We have been to Andre's three times now and it is always a delight. Â The food is excellent, our favorite appetizer is the penne with duck confit. Â It is so delicious and evolves a bit each time we come. Â The soups are almost always spot on, but just shy of the head tingling perfection of some of the best fine dining establishments. Â The entree's have always been incredible as well. Â Most recently we had steak and the special, skate. Â Both were great but honestly the veggies and rice that accompanied the skate were just average. Â Nothing spectacular about the sauce or the sides. The dessert was a cobbler and it was divine. Â Service is always excellent too. Â 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. Â The only hesitation on awarding five stars is that I always ask myself if I would order it all again. Â This time, it was a no for the skate special. Â 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. Â Occasionally, when we've gone I've noticed these little details that seem to slip. Â 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. Â This restaurant hits that mark on some dishes, but not every one. Â 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. Â But it comes very very close to perfect!
Review Source:It's a bit off of the beaten path, but they do a good job with steak. Â I ordered a rare NY Strip and it was done perfectly: cooked outside, warm, red interior and nicely seasoned. Â The staff was friendly, competent and there when you needed them. Â We drove about 30 minutes out of our way to have dinner there and it was worth the extra time.
Review Source: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! Â 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. Â Decor is an attempt to make the most of an old building's layout.
Review Source:First time to Andres on a Friday night. With 6:30 reservations there was a couple ahead of us, but we were seated promptly. The place has a very nice ambiance and the staff is bright and cheerfully attentive. We tried the grouper and flatiron steak and it was cooked just right and prepared beautifully. Portions are not huge but enough with a lot of flavor. Nice desserts as well and a lot of flavors there as well, and real creative flavor combinations. . Drank a martini and it was filled to the rim, perfect pour, and one of the best I've had. No kids menu and mainly a mature crowd. Note: we were treated twice to sample some appy's and desserts - a real nice surprise. It's a little pricey for Sussex County NJ, but I would go there again because it was such a nice experience.
Review Source:Andre's was highly recommended so I was really looking forward to our meal. It certainly had to beat Applebee's. Seven of us headed to Andre's. Decor was lovely. We sat and ordered drinks and then things went downhill. We ordered and then waited and waited and waited. Finally 2 dishes came out and after 2 of us started eating them we were told they were actually for another table. These 2 dishes were the scallops and they were very tasty, but the small bow tie pasta that accompanied the dish were barely cooked. The salmon dish was  excellent, but the 4 folks who ordered the pork were very disappointed. It was raw in the middle. A couple folks had the mussels as an appetizer and they were tasteless, no sauce just steam mussels. Will any of us go back? Probably not, even though the restaurant handled things properly and comped our food, all with the exception of the drinks.
Review Source:I can't fault the food but to wait a full hour and a half to be served last night was beyond tolerance. Don't know whether the problem was in the kitchen or the wait staff but to pay $36 for chicken with some carrots/lettuce, a small salad and coffee was more than I wanted to spend for what I got and the time it took to get it. I came home and gorged on ice cream although I could have had some lemon dessert for another high price.
The decor is lovely in a Greenwich Village-type brick wall, narrow dining room atmosphere and the chef catered to my allergy ridden colleague. For me, the whole evening was ruined by the poor service.
I'll not go back there again.
Pompton Plains
People who know me would never describe me as being at a loss for words, but my meal and Andre's had my brain so preoccupied with the pure, unadulterated flavors of perfection that I could scarcely form a sound for about 20 minutes. Â My entre was absolutely astounding but the dish that stole the show was the appetizer. Â So for the uninitiated, prepare yourself for...
Bread and Grease
That's right, go back and read it one more time. Â A place with nothing but five star reviews, a place that has every right to charge top dollar for the food they serve, this place serves an appetizer called Bread and Grease, and it is hands down the most amazing homage to the perfection of food. Â I'll try to describe it. Â Torn fresh baguette that's lightly toasted rings a very small saute pan in the middle of a plate. Â In that pan is about 4-5 ounces of a mix of fat rendered from foie gras and duck confit, seasoned with a bit of salt and topped with shaved black truffle. Â Eating it is as simple as dipping a piece of bread in the rendered fat, scooping up a few nuggets of truffle along the way, and popping it in your mouth where it proceeds to melt slowly, dripping warm, soft, golden liquid down the back of your throat. Â The fat transforms the bread, who's slightly toasted edges soften just slightly, easily yielding to the tooth and exposing the fluffy interior where the rich, savory fats mix with the chewy, yeasty loaf.
