Madame Claude

[Rosie]

Had a delightful meal at Madame Claude, 364 4th St, Jersey City (BYO). This is a very tiny restaurant with perhaps 28 seats so be sure to make a reservation. Also, expect to be seated close to others and service can be as funky as the place. For example when we asked for water at a table for four we got one glass of water. At 7 PM on a Saturday evening they were out of the plat du jour. We had to ask for a spoon to serve ourselves the mussels. But we liked this restaurant, had fun and a good meal and therefore would return.

We started off with a plate of French fries to nibble on while we read the menu. Appetizers were tomato soup served in a deep bowl; large order of mussels in a mustard sauce; and a large assortment of imported pates with mesclun salad. A plate of French Fries came with one of the above so we ended up eating those also! The bread was ok but was lip smacking dipped into the mustard sauce that came with the mussels.

No one was surprised that Lowell ordered the pork chops with honey mustard sauce, roasted potatoes and broccoli rabe. I had the filet of sole with a red pepper sauce, spinach and yellow rice. The other entrée was a baked salmon served with tomatoes, fennel and haricot vert. I loved the salmon and the pork chops but thought the sole was overcooked.

There was nothing not to like about dessert! One dessert was an assortment of imported French cheeses, apples and greens which of course we liked although there weren’t any exotic cheeses on the plate. Also had a very good chocolate crepe and a fabulous tarte tatin with crème fraiche.

Dinner was $75 a couple with tax and tip. AND—BE FOREWARNED—THEY DO NOT TAKE CREDIT CARDS. We did not see anything on the menu or the front door to indicate this. Bring cash.

Phone: 201-876-8800

[Rosie]

Very informative review by David Corcoran in the 2/7 NJ section of the NY Times.

[tommy]

holy cow. had a great meal here last night. hanger steak in the form of steak frites au poivre. great frites. a mix of pate and a cheese plate to start. 25 dollars a head. family run atmosphere. what's not to like? this place is a gem.

[Rosie]

Hey Tommy---I told you so!!!!

[tommy]

Hey Tommy---I told you so!!!!

i can't get that steak out of my mind and i was about 2 seconds away from driving back tonite.

[Bux]

Appetizers were tomato soup served in a deep bowl; large order of mussels in a mustard sauce; and a large assortment of imported pates with mesclun salad. A plate of French Fries came with one of the above so we ended up eating those also!

I would assume the fries came with the mussels. Forty years ago the combination was strictly something one would find in Belgium, but the French have adopted it so heartily that there's at least one generation that assumes moules/frites are a French classic. I guess they are by now.

[glenn]

I dunno. I used to like this place a whole lot. I guess I still do, but I'm not thrilled with the spotty service and, worse, the occasional loser of a meal. The hangar steak is my favorite, though twice it was served well done when ordered medium rare. However, you can't go wrong with the mussels. And yes, the French fries come with the mussels. I find it easy to overlook many of the inconsistencies because of its charm and that it's a neighborhood joint and family run. This is truly a French bistro in every respect. Unfortunately, sometimes the owners are preoccupied (or not there) and things go downhill. I keep meaning to check out their breakfast and lunch menus. They open early in the morning.

[tommy]

Unfortunately, sometimes the owners are preoccupied (or not there) and things go downhill.

that could be a bad thing. she was handling the whole room (along with a guy, who i assume has an interest in the place as well). that's part of the reason i liked the place. if they throw an average 22 year old waitress in the mix, i'm afraid things might go horribly wrong.

inconsistency is a bad thing ideed. i hope they sort that out. you're bumming me out.

as far as breakfast and lunch, i can't figure out why they're doing breakfast. who needs the extra hours at a restaurant when you're running yourself ragged to begin with? how about this for the owners: skip the breakfast, and save up that energy to make sure you're always there for dinner.

looking back, although the servers seemed overwhelmed, they were trying. we had a table of 10, which obviously took up a good portion of the restaurant. they were pretty good in handling our various requests and whatnot.

[tommy]

returned because i was craving the same meal that i had had. started with the pate, ended with the steak au poivre. exactly the same, thankfully. also had the steak with shallot sauce. the sauce wasn't too sweet, as i had thought it might be. more meaty than sweety. and i don't know where they get their frites, but they're freakin good.

i have to say that their au poivre isn't so peppery.

this visit was early. it was still light out. the place really does remind me of france. a coupla guys came in and just seemed to have some coffee, and casually order some food, just kinda hanging out. a nice place to be, overall.

took the short cut through JC on the way back and stumbled upon a strip of filipino restaurants that i had no idea existed. my experience with that area of JC, up til that point, consisted primarily of White Castle at 3 am.

Edited April 9, 2004 by tommy (log)

[Rosie]

Try Marco and Pepe next and let us know what you think.

[glenn]

took the short cut through JC on the way back and stumbled upon a strip of filipino restaurants that i had no idea existed.  my experience with that area of JC, up til that point, consisted primarily of White Castle at 3 am.

Newark Ave. near the Blvd? I've tried a few and they're all terrible. They keep their food under a heat lamp all day. The BIG exception is the Filipino Bread House on Newark near Palisade.

Glad you enjoyed MC. Like the BIG CHEESE said, try Marco & Pepe -- the atmosphere is also close to a bistro setting especially during the day.

[tommy]

Newark Ave. near the Blvd? I've tried a few and they're all terrible. They keep their food under a heat lamp all day. The BIG exception is the Filipino Bread House on Newark near Palisade.

Glad you enjoyed MC. Like the BIG CHEESE said, try Marco & Pepe -- the atmosphere is also close to a bistro setting especially during the day.

they looked terrible. but it was an indication to me that there's a sizeable filipino population in that area, so hopefully there something decent somewhere.

marco and pepe is next on the list. i've spent more time in JC in the past few weeks than i did in the 15 years i lived in hoboken.

[pnapoli]

went last night and had a great time. we didn't have a reservation, but we only had to wait about 10 minutes for a table. while waiting, i was able to see everything coming out of the [open] kitchen and it all looked great.

for apps, we had french onion soup and a mesclun salad served with warm goat cheese (on thin slices of baguette) and slices of green apple. the soup was good, the salad was delicious. for entrees, we had 2 specials: fish stew (shrimp, salmon, mussels, swordfish?)served over saffron rice in a tomato broth, and 'chicken pastis': 3 pieces (leg, thigh and breast quarter) in a saffron sauce that was subtly flavored with pastis (like anise), served with red potatoes and green beans. we cleaned our plates.

no dessert; we had to run. the service was a delight: very friendly, and surprisingly attentive given that the place was packed. one note: this is a small space and tables are really packed together, which didn't bother me because our neighbors were charming, but i could see how this could potentially be an issue in some cases. nevertheless, i will certainly return, and will be ordering dessert when i do.

[tommy]

the tables are *really* close together. that's definitely an issue for some people. actually, i don't think there's a way to get into a table unless you ask someone else to move theirs out just about completely. but it's got such a mom-and-pop-friendly-neighborhood-vibe that it doesn't seem to be an issue yet. on my first visit, we were a party of 10, and they had to ask people to move between entree and dessert. in fact, i think they had to move to the tiny bar (although judging by the conversation, they were warned ahead of time and presumably decided to take the table regadless of the move). but the point is that everyone seemed chill about the whole idea.