We dined at the stylish new Bloomfield restautant called The Orange Squirrel that has "opened" to much buzz and fanfare on the web.
We went on a Tuesday night and just loved, loved, loved the place for many reasons.
That is not to say there are not some flaws, which seem to manifest, as you might expect, mainly on the weekend. The grand opening is planned for later in the spring. We will be back but not on the weekends. We like eating at home or with friends at home on weekends anyway.
Why do we think The Orange Squirrel is great?
We love the space and ambiance. It reminds me of my all time favorite restaurant in New Jersey, Dish which was in Passaic Park. It closed a few years ago after a great run. We still miss Dish.
We love having a bar with good cocktails and a very nice selection of good wines by the glass for reasonable prices.
Two wines we really like were Fratelli Pighin Collio Pino Grigio and Michele Chiarlo Gavi.
We like the young chef and owner, Francesco Palmieri, he is a real character with tremendous artistry in the kitchen.
We love the food, tried many dishes and have already picked what we are having next time. See the menu here.
While we did not experience any problems, people have complained about service, timing, some average food. A friend told me there was a hostess that was absolutely awful, god awfully rude, hopefully she is gone. Our host and waiter Howard, was great in every way.
I say give these folks a chance. I suggest you disregard the complaints and try the place on a week night not Friday or Saturday when the masses attack.
973.337.6421
http://www.theorangesquirrel.com/
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