Pittstown Inn

[Rosie]

The Pittstown Inn is a charming stone restaurant which has an open kitchen and walls decorated with pastoral murals. It's too bad that the food and service aren't as lovely as the surroundings. Appitizers were a floury butternut squash soup that was cold until I swirled it around with my spoon and then it was lukewarm; a seafood bisque that tasted more like tomato soup; crab cakes that were good, and an acceptable quail salad. Entrees were chicken with thinnly sliced potatoes that were layered with cream and/or butter. They were cold on top and warm underneath. Although I suspected that both the squash soup and potatoes were heated in a microwave the waitress told us that there wasn't a microwave in the restaurant. A large pork chop was well done, not medium rare as ordered. The grainy mashed potatoes that accompanied this dish didn't taste freshly made. A hanger steak came medium rare as ordered but I thought it would have been better without the sauce and the accompaniment of limp French fries. Scallops were the best dish of the bunch although the rice with coconut milk and pineapple was too sweet for my taste. After finishing our meal our dinner plates were taken away and we waited what seemed like ten minutes for our dirty bread plates to be bussed. Finally we asked the waitress to remove them. We were told that the desserts were all made in-house but I wonder about that since the dull banana cake looked too perfect with exact size layers and icing. We had a hard time finding the mixed berries in a berry cobbler that was also burnt on the edges and uncooked in middle making it inedible. Phone: 908-735-0125.

[duchapl]

Disclaimer: My Significant Other was the designer for the Pittstown Inn. Having said that, I found this review both mean-spirited and, in some case, inaccurate. We have eaten at the Inn dozens of times with cross-section of people: ardent foodie friends, business associates, mothers-in-law and their ilk, and teenagers whose food preferences lean toward Taco Bell. In every case, the food was exceedingly fresh and prepared with care and creativity. Neither our guests nor anyone we’ve ever questioned about their meals at the Pittstown Inn have had a single complaint about the food.

As for inaccuracies, there were several in the review. The Butternut Squash soup may have come out of the kitchen lukewarm for the reviewer (mistakes can be made), but hard to imagine it tasted floury since there is no flour in it. She may not have found the scallops to her liking, but she can’t fault the pineapple, since the scallop dish contains no pineapple, but a mango chutney. I doubt her quail salad was ‘acceptable’ because there is no quail salad on the menu. There is a bourbon-glazed quail, but no one we ever ate with mistook it for a salad.

The microwave comment seemed actually snide. Perhaps some people think all restaurants do a quick re-heat in a microwave; the Pittstown Inn doesn’t even have a microwave.

She may have found the mashed potatoes grainy, although an informal poll of seven previous diners at the Inn (including me—who has ordered them repeatedly) thought the mashed potatoes ranked somewhere between ‘fantastic’ and ‘perfect.’

The dessert comment was simply silly. Now she seems to be faulting the Pittstown Inn for a dessert’s flawless presentation. Some bakers do know how to make precise layers and icing.

In short, yes I am biased in the Pittstown Inn’s favor, but with dishes like an inventive Cioppino, scallops that taste like a spring day bursting in your mouth, meltingly good beet and goat cheese salad, and even a flawless hamburger, the Pittstown Inn deserves better than Rosie’s Table-Hopping review. Try it for yourself—you’ll probably find us there.

[Rosie]

The inn is charming. You did a great job. I stand by my report. In addition I was with a restaurant reviewer that evening who gave a similar review to mine on the radio last week. There were four of us there. No one was happy with their dinner. I would also suggest that the chef would be better off in the kitchen rather than standing on the front porch drinking beer, walking through the dining room drinking beer and sitting and talking to customers. Perhaps then the food we were served would have been better. In addition, when asked if the salmon was farm raised salmon the waitress told us no it was "fresh."

I wrote about my experiece. Others should certainly try the restaurant as they may have a much different experience than I had. Try it and be sure to give us a report.

[Kim WB]

I would also suggest that the chef would be better off in the kitchen  rather than standing on the front porch drinking beer, walking through the dining room drinking beer and sitting and talking to customers. Perhaps then the food we were served would have been better.

If I put heart and soul into a restauraunt, and the chef was on the porch drinking beer, I would fire him immediately. There is a big difference between walking through the room, perhaps having a taste of wine if offerred...but drinking beer on the porch? What a terrible first impression!

Rosie, is this a BYO? There was no mention of the wine list or selections.

[Wiener]

Follow-up to Rosies review . Microwaved foods in restaurants. I have often wondered about entrees or meals served which seemed microwaved? How can you tell? I often wonder when the food is too too hot and stays hot for a long time. How do others determine if a food is microwaved? Aside from meats, which are easy to spot.

