Looking for a date night restaurant in Essex/Hudson

Submitted by mbc106 t3_zwxdtr in newjersey

My job offers a $150 reimbursement for a meal for two, as a holiday bonus. We need to redeem it before the end of January. (We can spend as much as we want, but I’ll only be reimbursed up to $150.)

We have a young child so we’ll need a babysitter, and that will help determine where we’ll wind up going. We can drop her off with my mom in the Jersey City area, or have a sitter come to us in the Montclair area.

Also debating whether we want to try a new place, or stick with something we already like such as Faubourg or 15 Fox Place. No dietary/allergy restrictions and we’re not picky about the type of cuisine.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

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LateNightNewYork t1_j1xckjk wrote

Go big! Highlawn Pavilion in West Orange is a cool upscale place with some great views of Manhattan.

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LalaOringe t1_j1xctos wrote

Ooh yes, love this suggestion. They recently renovated/revamped - it’s much less stuffy than it used to be and the food and cocktails were great!

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ansky201 t1_j1yzc7i wrote

This is my suggestion too. Note that they changed the name to The Highlawn after the new owners took over.

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robertfcowper t1_j1xnmav wrote

Fauborg is our go to for a nice night out. In fact we are going on the 30th since it was way easier to get a sitter than on NYE. We've also had great meals at Turtle + Wolf and Mesob. We haven't been to Mesob since they flooded so I'm not sure if they are back 100%. Samba has some fantastic food but their customer service has become militant since covid so I'm not sure we will be back soon after a weird lunch a few months ago. I'm interested in Porto but haven't been yet.

We haven't been to it yet since the changeover but Parkside Social in Verona looks promising. It used to be Ariane which was our favorite. Bloom in Verona is also very good, we recently did an anniversary dinner there. The menu is small and Korean/French fusion so you might want to do some recon first to make sure it's up your alley.

In Caldwell there's a BYO tapas restaurant called Xunta that we like to bring family and friends to because most people have never been to an authentic tapas restaurant around here. Bring a bottle of wine for their sangria and I think you'd be very happy with how far that $150 goes.

A little further west from when we lived in Parsippany is a little strip mall BYO Italian place called Gourmet Cafe. Unassuming and surprising with a friendly executive chef who greets every table and loves to share his homemade limoncello.

My wife's company has given her "get dinner on us" offers in the past and after her supervisor promised there was no limit or strings attached we lived it up at Ruth Chris on the company card. There's one in Parsippany and Short Hills.

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TheRacoonist t1_j1xlm7t wrote

Common Lot in Millburn is same level as Faubourg. More Asian influences and BYO

Cellar 355 (Tiki!) or Madam (French) in Jersey City

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Bibliotheclaire t1_j1yobne wrote

Elias in East Rutherford is fantastic and great for a special evening. Lots of great BYOBs in Rutherford proper; Cafe Matisse is amazing.

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mbc106 OP t1_j1z6pyg wrote

How’s Paisano’s nowadays? We used to go there a lot maybe 10-12 years ago, then we felt like the quality dipped so we haven’t been back since.

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Bibliotheclaire t1_j1zlc7y wrote

I wasn’t living there 10 years ago, so I can’t compare to that standard. They’re still white tablecloth and the food was okay, but it didn’t wow me. Ate there twice.

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Aaaaaaandyy t1_j1xgjpf wrote

Dear Maud or Orale in Hoboken; Cellar 335 in Jersey City.

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FilmoreGash t1_j1xd5j8 wrote

You may have to add a few bucks if your bar tab is high but the Chart House in Wehauken is great especially if you get there before sunset so you get the daylight/nightlight views of Manhattan.

In Hoboken, Il Tavolo di Palmisano.Tavolo di Palmisano.

Both are favorites of ours.

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woodysweats t1_j1z0mxi wrote

Charritos in Weehawken is on top of a cliff and has a great view of the city.

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freedom_now3 t1_j214o0z wrote

Edward’s Steakhouse in Jersey City. It’s a quaint little place that’s like a hole in the wall, but it’s a gem that not many people know of. I think it’s the most delicious steak I’ve had outside of Manhattan.

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mbc106 OP t1_j21g9i6 wrote

Agreed, it’s great. I’ve been there many times (not in several years though).

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NJGolfbum89 t1_j21z653 wrote

Madame. Somewhere new. Somewhere sexy - go enjoy a fantastic bottle of wine and some lobster thermidor and you will not be disappointed.

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mbc106 OP t1_j2209dh wrote

I haven’t been there since they rebranded it. Madame Claude was really good.

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NJGolfbum89 t1_j22qjvk wrote

Not a rebrand - completely new vibe, food and cocktails.

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Msloops t1_j1xdrwi wrote

De Novo in Montclair ...awesome date night place

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gwmjr t1_j1y5ik0 wrote

Show your company your humble and take her/him to Wendy's.

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LabWilling2423 t1_j1z3yiy wrote

Fabourg is fabulous but not for children. More of an adult date night place. I’d vote for the Chart House in Weehawkin.

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mbc106 OP t1_j1z6sbn wrote

We aren’t taking our kid. I explained in the OP that we’ll be getting a sitter.

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colonel_batguano t1_j20yo9t wrote

Two other favorites of mine in Montclair are Laboratorio Kitchen and Samba, though Samba can be a bit noisy. Both are BYO.

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