The Pass

Sadly this review is coming too late. Tonight was the last dinner service at this hidden gem. I have been lucky to have gone there 4 times, and count those meals as some of the best of 2014. Tonight’s dinner was my best meal of this year so far. I won’t bother to mention the details of this dinner, suffice it to say that no corners had been cut in either ingredients or preparation. The tiny place was full of customers who were as sad as I was of the closing, but at the same time celebrating the wonderful meals they had there previously. I mainly wanted to write this to thank the chefs and staff for the memories. And to notify dinners of this stellar chef. He has not stated where he will be going yet, but if you ever hear the name Mathew Ridgway, you need to do whatever it takes to taste his food. THanks Matt!!!

Unfortunately a lot of the things that I loved about this spot have changed. They haven’t updated their menu since November (it is now March), so regulars like me don’t get to enjoy new inventive dishes on a weekly basis. In fact, most of the main dishes currently offered don’t have the same artistic, unique touches that the tasting menus previously offered. Chicken breast with mushrooms and pearl onions? Rigatoni with tomatoes? Not up to par with the dishes prepared when this restaurant first opened. I still think the food is delicious and well-​prepared, so will continue to frequent this restaurant, but only when the menu changes.

First, this is not a place that serve huge portion of food and is not cheap for the size of the food you get.
I tried the 6 courses testing menu and I am quite happy about it. The food were well prepared and flavorful, foie gras and tuna tartar to start, followed by duck and mussel entrees. Only complaint is dessert, it can be better in my opinion. Background music should change immediately. It does not go along with the restaurant. In the middle of romantic and relax dinner with a good bottle of Cabernet, all of the sudden I heard «stolen dance», I was like Noooooo.
Oh yeah, is BYOB. Grab yourself a nice bottle and enjoy your meal.

I’ve had 5 star food here before, but this review is for my recent weekday trip which was disappointing relative to other trips. Mussels were in themselves great quality but there was very little sauce and what was there was not all that flavorful. Had the bolognese, or bolognaise, this dish was outstanding. I was confused however about the ‘fresh’ description, I assumed that meant the pasta itself was a fresh pasta, which this was not. Also had the chicken, very very good… the mushrooms were amazing. Chicken slightly overcooked. Again there was very little sauce, definitely needed more due to the chicken doneness. Ice cream, delicious. Service… service here has gone downhill. At $ 50 pp I expect attentiveness, descriptions, professionalism… etc. There were few tables and nobody around when you needed them. Unfortunately I think the chefs are oblivious to the front of the house. Bad rock music from a boombox and very lax service doesn’t impress in the least at these prices. I want to stress the weekend I was here I had quite amazing food and the crowd drowned out the bad music. However, those dishes were complex and every element was great… this menu is really quite simple and the experience just missed the mark.

Well, they did it again. Created the most spectacular meal, which was served with the finest hospitality around. I think the friendliness and welcoming attitude of the staff and Chef Matt, makes the food taste even that much better. Went with friends for the tasting menu at their Valentine’s Day seating. Loved, loved, loved the tuna — so many layers of flavors. The beet salad was delicious, beef cooked perfectly with the salsa verde, foie gras with the quail had a delicious crust (first time I’ve ever had it that way — think it’s my new favorite). You’ll never be disappointed with your experience here. Thanks Stephen, Josh and Matt!!!

First time at The Pass was disappointing. First, our table for four was rectangular and we sat two each on the short sides. Ok, a little cramped, but no big deal.
The two waiters were kept busy handling a pretty full house, but when necessary we could flag one down. Our waiter did fine.
The (winter) menu is skimpy even with a special addition of a rabbit saddle dish. I didn’t consider rabbit since I’ve had it and am not a fan. That left duck leg confit, rigatoni bolognese, chicken breast, mussels meunière and roasted pork belly. I’ve had pork belly that was delicious, but not as an entrée. Still, after considering the options I ordered the pork belly.
The first course of pumpkin soup, foie gras mousse on baguette and two tuna tartares arrived along with some delicious, warm bread. I had one of the tuna tartares and liked it although it was not what I would call «special».
The pumpkin soup was a replacement for chestnut soup and was declared «good» by the person ordering it as was the foie gras baguette making the first course a success at our table.
My dining companions having the duck leg and mussels said their food was good, but the sight of that $ 25 duck leg on the plate made me shake my head and smile. The pork belly was disappointing. It was tough and required a sharp knife and a lot if chewing. This was not the tasty melt-​in-​your-​mouth pork belly that I had at the Blue Bottle. It was a workout, but I finished it!
Chocolate fondant, poached pear and bread pudding desserts were ok, but none of us will be telling anyone about the great desserts had at The Pass. For instance, the bread pudding was a fresh from the fridge cold, flat «slice» laying in the crème anglaise. If only they had warmed it up! The coffee was good, but not hot.
I don’t see how The Pass has gotten so many 5 star reviews. I believe 3 stars to be the consensus at our table. Granted, I’ve only been there once, but I doubt I will go again.

This was our first visit to Pass and we can’t wait to go back. We ordered 3 course a la carte and all 3 course we’re outstanding. Based on earlier reviews we both had the chestnut soup and we were glad that we listened. Great soup and the bread that was served with it might just be the best that I have ever had. for entrees, I had the pork belly, my wife the chicken. Both excellent choices. For dessert I had bread pudding, my wife the chocolate dessert. again great choices. service was friendly and knowledgeable, thank you Elizabeth. Just one shortcoming, the atmosphere. Furnished minimally and it was ice cold, albeit on a very cold night.

It’s a bit out of the way for most folks but the food at The Pass makes it worth the drive. Very nice seasonal a la carte menu, or see what the chef puts together in one of the fixed price tasting menus. You will not be disappointed. Chestnut soup was delicious. I had a boneless chicken breast that was moist and delicious — very hard to do given the size of the chicken breast. It was our first time there, but the folks around us all seemed to be getting the 6 course tasting menu, and given the excellent preparation of the dishes we had, I can understand why. There were only two servers doing all the work (host, serve, bus tables), and they did have a decent size crowd given the size of the restaurant. An extra pair of hands would have helped each table gets a bit more attention.

The new menu was flawless. I quickly got over the sadness of not being able to eat the incredible dishes I had last time… And the excitement of a restaurant that changes its menu every two weeks took over. Incredible that everything was different AND excellent. I couldn’t resist the six course menu yet again! Paired the first couple courses with a smooth sparkling wine. The crab meat risotto had a great flavor from the lime juice. The poached scallops were perfectly cooked with a flavorful twist, tart and fruity spiced rhubarb jus. Tough to pair with a white wine– but went well with the sparkling wine. The guinea hen was so fragrant and juicy and paired well with a good Pinot. The dark chocolate and hazelnut semifreddo was fantastic and the gâteau basque was great, even for me, and I don’t even like coconut. One thing I am so grateful for… They still have their incredible focaccia. I love their focaccia. I can’t wait to go back in two weeks for our next adventure! Shout out to the great staff– Steve and Jeremy make the experience a five star experience! Love their video that is on their website! I will post more wine pairings next time!

The meals were delicious, this chef certainly knows what he is doing. The problem is the meals were also tiny. This is not «French-​style small plating» as one reviewer said. I’ve been to France and have had many many prix fixe menus, never have they been so stingy as this. There, the plates are small but you get 6 of them, not 2. I left feeling hungry, which is unacceptable after spending $ 47 for your meal.
My meal was also cold — the waiter said that some of the features of the meal were «supposed to be room temperature» when I asked to heat it up. After heating it, it was delicious, but no matter how nice a restaurant, I would never eat room temp duck, yuck!
I would say maybe try the brunch, the food was amazing but the amount not worth the price.

Outstanding. Excellent. A hidden gem. This is the way we should all be eating — very French/​European. Small plates, prix fixe style. Not the American way where we indulge in large, non-​sensible portions.
The meal beginning to end was PERFECT. Excellent combinations of flavors, food designs, taking my palette on an adventure. I am upset and happy for two reason about this place: upset because it’s over an hour to get here, wishing it was in my backyard and happy to have found it but also to save money from time to time because it takes over an hour to get there, lol.
Come with an open mind, and enjoy your experience. This is NOT your typical American meal portion size so get that out of your heads now.
Also need to comment on the bread. This is served like Europe — WITH your meal and not as a prelude to your meal. Do not expect refills on bread because it comes as a compliment to your appetizer.
Make reservations in advance.
Menu changes weekly — awesome.
Enjoy!

A great restaurant with outstanding food. We loved each course and would gladly return… sooner than later! Favorite was the starter of Guinea leg. WOW.
Steve, the manager and head waiter is super. Look forward to our return in November and January for anniversary and birthday celebrations!
Thanks for a great evening!

U must PASS this restaurant up! The owner must figure his profits down to the penny. No extra bread … Not a drop of extra olive oil. Portions smaller than nyc restaurants. I ordered tuna and it was 2 by 2 and with grizzle My husband ordered some meat dish that was cheap end meat in a smaller than small portion. I’m all for culinary art but this is just cheap. Heading yo nyc for a meal that’s real. Service as awful too. When I asked how waiter was he replied. «well I’m working »

This incredibly cozy spot is gorgeous and the foo is exquisite — each morsel I the prix fix menu is delish! We had a gluten free person and also a vegetarian in our party and the chef kindly accommodated us. The service was great, it’s a BYOB (even better) and the ambience is great. Check it out and you will be so glad you did. We had hens of the woods mushrooms that were sensational, cheese from Bobolink which was divine and the salmon was sensational — it changes so you will be surprised what you get and know that every taste will be a party in your mouth. We will be back for sure.

Alright, I’m coming out of retirement for this one. In a few short words let me just say that my wife and I both agreed that this was the BEST DINNER/​DINING EXPERIENCE we’ve had in a long while.
Though we are passing acquaintances with Matt and I’ve photographed him for magazines this was our first chance to enjoy more than his farmers market charcuterie offerings. We both had silent dread that we may have built this experience up too much beforehand and that the real thing could never be as good as our hopes but we were gloriously wrong!
Be warned that it’s best to make a reservation. This place may be off the beaten path (Pass?) for most, but it is still a destination and while the restaurant wasn’t full on a Wednesday, it wasn’t too far from it.
Also know it’s BYOB.
That’s it. Go there. Now!

I am completely in agreement with my fellow five-​star reviewers: The Pass is the best thing to happen to the Bucks-​Hunterdon dining scene. Outstanding food, agreeable ambiance, professional service.
Please note: as of early June, 2014, the prix-​fixe is now $ 49 per person and includes an «Apertivo» (essentially an amuse-​bouche), a starter, a main and a dessert OR cheese course. While still BYO, there are also several excellent bottles of wine available, priced from $ 40 to $ 70 per bottle.
We are regulars at The Pass and, despite the modest price increase, think it’s still a fantastic deal. Book at least one week ahead for Saturday evenings, The Pass can also be found on Open Table, making reservations a snap.

Wow, that was the best meal I’ve ever had in the «Middle of Nowhere»!
OK, I guess the New Hope PA /​Lambertville NJ area is not exactly the middle of nowhere. In fact it’s a pretty cool place to visit if you like antiques, art galleries, or a quaint riverside setting. But it is true that I’m not used to finding cuisine «worth a 1 – 2 hours drive» that far away from the big city either.
The illustrious @PhillyFoodDude and I decided to meet up for an afternoon of hanging around Lambertville (somehow managing not to buy anything), and then headed over to Chef Matthew Ridgway’s new BYOB in Rosemont NJ (10 min drive) for supper. PFD knows Matt, a Chef with strong credentials including Lacroix, but who most recently started PorcSalt, a charcuterie that supplies many notable restaurants like Café Boulud in NYC. But it was the recent NY Times review that really had our mouths watering:
Philly’s Craig LaBan previously gave them a strong 2 Bell review, but particularly seemed to fault them for service, which in contrast we found to be a strong point:
Amusingly, at least 3 gallery owners in Lambertville hadn’t heard about the new BYOB in town. But that didn’t seem to be hurting business, since it looked like the 36-​seat restaurant was on its way to doing 60 covers on a Saturday night.
The restaurant itself totally charmed me… a rustic former farmhouse (ex-​Café at Rosemont) for which Matt couldn’t have done a better job of preserving its history without coming across as too kitchy (we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt regarding the «mascot» on the wall!). The barn next door is destined to become his enlarged charcuterie in the future.
After a quick tour of the modest-​sized kitchen (loved the painted back kitchen door!), we sat down and started opening our bottles of wine. The tables and seating are comfortable, although there wasn’t a lot of room on the table for 3 bottles and multiple glasses (I brought my own, but the house stems seemed serviceable). But the support pillar next to us had 2 clever metal wine coolers mounted on it, so this is definitely the 2-​top to ask for if you are planning to bring a lot of wine.
The menu is a $ 38.50 3-​course prix fixe with a choice of 5 apps, 3 entrees, and 3 desserts that completely change on a weekly basis. Between the two of us, and a few extra plates that the Chef kindly offered us gratis, we ended up trying the entire menu. Yes, that was a lot of food (and my diet has now suffered as a result!).
Conveniently, the website is always up to date on today’s menu (and past menu’s are archived), so it’s easy to plan ahead what wines to bring.
Apps:
~Chicken liver terrine, marinated sweet potatoes, pea shoots, black vinegar – a very nice pâté if you love a strong liver flavor, but I think it got a bit ignored next to the venison
~Venison tataki (seared on the outside, rare in the middle), maitake mushrooms on a mushroom cream – This was my Dish of the Night, which was melt in your mouth tender and went wonderfully with the Cab
~Steelhead caviar rissole (a little pastry dumpling), lime dressing, baby kale – the salinity of the unusual Riffault, an almost orange wine, went well with this
~Soft amaranth, lobster & red wine salmis – another standout dish, I don’t think I’ve ever had lobster in a red wine sauce before
~Farine and onion soup – Intensely oniony, this was Matt’s take on French onion soup, but the melted cheese was on the crispy cracker rather than the soup
Entrees:
~Stuffed rabbit leg, chickpea fries, fermented black bean-​escargot sauce – PFD’s Dish of the Night, I love rabbit (grew up raising them), but am always nervous ordering because it is often over-​cooked. But this wasn’t…even more remarkable considering that it wasn’t prepared sous-​vide.
~Roasted lamb, sweetbread & sauerkraut ragout, whole-​grain mustard – Another standout (there were a lot!), we actually received a duo of lamb, with some braised lamb loin just for us. Interestingly, the Riffault went really well with the sauerkraut.
~Tilefish, baby leek & carrot salad, satay sauce – My second favorite dish, the sauce made it, and it wasn’t your usual Thai restaurant satay sauce, but a much more complex, thin sauce with just a hint of peanuts. Chef Matt spend several months working in Taiwan, and Asian influences seem to pepper his French technique.
Sides were fairly basic but good: Smashed potatoes, and cold roasted beets.
For Part 2 of my review, click below…

Went to the opening night of their oyster /​charcuterie evening. It was hands down the best all round charcuterie plate I have ever tasted. Duck, beef, pork, turkey, and venison heaven. The only thing stopping 5 stars was a good mustard.

New Years Eve is always a little risky when trying a restaurant for the first time (with special menus and all) but we could not have made a better decision.
The staff were all very friendly and the room had a farmhouse/​country-​store feel to it, meaning open and very comfortable.
What was supposed to be a 6 course tasting menu in reality changed into 9, counting the Amuse-​Bouche and two «extra» desserts at the end.
I won’t go over the entire menu but will say it was outstanding. From the Oyster with Black Bean & Garlic, to the Gnocchi, to the fantastic Guinea Hen with buttermilk dressing, each course was amazing.
We spoke to the chef and told him we are looking forward to returning with friends in order to try their regular menu.
Put The Pass on your list of places not to miss — you won’t be disappointed. (And remember — BYOB)

Wow!
Although not flawless — else it would get 6 stars — the food is so well conceived and executed I can’t stop thinking about it. We ventured mid-​week to beautiful Hunterdon County to an old house reminiscent of The Girl and the Fig in Sonoma but a bit more rustic. We had Beer Soup with a log of bacon bread floating like a piece of driftwood. The flavor combination was perfect. The house made pork shoulder with radishes was phenomenally tasty. My seafood nage almost perfect except for a stray mussel.
My wife got the chicken because you could never prepare it this well at home. Desserts were Caribbean banana cake which was dense and not too sweet; and a churro-​like pastry that was accompanied by a chocolate sauce that was a bit too tame for the fried pastry.
BYO
Good tunes on Sonus (Iron and Wine) set a comfortable vibe.
Charcuterie case looked a little sad. Could use some merchandising pizzaz.