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FASCINO

scarlet knight

By scarlet knight
in New Jersey: Dining

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Lreda

Lreda

Posted
Posted (edited)

Anthony,

Congrats on the opening of your restaurant and the fine reviews on egullet. Hopefully I can convince Rock & Mrs Rock to join Sue & I at your place before the holidays.

Quick question, is opentable looking to list all Jersey rests, North Jersey or just Montclair.

Good luck, Lou

Edited by Lreda (log)
  • 2 weeks later...
Rail Paul

Rail Paul

Posted
Posted

Quick question, is opentable looking to list all Jersey rests, North Jersey or just Montclair.

Good luck, Lou

Current NJ list:

Rat's

Stage House

South City Grill (Mt lakes only)

Serenade

Bernards Inn

Frog & Peach

Whispers

Mill at Spring lake

Frankie & Johnnies

Pretty diverse, from Lawrence to Scotch Plains to Hoboken to Mountain Lakes. The Airmont Grille is also on the list (Rachel don't move to the NY board - it's context is OK)

Apparently it's easier still to dictate the conversation and in effect, kill the conversation.

rancho gordo

RockADS21

RockADS21

Posted
Posted
Anthony,

    Congrats on the opening of your restaurant and the fine reviews on egullet. Hopefully I can convince Rock & Mrs Rock to join Sue & I at your place before the holidays.

Quick question, is opentable looking to list all Jersey rests, North Jersey or just Montclair.

Good luck, Lou

will not take much of an arm twisting :biggrin:

A.D.S.

fascino

fascino

Posted
Posted

I spoke with Open Table...the software looks great and it really does enhance service....now the question is the cost...around $1500 to install and a $200 a month service charge.....

glenn

glenn

Posted
Posted

It ends up costing us close to $400/mo. Maybe I was sleeping when they went over the charges, but I wasn't aware until we got the first bill that you're charged for every OT reservation.

adegiulio

adegiulio

Posted
Posted

Well, here we go again. Amy and I went to Fascino's first "tasting menu" night last night. It was 5 courses for 55 dollars. Here's what we had:

1) Herb poached shrimp with a shaved red onion and fennel salad. This was quite good. Two large tasty shrimp, still a bit warm from the poaching, plated with a small toss of shaved fennel, red onion and pea shoots. Shrimp were cooked very nicely. My only comment would have been to sprinkle a little fleur de sel on top, for seasoning and crunch. Otherwise, a tasty dish.

2) Filet of Branzino with a gremolata risotto cake, crab, and cauliflour "fondue". The branzino was perfect, with a crisp skin and moist flesh. The risotto cake was rolled in panko and fried crisp. Very delicious. The crab on top was an added bonus, and the cauliflour fondue (more like a foam) was light and a perfect way to bring it all together. This was our favorite dish and one I hope they put on the fall menu.

3) Butternut squash ravioli with some shredded duck confit on top. This dish was good, but uninpressive. Once again, while I found the filling to be tasty (as with the shredded braised beef), the pasta itself was rather tough. Needs to be more delicate without being mushy. I'm sure they will figure this out. The duck and the glace were both terrific.

4) Prosciutto wrapped lamb loin with escarole and cranberry beans. Perfect. Delicious without being fussy. A good way to go if you want red meat for dinner. The whole dish had a wonderful aroma that really made me want to EAT IT.

5) Mixed nut and pear streudel. Delicious, as all the desserts are...

All in all, it was a festive night. Anthony worked the room like a pro. Mother Depersio stopped by our table (having already checked what our names are. I love this place). She was very charming and is young enough looking to be their sister. Everyone continues to do the little things that make coming there special. It only takes a second to check the reservation list for a tables names, but most restaurants don't do it. Everyone is friendly and approachable, just like the food. In an area with so many unimpressive retaurants, Fascino shines head and shoulders above their peers. Please don't change!

I only wish it didn't take us 35 minutes to get there. :angry:

Anthony

"It's better to burn out than to fade away"-Neil Young

"I think I hear a dingo eating your baby"-Bart Simpson

tkrongold

tkrongold

Posted
Posted

We were also at the Tasting menu last week. Really great atmosphere. Loved the branzino & the ravioli. Though the lamb loin was good, Ryan's rack of lamb beats it by a mile. The streudel was the best. I agree with adegiulio that the DePersio family knows what they're doing here.

www.cookstour.netMy Blog

Rosie

Rosie

Posted
Posted

Had another excellent dinner at Fascino last night. As soon as we were seated we ordered the polenta French fries to nibble on while reading the menu. Started off sharing an orrechiette, shrimp, artichokes and roasted zucchini pasta and a butternut squash soup. Entrees were a fabulous, perfectly cooked pork chop with broccolini and sour cherry sauce; halibut; and lamb ravioli. Everything was thoroughly enjoyed. We finished the meal with a pumpkin tart and biscotti. Fascino has to be the friendliest restaurant in NJ with the DePersio family greeting every customer and stopping by each table to be sure everything is ok. Service is very attentive with attention paid to details. For ex. when the waiter saw that we were ready for the second bottle of wine he immediately brought over new glasses.

