About André’s Lakeside Dining
Located on beautiful Seneca Lake in Sparta, Andre’s Lakeside Dining (http://andresrestaurant.com) features elegant dining in a well-appointed, welcoming space overlooking a calming lake. Owners Chef André deWaal and wife Tracey offer French cuisine with an Asian flair in a beautiful lakeside setting in Sussex County, New Jersey.
André’s opened in 1998 in Newton and soon became the jewel in northwestern New Jersey’s culinary crown. In its 20th year in business, the popular restaurant is now situated in Sparta on beautiful Seneca Lake and continues to wow diners with its excellent service, delicious food and idyllic setting.
About the Food
Foie Gras
Chef deWaal cooks up French food with Asian touches with attention to every detail.
Food is offered à la carte, as a five-course menu or as a Chef’s Tasting menu. The five-course dinner entails a selection of a soup, appetizer, salad, main course and a dessert – a bargain at just $38 more than the price of the main courses. The Chef’s tastings are available in six, seven and eight courses and the food’s left up to the chef’s choice.
When we last visited, the spring menu had just launched. By the way, much praise to restaurants who serve amazing breads and a choice of “standard” butter or duck fat butter – well played, I was hooked from the start of the meal.
Our party of three shared some starters, the Charcuterie Plate, Steak Tartare, Salmon Tartare (a special) and Foie Gras. The charcuterie plate featured high-quality meats and when paired with the fantastic bread, it was a winner. The steak tartare is of pristine quality and served with grilled buttery bread, quail egg and black garlic. The salmon tartare special came with a perfectly-fried oyster over paper-thin slices of cucumber – the salmon was great but the restaurant should consider serving fried oysters as a special – it was outstanding. The foie gras was expertly-seared and served in a fun peanut butter & jelly preparation – a must order.
Swordfish
For our entrées, we opted for the Halibut (the fish of the day), the Farfalle Pasta and the Swordfish (a special). The halibut was chickpea-crusted and served with cauliflower and cumin – great flavor combinations and a sizable piece of fish. The pasta was tossed with an ultra-flavorful boar meat sauce – a perfect match to the Pinot Noir we brought. The swordfish was perhaps our favorite entrée with its seafood dumplings and steamed baby bok choy – the fish was cooked perfectly and the dish showcased the lovely Asian-inspired flavors Chef deWaal is known to incorporate in his food.
Coffee is top notch, so don’t skip it. We shared the Crème Brulée and the Chocolate Cabernet Gateau for dessert. The crème brulée was a nice example of the fan-favorite. The chocolate cake with its red wine notes was served with a chocolate glaze and interesting peppercorn ice cream.
About Other Happenings
Chocolate Cake
Andre’s also offers catering services for weddings, anniversaries and other special events and hands-on cooking classes that are perfect for individuals looking for a fun night out and for corporate team building outings.
Note that André’s is a BYOB and diners are welcomed to bring their own wines. New Jersey’s own ALBA Vineyards Wines are also available for purchase at the popular restaurant.
For some of the finest food in northern New Jersey served by friendly staff in a gorgeous location, pay André’s a visit.
André’s Lakeside Dining – 112 Tomahawk Trail, Sparta Township, 973-726-6000.
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