Due Terre in Bernardsville - Review

[mmgpsych]

When a relative passes away in the Orient, it’s customary to make raucous noises and sing loud songs so that any evil spirits trying to piggy back with them into the next world are momentarily startled still. (I’m told that this is the origin of our custom of ‘ringing in’ the New Year.) When the restaurant *Eccoqui*, the previous tenant of the present *Due Terre* space in Bernardsville, finished the slow descent into death that began when the Terra Momo restaurant group bought it, we, too, made a raucous noise. Hoping that the new tenant would excite, we sang our own joyful song:
Enough of the crap!
Basta! Basta!
Get us good food.
Pasta! Pasta!
Lo and behold, we must’ve terrified the local evil spirits because Due Terre serves the best Italian cuisine we’ve tasted this side of the Hudson.
To get the minor complaints out of the way, with hard floors, sparse upholstery and untreated ceilings, this place is damnably loud. I used to live a few blocks from Ernie’s in Manhattan, the original ‘Twist and shout and shout some more’ restaurant where no one walked out without their ears ringing. In the decibel derby, Due Terre runs a close second. If you’re looking for a quiet place to have a romantic tete a tete, this place sounds more like the headbanger’s ball.

But the food is startlingly good. We began with a simple buffalo mozzarella paired with an aged prosciutto, and the Due Terre signature fried calamari, both of which set the benchmark for these dishes. The calamari, in particular, was the best we’d had anywhere, ever. Lightly breaded and greaseless, they nearly melted in our mouths. With it, the Sicilian lemon crema dip, sparsely applied, was a good pairing.
For the main course, we had the orecchiette with home made fennel sausage, and the special pasta of the day, a ravioli filled with shavings of braised short ribs in a wonderfully woodsy mushroom sauce. Orecchiette, from Puglia Italy, are small nubbins of pasta shaped like tiny ears (thus the name) that are supposed to have a chewy texture on the outside and a tender middle within. Here, paired with the sausage that had a latent kick, they were done perfectly.
For those who may not know it, the original meaning of the stars in the Michelin Guide three star system was as follows:
1 star - If you’re already in the town, go to this restaurant.
2 stars - If you’re on the road, this joint is worth a drive well out of your way.
3 stars - Kudos! This restaurant is worth a special trip to eat there no matter where you are.
So, then, in our opinion, though it’s pretty pricey, no matter where you are in the Garden State, Due Terre merits the trek. Make reservations and bring ear plugs. You’ll need them both.

[gooter]

About all the "accolades", as in any other business, it's not WHAT you know, but WHO you know.

[flourgirl]

This is an annoying and pointless post and the second such post of yours I've had the misfortune to run across in the last couple of days. On both of these threads, there were many positive posts from chowhound members whose opinions I, and many other people here on CH, value. I can't say the same for yours.

Not only that, but I've dined at this establishment several times, and I agree with many of the other posters here that the food is excellent.

[bropaul]

I've been meaning to comment on Due Terre for some time and this old thread popped up at the bottom of another in the related section. I was twice in December (one dinner/one lunch)and once in January for dinner. I have to say that the food was exceptional, Some of the best Italian I have eaten this side of the Atlantic, beautifully prepared and served. I thought the portions were appropriately sized, but I often find the average American portions enormous. I didn't notice the restaurant being extraordinarily loud, certainly not enough to discourage me from returning. I tend to eat a lttle early, so that may factor in. When we were leaving in January, it was a Saturday night and the place was packed; and, yes, it seemed a little loud near the bar where people were waiting to be seated. I'll be going back.

-----
Due Terre
107 Morristown Rd Ste C, Bernardsville, NJ 07924

[Foody4life]

It's been almost a year since mmgpsych's original post and there's not been much improvement in the acoustical ambiance of this excellent pasta palace!

We stopped in last Wednesday for a late dinner and having dined here in the past, were prepared for the decibel assault. We were seated in an almost full dining room at 8:45 on the upper level along the central banquette.

By this time, the evening's concert was in it's second act and all the player's were well rehearsed and performing at their peak. Our neighbors to our left and right were doing their best to converse with their dinner companions while staying in tune with Brittany's latest hit coming from hidden speakers somewhere in the rafters. Meanwhile, the percussion section in the kitchen was laying down some syncopated beats that hip record producers and big city DJ's swoon over.

I did notice that there are acoustical panels (maroon squares) up in the ceiling along the lower bar level dining area. Our advice for continued improvement would be to turn down the background music and have instrumental only music during prime dining hours so diners aren't competing with the singers.

