Andre's Restaurant & Wine Boutique

We have been to Andre's three times now and it is always a delight.  The food is excellent, our favorite appetizer is the penne with duck confit.  It is so delicious and evolves a bit each time we come.  The soups are almost always spot on, but just shy of the head tingling perfection of some of the best fine dining establishments.  The entree's have always been incredible as well.  Most recently we had steak and the special, skate.  Both were great but honestly the veggies and rice that accompanied the skate were just average.  Nothing spectacular about the sauce or the sides. The dessert was a cobbler and it was divine.  Service is always excellent too.  The spot is an excellent choice for a night out, in the opposite direction of the usual traverse to go out for a nice night.  The only hesitation on awarding five stars is that I always ask myself if I would order it all again.  This time, it was a no for the skate special.  Oddly, the amuse bouche was salmon belly on a lettuce leaf- it would have been great I'm sure, but it tasted as though it hadn't been dressed.  Occasionally, when we've gone I've noticed these little details that seem to slip.  I'll definitely go back and try more, but I wouldn't order my entire meal again, some of it was just short of that amazing wow factor.  This restaurant hits that mark on some dishes, but not every one.  Don't get me wrong, this place is incredible, but I hold it to a higher standard because it is a special night out kind of place and it isn't cheap, so it should be accountable for the full fine dining experience.  But it comes very very close to perfect!

It's a bit off of the beaten path, but they do a good job with steak.  I ordered a rare NY Strip and it was done perfectly: cooked outside, warm, red interior and nicely seasoned.  The staff was friendly, competent and there when you needed them.  We drove about 30 minutes out of our way to have dinner there and it was worth the extra time.

A Saturday night and all the waitress could tell us was that 1/2 of the food menu and more than half of the wine menu were unavailable!  The food is probably near the top for Sussex County and is as expensive as Manhattan, but I can't say it is worth it.  Decor is an attempt to make the most of an old building's layout.