EE G.
Google
Faubourg has been on my list for a while, but I finally got over here last night for dinner/drinks with my top-tier chum who literally went to the school of hospitality before a screening of Hamnet down the street. My takeaway? Like the presumptive Best Picture nominee, uneven but the highs are pretty high.
I really liked the vibes here - it feels (and I think it is) pretty gigantic, with high ceilings and a bougie urban vibe. When we were making reservations earlier in the day, my chum told me we had the option of sitting in the main dining area or the greenhouse, which we ultimately bypassed but it's cute from what I could see - predictably a bit more of a rustic decor than the other parts of the restaurant. We were seated in a nice corner/curved booth - always a nice perk when both parties can sit in the booth comfortably - and were waited on almost immediately.
This is not a cheap hot dog stand kind of place so if you're looking for entrees in the $30 range, I'd keep looking. We each got an app ($22 for me at least), and I went with an intriguing item on the seasonal/special menu, the short rib arancini. Wow. Truly delicious and something I considered getting a second round of, despite the hardcore price point. It's a reminder that when short ribs are done right, it's a sight and a taste to behold.
For my main course, I went a little aggressive with the much-ballyhooed Steak Frites (I think $76ish or so), which were really tasty, if not necessarily worth the price. The steak was cooked perfectly (medium rare) and was very juicy and tender. The accompanying chimichurri gave it a nice nip and my chum shot quite a few regretful looks my way after getting a slightly underwhelming chicken dish. But that's a story for a different reviewer.
The drinks for me were ultimately a miss. I was intrigued by the Saints & Sinners cocktail since it featured Angel's Envy bourbon (and I admittedly thought it might be a subtle homage to Secret Lives of Mormon Wives) but to me was a little too tart, to the point where you couldn't taste the bourbon at all. I switched to an Old-Fashioned, which my chum ordered right from the get go, and honestly it wasn't good at all - super aggressive overpour on the bourbon (I think it should have about 1.5 ounces and instead was closer to 3 or 4). Of course my companion tried to defend it, claiming we were getting value for the money, but I could easily just go to a convenience store at my neighborhood Shell or Mobil and purchase some extra gasoline there. Bottom line - in a place like Montclair where the liquor licenses are relatively few and far between, you should know how to make a very basic/mainstream cocktail like this, and they didn't.
The dessert was mouth-droppingly good, one of the best I've had in recent memory, a sentiment shared by my dining companion. We went with the passion fruit cheesecake, which came with a small scoop of gelato. Wow. Once we realized what we were dealing with, the bites got smaller, and the pace of the eating slowed down dramatically for savoring purposes. Truly an experience.
The service was excellent as well, which ultimately made the difference here. Our waiter was attentive without being overbearing, and once or twice another staffer came by to ensure we were being taken care of. Really top-notch stuff which is arguably a significant portion of what you're paying for here.
There's a lot to like and I wouldn't hesitate to come back, but I'm probably bypassing the bar and heading straight to some of the other menu items.