Epernay in Montclair

[Rail Paul]

Had a meal at this charming BYO on North Park St last night. Saw the French film Amelie at the Claridge, and considered Tartufo (x Baladi) across the street. It was closed.

Walked up the street toward Tuptim, saw the tables and people smoking outside Epernay. The joint was 3/4 filled, but people were getting up, etc.

Duck cassoulet (ษ) was the special, price not given. Large pieces of duck breast and leg in a red wine sauce thickened with shortribs, beans were firm outside, soft inside. Absolutely the right choice for a windy cold night.

Dee had the strip steak (ฦ) which was fine. Fries with it were great. With tip and perrier, the tab was ์, and we have at least another night's dinner out of the remains. Most of the menu items seemed to be apps in the บ range, entrees ฟ-25. The plats du jour were not priced on the menu.

This place was beaten up pretty badly on the old board when it opened, but I had a pleasant experience. Very mixed crowd (two guys next to us, four women across the way, several M/F couples, an office party in the loft (15-20 lawyers discussing their billings, we could hear much of it).

[Rosie]

Thanks for the report. Sounds like this place is worth another visit. I think they are also remodeling. Any info on that?

[Rosie]

We had a very enjoyable dinner last night at Epernay, 6 Park St, Montclair. This BYO French bistro serves soothing comfort food. We started off with an onion soup topped with Gruyere cheese and a colorful beet salad with melt in your mouth braised leeks, mache and walnuts. Entrees were three hefty slices of calf's liver surrounded by onions, roasted apples and a delicious sherry vinegar jus. Chef Mark Papera does a great job with sauces and the braised short ribs were fall off the bone tender with a rich bread dipping sauce. We ordered a lemon tart for dessert and the kitchen sent over chocolate mousse charmingly served in a demitasse cup, and a don't miss tarte Tatin with a crème fraiche.

The plats du jour will be changing soon so you have two weeks to try Epernay's cassoulet. As of now the following is served: game on Monday, cassoulet on Tuesday, bouillabaisse on Wednesday, cote de boeuf on Thursday, short ribs on Friday and beef bourguignonne on Saturday. Call in advance for reservations. The restaurant just received a VERY GOOD from David Corcoran in the New York Times 3/10/02.

The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 5 to 11 PM. Phone: 973-783-0447.

[Rail Paul]

We had dinner there after a movie in early December. Wind whipping, hint of snow. Cassoulet was excellent, very thick, not soupy. Hit exactly the right notes.

Clairidge, Wellmont and Screening still offer a decent bargain on Tuesday nights, movies for $5.50. We've been the only people in the place more than once.

[Pitter]

I had dinner at Epernay about a month ago, and thought it was one of the worst meals I ever had.  I ordered a salad, after seeing these beautiful plates of lettuce pass by, and what I received was indeed a beautiful plate of lettuce, dressed with nary a drop of dressing, and perhaps a teaspoon of salt.  When I finally found that singular drop of dressing, it was acrid and way off balance.  What an incredibly easy thing for a restaurant to do:  properly dress a salad.  This was, instead, inedible.  My partner ordered the steak tartar, and what she received was a pile of raw beef, obviously processed in a food processor so that it was a mound of raw beef puree, positively disgusting to look at, and, the clincher was that it contained perhaps a half cup of dijon mustard to a cup of meat.  We each took a tiny bite of it, burned our tongues, and had to send it back.  The waiter just kind of shrugged his shoulders, and we were charged for it nevertheless.  The roasted chicken was barely decent.  Guess this was quite an "off" night.

[Rosie]

Pitter-- I would have asked to speak to the chef or the chef's wife who runs the front of the room. The waiter should never have shrugged off the problem. My guess is that the chef/owner would have wanted to know about the problem and would have corrected it.

[Pitter]

Rosie -- of course you are absolutely right, but I was with a large table of folks in the food biz, and this restaurant is a client with some of them.  Therefore, I did not wish to make a scene, and possibly compromise someone's relationship.  I guess I should send them a short letter.  In my industry we never send things back and never complain.  It's part of the cost of doing business.

