Just set up my account so this review is a little dated - went for birthday last summer but in an effort to be helpful and in retrospect now having been in the NJ suburbs for the past year the food here deserves 5 stars....especially now that I've been here for the past year and realize what this is up against in terms of other fine dining in the area.
Small, cozy restaurant with delicious food and formal service. Â I know you can save with the BYOB which is great but I do prefer a small bar in a restaurant - I don't love the prices but I like being served a drink when I'm out for the evening. Â It adds to the atmosphere and the experience so that's the only drawback for me.
I was thrilled to get reservations here for my wife's birthday as I had read some great things about the restaurant. Â I can only say that every aspect exceeded my already high expectations. Â The ambiance was incredible and it is a very cozy place that was perfect for Valentine's Day. Â The service was fantastic and the food was incredible. Â The salmon tartar knocked me off my seat. Â It is hands down the best tartar I have ever had. Â I had duck for my entree and it was a great portion and very tasty. Â
The only drawback is the price. Â However, it is BYO, so you save on alcohol. Â Anyway, Â I cannot recommend this restaurant enough.
If you're looking for a fine dining experience, then look no further than Lorena's. My wife and I recently celebrated a wedding anniversary and were fortunate to make reservations in advance for the occasion. There are only about a dozen tables, so you should plan well in advance when making reservations; Lorena's is worth the effort.
As appetizers, I had the Scottish Salmon Tartar with Creme Fraiche, Wasabi Tobiko, and Crisp Wonton ($16) while my wife enjoyed the Puree of Butternut Squash Soup with Huckleberries and Brioche Crouton ($11). The salmon was a nice treat, but I have to admit the butternut squash soup was so good that I have to recommend that as a starter. I loved that the soup was brought to the table with the huckleberries in the bowl and then the waiter poured the piping hot soup over the berries - very nice touch.
Entrees: Hudson Valley Free Range Rohan Duck Breast, French Green Lentils, Brunoise, Huckleberry Gastrique, Star Anise Duck Jus ($36) and Scottish Salmon, Stew of White Beans, Broccoli Rabe, Smoked Bacon ($36). The duck was beautifully presented, cooked to perfection and extremely satisfying. The skin was crispy, Â the duck meat was tender and flavorful, and the portion size was quite a bit larger than I expected. The salmon was fresh and cooked just as my wife ordered.
Desserts: I'm a sucker for Creme Brule, so I ordered the Tahitian Vanilla Bean Creme Brule while my wife enjoyed the Homemade Ice Cream (vanilla and raspberry).
Lorena's is a true gem and I highly recommend this restaurant.
Just a quick update to re-affirm prior ratings. Â Lorena's was recently featuring a "best of" menu with items that have been fan favorites in the last few years. Â There's a reason they are favorites. Â My wife and I started with the salmon tartare and the butternut squash soup. Â Both are about the best versions of these dishes we've ever had. Â For entrees, we both went with the venison served with cabbage and creamy spaetzle. Â The venison was perfectly cooked and seasoned. Â The red cabbage was a ideal side, while the spaetzle provided a rich, yet delicate bed for the venison. Â We shared the cheese plate for desert, which featured an interesting mix including several real stars. Â As usual, the servers are highly knowledgeable about the food and attentive without being overbearing. Â Another great meal.
Review Source:Decided to dine here with my parents after reading multiple reviews of Lorena's online. Considering that many have called this one of the best restaurants in all of New Jersey, I was expecting a lot. To my delight, they absolutely delivered on both food and service.
Let's begin with the food.
Appetizers
- Salmon tartar: Served with creme fraiche and wasabi tobiko. This is probably one of the best tartars I've had, ever. Everything just worked so well. It was smooth, creamy, and delicious, and had a hint of spice from the wasabi tobiko. It was beautifully plated, served over thinly sliced cucumbers.
- Lobster risotto: Served in a saffron emulsion with peas. The risotto was creamy with large chunks of perfectly cooked lobster. Very good, but not the best I've had. It was slightly underseasoned for my tastes.
- Butternut Squash soup: Served with foie gras nuggets, huckleberries, and a brioche crouton. They poured the soup at the table. Never tasted a soup quite like this before, and it made me crave for more. The foie gras nuggets were a nice surprise and the crouton added to the dish some much needed variation in texture. My dad could not stop talking about the soup throughout the meal.
Entrees
- Venison daily special: Served over braised red cabbage and pork belly. Venison was cooked perfectly medium rare. I usually don't like red cabbage, but I enjoyed this a lot. The bacon added flavor and saltiness that worked well with the dish. Only critique I can make is that there was too much coarse black pepper in the dry rub.
