Esty Street: Park Ridge, NJ

Esty Street is one of those places that has been around for a reeeally long time, and seems to fly under the radar.  If you've just mumbled "Huh?  Where?", well I'm not surprised:  it's not new, it's not hip, it's not flashy, it doesn't have a big bar scene, it's not young, it's not a lot of things.  What it is, however, is a solid restaurant serving some of the more interesting food that Bergen County has to offer.

Every time we walk away from a meal here we think "damn, we should go back there."  And then a year passes and we don't.  Why you ask?  It's partially due to the fact that we have no idea where it is.  If not for GPS, I'd never find it.  Thankfully, the GPS was working today as we pulled out of the parking lot of the intensely crowded Nellie's, which is really a great standby for a Thursday night (save for the totally full bar on most Thursdays, of course).  Restaurant L, up the road a piece, also looked mobbed.  Thursdays at 7:30 suck for last-minute dining.  Thankfully Esty Street came to mind, and within 15 minutes of typing "Esty" into the GPS, we found it.  Again.

The restaurant isn't all that big, and the bar isn't either.  We've been lucky enough to grab a bar spot during each visit, along with a few others who were clearly regulars. 

Our bartender on this recent visit was new to us, but I felt at ease as soon as I started asking about margaritas and tequila.  I asked if they had fresh lime juice for a margarita, as opposed to crap "sweet and sour" mix or Rose's neon green high fructose corn syrup water product, and was informed that she'd be more than happy to juice a lime for me.  When I started to get into specifics about what I wanted in the drink ("reposado, touch of Cointreau, lime juice,") she said "I know how you like it."  That meant "I know what you want", even though she'd never served me in the past.  Turns out it's how this bartender likes them as well.  I like a bartender who knows how to make a good margarita. 

Make no mistake about it:  Esty Street is not a southwestern or Mexican restaurant, but it is the best southwestern restaurant in this part of the state.  That makes little sense I know.  But there's something about the Chef's ingredients and preparations that remind me intensely of meals in Santa Fe, and how I think meals in some parts of Mexico might be.

Duck confit tostadas, a special that night (created by the sous chef, Adam Weiss), was just absolutely fun and delicious.  At first the idea of cheese and duck put me off, but that didn't last long after sticking my fork into this dish, and cutting through the fresh tomato (grown by the Chef I'm told) hidden below pieces of duck and a light layer of cheese.  A great, fun dish. 

Pear and beet and goat cheese salad?  Yes, please.  Thank you.

An all-American wine list?  I love it.  It takes balls to do it, and it's not easy to pull off successfully.  Well done, in this case.  Lots of selections with many under 50 bucks. Davis Bynum?  But of course.   I never did like Francophiles very much anyway, so hopefully this list pisses them off, and keeps them away.

I thought the pork in the special of "braised bacon pappardelle" was a bit pedestrian.  In fact, it tasted like store-bought spiral ham.  I'm not convinced it wasn't, and I would have preferred almost any other pork product in this dish, which was just fine otherwise.  This was the only misstep in the 8 or so dishes that I've had here.

Esty Street is serving food that's bright and clean.  Lots of acids and herbs.  Overall I'd say that it's one of the more interesting restaurants in Bergen County, and well worth trying to find (hint:  it's not on Esty Street).

Esty Street : 86 Spring Valley Rd : Park Ridge, NJ : 201.307.1515

Comments

[Daniel]

My wife and I have thought about eating at Esty Street but never seem to get around to it. I will occasionally e-mail her the wine list at work just to pique her interest. But the Duck Confit Tostada may have sealed the deal! At least it did for me.

Is it set up for a casual drop-in for a quick dinner at the bar? And how are the wines by the glass?

I have to disagree about the difficulty in constructing an All-American wine list. It may be gutsy, but it should be manageable! There is tremendous breadth in American winemaking, most of which doesn't get to the typical wine store. But with a bit of effort...

[tommy:eats]

We've dropped in twice, both times the restaurant was rather busy, and there were spots at the bar. The bar only seats about 8 or 10, so I guess it can be iffy.

The wines-by-the-glass are OK from what I recall, but I really didn't look too hard. I went right for the list for some reason, probably because we decided on the food before the wine and the food suggested Merlot to me.

I probably came off the wrong way when I said it's not easy to pull off an all-American wine list. It's only not easy in the sense that many people will put up their noses and/or complain. Those people can take a hike.

That list also illustrates that they're actually putting some thought into it, rather than just going the cookie-cutter route that so many restaurants take. It's as if there's one person constructing every wine-by-the-glass program in the state, and constructing every list as well.

[tommy:eats]

I've been meaning to mention this but forgot: the duck tostadas was actually the product of sous chef Adam Weiss, who took over the kitchen during the chef's vacation.

Also, the pork in the pappardelle is applewood smoked Polish bacon, per an email from the sous chef.

[Daniel]

We ate there last month and, while the meal was good, we were not overwhelmed. I appreciate the sous chef's wanting to spread his wings, but I think I'll go back when the chef is cooking, just to see what kind of food he wants cooked.

By the way, I had the duck tostada. It was good, but I think it suffered because of bad timing in the kitchen. It came out a bit soggy. Still, a good effort.

As for the wine lists; I look for wines that I wouldn't normally drink, or would like to drink but can't find or just don't have. I certainly don't want the wine list to mirror what I have, or what the local wine store stocks. That is the kiss of death. I am always impressed when a restaurant has a well-thought-out wine list. And if it is an all-American list? Wow!

I agree completely about the cookie-cutter lists. Boring! And destructive in many ways, most of all to the restaurants' bottom lines. I want to drink good, interesting wine when I go out. They just won't let me!

[tommy:eats]

And in Esty Street news, Adam Weiss has taken over as Executive Chef. I'm looking forward to seeing where he takes the menu.

[tommy:eats]

the Bergen Record drops 3.5 stars on Esty this week. Any less would have been surprising. Actually 3 would have been totally within reason. That extra 1/2 star is an indication that Esty is indeed one of best restaurants in the area. Actually, the fact that I go there so often is a better indication.

The review is here (click)