[Rosie]

I had a very enjoyable dinner again last night at Epernay, 6 Park St, Montclair. BYO. We started off with a frisee, crisp bacon and blue cheese salad with mustard dressing and a poached egg on the side and a local organic green salad tossed with herbs and sherry vinaigrette. Entrees were fabulous scallops in a light herbed tomato sauce and a pan roasted trout. I wouldn't hesitate to order both again. On Thursday's Chef Mark Papera serves cote de boeuf for two and the next Thursday I have free will find me back at Epernay having this dish. Dessert was profiteroles filled with ice cream accompanied by a pitcher of warm chocolate sauce. We rolled out of the restaurant as portions are big and so good that it is hard not to finish everything. The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 5 to 11 PM. Phone: 973-783-0447.

[Rail Paul]

I'm glad you enjoyed your dinner there. My two visits have been enjoyable. It's also one of the few places in Montclair which will take people after 9 pm during the week, 28 is another.

I belive Tuesdays feature various cassoulet preparations, but I suspect they'll do something else once the weather warms up.

[lano]

I've eaten at eprnay a couple times, although not recently,  and enjoyed it immensely.  

Haven't tried 28 yet, although I have had brunch/lunch at Raymonds (which I believe is owned and operated by the same person).  Enjoyed it, however it is small and the wait stinks.  If the dinner at 28 is any reflection of Raymonds, I'm sure it is quite good.

[Rosie]

I have another small piece coming out on 4/17 about Epernay on Table Hopping With Rosie.

[Rosie]

Dinner at Epernay, 6 Park St, Montclair was outstanding tonight. We started out with mussels in a white wine, garlic and parsley broth. The broth was so good I was eating it like soup. Lowell went through a baguette of bread soaking up the broth. On Thursday Chef Mark Papera offers cote de boeuf for two and it was outstanding. (Hank, it's worth the ride.) Our four pound rib eye on the bone served medium rare with salad, French fries and a creamy mustard sauce was tender and delicious. And what is even better is that we will have it for dinner on Friday and I get the bone! Dessert was a lip puckering lemon tart in a graham cracker crust. Super! Do try this place. It's best to go here during the week. The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 5 to 11 PM. Phone: 973-783-0447.

[Rosie]

Dinner last night was at Epernay, Montclair. If you plan on going here within the next few weeks be sure to call as the chef's wife is due any minute and they will be closing for 2 weeks once the baby is born. Apps were  onion soup; mussles with white wine, garlic and parsley; a mixed green salad; and a tender octopus, calamari and chick pea salad (yummmmy). Entrees were herb and pepper crusted tuna with lentil salad; calves liver with onions and roasted apples; and whole roasted trout with artichokes and potatoes. Our plates were licked clean. Oh-and of course we had a side of french fries served with a mustard sauce. Desserts were a lemon tart; creme brulee; fresh berries; and an apple pie. We rolled out of the place. BYO.

[TheBoatMan]

On Thursday Chef Mark Papera offers cote de boeuf for two and it was outstanding. (Hank, it's worth the ride.) Our four pound rib eye on the bone served medium rare with salad, French fries and a creamy mustard sauce was tender and delicious.

Rosie,

Do you know if Epernay still prepares the cote de boeuf for 2 on Thursdays? Sounds yummy Not sure if this menu item is seasonal or not. Thanks so much for the help.

[Rosie]

Do you know if Epernay still prepares the cote de boeuf for 2 on Thursdays?

Yes. We had it once and it was fabulous. But just in case, when you call for a reservation you should ask. Yes, be sure to make a reservation just in case. They get busy on weekdays also.

Mon-Gibier

Tues-Tuna Nicoise

Weds-Bouillabaisse

Thurs-Cote de Boeuf

Fri-Ris de Veau

Sat-Navarin of Lamb

[TheBoatMan]

Thanks Rosie!

