| Pat Tanner (7/25/05)
If ever a town needed an infusion of culinary excitement,
it is Flemington. And it got just that when Matt’s
Red Rooster Grill opened right before Thanksgiving
last fall. The young chefs and co-owners, Matt McPherson
and Matt Green, had been roommates at the Culinary
Institute of America and went on to establish a restaurant
in Arizona. After heading off in different directions,
McPherson eventually became sous chef at Hamilton’s
Grill Room in Lambertville. Now, the two Matts, professionally
reunited, take turns in the kitchen and the front
of the house at their eponymous restaurant. Both bring
prodigious skills to bear.
As one dining companion noted, the “Red Rooster”
part of the name suggests a diner, but McPherson says
it is meant to connote both American fare and a relaxed,
casual setting. There is nothing old-fashioned, though,
about either this b.y.o’s modern American fare
nor its urbane décor.
Matt’s is housed on two floors of a pretty Victorian
home on Bloomfield Avenue, catty-corner to Flemington
Fur.
Including outdoor seating on the porch and patio,
it seats about 100. The interior sensibility is contemporary
sophistication, yet executed with warmth and respect
for the bones of the space. The walls are painted
a friendly, enveloping gray - a handy trick, that
- with sleek stainless-steel pendant lamps and colorful
contemporary art on the walls. Even the restrooms
are attractive. The kitchen, a long open grill with
four seats at the short end, is open to the dining
room. Even though my table of four sat at the nearest
table, we suffered neither heat nor smells during
our dinner. We went on a Friday night and the place
was almost full up, including the small private dining
room at the back of the top floor.
McPherson tags his restaurant an “American chophouse,”
and there is plenty on the menu that bears this out.
Three of the ten entrees feature steak: a New York
strip with Béarnaise, rib eye with cabernet
butter, and center-cut filet with bacon-blue cheese
sauce. In addition, most evenings see yet another
beefy special, such as porterhouse with horseradish
sauce. Add in grilled ahi tuna steak, cedar plank
salmon, and rotisserie chicken, and it’s not
hard to see where the restaurant’s heart lies.
There is even a classic steakhouse salad on the menu.
Called “The Wedge,” this retro dish comprises
iceberg lettuce with blue cheese, bacon, and tomato.
It costs $7, as do two other salads.
But the fare at Matt’s Red Rooster offers more
finesse and interest than either the barnyard association
or chophouse designation implies. I chose the sweet
corn chowder to start. I like corn chowder in general,
but I don’t expect too much from it. Matt’s
version offered not only corny creaminess, but a wonderful
interplay of sweet and smoke that made it more complex
and totally satisfying. At $6.50, the soups, which
also include cream of wild mushroom and gazpacho with
shrimp and scallop ceviche, are the least expensive
options on the menu.
Another starter, tower of tuna tartare with wasabi
cream ($12), is a tour de force of restraint: my companion
who ordered it isn’t a fan of wasabi, so appreciated
that there is just enough of the fiery condiment to
enhance without overpowering the delicate fish. Pan-seared
soft shell crab ($12) was rated excellent by another
of my companions, even without its mantle of delicious
caper butter. But a langoustine special received a
mixed reaction. A lone langoustine – not very
large nor meaty – did not manage to distinguish
itself, although its partners on the plate did.
These included a tomatillo sauce (“nicely tart
without being puckering,” my companion said)
and a corn soufflé/pudding that made for a
creamy and fitting complement.
Entrees are characterized by quality ingredients,
expert handling, and creative pairings. My choice
of Hawaiian butter fish ($25) could have been bland,
despite a thin glazing of pesto, but came alive with
a topping of sun-dried tomato tapenade, and included
a flavorful mound of Israeli couscous. The “Butcher’s
Choice” 14-ounce rib eye ($25) has more conventional
accompaniments, but is outstanding nonetheless. Cabernet
butter gilds the lily magnificently, and the creamy
mashed potatoes have only a hint of garlic, rather
than a fistful. Entrees come with the vegetable medley
of the day, which this night included nicely sautéed
green beans, zucchini, and sweet red peppers. Since
the two Matts choose whatever looks best from local
farms, the veggies change nightly.
The Red Rooster cioppino ($25) made me a true believer
in a dish that often induces ennui. It is chock full
of all the right fish and seafood sitting atop perfectly
al dente linguine, but its base of luxurious lobster
broth is what sets it apart from the rest. It also
doesn’t hurt that the clams, mussels, lobsters,
shrimp and/or scallops, and assorted finfish are sautéed
at the last moment – as the salads are being
cleared from the table, according to McPherson.
Such fastidiousness is also apparent in the double-cut,
house-smoked pork chop ($23), which is becoming something
of a house signature. Preparation takes several days,
encompassing brining, air drying, and cold smoking
before being cooked to order. Currently its porcine
goodness is enhanced with peach jus, but the sauce
varies with the seasons. McPherson estimates that
he changes the menu significantly every two months.
The young fellow who served us could not have been
more pleasant or enthusiastic, and was clearly conversant
with the nuances of the food. He rightly offered to
open at the start of the meal both bottles of wine
we had brought, but then stumbled a bit by assuming
out loud that the ladies would likely drink the white
and the gents the red. Since our visit, by the way,
this b.y.o. has begun to offer Unionville Wines.
Most desserts are made in house, and these are the
ones that shine. So ignore the so-so chocolate layer
cake and chocolate mud-pie thing. On the other hand,
do not miss Matt’s peanut butter torte. Normally,
I disdain desserts with peanut butter, but this is
one even adults can enjoy. Inside the graham cracker
crust, the peanut butter and chocolate filling is
neither cloying nor heavy, and is helped along by
caramel sauce and a layer of hard chocolate. The lemon
cream tartlet topped with fresh fruit is another winner,
and even the Ciao Bella sorbets come in interesting
flavors, such as pomegranate and grapefruit-Campari.
All desserts are $7.
Matt’s Red Rooster Grill has many reasons to
crow: a menu that is easy to love, experienced hands
at the grill, personable staff, and a setting that
manages to be thoroughly modern yet warm and relaxing.
Flemington – and all of us - can ask for little
more.
Matt’s Red Rooster Grill
22 Bloomfield Avenue
Flemington
(908) 788-7050
Food: Very good
Service: Friendly, knowledgeable
Cuisine: Modern American chophouse
Prices: High end of moderate
Ambiance: Victorian exterior; stylishly modern interior
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