From Mount Olive to Mountain Lakes, Morris County has it all when it comes to dining – the region is known for itsfine dining eateries featuring pre-fixe menus with exotic dishes to hometown pub hangouts with some of the best pizza and burgers to be found.
When it comes to determining the top eateries, the answers are simple – these restaurants always have full parking lots and patrons with full stomachs.
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Jockey Hollow Bar and Kitchen
The Vail Mansion, a historic downtown Morristown home built in 1917, may not, at first glance, look like the setting of a restaurant with its reflecting pool, commanding walkways and stately exterior. However, it certainly is a restaurant – or better yet, four of them.
Jockey Hollow Bar and Kitchen includes the Vail Bar, a warm, welcoming bar which was formerly the library;the Dining Room upstairs, a formal, sophisticated dining area with a high-quality menu and selection of more than400 wines, which was formerly living quarters;the Oyster Bar, a lively yet elegant past art gallery space;and the Rathskellar, previously the Morristown jail cell, but now home to a rotating calendar of live music, wine dinners plus cooking and wine classes.
This also allows the restaurant to cater to different types of clientele, including a formal, older demographic who are looking for a white-tablecloth environment to a younger crowd who enjoy eating at bar-restaurants. Each week, about 1,300 to 1,800 guests come through Jockey Hollow’s 100-year-old doors.
Some of the dishes that keep visitors heading to Jockey Hollow are the the CC burger with raclette, bacon and salt and vinegar fries ($19); smoked fois grasterrine with local peaches, red currants, oat streusel and brioche ($28); and braised Spanish octopus with tomato asopao and black olive gremolata($16).
Restaurant Legend:Fine Dining.Reservations Recommended.
If you go: 110 South St., Morristown, 973-644-3180, jockeyhollowbarandkitchen.com, @jockeyhollowbk
Restaurants Serenade
These days, restaurants are all about promoting culinary trends such as utilizing farm-to-table fare and cooking up gluten-free dishes, but Restaurant Serenade, which serves high-end, innovative French fare turned out in a refined dining room, has been doing thisfor the last 20 years.
“Chef/Co-Owner Chef James Laird’s signature sophisticated contemporary American cuisine showcases the finest hand-selected seasonal and regional ingredients in simple, refined presentations and ever-changing tasting menus,” said Nancy Sheridan Laird, co-owner of Restaurant Serenade.
Guests have been flocking to the acclaimed restaurant for the last 20 years due to their favorite dishes such as octopus with grilled potatoes, preserved lemon and nicoise olives ($16); grilled tuna with coconut sticky rice, avocado and shiitake mushrooms ($36); and the lamb duo with a roasted rack and porterhouse alongside grilled local vegetables and Asian barbecue sauce ($40).
New at Restaurant Serenade are winemaker takeovers, where bar and dining room guests get the opportunity to chat one-on-one with a wine maker or knowledgeable rep. Recently, Chanin Winery, Punset Winery, Jorgensen Wines Drusian Prosecco and Father John Winery have takenpart in the hands-on talks.
Restaurant Legend:Fine Dining.Reservations Recommended.
If you go: 6 Roosevelt Ave, Chatham, 973-701-0303, restaurantserenade.com, @restaurantserenade
Morris Tap and Grill
Locally-sourced food, hormone and cage-free meats and creative and exotic dishes tend to only be associated with high-end fine dining restaurants, but this isn’t the case for six-year-old Morris Tap and Grill – Chef Eric LeVine keeps items as fresh and local as possible with a “funky” twist.
Now with a new tap room and patio, customers are encouraged to try favorite dishes such as the bacon eater burger ($16), short rib papardelle ($18) and the vegan avocado filet ($16). Make sure you pair your meal with a craft beer, as the Morris Tap and Grill is known for their continuously updated craft beer list and regular tap takeovers.
Restaurant Legend: Family Friendly. Casual.Reservations Recommended.
If you go: 500 NJ-10, Randolph; 973-891-1776, morristapandgrill.com, @morristapandgrill
Bevacqua’s Reservoir Tavern
There aren’t many restaurants that have a room full of room of people and a full bar at any time, day or night – but then again, there aren’t many 80-year-old restaurants that have pizza that can compare to Bevacqua’s Reservoir Tavern hidden behind an unassuming brick exterior.
Known for itsbubbly, handmade crusted brick-oven pizza with heaping toppings as well as traditional, quality Italian cuisine, a stop at Bevacqua’s is a necessity for any Morris County resident looking for some comfort grub such as the capri pizza with broccoli rabe, roasted peppers, fresh mozzarella and garlic ($13.50), or the clam and garlic pizza with chopped clams, garlic and melted mozzarella on a white pizza ($11.75).
