Esty Street in Park Ridge

[Weissman]

Esty Street has been in business for thirteen years thanks to the longevity of the staff.

All regular customers are greeted by name at the front door by Larry. Chef Jack Mistretta prepares great American contemporary cuisine. Owner Scott Tremble provides some hard to find wines on an exclusive California, Washington, and Oregon. Pastry Chef Adam whips up some interesting takes on American classsic desserts.

The dining room is set in a quaint open room that looks as though Scott was back living on "Esty Street" in his Cornell days.

They have been in business all these years, something must be going right.

So what do you think??

[menton1]

Yes, this restaurant has very quietly existed for quite some time. It is basically "off the radar" as far as any attention from media or reviewers. I suppose it does have some steady patrons, that's how it has survived.

I've never been, but I had heard in the past that it is quite pricey; reports were that the costs range from $70-$90 pp for dinner. That's PRICEY for New Jersey...

[Rosie]

We were at this restaurant once years ago and had a very good dinner. Do they have a home page? Who is the chef?

[tommy]

where did it get "3.5 stars", or is that just a figure of speech.

i hear so little about this place that i had no idea even what county it's in. soudns like it's worth a visit, though.

[Rail Paul]

It's up toward Spring Valley, but still in Bergen County.

The Artful Diner liked it. Named it one of his best restaurants of 2003.

Third One Down

The resto has a website, which doesn't seem to work Esty

[Curlz]

Weissman, do you have a connection to the place?

[menton1]

Weissman, do you have a connection to the place?

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You know, Curlz, that's a good point-- by re-reading Weissman's post, it does have that type of "self-promotion" feel to it, but we might be wrong...

[tommy]

Weissman, do you have a connection to the place?

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You know, Curlz, that's a good point-- by re-reading Weissman's post, it does have that type of "self-promotion" feel to it, but we might be wrong...

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compared to this? nah. not even close. (had a very excellent meal at Varka recently, for the record).

my "red flags" in general:

1) first post ever

2) overly gushing

3) knows the name and history of all the players at the restaurant (applicable here to some extent, but this flag is reallly only applicable when the other conditions have been met).

4) immediately defensive when the restaurant or the post is questioned

5) a certain style of posting that suggests that the poster doesn't really spend a lot of time posting in public forums about restaurants (or much else, given lack of etiquette, spelling and grammar skills, etc). hard to explain, but easy to pick up on i think.

no blips on my radar here given those flags as my baseline, but i'll say that my interest is now piqued in Etsy, so i'm thrilled about the thread in general.

[Curlz]

I merely asked a question.

'tho I will point out that #s 1, 2 and 3 seem to be well-represented on the Tommy scale. (dulyl noted that s/he has made FIVE posts)

[Randi]

I merely asked a question.

'tho I will point out that #s 1, 2 and 3 seem to be well-represented on the Tommy scale.  (dulyl noted that s/he has made FIVE posts) 

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Regarding the "first post" vs. "fifth post" issue - if you were going to post to promote your restaurant, wouldn't you post a few unrelated posts first so that it didn't look like you joined just to promote your restaurant?

And...I think Tommy's #5 is also represented in the post.

We don't know yet about #4

Edited April 21, 2005 by Randi (log)

[tommy]

Regarding the "first post" vs. "fifth post" issue - if you were going to post to promote your restaurant, wouldn't you post a few unrelated posts first so that it didn't look like you joined just to promote your restaurant?

you and i would. but most don't. hence the red flag.

i don't mind a little shilling. but when it's so obvious that it's actually offensive, i get bothered. this one, to my mind, isn't so offensive given the circumstances, and i'm hoping to hear a bit about Etsy Street, even if it is from a cook's friend or a manager's second cousin.

[cibo susci]

Hey Tommy dose the guy cook

[menton1]

The Artful Diner liked it. Named it one of his best restaurants of 2003.

Just for the record, "The Artful Diner" NEVER has anything bad to say about a restaurant, he loves them all! I don't know if this a type of advertising barter, but it sure casts a credibility doubt on all of his reviews...

[tommy]

Just for the record, "The Artful Diner" NEVER has anything bad to say about a restaurant, he loves them all!  I don't know if this a type of advertising barter, but it sure casts a credibility doubt on all of his reviews...

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i'm not so sure you're right. art reviews

[menton1]

Ok, my bad-- a "gotcha" for you... I've read about 35 of his reviews, mainly for informational purposes, and he just glows and glows on and on... a lot like the Bergen Record reviewers. But he certainly did not like Epernay. (Most other folks LOVE Epernay)

[Curlz]

For the record, I do realize it's possible that the original poster is merely a long-time customer; I just wish s/he would have started out by saying whether or not there's a personal connection.

And I'd LOVE for some folks who have eaten there to post about it!

[Weissman]

I heard that the 3.5 star review came from the bergen record a month ago.

[Weissman]

I'm sorry about the misunderstandings. I have been dining at Esty Street since 1999. By the way, I have not had a bad meal yet. It is also a place to also truly enjoy an interesting bottle of wine.

[Rosie]

I'm sorry about the misunderstandings. I have been dining at Esty Street since 1999. By the way, I have not had a bad meal yet.  It is also a place to also truly enjoy an interesting bottle of wine.

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What do you like to eat and drink at Esty Street?

[tommy]

Ok, my bad-- a "gotcha" for you...  I've read about 35 of his reviews, mainly for informational purposes, and he just glows and glows on and on...  a lot like the Bergen Record reviewers.  But he certainly did not like Epernay.  (Most other folks LOVE Epernay) 

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i'm not interested in "gotchas", although i do have an odd need to temper opinion-masquerading-as-fact with some actual fact.

why doesn't their website work? i'd love to see some wine selections/pricing.

Edited April 22, 2005 by tommy (log)

[menton1]

i'm not interested in "gotchas", although i do have an odd need to temper opinion-masquerading-as-fact with some actual fact.

That's quite noble-sounding; except I still think that something is fishy with "The Artful Diner", just as I don't trust the Bergen Record's resto reviews one whit...

I do feel that David Corcoran is quite impartial and objective, though.

[Weissman]

The website is not up to date, however, you can get a better idea of their menu as well as their wine list on the website: www.ardore.com.

I hope this will help all the readers out there. Still the information is somewhat outdated. The menus have since changed somewhat.

[Rosie]

WEissman--What do YOU like to have at Esty Street?

How much would diinner for two with wine cost?

Do they allow you to BYO and what is the corkage fee?

[Weissman]

WEissman--What do YOU like to have at Esty Street?

How much would diinner for two with wine cost?

Do they allow you to BYO and what is the corkage fee?

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When it comes to eating at Esty Street, I would most of there dishes. They do quite well in their appetizers as well as their fish dishes. In my opinion, save room for dessert also.

The appetizers range from $10-$17 and entrees are $22-$30.

Most wines by the bottle are above $35. However, there are several selections of wines by the glass from $6-$14 or so. So dinner for two: appetizer each, entree, dessert, and a glass of wine averages around $55.

Don't quote me on this, but I believe the do charge a $15 corkage fee for wines that they do not offer on their list: ie International wines. My suggestion is to call the restaurant before you dine for that kind of information.