Oh, the food was very good - Bean Soup, Kobe Carpaccio, Mussels and the Pappardelle pasta with Bolognese. :)

[napoleon46]

Due Terre, despite the noise is worth the visit...The stile of service of the Ryland inn
was close to this (one of the owner is Craig Shelton brother in law, the other after starting at the Ryland was running Fiamma in NYC...so a good combination of class and stile

[mmgpsych]

Yes, Napoleon. I thought I'd made that clear. Unless you're noise phobic, the food is well worth the tympanic membrane torture. We've returned several times since my two reviews, and will return again and again. Due Terre remains the very best Italian cuisine we've had this side of the Hudson, and rivals any,anywhere.

[ambrose]

Hey, mmgpsych, when you go to Due Terre with your list of comments re noise, be prepared for their counterpunch! The Star-Ledger's Cody Kendall rated Due Terre Enoteca as the best newcomer restaurant of 2007 and one of the ten best restaurants in the state (out of 51 that were reviewed).

What caught my eye, however, was the following comment: "We appreciated the noise control here, something that was lacking in this restaurant's predecessor.....". Furthermore, the comment follows a discussion on how noise level is a prime consideration when rating a restaurant!

So, be prepared, and let us know how you make out after your visit next week.

[Tay]

mmqpsych
I too enjoyed the food, but the noise factor effectively rendered the meal a silent one as far as relaxed conversation went, and that tainted the experience. For me, the food is only one part (albeit an important part) of the experience of dining out. If I cannot effectively share that pleasure with family/friends, it doesn't work for me. Unfortunately, I won't be going back to Due Terre unless/until, they do something to reduce the noise

[mmgpsych]

Tay
Understood. My wife and I have been married long enough that , for great food, we're willing to give up conversation and resort to sign language if need be. :-)))

[RGR]

I'm with Tay on this one!

The same thing happened to us the first time we went to A Voce, in NYC. The food was delicious, but as the meal progressed and the room filled up, the noise level rose to a truly hideous level. Needless to say, that first time was the last time.

As regards Due Terre, we've not been, nor do I have any intention of going there at this point no matter how fabulous the food may be.

Frankly, I think the dining public has become far too sanguine about exceedingly high noise levels and letting restaurants get away with designing spaces that do absolutely nothing to keep things more civilized. These days, it's all about sleek interiors and hard surfaces. Nice to look at but hell on earth to dine in! If more diners would "vote" against noise with their feet, making it clear to restaurant personnel that that's the reason for losing their patronage, perhaps owners would come to their senses and do what needs to be done to significantly lower the volume.

[mmgpsych]

RgR
I don't like loud restaurants either, which is why I began my review of Due Terre with that comment right up front. Still, as they say, you must take everything form whence it comes. And in our case (my wife and moi) you're taking 'it' from food crazies so crazy for food uber alles that we fly to Spain, rent a car, stay overnight and fly back the next day if we get reservations at Il Bulli. :-))

[RGR]

Hey, mmgpsych,

Although Mr. R. and I put "la cuisine" above all else, a hideously high noise level is the one thing that trumps it, at least for me.

As regards Il Bulli, I'm not interested in dining there because I prefer what's on my plate to actually be delicious "food" and not a science
experiment. :-))

[mmgpsych]

Yeah, yeah, I know. Foam is shaving cream.

[RGR]

It isn't just about foam. In fact, some foam used appropriately can be an asset. For example, Daniel Humm uses it, but quite sparingly and to great effect, as does Cyril Renaud at Fleur de Sel. And one of our favorite NYC chefs, Alex Urena (owner of Pamplona, fka Urena), actually spent some time with Adria, yet still manages to create dishes that are "real" -- and, I might add, seriously delicious. My reference to scientific experiments refers to the kinds of way-out combinations that Wylie Dufresne serves at WD50, a restaurant name, btw, that always makes me think of automobile lubricants.

[mmgpsych]

RGR
Happy New Year! LOL over WD50. The name falls in the 'What were they thinking?' box. But back to El Bulli. Do forgive me if I ramble a bit.
While too noisy a space or a clavern of cockroaches under a table can be automatic disqualifiers, I think it's a mistake to dismiss El Bulli as a font of 'scientific experiments' quite so cavalierly without having tried it. IMO, whether one is open to new and odd sounding cuisine may be a function of a too parochial mindset. That was certainly true for me. I grew up in a strictly kosher home, and was taught that shrimp and lobster were underwater insects, period, and it took a herculean effort to to even try one. I remember the first time I had sea urchin at Le Bernardin. It was served on the half shell, spines and all, and I thought the thing was some sort of space alien that might any second spring off my plate and attack me! Still, having battled my preconceptions to a stalemate, I now remember that particular dish as one of the most extraordinary things I've ever eaten. The thought of combining caramel, chocolate and sea salt sounded awful until I had a Pierre Hermes macaroon in Paris; and the combination nearly blew my pleasure fuses. Then again, Jackie Mason said, "So nu? If you have to acquire a taste for something this means that it's no good to begin with so why bother, already?"
YMMV

[RGR]

Happy New Year, mmgpsych! :-)

Despite having also grown up in a kosher home, we did eat out regularly in non-kosher restaurants. I adored BLT sandwiches (kosher "bacon" = fry beef = feh! lol), and shrimp scampi was my favorite thing to order in "fancier" restaurants. So, my antipathy to certain foods is not based on my upbringing but, rather on what doesn't seem appealing to me. If that's a parochial mindset, then I guess I'd have to plead guilty. However, over the years, I have become more willing to try new things. A plus factor is that Mr. R. is a very adventurous eater, which has allowed me the opportunity to taste things that I would not order.

