Restaurants in Sussex County

[cindys]

Hi folks. My husband and I are moving from Bergen county to Hopatcong in Sussex county. Can anyone steer us in the direction of some restaurants. Any and all would be appreciated from pizza to a gazillion course meals. LOL

TYIA!

[Rosie]

Andre's, Newton

Black Forest Inn, Stanhope

Zoe's By the Lake, Sparta

All of these have been written about on eGullet. I was just at Zoe's this past week. Do a search for more information.

Welcome to eGullet. When you dine anyplace be sure to give us a report.

[suzilightning]

all the ones rosie mentions are wonderful but a expect to spend $75+ for dinner for two.

some other places(you did say any and all) you might consider:

Bell's Mansion- Rt 183 Stanhope - go here for a late lunch, forget about dinner

Shakey Jakes - Rt. 183 Stanhope just down the road from Bell's midpriced and good ribs

Francesca's - Rt. 181 Sparta upscale Italian

Restaurant Il Porto at Lake Mohawk - byo and lakefront

Krogh's - White Deer Plaza, Lake Mohawk - my favorite place for homebrew and a bacon blue cheese burger

Perona Farms - Andover-Sparta Road - Sunday Brunch

Warehouse Grille - Rt. 181 Jefferson good family place

Plaza Bistro - White Deer Plaza, Lake Mohawk - byo american

Village Saloon - Rt 181 Sparta - comfortable place, does basic steak, chicken pasta dishes

course if you are on the lake itself you have another set of places to stop - none i would really recommend

[dbrociner]

I work with someone who is a long time Hopatcong resident, here are some of his recommendations:

Blue Coyote on Lakeside Blvd. for burgers, ribs, chili etc.

Frank's Pizza in the 3 in 1 shopping plaza.

Parma John's on Lakeside Blvd. Italian restaurant.

The Ridgewood on Wills Ave. for a "nice" meal.

Provinci's on Maxim Dr. along side the River Styx Bridge for Italian-Continental with live entertainment on weekends.

Outside of Hopatcong he recommends the Windless in Jefferson Twnshp. on the lake. He seconds Suzi Lightnings recommendation of the Warehouse Grille.

Haven't been to any of these places so I can't vouch but this guy's lived up there for 35 years so he should know. Also, he works for the fire department so he might do the smoke detector test on the home you're buying.

I will add that if you like a good deal on steak and seafood you can try Pub 199 in Mt. Arlington. The place is too smokey for me but you can get a steak and 2 dozen clams for $15. Its always packed so go early.

Edited October 7, 2003 by dbrociner (log)

[menton1]

Don't know what part of Sussex you are in-- big place;

In the Northwest, there is a place in the middle of nowhere called Walpack Inn, Walpack Center, right in the middle of the state forest, a great view, pleasant if unspectacular food--

In the Southwest, right over the border in Warren County, is the Inn at Millrace Pond, in Hope, perennially acclaimed for it's beautiful setting and very good cuisine.

As previously mentioned, Andre's in Newton, probably the closest thing to top notch cuisine west of Morristown....

[suzz]

Il Porto on Lake Mohawk is great, but my top choice is Bula in Newton for some really different fusion food in a funky storefront atmosphere. Also, I haven't been in a while, but Shelby's in Hamburg used to be excellent.

[prichwich]

My question seems more like a tangent than a new topic, so I thought it best to put here.

My wife and I will be staying at the Inn at Millrace Pond in a few weeks. On Saturday we'll dine at the Ryland Inn (first time, VERY excited ). But for Friday I'm deciding between Andre's and staying at Millrace Pond to dine (Zoe's seems just a little too far for this trip.)

I've been to neither, but at first glance Andre's seems the better choice (at least food/chef wise). The Inn, on the other hand, does appear to be good, and, no small factor, our warm room will be waiting for us just a few steps away.

Any thoughts? Other suggestions?

Thanks.

[Rosie]

I love both Andre's and Zoe's. Had dinner at the Inn at Millrace Pond and the place is charming but the food is not the same caliber as you would get at Andre's. Be sure to let us know where you end up and how it was.

[Rosie]

Has anyone been to Il Dolce Vita on Rt 15 in Wharton? They opened up at this location a few weeks ago and previously were in Denville?

[suzilightning]

no- they took the spot next to shoprite that sonny's was in.

stopped by and looked at the menu. looks like all the other italian-american joints in the county. veal, pasta - choose your type and choose your sauce, lasagna, etc.

prices run in the 6-9 range for appetizers and salads, 10-15 for plates

sorry rosie - i'd rather pop over on mount pleasant ave and go to east cafe for pho, sushi, or dumplings - then hit up grapevine fine wines.

[suzilightning]

ok - so i lied...er changed my mind.

after a bad 24 hours(my personal october curse kicked in and i lost a tooth off my dentures - eating my homemade macaroni and cheese), a full day at work and an hour on the hawkwatch i decided i wanted soft comfort food - lasagna so i decided to try Il Dolce Vita.

walked in and there was a deuce and a four top. the space has been slightly reconfigured and painted to look like the outside of a stuccoed house with columns and vines. guess i caught all the staff off kilter(single female?) because i had to tell at least three people "one for dinner". was seated at the furthest table in the place under a ficus tree so i swapped to the seat opposite. i barely sat down and hadn't looked at the menu when an older waiter asked if i wanted something to drink. no thank you, i haven't even seen what is available.

no lasagna - it's only on the lunch menu

time to regroup....

a small plate of marinated vegetables and bread was brought to the table. i thanked the young lady but said she could keep the bread and butter(i am not a bread eater) so i don't know if it was hot or not

i love calamari so ordered that as a starter. also ordered shrimp on grilled zucchini with mushrooms in a wine sauce.

