market taverne

market restaurant. greatfoodand upscale but casual atmosphere. we went with a large group and all equally praised the cuisine. absolutely delicious!

market should close. i had read early reviews last year and they basically said sadfoodand poor excuse for bar pours. now that it has been there a year, i figured we would try it. both my wife and i were very disappointed in the food. i had the "$19 puff pastry crust meatloaf" and she had the "$14 market hamburger". it all reminded us of low quality dinerfoodonly, at a much higher end price. the drink pour was a joke (exact metered measure airport pour for big $ but no view of the city skyline). the service was good, but that is about it. the coffee tasted like they dipped an instant bag in hot water once or twice. we left most of thefoodand drink behind. would not recommend it or ever go back.

somewhat depressing. four of us came for dinner. the dull color of the walls, floors, drapes, and furniture created a drab and uninviting atmosphere (certainly not "warm", as their ads claim). this impression was heightened a table so small that the cheap plastic place mats did not fit without overlapping. thefoodwas very hit-or-miss. the mussels were good, but the bronzini was poor. quite a lot offoodwas left uneaten, which is always a bad sign (and not due to large portions). the service was slow and the price was high. not a place i would go to relax and enjoy a meal with family or friends.

disappointing first and last visit. how can you "advertise" a lobster special and be out of lobsters before 7 pm on friday night?! good friday of all nights! we were intrigued by a new restaurant in our area, and were eager to try it. while thefoodwe had to order in place of the lobster was good, we were surprised that the special was already gone. the waitress told us this happens often...maybe the quantity ordered needs to be higher...don't drive away other new customers!

completely delicious. this isn't really the place to go if you're looking for a quick meal. if you're going to have a leisurely dinner with friends, it's the perfect place! thefoodis absolutely delicious. i had the duck salad which was dressed with the most delicious vinaigrette! my fiancé had the braised short ribs and had to control himself from licking the plate clean. our friend had the ny strip and managed to finish every oz offoodon his plate. the portions were by no means skimpy, they are perfectly sized for one person for one meal. we also enjoyed the best mojitos i've had in nj.

if definitely go back here! aside from the service being a little slow (food service was fast, but finding our waiter for reordering drinks was a little bit lengthy) this was a great experience.

terrible customer service. this restaurant has had bad service since the opening. they can't keep a restaurant manager on staff, and no-one keeps an eye out for basic operations during the night. there is no concern whatsoever when they screw up and no attempt to make it up to the customer or win back the business. additionally, they run out offoodon a regular basis.

music good - smell bad -foodok. we are country mile business people and live nearby. we brought friends with us because of the offering of live music. the band was incredible! we will come back every time they have music like this.foodand drinks are very expensive. the salads and bread were excellent. short ribs excellent. falafel burger was ok; the tahini served with it was god awful. no one asked "how's everything." just "can i get you anything else or would you like the check." we had to leave the porch area when an awful sewer smell enveloped the area. all patrons out there were offended. we alerted the staff. no one apologized or seem to care. we sat in the bar area (not at the bar) for 2 hours and never got offered service. the previously unseen waitress(es) were blowing out candles long before the band stopped playing. it's like they didn't want people to stay and drink!

had a great easter brunch of fine dining at hibiscus with family and friends . there was great selection of largefoodchoices that were all delicious. karlene the proprietor was helpful in making the arrangements and assuring we were well served. we had a private kid friendly dining room for 15 guests including three (3) children. the room had a two piece steel band that served us and guest in an adjoining dining room. my wife and i enjoy regularly hibiscus after church for sunday brunch for fine dining and jazz in an intimate setting. a great plus for us is byob.

terrible food, careless service. i wanted to like this place and waited 'til they were open a while and had gotten the kinks out. butfoodwas horrible and very unappetizing looking. all sorts of different entrees rolled into meatball-looking balls for some strange reason. our waitress never even brought bread to the table. i assumed they didn't serve it but one of my friends later mentioned other tables had gotten it. total waste of a dinner out and no way we'll ever return.

disappointed but try not to compare to pierre s but can't help it. as frequent patrons of pierre's, we try not to compare but frankly all that we loved about pierre's is not found here. but that's okay. it's who we are. as 50ish folks with discriminating tastes and a desire to enjoy restaurantfoodbetter than we could make at home but just as healthy, pierres was it. we liked to sit in the bar section. it seemed more casual and down to earth. thefoodand service were always great. the wine was very good and reasonably priced and the margherita's were wonderful. now let's compare, only because we are comparing what we like vs what we don't. the market - the bar is loud, more geared towards folks looking for a bar like night out. thefoodis okay. although this was only our second visit to the market since the opening, at these prices, strike two and you're out of our very short list. thefoodwas not bad, but just not that great. the service was good. the staff tries really hard to please which is great. but like i said, for it to be worth eating out, it has to be better than we could make at home and just as healthy. it might have been just as healthy, but it definitely wasn't better. perhaps the bar area was not a good choice for us, but assuming they serve the samefoodin the dining rooms, again, we likely will not be back.