[Rail Paul]

Rosie -

Based on your description, it sounds like your table's items may have been mis-timed in the kitchen. Perhaps the soup was poured, and allowed to cool while the crab cakes finished in the deep fryer or saute pan, etc. The same could apply if (Lowell's?) pork chop finished and continued to cook before the correctly cooked hanger steak was ready.

Arranging the completion of different dishes at about the same time is an art, usually noticed in its absence. The limp French fries would be another indication that this is the case.

You didn't mention the price for this meal. Would you care to share?

[bearstew]

I guess it's just not that place in Maplewood. But then again no one compares right? nudge nudge

[Rosie]

I don't know if the food was microwaved or not. I thought it might be because the potatoes were cold on top and warm underneath. Same with the soup. It could have been a problem with timing. Usually when you microwave food you need to swirl or stir the food so the heat is even throughout. I have no problem with microwaving food if it is heated properly.

Bearstew--not sure what you mean.

[TheBoatMan]

In short, yes I am biased in the Pittstown Inn’s favor, but with dishes like an inventive Cioppino, scallops that taste like a spring day bursting in your mouth, meltingly good beet and goat cheese salad, and even a flawless hamburger, the Pittstown Inn deserves better than Rosie’s Table-Hopping review. Try it for yourself—you’ll probably find us there.

duchapl I agree with you on the Rosie bashing. And it is a beautiful restaurant especially the lounge area with that rich, dark wood bar. I have been to the restaurant several times and have never had that kind of experience. Sure the service may need some tweaking and all the menu items may not be 5star but it hardly compares to that review. Unless you are one of the select NJ restaurants on this board thats the kind of review you take the chance of receiving here. Flame away. For another write up on this restaurant that does agree with Rosie on several points but points out the many positives of the decor, chef and food, read here.

Cody Kendall Star Ledger:

http://nj.com/dining/reviews_ledger.ssf?14132?14132

Rosie's review would make people not want to try this restaurant and that would be a mistake. In that area there are not many dining choices and this one deserves a try.

[DiningToday]

I am the restaurant reviewer (Pat Tanner) whom Rosie accompanied to the Pittstown Inn. I agree with Rosie's assessments: all 4 of us liked the look and feel of the place, and all 4 of us were disappointed in the food, in almost every instance because it was not executed with care. The menu is appealing, the prices are moderate, and the quality of the ingredients is good. When I reviewed this restaurant on my radio show two weeks ago, I suggested that listeners try it for lunch: that way they could enjoy the beautiful countryside in fall and not make such a dollar investment in food that may or may not be to their liking. The good news, I think, is that the faults we noted in the kitchen are easy to correct.

If you would like to read my review in full, just email me at DiningToday@aol.com and I'll shoot you back a copy. If you live in central NJ and would like to listen to my show, it's "Dining Today with Pat Tanner," each Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to 10 on WHWH 1350 AM.

Here are my comments on some of the particular issues raised.

Flour: perhaps it isn't used in the soup nor in that berry cobbler, but some thickening agent makes them too pasty.

Microwave & commercial desserts: Before I did my review I called the owner, Al D., about these. He swore the place doesn't have a microwave and every dessert is made inhouse. I chose to believe him, and reported on our conversation in my review. (There was still a problem with the temperature of several dishes, microwave or no.)

Quail salad: It's on the menu as bourbon-glazed quail with cilantro slaw. Slaw qualifies as salad in my book.

Is it BYO: No, it has a full bar and one of the things I liked best about the place is its beer and wine list, which contains interesting, well-priced selections.

Prices: Dinner starters range from $7 to $9; entrees, $13 for rigatoni to $27 for shell steak. There's a new fall menu now in effect, but I imagine prices are still pretty much in line with these.

[scarlet knight]

I don't see how Duchapl can say that Rosie's review was inaccurate unless he dined with her group. The review was negative, but I do not think that it was mean-spirited. It seemed very factual. The restaurant business is very competitive. I hope that Rosie's criticisms lead to constructive improvements in this restaurant that enable it to be a better restaurant. The restaurateurs who complain that reviewers are mean, vindictive, partial and unfair--instead of rectifying the problems--will soon be in another line of work.

[Rail Paul]

Rosie made a number of factual observations and several judgmental comments. Based on the several dozen places where we've dined (separately), her reviews are often consistent with my experience.

If I was an owner of the Pittstown Inn, I'd use this as a reminder that constant vigilance will enable the restaurant to deliver a top quality meal for each diner. A chef on the front porch drinking beer definitely sets a flawed first note. (In fairness, I did meet M. Constant three weeks ago, sitting in front of his Cafe Constant in Paris, smoking a cigar, with a glass of brandy. That was at 3 pm, though.)

d'ya suppose it's time for the Sonoma Grill vigilantes to pay a visit to the Pittstown Inn? That could settle the matter once and for all. I'll see what adult entertainment is in the area....