DO NOT ORDER THE CALAMARI. about 3/4 of it was inedible pieces about 1/2" thick and chewy as rubber bands. the pieces were lightly battered and fried, served with a marinara sauce and a wedge of lemon. when the plate was removed i was asked if i wanted the remainder to go but i said no. i felt uncomfortable saying that they tasted like small pieces of rubber. they were very solicitous - did i want some soup, perhaps a salad or a different starter. at least 3 different people stopped by to ask. guess i'm odd but when i get a taste in my brain i find it difficult to make substitutions.

the entree was lovely. 4 u-12 shrimp grilled, 3 slices of zucchini also grilled with the mushrooms and wine sauce. the sauce was so good i was sorry i hadn't kept the bread basket so i could soak it up with some. the only odd thing was they were served with two small slices of carrot and one small brocolli spear and mashed potatoes. i would have liked to see rice instead of the potatoes but i guess that is the american part of the italian american equation. 2 of the gentlemen who had stopped by previously came back to see if this was to my liking.

the bill came to 18 plus tax(the calamari was removed from the bill) - i tipped on the total before the appetizer was removed.

it is byo and i would try it again(they have some fish dishes that look interesting). maybe with john

[Rail Paul]

based on your description, it sounds like the calamari was pre-cooked, and overcooked. That usually presents a rubbery taste when the item is reheated or hot sauced.

How are the hawks doing? I saw several riding the thermals off Route 15 south of woodport road exit last week. They seemed to be having a lot of fun...

[Lreda]

ok - so i lied...er changed my mind.

after a bad 24 hours(my personal october curse kicked in and i lost a tooth off my dentures - eating my homemade macaroni and cheese), a full day at work and an hour on the hawkwatch i decided i wanted soft comfort food - lasagna so i decided to try Il Dolce Vita.

walked in and there was a deuce and a four top.  the space has been slightly reconfigured and painted to look like the outside of a stuccoed house with columns and vines.  guess i caught all the staff off kilter(single female?) because i had to tell at least three people "one for dinner".  was seated at the furthest table in the place under a ficus tree so i swapped to the seat opposite. i barely sat down and hadn't looked at the menu when an older waiter asked if i wanted something to drink.  no thank you, i haven't even seen what is available.

no lasagna - it's only on the lunch menu

time to regroup....

a small plate of marinated vegetables and bread was brought to the table.  i thanked the young lady but said she could keep the bread and butter(i am not a bread eater) so i don't know if it was hot or not

i love calamari      so ordered that as a starter.  also ordered shrimp on grilled zucchini with mushrooms in a wine sauce.

DO NOT ORDER THE CALAMARI.  about 3/4 of it was inedible pieces about 1/2" thick and chewy as rubber bands.  the pieces were lightly battered and fried, served with a marinara sauce and a wedge of lemon.  when the plate was removed i was asked if i wanted the remainder to go but i said no.  i felt uncomfortable saying that they tasted like small pieces of rubber.  they were very solicitous - did i want some soup, perhaps a salad or a different starter.  at least 3 different people stopped by to ask.  guess i'm odd but when i get a taste in my brain i find it difficult to make substitutions.

the entree was lovely.  4 u-12 shrimp grilled, 3 slices of zucchini also grilled with the mushrooms and wine sauce. the sauce was so good i was sorry i hadn't kept the bread basket so i could soak it up with some. the only odd thing was they were served with two small slices of carrot and one small brocolli spear and mashed potatoes.  i would have liked to see rice instead of the potatoes but i guess that is the american part of the italian american equation. 2 of the gentlemen who had stopped by previously came back to see if this was to my liking.

the bill came to 18 plus tax(the calamari was removed from the bill) - i tipped on the total before the appetizer was removed.

it is byo and i would try it again(they have some fish dishes that look interesting).  maybe with john

Suzi, It disturbs me that you would venture so close to me and not visit.

Edited October 19, 2003 by Lreda (log)

[suzilightning]

lou-

this place is less than a mile from the main gate at picatinny. don't worry -

i'll be visiting for lunch soon(is december soon?) and bringing a girlfirend of mine.

[cindys]

Wow! Thank you all so much. Sorry I haven't been here sooner but we're busy. LOL

$75 for dinner for two in very reasonable.

menton1 ~ We're moving to Hopatcong. I mentioned that in my original post. :)

Suzilightning~ We actually went to a wedding at Perona Farms. I had no idea they had brunch. We will be going there.

dbrociner~ Tell your co worker I said thanks! LOL Thank YOU for looking into it. We are actually down the street from Franks and have eaten there twice. Very good food.

I keep hearing mixed reviews on Blue Coyote. We are about a half a mile down the street from Pavinci. It looks nice so I was hoping that the food would also be great. One of my in laws friends got us a gift certificate there for when we don't feel like cooking.

[suzilightning]

ok cindys

about 5 months down the road, we seem to be out of the snow(touch wood).

where have you been and how did you like it?