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Restaurant review: Fish Urban Dining Ridgewood

Fish

NOVEMBER 20, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015, 7:26 AM
BY ELISA UNG
THE RECORD

Upon entering the new Fish Urban Dining Ridgewood, it’s best to look up. Gazing high provides glamour and drama: ceilings that soar, dramatic chandeliers fit for a ballroom, swaths of fabric crisscrossing tall windows, intricate molding and second-floor private dining areas with lovely views of the entire scene. All perks of dining in a venerable old bank building.

But looking at your plate can be a mixed story. Over my two meals, there was a flawless bowl of raw ahi tuna poke that could have come straight from a Hawaiian luau and a bountiful, well-seasoned crab cake. But there was also a drab-looking, bitter-tasting bowl of monkfish and a plate of limp, undercooked scallops. Fish’s food has a ways to go before it matches the scenery.

Owners James and Karen DeGilio opened Fish in July in the historic landmark First National Bank and Trust Co. building on Ridgewood Avenue that was most recently home to Bank of America. Their original Fish in Asbury Park also occupies a former bank building, and when they decided to start another restaurant, they were drawn to renovate the landmark in Karen’s native Bergen County. While they won’t say how much they spent on the renovation — James admits growing “dizzy every time I say that number” — the job was clearly extensive and meticulous. Workers salvaged marble from the teller windows, which then became part of the raw bar and the bathroom vanities.

https://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/restaurant-reviews/restaurant-review-fish-urban-dining-ridgewood-1.1459504

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Restaurant review: Finca in Ridgewood

Finca_theridgewoodblog

MAY 15, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015, 7:49 AM
BY ELISA UNG
THE RECORD

What a delightful way to end a meal: a poached pear, turned burgundy from red wine and resplendent with cinnamon and cloves; a banana bread pudding dripping with caramel sauce; a custardy chocolate cake; a creamy crème brûlée singing notes of citrus.

These sweets at Finca, the new global small-plates restaurant in downtown Ridgewood, were also a much-welcomed surprise, having followed two disappointing dinners chosen from a vast, perhaps too wide-ranging menu.

With 98 seats in its spacious dining room with bare wooden tables and another 30 seats at sidewalk tables, Finca is one of Ridgewood’s most prominently located restaurants, occupying the busy corner of Ridgewood Avenue and Broad Street across from the Ridgewood train station.

https://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/restaurant-reviews/how-sweet-it-is-1.1335327

20 E. Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood
201-444-1199

 

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Restaurant review: Novo in Ridgewood

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Restaurant review: Novo in Ridgewood

January 30, 2015    Last updated: Friday, January 30, 2015, 5:45 PM
By Elisa Ung
The Record

With its gentle lighting and soothing tones of blue and cream, the modern dining room of Ridgewood’s Novo lulled me into a false sense of calm. Then the food began arriving, and I spent the rest of the evening on the edge of my seat.

Piles of tiny handmade couscous, the lightest I have ever had, cushioned impeccable sautéed mussels, shrimp, squid and fish, putting other seafood pasta dishes to shame ($32). Slices of rich house-made lamb bacon gave heft to a flatbread appetizer ($14) and character to steak-like Colorado lamb chops layered over a musky date-eggplant purée ($38). And the only dish I ate that didn’t look like it belonged on a magazine cover — a powdered-sugar-dusted duck confit pie called duck bisteeya — made up for its plain appearance with an exhilarating sweet-spicy-tangy flavor ($33).

https://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/restaurant-reviews/restaurant-review-novo-in-ridgewood-1.1261629

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Restaurant review: Roots Steakhouse in Ridgewood

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Restaurant review: Roots Steakhouse in Ridgewood

DECEMBER 5, 2014, 7:50 AM
BY ELISA UNG
THE RECORD

No Ridgewood restaurant screams luxury like the six-month-old Roots Steakhouse.

First, a valet parked my car, a relief on a busy Saturday night. A hostess escorted me into the clubby dining room, which featured dark wood paneling, a stunning engraved ceiling and charming prints of vintage fashions. All around me, well-dressed customers dined on gleaming seafood platters, brawny steaks and towering desserts.

And once my meal began, it was clear that Roots has much to offer, including some excellent red meat and a first-class crabcake. But while Roots has some steaks that are prime and some steaks that are dry-aged, it offers none that are both, which may turn off many steak purists.

https://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/restaurant-reviews/sink-your-teeth-into-this-1.1147302

Roots Steakhouse in Ridgewood
17 Chestnut Street, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
(201) 444-1922

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Restaurant review: S. Egidio in Ridgewood

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Restaurant review: S. Egidio in Ridgewood
October 17, 2014    Last updated: Friday, October 17, 2014, 11:33 AM
By Elisa Ung
The Record

S. Egidio
17 N Broad St
Ridgewood, NJ 07450

The menu: mostly pizza. The setting: tiny. The phone: often ignored. The wait for a table: sometimes an hour.

And no wonder: Ridgewood newcomer S. Egidio is a local novelty, an Italian restaurant run by a newly arrived Italian chef with food that is both authentic and creative.

Its menu is simple: Italian cured meat, imported cheeses, salads, a few appetizers, and Neapolitan pizzas that are blasted for a minute in a 1,000-degree oven until blistered and bubbling. Occasionally, there are pasta specials; sandwiches are served at lunch.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/restaurant-reviews/restaurant-review-s-egidio-in-ridgewood-1.1111604#sthash.t1ihxFGP.dpuf

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Restaurant review: Memoire in Ridgewood

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Restaurant review: Memoire in Ridgewood

Friday, January 24, 2014
By ELISA UNG
RESTAURANT REVIEWER

No lie: When I heard that Giocomo Mistretta was in the kitchen of the new Ridgewood restaurant Mémoire, I had to restrain myself from charging in immediately in search of one dish: The salmon that Mistretta served at the former Napa Valley Grille at the Westfield Garden State Plaza set a high bar, one that I was crossing my fingers that Mémoire could match.

It did. Grilled crisp and flaky, Mémoire’s salmon is topped with cranberry ginger honey butter and served over a subtle mix of Israeli couscous and roasted vegetables ($24). It’s like an old friend, and sums up the menu: contemporary American with an eclectic array of influences, but ultimately more familiar than edgy.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/food_dining/241773571_Restaurant_review__Memoire_in_Ridgewood.html#sthash.j65J808U.dpuf