Following that nigh spiritual experience, I was served a pan seared NY strip steak with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. Â The description of the entre betrays how sublime it actually was. Â The steak was seasoned with just a kiss of salt, cooked to perfection with crispy, rendered fat ringing an ever so slightly warmed, red interior. Â No pepper, sauces, butter or other such things to obscure the pure taste of the highest quality cow. Â The potatoes were light, starchy and maybe even slightly sweet. Â The spinach was very fresh and bathed in a delightful cream sauce made with a nicely sharp Parmesan cheese. Â In another example of how Andre pays attention to the way in which his diners experience his food, the portions were remarkably restrained. Â We're all used to getting huge portions, almost expecting to take home leftovers every time we dine out. Â Andre serves portions designed to actually be eaten, concentrating on making food that should be savored and contemplated rather than just filling the plate.
Any restaurant with aspirations of greatness need to use Andre's as one of their standards. Â This is a place where the chef's love of his ingredients, and his passion for putting them on the table in ways that elevate their character, shows through. Â The attention to detail comes through in the knowledgeable staff, diverse and extremely high-quality wine selections, even the decor. Â In a way I'm glad I live two hours away, because I would easily go bankrupt (and grow morbidly obese in the process) if I was close enough to be a regular patron.
By far one of the best restaurants in the area. We love to stop in for a quiet evening out and are never disappointed. This is quite possibly one of the only places in the area for fois gras and Andre never disappoints. Service is friendly and attentive. One of the owners is always around to check on guests and give the back story for the restaurant.
The menu items aren't cheap do it isn't an everyday location for dinner, but worth it for a nice evening out.
After eating a special 13 course dinner tonight at Andre's restaurant in Newton, I feel compelled to write about my excitement with this chef's talent. Â I still can't believe that I ate every bite of all 13 courses. Â The restaurant looks beautiful outside and in. The atmosphere is relaxed, Â the servers are charming and very well trained and there's a powerful imagination at work in the creation of these unique menus and wine pairings. Â The food was wonderful enough to justify the 45 minutes it took us to get there. Â It doesn't get much better in New Jersey. Â And if you like foie gras--WOW! Â It was the best I've ever had. Â Definitely worth a "detour".
Review Source:Yup, this is as good as it gets in Northern New Jersey.
Real food cooked by a real chef.
We've been coming here since he opened...and never had a bad or even mediocre meal.
Pricey? Yes. But then again, you get what you pay for in life, don't you now....
Andre knows good food. I can't say that about 90% of the restaurateurs out there.
My wife and I had dinner last Sunday at Andre's.  It was the Crab and Lobsterfest.  Absolutely delicious.  We decided to do the wine pairing and it was spot on.  The Reisling  paired with the crab curry was extraordinary.
This was not our first time at Andre's. Â Our experience has been that the quality and inventiveness never fails while the service is impeccable.
My wife and 3 year old daughter decided to go to Andre's on a whim. We were welcomed with big warm smiles. As soon as we sat down they brought my daughter a bucket of crayons and a piece of paper (typical) but then they brought her what i thought was the most brilliant idea ive ever seen at any restaurant. They gave her ginger bread dough and decorations so that she could create her very own dessert. Our foie gras appetizer and entres were spectacular. Dessert was amazing also. We cant wait to come back again.
Review Source:My favorite restaurant in New Jersey! Â Chef Andre is a skilled and creative master at his craft, his foie gras and duck entrees are NOT to be missed. Â His wife Tracy runs the front of the house to a high standard of professionalism and the waitstaff are courteous and knowledgeable. Â We have been going to this restaurant since it first opened and find that the quality remains consistently excellent and can stand against the finest restaurants in New York, San Francisco or Europe. Â The wine bar features some of the most excellent wines at reasonable prices and they are skilled at offering the perfect pairings for your delicious meal.