- Mahi Mahi: Served with local mushrooms and spinach in a truffle broth. Just delicious. Nothing more to say.
- Rack of lamb: My mom ordered this medium, while I prefer my rack of lamb to be medium rare. The lamb was served with a caponata and little cakes of polenta. Everything was cooked well, but we agreed that there was a lack of seasoning... it just needed a little more of that amazing sauce on the plate.
Dessert:
- A fig crepe with creme fraiche: Delicious. Light, flaky, not too sweet... good way to end the heavy meal.
One comment I can say about the food: They really let the protein be the star. The food was prepared simply but with a lot of attention to detail. In fact it was often so simple to be slightly underseasoned in my eye, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. They tried to let the ingredients speak on their own.
Service:
This is a small, formal restaurant. The waiters were always attentive, but not overbearingly so. They were very friendly and remembered everything to the last detail. Another plus is that this restaurant is BYOB. Bring a bottle of your best wine. The meal was over 2.5 hours long, but that's what you should expect at a restaurant like this. The check came out to about $80 per person with tip. It's not cheap, but definitely worth it.
Overall rating: 9/10. Excellent.
The reviews are mostly correct about the actual food quality and the dining experience. Â There's no need to reiterate what has already been stated by them. Â The food really is just excellent in general.
One reviewer also mentioned that it's not like French cuisine in France, and that is true. Â I would go so far as to say that it is nothing like French cuisine in France, other than some French influences here and there. Â Normally, I would not mind this, but the website states clearly in bold letters "Fine French Cuisine." Â They should not advertise that when they do not serve French food. Â However, for most people who have not toured France's finest bistros, they can think of French as "very fancy, high-end dining" instead.
I do not think it is small and overcrowded. Â I really liked the size of the restaurant because you know that the chef personally prepared your dish, and you get individualized attention. Â The tables are also evenly spaced apart. Â Downtown Maplewood is also a classy place to go out to dinner.
The service is very formal. Â You can tell that they are directed to keep their distance but still be available. Â You do not have to flag them down for anything either, and they gave us a lot of time at the table. Â However, another gripe I had is that when they asked, "How was it?" they didn't seem to really care. Â They would just walk away when I wanted to discuss anything about the food.
We made our reservation over Opentable for a Wednesday evening, and we had to hold it open with a credit card. Â Turns out that we wanted to reschedule, but we could not change it on the website, and the restaurant was closed both Monday and Tuesday. Â We could not change the reservation until the day of, and by that point, we just went anyway because we did not want to have our credit card charged. Â I don't see why they couldn't have had voicemail or let us change the reservation online even two days before the reservation.
In sum, excellent food, though not really French, very formal service, and classy downtown setting.
At the risk of losing our regular reservation, Lorena's is the finest restaurant I've ever been to. Seasonal menu. Great ingredients, Never had a better meal in NYC, Paris or Rome. BYOB means you can bring your best wines and keep the price reasonable, though it ts expensive. Save room for dessert!
Review Source:Looks like the owner had this posting deleted.....I guess the truth hurts as 15 people witnessed two weeks ago the scene that took place below.
First - here's Lorena's response to the below review
"Hi Tom,
adrian a. has sent you a message on Yelp:
you dont know anything
"first of all its chef not chief dumbass
second thing is you dont know what happened and the other guy that supposedly humberto was yelling at is a straight up jerk and came into restaurant one day fuming because the excellent smells from the restaurant were bothering him so keep you mouth shut because you dont know shit"
Here's the Post that Lorena's responded to:
Never had dinner at Lorena's and never will after witnessing the owner/ chef Humberto Campos Jr verbally attack a local resident and what also appeared Humberto Campos Jr spit in this individuals face.
Humberto Campos Jr was yelling at this individual for only being able to afford a little apartment and pizza for dinner.
I and a crowd of locals watched Humberto Campos Jr act out not to far up the street from his restaurant and Humberto Campos Jr should be ashamed for his actions. Â Probably not the best way to act in front of your own business. Â
I can't believe anyone would ever support Humberto Campos Jr business regardless how good it may be if that's how he treats people. Â He clearly feels he's above people because he doesn't live in a small apartment.
A great great great restaurant. Â Restaraunt Lorena's is a gem hidden in the middle of NJ. Â My wife and I absolutely love this place. Â The service is excellent. Â They are very attentive without being overbearing. Â Lorena's is just a small simple but elegant place to dine.
