Four of my friends and me dined at Epernay last night after hearing good things about it in various restaurant reviews.  What a disappointment!  Can’t say anything positive about it – from the seating situation to the wait staff to the food – all mediocre.

Had reservations and was told to go back to the “foyer” until the staff was ready for us. Bad, rude, first impression.  When we were taken to our table, it was difficult to maneuver to our chairs due to the tables being so close to each other (not in a cute Paris way). Someone in my party commented that the fire marshal must not have visited lately.

Our main waiter was visibly intoxicated when we arrived and just didn’t make the cut. I’d brought Champagne and he insisted on chilling it for 10 minutes while we sat and waited for him to bring it for us, which he never didn’t.  He instead opted to open the bottle and pour the wine behind a wall and bring each guest a glass. Major fail in the showmanship department, especially when serving a bottle at a higher price point – this is a bistro, not a stuffy high-end place where wine might be poured away from the table.

Epernay Duck

The menu consists of predictable French bistro fare: escargots, onion soup, beet salad for starters then steak frites, mussels, cassoulet and duck for entrees.  Who could mess this up?  The kitchen staff at Epernay does.  Every dish was cold.  None of the dishes were good.  I had the lobster ravioli starter and it featured thick pasta and cold sauce.  I ordered the duck medium-rare and it was cold and well done with flabby fat that hadn’t been rendered at all (caveat – the mashed potatoes were nice).  The meats were likely par-cooked then microwaved to fully cook as all was grey and overdone.  No “a la minute” at Epernay!  My friend’s “seared” scallops were white and mostly boiled then served over what appeared to be canned corn.

Thank goodness Epernay is a BYOB as the stars of the meal were the fabulous wines we brought and sipped.  This level of cooking/serving cannot happen in a town like Montclair with stellar restaurants on every corner.

Epernay, A French Brasserie

6 Park Street

Montclair, NJ 7042