really loves it.. this review is sort of meant to be a rebuttal to the previous reviewer, as well as my own review of the restaurant. so "spring", i sincerely hope you're reading this.

i would like to start off by saying that the restaurant, formerly "pierre's", is no longer pierre's. people need to understand that. there is no doubt in my mind that pierre's was probably a very lovely place, as it had a respectable reputation and several returning customers, however, it is clear that this restaurant is not the same in any way. for all the elderly diners i have listened to at tables around me, stop complaining to the waitstaff that this restaurant is no longer like "pierre's", as that is how it should be. if they had wanted to maintain pierre's reputation, they would not have remodeled the inside as nicely as they did to modernize it, nor would they have created an entirely new menu, filled with diverse, gourmet dishes- clearly a reflection on their knowledgeable, talented chefs.

now, for my own personal review, it really is a terrific place. it is obvious upon entering that the renovation must have been awfully time-consuming, for the restaurant looks absolutely stunning. the bar is brand-new and really astonishing. there is a lounge attached to the far end of the bar as well where people can enjoy their drinks on a leather couch while watching sports games on tv.they even added a "private room", which seems to accommodate many people, probably more than ten (i forgot to ask how many), with a working fireplace in it and sliding doors, for extra intimacy on a busy night.the changes they made really gave the restaurant a fresh, casual new vibe to it, without disrespecting the luxurious standards of the affluent, proper diners of the area.

i have been at the restaurant 3 times- once for lunch, dinner, and brunch- because i felt i should get an overview of all their meals during different times of the day and during different days of the week, before i felt it was right to place a review. each time i was at the restaurant, i was well-received by all members of the staff i encountered, whether it was the hostess, the manager, a bartender, or a server. i even encountered the owner during one of my visits, and to the previous reviewer "spring", you must have really rubbed him the wrong way because i received a warm welcome from somebody who really seemed down-to-earth and open to suggestion, though it was obvious i was already speaking to a professional.

also, as a side-note, i would like to point out that during each visit i made, the restaurant was decently busy for a restaurant that is starting out, so that was a very pleasant surprise and a good sign of their reputation thus far.

now on to the menu. during my lunch visit, i had a difficult time deciding between a few items on the menu that seemed really unique. i couldn't decide between their crabcake sandwich, their mussels and fries, and their bangers and mash. oddly enough, i went with a less-original item, their market burger, which turned out to be one of the best cheeseburgers i've ever eaten.

then, for dinner, i returned one saturday night, and the restaurant was really packed (as i mentioned in my side-note earlier, that's a great thing for a new place). i was told that while i waited for a table, i could sit at the bar and get a few drinks before i was sat. i only waited about twenty minutes, but i really enjoyed my cosmopolitan while my husband enjoyed his draft guinness, as we engaged in conversation with the friendly bartenders. once we sat down to eat, i started off with a nice, crisp spinach salad, which was a good, light choice for an appetizer; and my husband chose the butternut squash ravioli, which was also tremendous. then, i proceeded to order the steak frites, which i found to be delicious, and my husband ordered the scallops, another dish cooked to perfection. and, to "spring", my server offered us fresh ground pepper, so maybe you understood incorrectly. and, even if you didn't, remind yourself to be a little more understanding rather than critical- you knew what the server was offering you and what he/she meant. also, to "spring", we took a look at the "uninspired dessert menu", and went with the red velvet cake and it was to die for, as i would assume the other desserts are as well.

finally, during my brunch visit was when i had the toughest time deciding on what to eat. for a menu that has duck hash, crabcake benedict, and steak and eggs, it was difficult choosing from a really great variety of foods all for appropriate prices, especially given the area of the restaurant. i ended up choosing the french toast, which was just more evidence of the aptitude of the chefs for what they made out of a common dish.

overall, i would like to say that going to market restaurant & bar has been a great experience each and every time. i definitely think this restaurant has much to offer that can appeal to any age group due to a menu that is kid-friendly to gourmet and suitable for any taste. it has a soothing ambiance that compliments the service and the food, and a reputation that can only move positively forward. quite frankly, i'm not sure what kind of issues "spring" was having that allowed him/her to ruin their experience with their exceedingly high standards, impatience, and over-analytical perspective and approach to a new restaurant, but i have to disagree with him/her. market restaurant & bar is a great, up-and-coming place, from which the quality of their ingredients and service have proven, it is obvious that they will succeed. it was very evident that thefoodwas high-quality, and i was even told by my waitress that all ingredients are from local farms or stores, and the bread they serve before dinner is bought fresh every day. just from hearing that, i can tell you this restaurant has much potential to gratify diners in the area.

i would 110% recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a nice night out of lounging by the bar, or a first date, or even just a place to go out to eat with the family. and i sincerely hope to those that do decide to try out the place, that they have just as good of an experience as i had, because it truly is excellent. you all will be very pleased.