Emma G.
Yelp
This is a special place. I come from a rural, out of the way Jersey town similar to Newton, and there's something extra satisfying about seeing a successful small business like this hit it out of the park. This area of Jersey is gorgeous (arguably not in the dead of winter when it looks like a desolate scene from a Bronte novel, but I could be in the minority on that point), but I can tell you from firsthand experience that it is incredibly difficult to find a great restaurant that doesn't involve a 45-minute drive to a different part of the state. Every small town would benefit from a restaurant like this; it's arguably the most effective kind of advertising there is, and I'm honored I got to experience this one firsthand.
I came here this past Sunday morning for a Womb Exit Anniversary Brunch celebrating one of my Noblest Chums. She's a nearly lifelong resident of the area and has been talking this place up for months, both as a brunch and a dinner destination (full disclosure - after this meal, she indicated that their dinner is typically the better option, which is a pretty astounding statement given how good this was). Several members of the staff were clearly familiar with her from prior visits, which may have contributed to what was excellent service overall.
The interior reminded me of a lot of upscale NYC brunch eateries, with a heavy dose of exposed brick goodness and rustic wooden tables/chairs, but significantly less claustrophobic. It looked to have two entrances, one going directly into the dining area and another into a small adjoining boutique store; said store had a lot of local niche items (pillows with the Newton zip code, for instance, as well as an intriguing shirt that said, "Weekends, Wine & Canines" that unfortunately did not have a medium-sized option - we are not taking points off for that though, especially since I lacked the gumption to inquire about additional sizes in the back).
We were a party of six, and ordered several appetizers to share, notably the Biscuits & Jam ($9) and the Cheese & Charcuterie ($22). I didn't sample the Charcuterie, anticipating that my digestive system would need to devote a great deal of its attention to my entree, but the biscuit I sampled was very tasty. They were on the smaller size (which was a positive for our crew) and very easy to cut horizontally for jam application, being softer rather than crumbly.
I went with the Crab Cake Benedict ($15), which was sensational. Given the portion, I would recommend that if you have an elliptical to use beforehand, do it. Every aspect of it was off the charts - the crab cake complemented the hollandaise sauce just as well as an egg, and the star very well may have been the fried potatoes, which were cooked and seasoned perfectly. In my experience the thicker potato wedge-type option is often undercooked once you get into the interior, but this was excellent all the way through. Everything on my plate was devoured happily and quickly. I didn't hear anything negative about any aspect of this meal from my compatriots.
I think we can all agree that opening and maintaining a restaurant is difficult. The successful ones don't complicate the basics - they provide great food, great service in a great environment where people want to return again and again to partake in a meal. Life is hard enough these days; if you can pause everything for an hour or two to have a scrumptious repast with high quality chums, do it here.