[Rosie]

Our latest dinner at Epernay consisted of onion soup; octopus, calamari and chick pea salad; frisee salad with bacon, blue cheese and a poached egg; roasted beet, mache and leek salad; and French fries with three dipping sauces. Entrees were bouillabaisse which is only served on Wednesday; whole roast trout with roasted artichokes and potatoes with a lemon caper vinaigrette; "Niman Ranch" pork chop with asparagus, baby turnips and fingerling potatoes; and hanger steak with bone marrow surrounded by a red wine sauce. Everything was first-rate but we thought the pork chop and steak were the "winning" entrees of the evening. After a cheese plate we managed to find room for a lemon tart, crème brulee, profiteroles filled with ice cream accompanied by a pitcher of warm chocolate sauce and chocolate mousse. So far we have only tried two of Chef Mark Papera's "plat du jour" (bouillabaisse on Wednesday and cote de boeuf on Thursday) so we will be back to try game on Monday, tuna nicoise on Tuesday, ris de veau on Friday and navarin of lamb on Saturday. Call in advance for reservations. This place gets busy even during the week. Phone: 973-783-0447.

[TheBoatMan]

My wife and I dined at Epernay this past Thursday and we thouroughly enjoyed our meal. We have been eager to get to Epernay and try the cote de boeuf ever since reading Rosie’s post about it.

We made it to the restaurant without incident using the website’s (http://www.epernaynj.com) directions. It’s about a five minute drive from the #148 gs parkway exit. Parking can be a bit of a problem but a few trips around the block yielded a prime spot. There were outdoor tables set up but with the heat we decided to sit indoors. Tables inside are very close together but as this is supposed to be a bistro atmosphere this did not bother us in the least and added to the experience. It never got to crowded while we were there but could imagine it could get quite noisy on a packed evening.

As soon as you sit down a yummy baguette is placed directly on the white paper lined tables. Our server promptly arrived with menus, opened our wine (byob) and recited the "plat du jour" (special entrée of the evening), although I did have to ask the price. Menu selection did not take long as we knew we wanted the cote de boeuf special which was 56.00 for two. The cote de bouef is an aged bone-in cut of prime rib for two. We knew the entrée would be plenty of food for us but had to try some appetizers. We definitely wanted the mussels, which come in two sizes appetizer or entrée, and in 3 different sauces, we opted for the garlic and white wine. My wife also spotted the steak tartare, which she loves but rarely sees on menus, so we had to have that as well. Appetizers arrived and we immediately knew we were going to have a lot of food. Mussels came piping hot in an overflowing cast iron pan. They were thoroughly clean, not a trace of sand, about medium sized and the broth was so good I almost wanted to drink it. Steak tartare was served with toast points, some field greens and gerkins. It was excellent and a hearty portion as well. Nicely timed wait between appetizers and entrée. The cote de boeuf arrived sliced on a large platter with the rib bone separated, roasted garlic still in the clove and a light brown almost kind of au jus. You are given a plate with rosemary steak frites and field greens as well. You could definitely taste the aged beef flavor and all I can say is it was fantastic. We ate and ate until we could eat no more and had the leftovers including the rib bone wrapped up to take home. Had no room for coffee or dessert so cannot comment on that.

Two very minor complaints... Our server never checked back with us after the appetizer or entrée was delivered. I think it is imperative, even more so when the specialty of the evening is meat, to check with the table to make sure the meat is cooked to the diners liking, that the order is correct and everything is ok. She did not seem to be "in the weeds" (busy or overwhelmed), maybe she just forgot? Cant know for sure on that one. Second minor complaint was we had ordered the meat MR and it came to the table an undeniably rare. Maybe the chef couldn’t bear cooking it more than the traditional rare, not sure on that one either. It was so good it didn’t make a difference though and I could have summoned the server if we wished to have it cooked more. Otherwise, service was excellent, prompt greeting, ordering, good timing, offered dessert menus without having to ask, quick check drop and pick up, and inviting us to come back soon.