Rosalie Saferstein, aka "Rosie"

TABLE HOPPING WITH ROSIE

tommy

tommy

Posted
Posted (edited)

i suppose i need to get down there. :biggrin:

i love tasting menus. but when a restaurant is BYO (which i love), it makes it much harder on me, as i have to try to figure out how to pair 5 or 6 dishes. that could mean bringing 5 or 6 bottles. :biggrin:

Edited by tommy (log)
tommy:eats.com
RockADS21

RockADS21

Posted
Posted
i suppose i need to get down there. :biggrin:

i love tasting menus. but when a restaurant is BYO (which i love), it makes it much harder on me, as i have to try to figure out how to pair 5 or 6 dishes. that coud mean bringing 5 or 6 bottles. :biggrin:

I fail to see the problem here :laugh::laugh::laugh:

A.D.S.

Rosie

Rosie

Posted
Posted
i suppose i need to get down there. :biggrin:

i love tasting menus. but when a restaurant is BYO (which i love), it makes it much harder on me, as i have to try to figure out how to pair 5 or 6 dishes. that could mean bringing 5 or 6 bottles. :biggrin:

What's the problem with bringing 5-6 bottles of wine to a restaurant. Do you bring your own glasses also? That could be a problem. :wink:

Actually, you should invite 2 other couples and if everyone brings two bottles you are set.

Rosalie Saferstein, aka "Rosie"

TABLE HOPPING WITH ROSIE

adegiulio

adegiulio

Posted
Posted

Hey Rosie, bringing your own glasses isn't so uncommon. We bring ours to BYO restaurants that we know have lousy glasses (Like Latour in Ridgewood....great food, but the glasses are a complete joke). We bought a soft sided case specifically for that purpose. The first time I did it I felt silly, but I hate great wine in cheap small glasses. if servers say anything (nobody ever has), I would just tell them to invest in quality glasses and we wouldnt have to bring them.

"It's better to burn out than to fade away"-Neil Young

"I think I hear a dingo eating your baby"-Bart Simpson

adegiulio

adegiulio

Posted
Posted

Tommy, like everything there, they are great. Different glasses for red and white. Even the water glasses are nice and heavy. I know it sounds silly, but cheap glasses at a nice restaurant is like wearing an Armani tuxedo with Buster Browns....

"It's better to burn out than to fade away"-Neil Young

"I think I hear a dingo eating your baby"-Bart Simpson

tommy

tommy

Posted
Posted
Tommy, like everything there, they are great. Different glasses for red and white. Even the water glasses are nice and heavy.

that is *very* good to hear. they've put some thought into this place. that's refreshing.

tommy:eats.com
Rosie

Rosie

Posted
Posted

We BYOG also and have a Reidel carrying case!! :biggrin:

Tommy--Weekdays and Fridays are usually free. Fascino is closed on Sundays unless you are hosting a party for us.

Rosalie Saferstein, aka "Rosie"

TABLE HOPPING WITH ROSIE

Rosie

Rosie

Posted
Posted

Cynthia DePersio, pastry chef at Fascino (and Chef Ryan's mom) has a recipe for Pecan Raspberry stars in the December issue of New Jersey Monthly magazine. p 25.

Rosalie Saferstein, aka "Rosie"

TABLE HOPPING WITH ROSIE

  • 4 weeks later...
Hank

Hank

Posted
Posted

We went to Fascino a few weeks after it opened and we thought it was wonderful. Went back last night and this restaurant is nothing short of terrific. The food , the service and the ambiance (and the glass ware) are worth every minute of my 45 minute drive to eat there. Must say that I lucked out in finding parking immediately although the time to find parking was a popular topic at nearby tables. We had the pleasure of speaking for quite a while with the chef, Ryan, and what a delightful young man he is along with his brother. Ryan has worked at some of our favorite restaurants in New York and it certainly shows in his competence. He has learned his lessons well from some of the best chefs around and will be seeing quite a lot of my wife and I. These are very hard working young men who produce a first rate product and they deserve our support.

Hank

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