :)