Etc. Steakhouse

We had such a beautiful meal here from the appetizers to dessert. Had the most delicious rib eye steak and potatoes. A classic meal made like I’ve never had it before (the potatoes were twice cooked and had a delicious dill mayo). Plus impeccable service!
Some of our other favorite dishes were the gnocchi, buffalo cauliflower, and the grow and behold steak.
Can’t wait to come back for another celebratory meal!

Promptly sat in a nice secluded corner table by a window in the first dining room away from any prying judgy eyes, the ambiance was tastefully simple but a tad bit too dark lighting wise. One down side was the weird loudly slamming front entrance door though.
Started the evening off with their ridiculously addictive bread and garlic mayo. The kitchen also sent out an amuse bouche of pea purée topped with rice puff and truffle oil. Purée was refreshing but did not taste any hint of truffle and the rice puff weren’t puffs by super hard and crisp rice kernels. Not quite my fave at all.
What we loved:
Black Pepper and Coriander Sweetbread: the delicate sweetbread was gently formed into a cube shape, nicely pan seared, crispy exterior followed by a deliciously creamy and buttery center. It was surrounded by hearty mini root veggies that were both tender with a nice al dente texture to them. The black pepper and coriander flavors we not overpowering at all so this deserved a second order to the table!
Gnocchi with Beef cheeks, Mushroom ragu and Elephant garlic: the housemade gnocchi was literally big pillows of amazingness. Fluffy and still with a nice bite, they were nicely complimented by the slightly richer mushroom ragu and chunks of beautifully braised beef cheeks. Elephant garlic, though ginormous in its size, are actually super delicate and sweeter in flavor compared to their smaller white bulb variety used and available in every kitchen, so again it did not overpower this dish at all. This dish too was worthy of seconds order to our table this night.
«Bacon» «cheese» burger: a deconstructed mini burger with all the fixings. Mini beef patties, because of their sheer size, can be overcooked thus making it dry and flavorless. Not the case here thankfully. The pickled red onions, cashew «cheese» and «bacon» worked surprisingly well together even in this deconstructed form. Though we would have liked the mini bun to be a bit more denser rather than a soft puff like a yeast donut almost. This is double order worthy as well for our next visit.
Mixed green salad: unassuming bowl of greens but once you tucked in, there were sweet tangerine segments, beets, candied nuts all beautifully dressed, not drowned, in an addictive pomegranate vinaigrette.
The not so loved:
Buffalo Cauliflower: the cauliflower were battered and fried to perfection but the table was torn about the accompanying «hot sauce» either being overwhelmingly spicy or a tad bit too sweet and not spicy enough, may be due to it being mixed with pureed carrots…
Turnip «scallops»: Being the only convert at the table and actually having tried a real scallop and the rest of the table only having seen what a scallop looks like in picture form, we all agreed the preparation was exactly what a scallop should look like, a pretty golden brown sear on the top and bottom exteriors, chef even went as far as scoringthem as well. But the comparison ends there. No I was not expecting it to taste like an actual scallop obviously but would have liked the texture of one though. The interior of the turnip was way too hard and dense. I think adding a bit of a shiso/​seawees based broth to the dish or even braising in it to soften the turnip and then searing would result in a better textural and flavored dish closely resembling the «scallop» they were trying to convey.
Moving onto the Entrée portion of our meal: Filet and Hanger steaks were king at the table. Aside from one piece of hanger resembling a falic shape, which they rectified very quickly, each dish was very carefully prepared. I was highly impressed with the fact not one inch of my requested well done hanger steak was not burned. A tad bit salty but the accompanying pureed veg and toasted hazelnuts with the generous portion of artichoke heart quarters balanced it out well. French fries are highly addictive and the onion rings had a really nice batter surrounding each ring.
Dessert consisted of 5 choices so we ordered one of each of course!
Doughnuts: surprisingly dense, but in a good way, and even with a thick covering of cinnamon sugar, not overly sweet either.
Apple Pecan bar: this one was just Ok. Would have liked it warmer and some of us felt there was a freezer burn after taste though. Presentation was beautiful though.
Chocolate pudding: the surprise hit of the dessert round! Really rich chocolate flavor but light and not at all heavy in the least bit.
Frozen lemon mousse: Could not tell that there was any lemon flavor in this at all. Nice palate cleaner because it was cold and all but need to boost the menon flavor in this one.
Crème Brulee: definitely succeeded in the Brulee part but sadly the crème portion fell short… the dish it was prepared in was a bit too shallow so there was too much Brulee vs. the crème.
Sous Chef Torre returned and graciously listened intently to some of our constructive feedback as well. Looking forward to our return visit!

Second time at ETC. first time food was bad. This time place was so loud and I could not have conversation with my wife. Food was okay not great. Had risotto which tasted like flavored brown rice and steak was very salty. Service was great. Made a mistake with my wife’s meal and corrected and even brought a free Gnocchi for my wife to eat while she waited for new meal to be prepared.

I have been here many times and never been disappointed. We have eaten at the majority of top shelf kosher restaurants in the world and ETC was my choice in the whole tri-​state area to go to for a significant birthday. Today they seem to have gone above and beyond but it seemed to the every day fare. My husband had the new lamb dish and I had my old stand by 8oz. Steak. From the way everything was cooked to the presentation it was all great. The server was knowledgable and polite and I can hardly wait to return. I only wish they would have a lunch service so I could take business colleagues.

Went there last night with my daughter and some friends and I must say I was VERY impressed. I read the reviews beforehand even though I hate reading reviews because you almost always get the whole range from horrible, will never go there again to fabulous, can’t wait to go back. I’ve eaten at a number of very expensive restaurants both here in the U.S. as well as abroad (last summer in Copenhagen where the food was exquisite) and this place ranks up there with many of them! From the beer bread to the 2 appetizers (gnocchi and the buffalo cauliflower which was superb) to the main courses which we all tasted each other’s dish. The chili and chocolate short ribs melted in my mouth and the peppercorn filet were excellent. Also enjoyed the hanger steak which is one of my favorite meats. The desserts (as previously reviewed) weren’t worth the money they charge. The sorbet which was what I ordered was really good — you get all the flavors and can’t order just one but tiny is probably the best way to describe it. Each flavor was about barely 3 or 4 small bites’ worth. Again, it was good but totally overpriced. There was a group of 6 sitting nearby who were very, very loud and annoying almost the entire time we were there and the staff tried to get them to quiet down. The restaurant felt so bad for us they gave me a certificate toward my next visit which I am definitely going to use! I don’t know if they are consistent but it’s worth a try!

This is a great place to go for a special meal. The food is always amazing. It is presented so well. Staff extremely attentive.

Went there 6:30 on a Sunday night. The place was 75% empty. The host turned us away because we did not have a reservation. He said he «couldn’t accommodate us». I’m sorry. There is no room at one of these 20 empty tables. At least look busy if you are going to turn away people.
If a reservation is required, indicate that on your website and provide a means to make one.
Why would I ever again pay for a babysitter and plan a night out just to be sent home hungry! Go to Smokey Joes instead. It’s 5 minutes away and they are always friendly.

Tonight, I hosted a group of 27 physicians and the restaurant went above and beyond to accommodate us even though they were booked for the evening. The food was exceptional and all enjoyed every morsel. Thank you for going above and beyond in creating an exceptional evening.
Donna

Food is excellent but ambiance is somewhat plain and lacking. Still.. . Food is worth the price and I don’t say that often.
Started with gnocchi which could not be more flavorful and delicious. My wife got the cabbage soup which was great if you like that sort of thing.
Short ribs for the entre were amazing! Wife got the bone in ribeye which was flavorful and cooked to perfection.
Dessert was eh.. . Never worth it at a kosher place.
Overall very well done.

Food was tasty and ambiance very nice.
But, my friend got food poisoning and I know a few other people who don’t eat there anymore because they got sick too.

I came here one evening with a friend and they sat us next to another room that had music blasting. We thought there was a party, so tried to deal with it. It turned out, there was no party and the employees simply had the music high in the catering room. We kept asking each other to repeat things. it was that annoying.
So thats the bad.
The good. The food was amazing! I had the faux green eggs and ham. the eggs were indeed green and the fake ham was delicious. I also ordered one of their steaks and it was cooked perfectly. My friend went with an appetizer that was so good, he just ordered it again instead of a main dish. The service by the waitress was really great and the ambience. other than the loud music, was great.

Best restaurant we’ve been to so far. Hands down.
Wanted to go somewhere nice in Teaneck last night, so the obvious choice was between ETC and NoBo. Hearing that both were fantastic, we chose ETC because it looked slightly, slightly better in the reviews I had read. I was very excited to see, once the decision had already been made, that it was BYOB. When we go out, our general rule is that we just get water, because we would rather apply our budget to food, rather than drink (Especially when neither of us are wine aficionados, despite our best efforts to like the fancy/​yucky tasting stuff. #Fail). It was nice to just buy a cheap bottle of wine (I hope this doesn’t invalidate my review right here), and bring it to the restaurant, as opposed to spending $ 20-​$ 30 per glass.
The ambiance and service were all top notch and everything came out quickly. Let’s just get that out of the way before discussing the food. Our waiter was incredibly attentive, fun, and generous as will be discussed later on.
For the appetizer, we ordered the Soup Du Jour, which was a chicken vegetable soup. It was one of the best soups I have ever had. Besides a great savory taste to the soup itself, there was a fantastic spicy kick in the aftertaste. Not enough of a kick to make you grab your water glass in panic, but enough for an unexpected treat at the end of a taste.
For the main, we shared the boneless short ribs and the triple peppercorn filet. The short ribs were fantastic, and extremely soft. Similar to at Mike’s Bistro, the meat just fell off when you touched your fork to them. The chocolate BBQ sauce was incredibly unique and elevated the flavor of the meat to a new level. I would suggest asking for extra sauce though, as the flavor would have been a bit better if it were stronger. It came with mashed potatoes and perfectly steamed broccolini, which was fantastic as well. As for the triple peppercorn filet, all I can say is that it was the best thing I have ever eaten. My mouth is watering just thinking about it a day later. It was cooked to perfection (A true medium rare), and the flavors just soaked through the meat in a way I have never before tasted. I don’t have much to add, besides that it was just the best thing I have ever tasted, steak or otherwise. It was paired with a sweet potato/​coconut chowder that was also very unique, and tasted great, and topped with some sweet potato chips.
We were celebrating her birthday (Which is technically today; Happy Birthday Honey!), so we started to order dessert. When we saw the menu though, both the peanut butter and caramel options looked great to us, and we could not decide for a couple minutes which one to choose. We went back and forth until we finally decided on the peanut butter mousse, fudge, and peanut butter coulis. Imagine our surprise when the waiter came out with both, since it was her birthday, and that we were only being charged for the peanut butter. Free dessert? SCORE! The peanut butter one was good, especially the fudge, but nothing too special, but the caramel dessert with toasted coconuts was off the chains (Sorry, I’m running out of adjectives here). It’s a shame that since it’s not chocolate, it’s one of the less popular desserts. Really top notch.
At the end of the day, the food was on par (or better) with the best places out there. I would most compare it to Mike’s, taste-​wise and service-​wise. However, we were much more full coming out (We could not eat a single iota more of food by the time we finished), and spent just over $ 30 less. I really do not have a single not positive thing to say about our experience, and would come back here in a heartbeat. 5 Stars Plus! Etc, etc, etc! (Look, a theater reference!)

Don’t let the word «Kosher» scare you away from this amazing spot. Chef Seth is a master and knows how to get your taste buds going. This is a great spot to try yummy food you most likely won’t get anywhere else. Who woulda thought Beef Carpaccio + Avocado + Watermelon would be so damn good. My favorite are the Ribs that just mellllt in your mouth. The beer bread is addicting so be careful, but if you can’t control your craving make sure to get the recipe on your way out :)
Also, the desserts here are just as good. Deepa, the sous chef, knows how to end your experience at ETC with her sweet menu.
BYOB & don’t forget to call ahead to make a reservation!

Best kosher meat restaurant in Teaneck. Fo’ real. Chef Taster Menu blew my mind, melted my face, and lives on in my dreams. Wait staff is pro. Chef is too creative to be a mere mortal. I literally can’t recommend this place enough. I wish it cost less, but for special occasions it is worth every cent. And it is BYOB so you can drink as much as you wish without that doubling your cheque. So that’s groovy.

This was one of the best meals I ever ate! We came here to celebrate my college graduation, and all 8 of us in our party enjoyed our food. We had the gnocchi and mushroom soup, and then all ordered various forms of steak for our main dish. I had the Three Peppercorn Filet, and it was honestly the best piece of steak I’ve tasted. The meat was cooked and seasoned perfectly — 4 of us actually ordered that steak, cooked to varying extents, and we were all pleased with how it was cooked. I was even pleasantly surprised by the desserts — they were delicious!
The service was great, too. We didn’t have to wait at all to be seated (we had a reservation but arrived about 10 minutes early), and our waiter was very attentive. Our food all arrived at the same time and was served at the right temperature.
Something else we liked was that this restaurant is BYOB (as long as the wine is kosher and mevushal). That really keeps the price of the meal very moderate, and we could bring the wine we liked.
We would definitely come here again, and recommend it to anyone looking for a nice restaurant in the Teaneck area.

I feel like the label «Kosher» is underserving this restaurant as it has one of the finest menus I’ve come across, having eaten at highly regarded non-​kosher restaurants across the country as a bit of a «foodie.» This place is a gem.
We were worried about some of the one-​star reviews here, but none of that seemed to be an issue.
To the ambiance: the place tries, but there are a few fall-​downs — the reception area is at the back of the main dining room which makes for an awkward welcome, and the side room we ate in had some of the nuts and bolts a little too expose for a «five star» restaurant rating, IMO. They really need to dress up the bland wall there and find a way to hide the AC and heating units, or incorporate them into the design. The leather on the chairs is getting quite worn as well. I was amused by the New Orleans painting in the ladies’ room as one would expect something modern, to go with the rest of the tasteful art, or Jewish to go with the kosher theme and its patrons. If you are not used to religious Jews, you might feel out of place as that’s the dominant patronage here, but it’s also great people watching. It really deserves a broader audience. We were amused by the ambient noise selection: Beatles classics!
Food: First of all, it’s a BYOB establishment, but there’s a kosher wine shop up the road with a good selection. We enjoyed the experience of leaving fine dining in order to grab some vino. .. it felt adventurous and different!
The chef is obviously classically trained. The plating is superb, the food is all really balanced with interesting ingredients, and, again, it looked and tasted like five star restaurants I’ve enjoyed in the past. We were excited to find there was a multi-​course tasting menu, and then disappointed to find out it was not offered on Sundays, but the server said she could just plan out what it would be for us and split the portions accordingly, which was perfect.
First we were given a fantastic sweetbread with what seemed to be a mayonaisse butter but balanced well with the consistency between the two.
We were served the amuse bouche, which was a lovely way to settle in to the food and concentrate on the tasting experience.
Our server brought us the gnocci appetizer, which I am usually not a fan of but I must say, this was fantastic. Great blend of consistencies, flavors, and colors. We had a ribeye roll which came with an orange/​pomegranate side and worked great with the saltiness of the meat.
Next was what she called shortribs but was clearly brisket prepared with a sweet glaze on top of broccolini and butternut squash sauce. HEAVEN. This is something that I will remember for a long time. The squash cut the sweetness, the meat fell apart without a fork, and the combination was so creative and perfect I will defiitely attempt to recreate it at home since I live nowhere near NJ.
We also had a steak with potato sides and to be honest, the steak was. .. a steak. Of course, I’ve gotten quite good at steaks, and if you’re not used to a kosher steak, it will be a very good one (inherently I’ve found the flavor of a salted steak always trumps a non-​salted one). The potato side was amazing, and there was a hint of chimichurri and something else on them that made them delightful.
We had no room for dessert and it took me about two hours to get it all down at a good pace. I was a little disappointed a salad wasn’t in there to balance out all the meat, but otherwise pretty amazing.
Service: The servers are not all Jewish, so when you bring in wine, they require it to be mevushal (cooked) to follow Jewish kosher laws about non-​Jews touching the wine. They also cannot pour it for you, so do not expect amazing things from your BYOB service — though I do love that if you’re not looking for five-​star service.
Our server was super friendly, as was the host. When we came in, there was a family playing on the floor, too, which was very clearly not the sign of a five-​star restaurant, but really cute and again, another quirky touch. Our server was quick to find a way to make us happy when we were bummed about the tasting not being available, and the timing of the meal was good, though getting both appetizers and both steaks at the same time made me feel like a piggie rather than someone enjoying a multi-​course meal. The folks next to us definitely gave us looks when both steaks came out.
Overall, come for the food and throw expectations beyond that away. If you get the right things, the meal is five star if the restaurant itself is not, and that’s what matters. Besides, if you can’t appreciate it for what it is, it’s not your place anyway.

I had one of the best meals of my life at this place. First, I want to say, I do not keep kosher and I usually don’t like fish that much. But a good friend of mine (and a serious foodie who is kosher) told me this place is worth the trip from manhattan, whether or not someone cares about how meat is blessed.
I agreed to let my friend take me here. He has never let me down before and this time was no exception. My friend happens to be friends with the chef at Etc, so the chef, Seth, made us a creative tasting dinner, that I have to say rivals the best meals Ive had in Spain and in Manhattan’s swankiest restaurants.
(While this tasting dinner is not on the menu, each of the small plates we had was a smaller version of what is on the menu, allowing us to taste every single thing without filling up to fast!)
We started with an amuse bouche that was a salmon tartare on a blue potato chip. Presentation: refined and beautiful. Taste: scrumptious!
The courses that followed include: gnocchi in a hollandaise sauce, salmon croquettes with a strawberry mango salsa, empanada with tillapia, bananas and beans with hot sauce, salmon with balsamic, peppery tuna steak with a risotto, a hangar steak with pasta, a prime rib and another steak dish that I cant remember right now :(
Every dish was plated beautifully and tasted equally wonderful. I especially LOVED the strawberry mango salsa and the chef gave me some to go. THANKS!
I usually also dont like fish, so having fish dishes that actually tasted amazing completely opened my eyes. The tuna steak? Holy crap!
For dessert we tried the chocolate cake with «drunken raisins» and chocolate gelato, strawberry short cake, blueberry tart with lemon sorbet and a lemon meringue cake. I loved the chocolate and the blueberry ones the best, but all were delicious.
As a former skeptic of Kosher (and of New Jersey!) I have to say this was one of the best meals of my life. The chef Seth, is the most talented chef I have ever had the pleasure of tasting his creations. Every dish looked like it could have been showcased on the Food Network and tasted as good as it looked!

Went to ETC yesterday and had a great early dinner. I started with the sweetbreads and they were delicious. The outside has a beautiful crispy crust that gave way to a buttery soft inside. The caramelized onions complemented the dish very well. I also had the gnocchi which came with beef cheeks and wild mushrooms in a very flavorful broth. My entrée was a bone in rib steak that was cooked a perfect medium rare. It had a great flavor and texture and was served alongside delicious salty and crispy French fries and a house made ketchup. I would certainly recommend this place and plan on returning.

If you scout out my reviews, you’ll notice that I wasn’t always kosher. In fact, I went kosher strictly in mid-​2009. Before that? I indulged in all the non-​kosher food out there, including a bounty of steakhouses while living in Chicago. In fact, if you check out my reviews, you’ll notice some particularly drool-​worthy ones where I go on and on about the masterful filets at some of Chicago’s best joints.
But then, I went kosher. Technically, filet mignon isn’t kosher. Steakhouses, all the good ones, weren’t kosher. I was left on an oasis of meatlessness.
I’ve had plenty of kosher steaks since then. Plenty of «filets» at kosher joints, with the requested cooking style of «medium rare» (it’s the only way to eat beef, people). And all of them have been less than impressive. Doable, but simply impressive.
Enter ETC. Steakhouse. Yes, it was my husband’s birthday. Yes, he should have been the one having the ethereal experience (which, by the way, he did, but this is about me here), but it was I who ordered the Peppercorn Encrusted Filet with frittes, marrow, and some kind of greens. I got mine sans marrow, because I’m a gluten-​free eater, and ordered it medium rare. I also ordered the Potato-​Leek Soup as a starter.
The soup was good, but nothing I’d write home about. I make my own potato-​leek soup at home and it’s thick and creamy (not to mention vegan). This soup was a little on the oily side. But I came here for the meat. So when the main course arrived, I was elated. The steak was huge, thick, and was oozing juice. The filet was cooked perfectly. I mean, absolutely perfectly. It had the perfect crust with a juicy, pink center. And the taste? You’d need taste-​o-​vision or smell-​o-​vision to really get the full impact of just how good this was.
When I say this is the BEST steak I’ve ever had, I mean it. I really, really mean it. I’ve had a million steaks in my life, and this was, hands down, the most delicious, perfectly cooked filet I have ever had. And I take meat seriously. Very, very seriously.
The frittes were good, and I didn’t eat the greens (it seemed kind of like sprouts, but was more for decoration). We got the Gluten-​Free Chocolate Cake with Orange Mousse for dessert because, as I mentioned, it was my husband’s birthday. If you ever though gluten-​free cake couldn’t be delicious, you were lied to or mistake or insane. It was moist, rich, and absolutely to die for.
I’ve decided that my last meal on earth will be a steak cooked by the chef here, who, by the way, came in to say «hello» to us and the other tables and see how the meal was. If you don’t fine-​dine much, this is a sign of a really high-​class joint. To have the chef come out? You see the face behind the plate, and that’s important.
Take-​away: Go here. Order the filet. Order it medium-​rare. And be prepared to want that steak for every meal for the rest of your life. And if you think I’m wrong? Let me know. I’d love to hear you kvetch.
(Also: A nod to our amazing waitress, Lily, who made the entire experience excellent. The cozy little joint is perfectly coifed in that red-​black steakhouse feel, but without being cheesy. The wait staff is all in black, making it a classy, classy joint.)

This place is a disaster. Avoid it at all costs. We arrived for a 7:30 pm reservation and it is now 9:45 and we haven’t been served our entrees yet. Completely unacceptable. Rolls were served ½ frozen. They were severely understaffed. Seriously go elsewhere. Several in our party had to leave before the meal was served because it took so long.
I read all the glowing reviews of this place and I’m astonished. Maybe we went on a particularly disastrous night for them or people are so hard up for glatt kosher dining options that they’ll glom onto anything that pops up.
When the meal finally arrived it was passable but nothing noteworthy. To give credit, the wait staff recognized the disaster they had perpetrated on us and offered a complimentary dessert, but since the hour was late and we had to work the next day — we declined.