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The owner of one of our favorite restaurants decided to change his place from what was once all Japanese gourmet to a nouveau-French menu. Talk about a leap!
We had fair warning. We were aware that he was going to make the change a few weeks ago when we read at our table a note to all customers that they were planning to take a bold leap creatively with their menu items. They were happy with the past patronage from all their customers but felt that it was time to create new dishes that would provide a fulfilling dining experience. A tapas menu would be introduced along with a extensive wine list replacing their japanese menu and sake list.
My wife and I were kind of suprised to hear this but were assured that some things would stil be kept like the sushi menu and that the food would still keep up to standards as their current menu. We figured we'd check it out when we had the chance but for now, lets enjoy our last meal here in its current state.
So this past Friday, we drove by the new Bistro En and took a peek inside. It was opening day for their new restaurant and felt obliged to go in seeing that two waiters were looking at us with a "please come in and try the food" kind of look.
The placed looked different. The once open Japanese sushi bar had now been closed off by shutters with no view of the chefs. We had pet names for the sushi chefs who at times would come out and present to us their works of art. One guy we named Ichi, as in Ichi the Killer, as in the child-like killer who, when not cutting people in half, walked around with a sad puppy eyes.
The other chef we called the Asian Paul McCartnery only because he was what the ex-Beatle would look like if he was a Japanese sushi master. There was also "Bill Gates" - basically some nerdy looking guy who could have passed for him who was either the owner or a regular with a passion for Japanese food. Today, none of them were around or were to be seen with the shutters hiding them from our view. We were welcomed by a portly bearded man on crutches along with a young women. Both had the same black shirt with the new "Bistro En" logo emblazoned across. The scene was too odd for me to take in. I was used to my usual Japanese waiter, instead I had this cripple attending to me!
The cripple happened to be the owner who I later found out studied French cuisine and had his eyes set on converting the restaurant for years and had only done so as of recent. Prior to its recent incarnation, it had been a successful Japanese restaurant for over 17 years with several Japanese customers who worked at the local Fuji company. They would come to the restaurant during the evening and order some fish balls, chicken skewers, and dumplings along with several rounds of beer to relax from a long day doing whatever it is they did.
Their new menu had some appetizers, not really tapas which was mentioned earlier and four main dishes to choose from which the cheapest was $11. I ordered a chicken and my wife some fish. We ordered some side dishes and drinks which totaled up to $70.00 if you could include tips.
The food wasn't all that good. The chicken was just a lightly roasted half piece with french fries and much was to be said of my wife's fish. The only thing good about the food was the free bread. Every so often the waiter/owner would ask us if we had any questions regarding the new menu or if there any suggestions they could make.
Suprisingly one of the old waiters was still with the place. Initially he tried to put on a brave face but later on told us that many of past customers were upset with the change and many walked out after seeing their new menu. He wasn't too thrilled with the changes. Apart from the food that was served before, he enjoyed the atmosphere the old restaurant provided, with its you're no longer in Teaneck but perhaps in a local Japanese bar after a hard day of work. I guess that's what we liked about the place as well; it wasn't your ordinary asian face behind a counter Japanese restaurant which are a dime a dozen if you're savvy in enough to recognize them in NYC. This place had personality and a uniqueness which showed with the pride the chefs had in their food. That was pretty much gone with this new place and I guess the waiter knew that as well. You know its bad when the waiter is recommending other places to eat.
Bistros are a dime a dozen in Bergen County. I find that frustrating. One of things that annoys me about NJ is the lack of risk these restaurants take. If its not an Italian restaurant, its a diner, if not, its a bistro. Eating out in Bergen can be expensive as well and is the main reason I never eat out in Jersey with the exception of this one place which has now been taking away from me by yet another small expensive restaurant which will blend in with the other similar restaurants that are in the area. I guess the best way to put is you decide to sell a slight variation of vanilla ice cream in an area where vanilla ice cream is sold all over having switched from selling chocolate successfully earlier. Why do you want to sell vanilla if everyone else is? It's the curse of NJ I guess.
So we're left without a place to go after work for last minute dining. We've tried the diners out here and you'll have people tell you that there is one special diner you haven't tried yet but if you've been to one, you've been to all. We've tried other Japanese places in Jersey but they're either phony Japanese or they're food is not up to snuff. I'm gonna miss Ichi, Asian Paul, and maybe even Bill too. Perhaps the owner will come around to his senses and realize that he had a good thing going before. Sadly he may not realize till his current restaurant is goes down under.