The food is above reproach. Â Everything we ordered was perfectly executed. Â My wife started with the roast beet salad and I with the lump crab crepe. Â They were both amazing, especially the crepe with the crab meat. Â That was one of the best dishes I have ever eaten. Â For ouor entree my wife got their chicken dish which was very good and I got the pepper encrusted venison loin which was out of this world good. Â
One of the best things about this place is that it is a BYOB. Â We were able to drink and excellent bottle of wine with excellent food without spending $100 for a bottle of wine. Â All in all the meal was one of the best I have ever had.
We had a lovely meal and enjoyed our time at this cozy and classic restaurant.
It was exactly what we expected for a place of this caliber.
All of our dishes were very good and the Foie Gras appetizer special was one of the best things I have ever tasted.
Under the Yelp rating systems 4 Stars = Yeah! I am fan. Â 5 Stars = Woohooo! Â As good as it gets.
I would say, yes, we are fans of this as good as it gets restaurant.
If we could afford to we would dine here at least once a week. Â When we do splurge once or twice a year for special occasions, Lorena's always lives up to its well earned reputation. Â Every single dish we have ever had there has been amazing, just the way you wish it could be all the time. Â Recent favorite starters were a duck rilette and crepes with crab, still dreaming about them.
Review Source:French restaurants in America are rarely like their homeland contemporaries, so don't expect Restaurant Lorena to be the same as sitting in Lyon. Â However, when it comes to French restaurant experience in America, Lorena is almost as good as it gets.
The atmosphere is very romantic with a small yet discrete room. Â Wait staff is excellent and perfectly attentive. Â True excellence is when you don't even notice the waiters and you never need to grab their attention.
The food is very, very good. Â French cuisine is all about technique and everything on the plate comes out perfect. Â Every last bite is savored. Â While the plate size is definitely small, you will not leave hungry. Â Coffee is Nespresso and worthy of this espresso snob.
The only downside is that it is BYOB, which generally is a very good thing and personally preferable. Â With such great attention paid to every detail it would have been enjoyable to have a sommelier choose a wine for me. Â But as you can see from my rating, this doesn't affect the overall rating, and lucky for you there are two wine stores within 100 feet!
My scallops were big, tender and flavorful, the sashimi appetizer and crab crepes were the best part of the meal, and the bf's veal on bone looked good enough but was just so so. Â Expensive but worth a visit on a romantic night out on the town when you don't want to travel to the city.
Review Source:Excellent service and food. The wait staff is knowledgeable and courteous. Â The chef creates wonderfully balanced and seasonal dishes. Â The summer 2011 menu was bright and fresh. Â The chef will bolster the lighter seafood dishes with stronger savory and earthy flavors (e.g. truffles, parsnips) but also brighten up the meat dishes with fresh herbs and vegetables. Â I can only swear by the summer menu; but, based on the attention to detail exhibited by the chef, I expect all menus to be equally thoughtful and timely. Â Looking forward to going back soon.
Review Source:I am angry with myself that I hadn't found this restaurant sooner! I was told they've been in business for 6 years and I just found this place this weekend. I only live 10 minutes from the place! I booked Lorena's for our wedding anniversary figuring I would give it a shot. After making the reservation, the next day I received a courtesy phone call that their air conditioner was out. I almost canceled the reservation but they told me they were going to offer outdoor seating as an alternative. It was 92 degrees outside but the reservations were for 7:30. Thankfully I went with my instinct and trusted fellow Yelpers that gave this place great reviews. We got to the restaurant and were greeted by the Chef/owner Umberto at the front door. I thought that was nice gesture. The menu is small as is the restaurant but don't let that steer you away. There are about 6 main entrees to pick from and 6 appetizers. My wife ordered the salmon tar tare appetizer which was incredible. I usually prefer tuna over salmon when it comes to sushi but this salmon melted in your mouth. I ordered the lump crab meat crepe which was also delicious. As for the main entrees, my wife ordered the scallops which she said were very good. I had the halibut which was served over spinach. It came with a parsnip and mushroom puree which popped in your mouth. Such a great combination with the halibut which was cooked to perfection. All of the ingredients were of the freshest and best quality you can ask for. I am going to say that restaurant Lorena is probably in my top 5 dining experiences of all time. I highly recommend it. Oh yeah...BYOB!!!
Review Source:The bar is very high when two Park Slope, Brooklyn residents head out to New Jersey for a meal. How was it? SPECTACULAR!
