Mignon Steakhouse--Rutherford

[pete ganz]

Has anyone been here recently? I found a couple of posts mentioning it here, but not one review. I seem to remember them having a website a while back, now I can't find one (bad sign?). The Ducasse thread has got me in the mood for a good steak, and this one is pretty close by. Can anyone recommend any other good steakhouses in Hudson/Bergen County? Thanks.

[Rosie]

The Park in Park Ridge

Sammy's in Mendham

[pete ganz]

Thanks Rosie. I'm also pondering Frankie and Johnny's.

[tommy]

i think frankie and johnnies is quite good. better than ruth's chris and river palm.

[pete ganz]

Yeah, I've been to Ruth's Chris once, and wasn't too impressed. There's alot of hype associated with it, it's a very upscale environment, and the steak turned out to be pretty bland. And not to mention the bill...

[phaelon56]

My GF has eaten at Mignon but they just shared a bunch of appetizers as no one was especially hungry. I've been meaning to try it as it's a short walk from my house but just haven't gotten around to it. Entrees tend to be in the $22-30 range and everything is a la carted - most salads are $6-8 and sides (potato, vegetable etc) are $5 each. IMHO a bit pricey considering the waitstaff is of the typically pleasant and well meaning but fairly green 18-22 year old category. The owner also owns Village Gourmet, just up the block. They bumped up the number of tables int he room a month or so before opening and it looks very crowded to me. I regret that I can't comment on the quality of the beef but it looks a bit too casual and crammed in to me for the prices.

[Rosie]

I liked Frankie and Johnnies but the place is very noisy and smokey.

[pete ganz]

Noisy and smokey are fine by me, especially for a steakhouse. Les Halles has both these qualities, but it seems to work there (if only the tables were a little farther apart!). While I was researching steakhouses on the web, I came across CK's Steakhouse in the Rutherford Renaissance Meadowlands Hotel. It's gotten good reviews, but for $31 for the Kansas City strip, it better be damn good. Anyone checked this place out yet?

[Rosie]

Was there once. There are better steakhouses to dine at.

[dbrociner]

Rosie, can't agree about Sammies. Perhaps the most over-rated restaurant in all of NJ, imho. I once went to the Park, on your recommendation-btw, and while it was good it wasn't worth the drive from Union county. I could have been at Sparks or Peter Luger in less time discounting time lost in traffic. Now I know that RS has a Peter Luger horror story which would make an exterminator grin and the rest of us run for cover but I've been back there and they gotten the better of the bug population, at least in the dinning room. They haven't figured out how to seat 5 people comfortably but thats another story.

You can get a great steak at Arthur's in Mo Plains, you can also get a 24 oz

piece of fat, so its dine at your own risk there. Same is true for Outback, I can't believe I had the courage to write that.

I've learned how to make steak at home the way I like it and rarely go out for it. I do recommend the Palm in Las Vegas if anyone is going to be out there. This restaurant would get my vote for the best steakhouse in the country. So much better than the one on the west side in Manhattan that you'd have a hard time believing its the same restaurant.

[Rosie]

I get great steaks at Costco. Veal chops also. There was a shake up at The Park some time ago. The chef who used to be at Sparks left and took all of his staff.

[dbrociner]

Do you know where they went? Is the Park better or worse for his departure?

[Rosie]

I think he went to NYC. Haven't been back since he left but I heard things are back to normal now.

[tommy]

so i searched on "mignon" to see if there was a Mignon thread, and there is, but there's not discussion of Mignon on it! well, very little at least.

anyway, i was going to a korean place in rutherford last week, and drove past mignon. i had heard about it, but kinda forgot about it. a few nights later, we decided to try it.

the place is casual and nicely decorated. hip and not stuffy at all. the waitstaff was eager to please, and did a very good job.

we started with a crabcake app. 2 small crabcakes, served with some fried potato strips over a small salad on the side. the salad was limp and had some sort of gloppy mayo-based dressing on it. the salad was completely unnecessary and detracted from the dish, both flavor-wise and visually. the dish woul have been served better with a small salad of crisp greens lightly dressed in an acidic dressing. the crabcakes, however, were very good. mrs. tommy loves crabcakes, but hates all crabcakes (yeah, i don't understand it either), but she approved of these.

filet mignon was cooked perfectly as ordered (m/r). with a nice crust on the outside, and beautiful red and pink inside. mashed potato and sauteed mushrooms were ordered as sides, and both were passable. 2 of these large sides is too much for only 2 people, however, so i would order only one the next time i go with a group of less than 3 (i guess that would be 2).

there were several cuts of meat available on the menu, including rib eye, a porterhouse for 2, and sirlion if i recall.

the total for the above was about 80 dollars before tip if i recall. perhaps in the 70's. amex.com is down right now so i can't check.

the most appealing part of this restaurant for me is the fact that it's BYO. i can't think of any other steakhouse where you can bring your own wine. and steak, to me at least, is one of those things that you sometimes can't duplicate at home. it's nice to be able to bring whatever you want and save some cash at the same time.

i can't speak to the quality of the meat here since i have only had the filet. i'm not sure the other cuts are dry aged or anything special at all. but, all things considered, i'll return.

[Rosie]

So what did you drink????? I think this place is owned by the same people who own Village Gourmet.