Review Source:We've wanted to come here for years, but for one reason or another, never made it.  My boyfriend and I went here with another couple two Thursdays ago, and were definitely impressed.  I agree with Heidi N. that  the duck confit truffle pasta is ridiculously good, and a very large portion for an appetizer.  They have a large selection of wines by the bottle, but few wines by the glass, and quite generic at that.  This is my only criticism.  Everything from the service to dessert and after dinner cordials was perfect.
Review Source:Andres' is one of those small places that is filled with big flavors and big characters. Everyone who works there is great. Even the young staff just learning the ropes. If you're ucky, Andre will serve you himself. If not, that's ok. You always will have his wife, Â who runs the front of house, available to take care of ur needs.
My favorite on the menu...by far, is the duck confit truffle pasta. You can get it as an app size or order it as an entree. I'm almost afraid to order the entree sized version for fear of dying in an all encompassing food coma of happiness. The light truffle creme sauce is almost translucent...but not quite. It covers the pasta just enough. Then there's the duck confit all concentrated with wonderful duck tangyness. Together, with a glass of pinot noir and you too can be in heaven.
Andre's is in the wrong town. Â This restaurant is in the same league as many of the restaurants of the same size and cuisine in NYC. I can't stress enough how good this food is.
First off, the setting is prefect. Small, quaint, and comfortable. Perfect for a private party actually.
The service is perfect. Nothing more to say here other than they are attentive, and make sure you have everything you need in a split moment.
Chef Andre knows what he is doing. He crafts seasonal, natural food that stays within his cuisine. That's saying a lot nowadays, as people are continuing to try to fuse everything together. He stays true to his food and his chosen path. Â It's remarkable how his flavors come together.
I can't and won't speak of any dish specifically because if you've read this a couple weeks or so after I've written it, you probably won't have the chance to eat what I'm talking about.
The constants are the wine (best selection in town), the atmosphere, and the service. All of which make this an amazing culinary experience in a town that's a little less than amazing.
i had my wedding rehearsal dinner at andre's this past September. It was truly a great experience. The food was amazing and the staff couldn't have been more helpful. All my guests raved about the food all weekend.
I couldn't recommend andre's more. Whether it's for a small dinner with friends or a giant party, the food is great. Andre's is extremely accommodating and more importantly delicious.
Just took the in-laws to Andre's this weekend for dinner. Â The food was outstanding with each course complimenting each other. Â We tried everything from the lamb, duck, mahi mahi to salmon. Â Each was cooked to perfection and never had the bad characteristics frequently found in those dishes (fish wasn't fishy, lamb didn't smell like 'old lamb'). Â Because the menu changes every two weeks, you'll get something new each visit.
A couple of notes:
- We had a reservation at 6:30 -- dinner took until 10:30. Â We didn't see a single table have turnover, everyone was there for the long run, and everyone loved it.
- There were three choices of meal styles:
a la carte (~$8 appetizer, ~$30 entree, ~$7 dessert)
five course meal (~$30 entree + $20 gets you any soup, appetizer, salad, entree, dessert and coffee)
prix fix (~$65 four course fixed meal)
- free evening municipal parking lot 1/2 a block away
The service was great with more than enough staff to handle everything from filling your drinks bringing the food out on time. Â Andre is in the kitchen and his wife Tracey is out on the floor chatting with the guests. Â It looks like there's a room you could rent for a private party.
For the longest time more than a few North Jersey natives regarded Andre's Restaurant as a secret best kept. Â That was until the NY Times gave Chef Andre deWaal's restaurant a rating of Excellent a few years back. Â Located in historic downtown Newton, NJ, you might want to put this destination in your tickler file. Â The wine boutique was added a couple of years ago and offers an array of fine wines to suit any budget. Â He offers wine tastings the second Tuesday of every month. Â Try 10 new wines with hors d'oeuvres for only $15. Â Who needs the food? Â You do. Â My last visit tasted like this: Foie Gras, Sateed, Caramelized Pinapple, Smoked Peppercorns for an appetizer & an entre of Pan Roasted Halibut with Smoked Salmon & Sweet Peas in Buerre Blanc Sauce. Â I guess you can tell I'm a big fan and frequent diner of Andre's.
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