We will definitely be going back and are eager to try the other “plat du jours”. Food bill with two appetizers, the special entrée, bottle of sparkling water and tax was roughly 90 dollars. Thanks to Rosie for making us aware of Epernay.

[Rosie]

Have you been to Epernay (6 Park St, Montclair) yet? Do put this BYO French bistro on your "must try" list. At a recent dinner we started off with the mussels in a white wine, garlic and parsley broth. Soak up the broth with the crusty baguette that is served. Delicious. We also had their addictive French Fries served with a creamy mustard sauce. For entrees we had the crispy skin salmon with white bean and chorizo sausage ragout, with a grain mustard sauce; the herb and pepper crusted tuna (served rare as requested) with lentil salad and a shallot vinaigrette; and the steak frites. I know we had French fries twice but we finished them without a problem! Everything was wonderful. We ordered berries with a sabayon for dessert and Chef Mark Papera sent over some other goodies for us to enjoy. I don't know how, but three of us managed to taste the crème brulee; chocolate mousse; lip puckering lemon tart in a graham cracker crust; and an apple tart. The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 5 to 11 PM. Call in advance for reservations. This place gets busy even during the week. Phone: 973-783-0447.

[joi h.]

epernay is one of my new favorate places! we were first there for new years eve and are planning on returning shortly! it is one of those places that when you first dine there you almost have to ask yourself why you waited so long to go!

[pnapoli]

wow, rosie, i think the last time i was at epernay i had the same exact things as you (minus all the desserts--we just had creme brulee!)

those frites are great, huh? i really liked the mussels alot, too. oh, and we had a really good server--it was quite crowded but he was totally on top of everything.

chef mark looks really young...

[pete ganz]

We went to Epernay last night and man was it good. I just started scrolling through NJ threads it happened on this one. I had the frisee salad mentioned earlier, which was delicious. The pieces of bacon in it are a cubic inch! I also had the hanger steak in red wine sauce with bone marrow...awesome. I've only had this cut 2 times before (Les Halles was one place), but this was by far the best example. The mashed potatoes and haricot verts that came with it were terrific. My wife also said she loved the tuna, which was the standard seared/rare method but served on a bed of lentils and greens with a vinaigrette. Excellent frites as well. It was quite busy for a Thursday and there was a nice buzz in the place, I enjoy a bit of noise. The portions were extremely generous all around. For 2 apps, 2 mains, and a side of fries, the bill came to $69 before tip. I will definitely be back.

[Rosie]

Had another memorable dinner at Epernay, 6 Park St, Montclair. Started with fresh sardines with baby arugula and roasted pepper salad, escargot with Pernod butter, mussels in a white wine, garlic and parsley sauce and French fries with a garlic dipping sauce. Entrees were: duck confit on cranberry beans and blood sausage ragout; crispy skin salmon with lentil salad and shallot vinaigrette; filet of sole with saffron beans and baby spinach with a tomato broth; and trout with braised artichokes and potatoes with a lemon-caper vinaigrette. We were only able to manage one dessert but the kitchen sent out four. Yes, we managed to finish creme brulee, chocolate mousse, lemon tart, and profiteroles. BYO. Phone: 973-783-0447. If you haven't dined here be sure to put Epernay on your "must try" list. Been here many times and have never been disappointed.

We bring our own glasses but last night we saw a couple who not only brought their own martini glasses but all the makings including the shaker for an apple martini.

[pete ganz]

That's funny, my wife and I were there last night too (7:30 reservations). We split the steak tartare for starters and she had the hanger steak this time and I had the Niman Ranch pork medallions. The tartare was a huge portion and very flavorful, tasting like a fair amount of cornichons went into it, which were also served with it on the side along with garlic toasts. The hanger steak was terrific again but I have to say the pork was a bit dry and overcooked, although it did come with a nice cheese polenta and tomato cofit. I should have had the rabbit special instead....

[Rosie]

Where were you sitting? We were near the window. However, we were eating and drinking so much we only noticed the people on either side of us.