Your mention of sea urchin brings to mind an example. I adore Humberto Campos's cuisine at Lorena's and will eat almost anything he puts on a plate. One time, there was a dish on the menu that included sea urchin as an ingredient in the sauce. Anyplace else (with the possible exception of EMP), I wouldn't have ordered it. But I took the plunge, and the dish was, of course, sensational. It wasn't the sea urchin in its basic form as you had it at Le Bernardin, but still, for me, it was a gastronomic leap forward. lol

Btw, have you read Jeffrey Steingarten's, "The Man Who Ate Everything"? In the introduction, he describes his food phobias -- "Foods I wouldn't touch if I were starving on a desert island, "Food I wouldn't touch even if I were starving on a desert island until absolutely everythig else runs out," and on from there. Hilarious! He goes on to explain how he overcame these aversions. The book's a fun read.

[mmgpsych]

RGR,
I'll give the book a look. But please don't misunderstand. There are all kinds of foods that I dismiss out of hand and wouldn't eat short of starvation. If you ever watch Andrew Zimmern 'Bizarre Foods' on the Travel Channel you'll know exactly what I mean!

[Tay]

I'm really enjoying you two tossing this one around... Now all mmq has to do is convince the Owner of Due Terre to install some noise absorbing material and we all become deleriously happy :-}

[RGR]

mmg,

I sometimes think I'd end up starving rather than eat certain foods; however, if I've learned anything at all from being alive as long as I have -- and, as the expression goes, I'm no spring chicken -- it's that until one is faced with an actual situation (of any kind), it's difficult to know exactly how one will react.

As for that Zimmern show, just seeing the commercials was enough. I've not wasted even a fraction of a milasecond on it. Bizarre foods, indeed!

Tay,

I agree that mmg is a very persuasive fellow. So, if anyone could convince Due Terre's owners to do something about that noise, he'd be the one to succeed. And if that were to happen, I'd be there in a NJ minute! lol

[mmgpsych]

RGR
Thanks for the kind words. We're going back to Due Terre next Thursday (1/10) and I'm considering bringing printout comments made by some of the hounds who've been rightly barking about the noise level there. Will it have an impact? Will I change the course of a mighty river and bend raw pasta in my bare hands? Or, will I get thrown out of the joint on my butt? Tune in to next week's thrilling episode and find out!

[RGR]

mmg,

I presume that this time, you and Mrs. mmg will be armed with earplugs and the American Sign Language manual?! lol

Bringing along those printouts is a brilliant idea! Restaurant owners should welcome helpful criticisms. Frankly, those who would not be swayed to make corrections are total idiots and deserve to lose patronage.

[bropaul]

Interesting idea. Maybe I'll postpone my visit until after you've been there.

[LEOFONT]

Some people who look forward to patronizing this type of restaurant want the best of all worlds.....I for one patronize a restaurant for the FOOD !....service and ambiance come in 2nd and 3rd.........IMO, the portions at Due Terre are miniscule, but the prices aren't.........the owner doesn't intend to change because I feel, they feel, they have enough "suckers" in that upscale area to loot them without giving up much...........I for one, want value for my money.......you don't get it at this restaurant...........Tay.....yes, they should reduce the noise, and increase the portions

[mmgpsych]

Leofont

Too small portions? Frankly, I didn't notice. And if they were offensively small, I'm sure I would have. In any case, I'll keep that in mind for during our next visit and report back.

[bropaul]

Thanks for the posting - Due terre is only 10 minutes away. I'll have to find an occasion. Too bad about the noise factor, though.

[ambrose]

Thanks for posting this. I recently read an excellent review of Due Terre and hope to go in the New Year. However, I am mightily concerned about the noise level you describe. From my point of view, it's no fun, no matter how good the food, if you can't carry on a conversation with your nearest neighbor. It seems the noise is a direct result of the restaurant design so my question is this - are things better on a week night or at a certain time? I imagine if you go early, you'll be OK but I really don't want to go early!

[mmgpsych]

Ambrose,
I wrote that review after dining there on a Thursday at 8PM which is pretty peak. By 9, the din was about done. I can't speak for earlier times or other nights. For me, though I prefer a quieter ambiance, the food was good enough to merit a return trip which we're making next week. YMMV