There were four of us in our group. Two had a 3-course tasting menu (the chef usually only does it for the entire group, but we were fortunate he agreed to do it just for two of us). They loved being surprised by what the chef wanted to send out (after having indicated what they would not want from the menu). A very lightly cooked salmon which was light and delicious and so were the veal chops with beef tongue (I know, I would never order that either, but you wouldn't have guessed.) I had the corn soup, poured over a small salad with balsamic vinaigrette - I am getting hungry just thinking about it. My second dish was the mahi-mahi. I am very picky about my fish, and this was not only fresh but perfectly cooked, with perfect bites all throughout. Warm chocolate cake with raspberry ice cream ended our meal with a bang!
Best of all, it's BYOB (no liquor license so you bring your own wine(s)), which makes a fantastic meal less expensive than usual.
Definitely worth the trip out to Maplewood!
Only 4 stars on Yelp as I'm writing this review? Shameful. Â This restaurant was absolutely FAN-TAS-TIC!!! Â The chef/ owner Humberto Campos Jr. greeted us at the door as we entered and even ended up pouring our wine for us! The place is BYOB by the way. Â I've read reviews of the place being described as "cramped." Â I would describe it a cozy and warm. Â The small seasonal menu consisted of 6 appetizers and 6 entrees, with each one sounding more delicious than the next. Â
We ordered the Scottish Salmon Tartare (Sake, Wasabi Tobiko, Creme Fraiche, Fried Wonton), the Warm Crepe of Jumbo Lump Crab (Mushrooms, Fresh Herb Emulsion, White Truffle Oil) as appetizers. Â The Salmon Tartare was pretty damn good in it's own right, but the Warm Crepe of Jumbo Lump Crab was absolutely PHENOMENAL!!!! Â Both my girlfriend and I agreed that this dish was one of the best things that either of us has ever eaten, ever. Â It was creamy deliciousness pure and simple. Â The crab was sweet and tender. Â Perfect. Â Humberto actually informed us that this was created by accident at the end of one night, and first contained lobster. Â Ultimately, he decided that the crab worked better. Â I would make a trip here for this Crepe alone. Seriously. Â I don't smoke, but I almost needed a cigarette after eating this. Â
For entrees we had the Filet Mignon of Beef (Haricot Vert, Cipollini,
Potato Gratin, Beef Jus, White Truffle Oil) and the Roasted Pepper Crusted Venison Sirloin (Braised Red Cabbage, Spaetzle,
Juniper Game Jus). Â Both were quite flavorful as was the side of Roasted Baby Artichokes that we had ordered. Â The Filet was cooked to perfection! Â The Venison, however, I had asked for medium, and although was cooked to medium, was a bit dry. Â My fault, not the restaurant's. Â I should have ordered it at least medium well. Â Despite the dryness, it was still rather good. Â
For dessert we had the Tahitian Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee. Â Think about those words....isn't your mouth starting to water?? Â The perfect end to a FANTASTIC meal. Â The personal touches and hospitality make this place what it is, of course in addition to the amazing food. Â
Can't wait to go back!!!!
This is one of the best and understated restaurants I've been to in a LONG time. Â The place is small, I think only about 10-12 tables, so you definitely need a reservation, and they take them 2 months in advance, so you are forewarned. Â It's also a BYOB, so come prepared. Â I was there with several family members and we all had truly delicious meals. Â
I started by sharing the lump crab meat crepe which was melt-in-your mouth delicious. Â My mother had the salmon tar tar which is always great and my father tried the risotto, which he said was good, even after he spilled a bit of his wine into his bowl. Â For my main course I had the filet mignon with a side of baby brussel sprouts. Â The meat was tender and the sprouts were perfectly sauteed. Â My parents both had the venison with lingon berries. Â I tried the venison and it was AMAZING. Â The meat was perfectly cooked and each bite melted in your mouth. Â We skipped dessert, mostly because we were so satiated from our dinner, but the desserts that came out to other tables looked supper yummy. Â I can't wait to go back!!
The owner is SO incredibly rude. I wanted to schedule my birthday party here which you would think they would want considering the bill would have been quite large. They acted like they were doing ME a favor by letting me have my dinner here. The owner, Lorena, was so extremely rude and I decided not to have my birthday dinner here considering how she treated me. DO NOT GO HERE. OVERPRICED and bad business.
Review Source:Easily one of the best in the Essex County area. Â The service is friendly and knowledgeable. Serious place, but not pretentious in the least. They always use the freshest ingredients, and they often shake up the menu with specials, while staying true to unfailing standards. The staff recognizes locals, but is not so familiar as to be annoying. I love this place, and it is my go-to for a special occasion, or when visitors are in town.
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