New restaurants appear in Northern New Jersey all the time. However, some are just run of the mill eateries serving the same tired dishes that have been served for ages, while a few others are serving food of exceptional quality, rivaling Michelin-starred establishments around the world in inventiveness and ingredient quality.
The 87 Sussex Restaurant in Jersey City is an absolute stunner – modern and upbeat.
On entry, the fully stocked bar is to your right and covered by a softly glowing gold painted ceiling. The handsome street level dining area is to your left, featuring cozy leather dining chairs in blue, backed with caramel. The wall is also a gorgeous blue and caramel-colored marble that leads upstairs to a second level dining area, overlooking the ground level with a sweeping architectural balcony.
Tables are draped in white cloth with a small bouquet of blossoms, echoing the three photographs of women with flower headdresses that hang on the back wall. Service is presented in blue-tipped white plates and gold-colored flatware. Exquisite details tie all design features into one pleasing package. Even in the bathrooms, the well-designed décor continues.
Overseeing this elegant establishment is Chef Brian Walter. He has an affable disposition and is a passionate advocate for good food. He was classically trained in the French style, having served a two-year internship in France before moving on to New York’s French Culinary Institute.
He became a stagiaire (apprentice) under master chefs Mario Batali, Luc Pasquier, and Daniel Or. He also refined his craft at legendary Sirio Maccioni’s Le Cirque. Chef Brian’s work has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation, of which he is an honorary member.
The eclectic appetizer menu, with its humorous titles, belies the complex ingredients and artistry that go into each dish. For instance, Hoppin Poppers are crispy frog leg drumsticks with a Korean BBQ glaze handsomely presented on-point sitting on spicy daikon pickle spears. They were succulent and tasty and presented in a non-threatening way so that the usual “ick” factor of the ingredient is overshadowed by its excellence.
This in a nutshell is Chef Brian’s mission – to introduce exotic ingredients and dress them in an appealing way. We watched the delight in the eyes of the diners even before taking their first bite, so it seems he is achieving his goal.
Another example of this effect is Escargot Wontons. The escargot are not served in the traditional snail shell but in a crispy wonton mantle with a black garlic marmalade and sprinkled with an herb crumble. The escargot flavor and texture is still there but without the task of having to remove the tasty critters from their homes.
The Oyster & Pearls is a beautiful presentation of three oysters sitting on a bed of salt, draped with tapioca mignonette pearls, and topped with Royal Ostrea Caviar. It was a feast for the eyes and a gift to the palate. The joy of a beautiful presentation enhances the experience of eating a distinctive dish, and Chef Brian is an artist as well as a consummate chef.
Black Tie Scallops is another offering only made possible by a master French trained chef. Its complex layering of Diver Scallops with sliced black truffles tied together with poached spinach and encased in puff pastry and served with warm Veal jus was as delicious as it was amazing to behold.
For me, there were no words to describe the Foie Gras Torchon. We always order foie gras when it’s offered on a menu, and it’s always delicious. But Chef Brian’s version served with Sauternes gelée and fresh cherries in a spiced port molasses sauce is in a class all by itself. I soaked up every bit of the sauce with the micro-greens decorating the Torchon. If you are a Foie Gras lover as we are, do not miss this one.
Before we get to the entrées, we want to say a word about the wait staff, which we found to be efficient, friendly, and knowledgeable about the dishes. They delivered each dish to tables with an explanation of ingredients and preparation. The staff was professionally trained in the European fashion of service, which is the mark of a restaurant that cares about their clientele and the food that they serve.
They were attentive without being intrusive and handsomely uniformed in blue-checkered shirts with caramel-colored elbow patches and matching caramel-colored vests accented by colorful ties. The dark blue aprons wrapped around their waists were in the traditional French bistro style.
The entrées cover a variety of dishes from innovative to traditional French and American offerings. Barbara’s favorite was Lobster & Mediterranean Sea Bass Cannelloni. The dish was presented with rolled green dandelion pasta pancakes filled with branzino & fennel mousseline, topped with butter-poached lobster and a large seared diver scallop, accented with tiny baby Brussels sprouts. Beautiful to behold, it was light yet flavorful with a bit of a kick.
The Braised Short Ribs were set on a bed of white sweet potato mousseline with Chinese long beans draped around the base. The dish was composed in the traditional French manner and a bit on the heavy side for me, although a wonderful meal for a cold winter night.
The Coq Au Vin was an exceptional French classic. Taking a forkful, I closed my eyes and for a moment saw myself sitting at La Cupole in Paris 55 years ago, having Coq au Vin and a couple glasses of Beaujolais.
Desserts are large and meant to be shared. The Passion Fruit Trifle was a perfect ending to our meal. I am not normally a fan of passion fruit, but again, this version was truly delicious. With a lemon poppy cake base, passion fruit curd, and topped with a thick layer of freshly made whipped cream, accented by raspberries and blackberries, it was light, flavorful, and decadent without being overly sweet.
For an even lighter selection, there was house-made sorbet with fresh berries, and for the chocoholic, there was a Chocolate Turtle Cake consisting of dark chocolate mousse, devil’s cake, salted caramel, and toasted walnuts that our attentive waiter, Alex, said is to die for.
The restaurant had a soft opening on Valentine’s Day, and Chef Brian is still experimenting with his offerings. But the restaurant was full on for our visit just by word of mouth. There are a few details yet to be ironed out, such as the excessive noise level and the less than perfect espresso from a machine that needs recalibrating. But Chef Brian assured us that they are working to remedy these minor issues, hopefully before the formal opening.
The official opening is scheduled for May 24th, but if you want to get the experience of this extraordinary restaurant before the rush, visit early in the week now, even before the spring menu goes into effect.
A portion of this meal was complimentary, but as always, we are dedicated to providing an honest assessment of our experience. See our Disclosures for more information.
Barbara Angelakis is one of the founders of LuxuryWeb Magazine and its Senior Travel Writer. She travels the four corners of the world with a thirst for knowledge and a twinkle in her eye, seeking out the history of people and places and sharing her experiences. She specializes in culture and history along with luxury destinations, hotels/resorts/cruises/spas, and most recently Jewish Heritage, exploring the historical connection between Jews and their host countries. She has been recognized for outstanding coverage as “Journalist of the Year” by the Tanzania Tourist Board and is the recipient of the MTA Malta Tourism Press Award, the first American to receive this honor. For the past 25 years, Barbara has written extensively for LuxuryWeb Magazine, and her work can also be found at The Jerusalem Post, Jewish Link, Epoch Times, and Vision Times.
Manos Angelakis is one of the founders, the former Managing Editor for 25 years, the current Managing Editor Emeritus, and Senior Food & Wine Writer of LuxuryWeb Magazine. He is an accomplished travel writer, photographer, and food and wine critic based in Hackensack, New Jersey. As a travel writer, he has written extensively about numerous cities and countries. Manos has also been certified as a Tuscan Wine Master and has traveled to wine-producing areas in order to evaluate firsthand the product of top-rated vineyards. In the past year, he has visited and written multiple articles about Morocco, Turkey, Quebec City, Switzerland, Antarctica, and most recently the South of France. Articles in other publications include Vision Times and Epoch Times.
87 Sussex is now our favorite restaurant. From the moment we sat down the experience was delightful. The food, the incredible service was better than we could have imagined. We were there with good friends but my wife and I had to come back and sit at the bar for another great evening. We’ll be back soon.