The Claremont Tavern

I'm a fan of this small obscure place off the beaten path in the city of Bernardsville which is located next to Basking Ridge. My co-worker, who lives in NJ, recommended that I pop in here for an IPA and some grub. It's much more upscale that meets the eye.

They have a nice variety of beers on tap and a friendly staff. It's already starting off right, isn't it?

Moving onto the exploration of the menu, you'll find a variety of your not-so-standard bar fare. They have burgers, pizza, steaks, fish n chips, sandwiches, but also some straight up restaurant entrees. I enjoyed this. Thinking that I want something not so normal in my travels to NJ, I opted for the Crab Burger. It was better than expected and the mustard was perfect for it. I'm a big mustard crusted salmon fan and this took the cake for a crab burger. It was a nice simple blend of flavors. The fries were hot and delicious.

The fact I was on the company dollar, I also decided to order a pizza for a late night snack. I ordered the standard pizza plus Italian sausage and wild mushrooms. I do wish there was more sauce but the crust at this joint is no joke. It is legitamately GOOD CRUST. I am a serious fan of this.

At the end of the day, this was a very pleasurable simple experience. It was annoying to see nothing but Golf on the channels but the peeps at the office the next day said that's standard for this area. It's a good thing I don't live here and substantiates why I don't want to.

I WILL be back to the Claremont. I think I will commit to at least 2x during the next week that I am in NJ (August). I am a fan of this place.

4 1-2 stars here!

We tried this place out thanks to a gift certificate and had a pretty good experience. The place itself is small, and was super crowded. Seems like a local favorite. We waited for about 20 mins for a table so while waiting, we went to the bar which was packed. Ended up getting a few drinks and standing while we waited. We were then seated by the hostess in the back room which was dimly lit and cramped. Then we were promptly greeted by our server and had our drink orders taken.

On to the food!
The crispy calamari was SO GOOD. It was served with a balsamic dressing and a creamy tomato sauce. YUM. Then there was the crab mac and cheese which was definitely better than most that I've tasted at other establishments. It was creamy and cheesy and had chunks of crab meat in there. I had the Crab Burger which was a crabcake with lettuce, tomato and red onion. OMG. This thing was delicious. The Diablo burger was delish too. The prices were moderate, something you expect from a smaller place, but the burgers didn't come with actual sides. I think the Diablo came with two onion rings on top which were delicious, but usually most places give a side of fries (or something else) with their burgers, although you could order other sides ala carte. For dessert, the Caramel Walnut Banana Spring Roll was YUM. Imagine a caramelized banana with candied walnuts in a fried spring roll shell with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Service was really good too.
Our waitress came around to make sure everything was ok, and drinks were refilled often. 4 1/2 stars on account of

1. crowded, no waiting area (some people were waiting outside)
2. No actual sides that come with burgers.

This place is very cute and within walking distance of my house so I was crossing my fingers on this one. Unfortunately, the food was just not good. I've given it a few tries, too. With so many other "tavern" type restaurants in the area with similar food, I'd suggest passing on this one.