[tommy]

So what did you drink?????   I think this place is owned by the same people who own Village Gourmet.

that's what someone above said. phaelon i think.

since i was on the road and it was a last minute thing, i stopped at the village gourmet to pick up wine. it was a Ridge something or another, which was a blend of primarily zin. suitable, i thought, for the dinner, and at 15 bucks you really can't get hurt. i was fully expecting the village gourmet to gouge on the prices, but they seemed fair across the board. fyi, france isn't very well represented at that wine shop.

the village gourmet, as you might expect, was packed, with people for some reason enjoying the stir-fries, steaks, seafood, pasta with red sauce, and whatever hell else they have on the menu these days.

[phaelon56]

I cpntinue to be baffled by the consistent crowds at the Village Gourmet but then again, Jim Dandy's Ribs opened across the street and they're also doing well. It may speak to the fact that plenty of folks in Rutherford eat out often but want something moderately priced when it's not a special night out. There's a liquor store on the traffic circle at Station Square in Rutherford that appears to have an upscale selection - I'm not a wine drinker so that's a guess but their closest competitor is up Park Ave on the north side of the street (past Dairy Queen) and looks more like a beer, wine and lotto spot than a specialty store with good wines.

I have been to the Korean place once and enjoyed the kim-chee, pickled veggies and an okay BBQ. Nice atmosphere and okay food. The food may in fact be very good but I just haven't developed a real appreciation for Korean cuisine and I'm not the one to judge. The Villlage Gourmet owner is in fact also the primary owner/operator of Mignon. Those of you not familiar with Rutherford should note that there is municipal parking available. As you're heading down Park Ave past Mignon take your last left before the traffic circle at the corner where Bank of NY is. There will be a garage on your left just up the block and there's a pedestrian breezeway that gets you back out to Park Ave on foot without walking the long way.

If you're in the neighborhood and want good Portuguese food with huge portions at cheap price, try going up Ridge Road into Lyndhurst and look for Teros Snack Bar on the left across from the cemetery. It's just one room with bar included but if you sit towards the back you'll avoid the smoke. It's as good as any of the usual suspects in Ironbound (Iberia and the like) but with easy parking and slightly easier on the wallet.

[Rosie]

Noisy and smokey are fine by me, especially for a steakhouse. Les Halles has both these qualities, but it seems to work there (if only the tables were a little farther apart!). While I was researching steakhouses on the web, I came across CK's Steakhouse in the Rutherford Renaissance Meadowlands Hotel. It's gotten good reviews, but for $31 for the Kansas City strip, it better be damn good. Anyone checked this place out yet?

CK's was just reviewed in the Nov. issue of New Jersey Monthly magazine. It should be up on the web next week.

[pete ganz]

Thanks Rosie. I'm interested to see how the review turns out. It would be nice to have an above average local steakhouse. I also have the second the review for Tero's. The food is very good, but the place is SMALL. I would avoid going primetime on a Friday or Saturday, you'll end up just standing aroung, not knowing what to do with yourself.

[tommy]

i forgot to mention something about mignon that i thought was notable: the bread (which is decent) is served with a ramekin of steak tartare. we asked for me, and the server happily brought more out.

[tommy]

recently returned to Mignon.

upbeat blues was happily snapping and swinging away on the stereo.

the steaks are dry aged 28 days. the meat is Prime, although they offer Choice as on option for one of the cuts. not sure why.

had a t-bone which was just perfect. charred and m/r. french fries were a bit greasy and seasoned with some sort of spice/herb mixture. they would have actually been good had they not been so oily. skin on, which i don't like very much either. grilled veggies for 4.95 or so was a nice side. asparagus, red pepper, squash, onion, mushrooms. some nicely burnt, others not so much, but not oily at all. a very light side.

it should be noted that the steaks are served with fried onions on top. not a lot, and not enough to overpower the dish if you want to push them aside. but i can imagine this might offend some purists.

the staff, as noted above, is eager to please. very young, attractive, and pleasant.

the bill, for 2 sides, 1 t-bone, and one ribeye was 61 before tip. byo. i do love this aspect of the place. we were craving steak, and it was going to be the River Palm. however, that would have been twice as much. the steaks here, imo, are just as good as the River Palm, and the place is about 1/10th as pretentious.

[pete ganz]

I went there about 6 months ago and forgot to post about it. Excellent steaks, certainly right up there with Frankie and Johnny's or Ruth's Chris. The room was very comfortable, dark colors with an elegant but relaxed vibe. I remember Tommy mentioning a steak tartare amuse brought to each table, but I don't think we received one (did you get one this time Tommy?) I believe we also had the crabcake as an app, which was very good...lots of crab. Great place if you live in the area.

[tommy]

I remember Tommy mentioning a steak tartare amuse brought to each table, but I don't think we received one (did you get one this time Tommy?)

sure did! a little less meat and a little more onion, but it was still a nice treat. comes with the bread.

[shugga]

Stopped at Mignon's today for an early (5pm) dinner or late lunch. The food was excellent but a little pricey. It is a BYOB place because it is a dry town, as the waitress pointed out to us. I had a seafood dish over linguine, very good, but it had 2 small lobster claws tempura on top which seemed a little out of place with the rest of the dish. But it was good. Hubby had a filet, of course, which he raved about. A friend had the lamb chops, she said they had too much of a mustard crust on them and it overpowered the meat and sauce.

We enjoyed it but for the price I'd not be in a hurry to go back anytime soon. I'd go to the Park Steak house before here.

[Rosie]

Previous chef from The Park opened Carlos and Luigi Steakhouse, 205 Market St, Elmwood Park (201-703-5510). Food was good but certainly not as good as I remember The Park was.