Best Contemporary French American Restaurants in Bernardsville

We went for an early dinner 4pm reservation on Valentines Day. My wife and I had the Spellbinder drink, the hibiscus was aromatic and it was one of the best and strongest margarita I’ve had in a while. We also tried their Colossal Crab Cocktail from the raw bar. Then we had the Collosal Crab Cake from the starters. And for the main course we had the Lobster Spaghetti (a whole Maine lobster) and the Scallops. The experience was lovely and the food was delicious! I can’t wait to come back and try other dishes.

We had a good experience. The food was good and the atmosphere was also good. The wine list is limited but the options represented the major regions. Overall, I encourage everyone to try Parkside Tavern for an high quality Tavern experience.

Always a treat... food, ambiance and service were excellent. We were there for restaurant week and the only disappointment was that the steak did not come with anything. I can understand charging extra for sides, but at least put a bit of parsley or garnish on the plate.

Give the Village Hall another try!! I'm a SOMA resident and have been to the Village Hall a handful of times, each time a little disappointed by some aspect of the experience. But after last night, I can honestly say I was happily impressed. After some subtle and not-so-subtle changes, I think they have finally gotten it right. It was a Friday night. They had a tasteful jazz trio playing. Not too distracting for conversation, but also not just bland background music; they were very good. Acoustics are amazing! They've made tasteful changes to the main dining space making it much cozier. Among them: a new seating arrangement with a long, leather seating unit that divides the space nicely (before it was just a huge, open space with sparse tables and chairs and it just didn't work); they painted the ceiling a ruby red, which, combined with the dark-blue leather seating/booths, made it feel super inviting. Combine that with the features that were already in place and I just loved being there. For the meal, I started out with a drink on the specials list (Winter Spritz with fig and mint). For the app, I had the Bang Bang Shrimp and then the Short Rib Pappardelle pasta as my main. Both were bursting with flavor, complex, and absolutely delicious. The short rib was melt-in-your-mouth tender and the sauce made it one the better pasta dishes I've had anywhere for quite some time. I will definitely be making a trip back soon specifically for that order. (SUGGESTION: My only suggestion is to forgo the smaller app plates for something larger. Not to get more food, but to allow for more space so that when you scoop portions it doesn't fall off the edges of the plate.) The service was never rushed but efficient and polite from beginning to end. We are often quick to discount local restaurants or give up on them after one bad experience. I would encourage everyone to give VH another try. After my experience last night, I will 100% be going back for more.

We had a wonder first time at tap and bitter. It was a quiet Sunday but the staff checked in on us throughout our dinner. We always had water and didn’t feel rushed and they gave us time in between courses to relax and enjoy each other company