Restaurant Legend:Family Friendly. Casual.
If you go: 92 Parsippany Blvd., Parsippany, 973-334-0421, therestavern.com
Grand Café
Those looking to take a little trip to Old World France certainly don’t need to hop on a plane to do so if they’re near Morristown – instead, they can head to the Grand Café, which has served upscale, traditional French cuisine in a formal, intimate setting for the last 36 years.
A new patio can now be found at the Grand Café, where guests can enjoy signature dishes such as pan-seared rare ahi tuna ($42.95) and lobster fusilli seafood pasta ($29.95).Meals are encouraged to be paired with a wine from the Grand Café’s encompassing selection.
Restaurant Legend:Fine Dining.Reservations Recommended.
If you go: 42 Washington St., Morristown; 973-540-9444, thegrandcafe.com
Arthur’s Tavern
Arthur’s Tavern certainly isn’t the only steakhouse in Morris County, but it is one of the only ones known for the sheer size of itsfood – customers love the48-ounce steak ($49.95), 24-ounce Delmonico steak ($26.95), “overstuffed” sandwiches and huge salads.
With the casual atmosphere of an old-fashioned neighborhood steakhouse coupled with fresh and quality meats, everyone from couples to families to singles call themselves regulars at this no-frills eatery.
Restaurant Legend:Family Friendly. Casual.
If you go: 700 Speedwell Ave.,Morris Plains, 973-455-9705, arthurstavern.com, @arthurstavernMP
Rod’s Steak and Seafood Grille
While many restaurants make a huge effort to keep up with the Joneses, Rod’s Steak and Seafood Grille, a Morristown landmark known for itssteaks, fine dining and Sunday brunch, has done just the opposite – with rich wood paneling, polished brass and ornate décor set among a colossal set of staircases, the restaurant brings back the nostalgia of sophisticated and elegant dining.
Try out oneof thesignature steaks such as the 26-ounce prime porterhouse ($49), 24-ounce prime T-bone ($49), 24-ounce Delmonico steak ($49)and more – and all the better if you do it from a seat inside one of the private parlor cars, restored to their original charm.
Restaurant Legend:Fine Dining.Reservations Recommended.
If you go: 1 Convent Road, Morristown, 973-539-6666, rodssteak.com, @rodssteak
The Market Taverne
In a warm, casual setting surrounded by the greenery of Morris County, the Market Taverne as known as the spot for traditional New American cuisine with dishes such as seared scallops with roasted fingerling potatoes, haricots verts, lemon buerre blanc ($32) and cast iron Griggstown Farm chicken with herbed spaetzle, roasted mushrooms and pan jus ($26).
Although the restaurant is only two years old, the Market Taverne brings forth the nostalgia of the past with its country farmhouse setting, modernized by its locally sourced food, local eco-friendly water and fresh ingredients.
Restaurant Legend:Fine Dining.Reservations Recommended.
If you go: 995 Mt Kemble Ave.,Morristown, 908-502-5106, markettaverne.com, @markettaverne
Il Mondo Vecchio
New Jersey is known for its amazing Italian food, and Il Mondo Vecchio, a high-end BYOB landmark serving traditional Italian food in a space decorated like an antique parlor, only proves the sentiment.
Opened by Chef Michael Cetrulo when he was only 23-years-old, the eatery is known for its quality Italian dishes such as their boneless veal chop stuffed with fontina, prosciutto and truffles in a Marsala wine sauce with artichoke hearts ($29) and thehousemade pasta with fresh tomato, cream, vodka, snow peas and basil ($19).
Restaurant Legend:Fine Dining. BYOB.
If you go: 72 Main St.#1, Madison, 973-301-0024, ilmondovecchio.com, @ilmondovecchio
Hunan Taste
You don’t get Chinese food like this at the strip mall near your office – Hunan Taste, a spacious, ornate eatery decked out in colorful Chinese artwork, offers traditional dishes from a team of experienced chefs that come directly from China and specialize in authentic Hunan, Szechuan and Mandarin cuisine.
For more than 30 years, Hunan Taste has been cooking up dishes such as Grand Marnier chicken with crispy chicken sauteed with assorted fruit in sweet Marnier sauce ($18.50) and seafood supreme with shrimp and scallops with assorted vegetables in garlic sauce ($24.50).
Restaurant Legend:Fine Dining. BYOB. Reservations Recommended.
If you go: 67 Bloomfield Ave.,Denville, 973-625-2782, hunantaste.com, @hunantastedenville
Staff Writer Jenna Intersimone: 908-303-8390, JIntersimone@DailyRecord.com
