Restaurant Serenade, 6 Roosevelt Avenue, Chatham, NJ 07928

Restaurant Serenade in Chatham, NJ is one of those very special places for really special celebrations!  With meticulous service, a very tempting menu and a wonderful selection of wines, one can always rely on it to bring out the best in an occasion.  It is several years since I was last there and my visit this week was to celebrate dinner for someone's birthday.  It is conveniently located just a few minutes from my home in Summit, NJ in Chatham Borough, the next door town.  Everything there runs seamlessly and the attention from staff is extensive but not intrusive, something that I value highly.  I think that one of their secrets is maintaining a small, but delicious, menu using only the freshest ingredients, all beautifully presented with emphasis on the season.  We started off with the Salad Nancy and Asparagus Soup, followed by Fois Gras (one of their signature dishes) and then diverged for the entrees: one had wild salmon on a bed of red quinoa risotto and vegetables, another had filet mignon and another had one of the day's specials - grilled halibut over delectable vegetables, including fiddlehead ferns, one of my favorite spring delicacies!!  This was served with a white Bordeau and a red Pinotage, both of which went very well with everything, being relatively dry with great depth of flavor.  Restaurant Serenade also serves delicious home made breads, including sourdough, potato and a herb biscuit that is truly delectable!  Their coffee is always good and one should leave room for dessert, especially the warm chocolate tart which tasted divine and which we shared between the three of us.  We were also presented with a pretty plate of petit fours at the end of our meal - also homemade and truly delicious!  The dining rooms are elegantly understated with high ceilings and soothing decor and everything is of a very high standard and taste, down to the exquisite fresh flowers on the tables and in the rest rooms.  Look no further for that really special meal than Restaurant Serenade!