The Village Green is a lovely BYO restaurant in Ridgewood, NJ that offers extensive seasonal tasting menus at very reasonable prices. The restaurant is minimally decorated but reminds me of an elegant townhouse on the inside. The dining room is broken up into two rooms, which gives it a more intimate feel. It was pretty empty the night that we went (it was late on a Friday) so we got a prime table for four (we went with Josh’s parents) in an alcove at the front of the restaurant. We opted for the five course tasting menu, which included four savory dishes plus dessert.
Our meal started off with an amuse bouche that consisted of a small fresh mozzarella ball, tomato slice, micro greens, and olive oil served in a Chinese soup spoon. Simple, but fresh and tasty.
Amuse bouche - mozzarella with tomato and micro greens
The bread man came by with a big basket of different breads. Josh and I asked for a slice of everything so we could taste them all. The breads were sourdough, cranberry walnut, rosemary, and seven grain bread. All of the breads had really good flavor but the rosemary bread was our favorite, as it was the least dense of the bunch and had a light, crispy crust.
Assortment of breads - sourdough, cranberry walnut, rosemary, seven grain
For my first course, I selected the crusted walnut goat cheese medallion with an apple and prune chutney and prosciutto. The goat cheese was smooth and creamy and the outside crust was nice and crispy. The apple and prune chutney was kind of like dessert, but when I got everything together on the fork all the different flavors and textures made sense. The savory and creamy goat cheese complemented the crispy crust, which matched with the soft, sweet chutney, which contrasted with the chewy, salty prosciutto. The only thing I didn’t really understand was the shortbread cookie, but the rest of the plate was fantastic.
Crusted goat cheese medallion with apple prune chutney, shortbread cookie, and prosciutto
Josh had the crabcake over coleslaw with cherry tomatoes and microgreens. The crab cake was thick and chock full of crab, not filler. It was fried to perfection and had a beautifully golden brown crust. I thought the coleslaw underneath was pretty tasty, if a bit standard, but Josh isn’t really a fan of coleslaw so he only ate the crabcake.
Crabcake on top of cole slaw
For the second course, both Alice and I chose the pastrami smoked salmon carpaccio with a crispy potato cake and dill crème fraiche. I thought the smoked salmon was too salty, especially on the ends with the pastrami seasonings. The dill crème fraiche helped to cut through some of the saltiness but I wasn’t a fan of the salmon overall. The potato cake was pretty good though, and reminded me of a freshly fried hash brown.
Pastrami smoked salmon carpaccio with potato cake
Josh ordered the pumpkin gnocchi with pancetta and braised seasonal greens, which he thought was absolutely terrible – the worst gnocchi he’s ever had. The gnocchi were dense and chewy, like a thick paste. He basically took two bites and just couldn’t stand it so he left most of his dish untouched. I thought it was a bit odd that the server who removed his plate didn’t question him on why he didn’t enjoy the dish.
Terrible pic of terrible pumpkin gnocchi
Lloyd had the winning second course, which was escargot bourguignon with creamed spinach and garlic red wine reduction. The snails were big and meaty, not too chewy, and the red wine and garlic flavor didn’t overpower them.
For the third course, I had the pan seared snapper over green olive couscous. It came with a cockle clam and a grapefruit and tarragon butter sauce. The fish itself was nicely prepared and seasoned, but I wasn’t a fan of the green olive couscous and the grapefruit/tarragon sauce. They gave the dish a sour, bitter flavor that detracted from the sweet fish. I also wished there was more than one clam, as it added a nice brininess to the dish.
Red snapper over green olive couscous with grapefruit
Josh and Alice had the seared diver scallops over mascarpone risotto with caramelized onions and pomegranate sauce. The scallops were cooked perfectly and the risotto was appropriately creamy but still had a nice bite to it. The pomegranate sauce added an interesting tang and nice color to the dish.
Scallops over mascarpone risotto with pomegranate sauce
For the last savory course, we all chose different items. I had the herb crusted veal sweetbreads served with sauteed mushrooms and truffle oil. The sweetbreads were spectacular, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. I don’t really know how to explain the flavor of sweetbreads, but it’s both sweet and a little sour, and surprisingly meaty. They worked perfectly with earthy mushrooms and fragrant truffle oil.
Crispy sweetbreads with sauteed mushrooms and truffle oil
Josh had the lamb chops over polenta with figs and a rosemary red wine reduction. The lamb chops were cooked to a nice medium rare so they were still tender and juicy. The figs added a nice sweetness to the dish, and the wine sauce tied everything together.
Lamb chops over polenta with figs and red wine sauce
Alice had the petite filet mignon medallions with lobster tail over mashed potatoes. Her dish was really delicious and had a delicate flavor of truffles in the background. Lloyd selected the crisp duck leg over wild rice with cranberry red wine reduction, another superb dish. The duck meat was tender and moist and the red wine reduction was very flavorful.
For dessert, I went with the special of the day, a blueberry bread pudding. The serving was a small wedge but it was dense and chock full of blueberries. It was covered in chocolate sauce, which was a bit overkill, as the bread pudding was rich enough on its own. I had mixed feelings about the dessert though, and I’m not sure I would order it again as there was nothing that stood out to me.
Blueberry bread pudding with chocolate sauce
Josh had the crème brulee with a lemon cookie. The crème brulee was served in a deep ramekin that I normally think of as a souffle ramekin, but I kind of liked it because there was more custard than sugar topping (I’m one of those weird people who don’t like the burnt sugar crust on crème brulee). There was a nice vanilla flavor to the crème brulee but I found it a bit too sweet overall. It did have a nice consistency to it though.
Creme brulee with lemon cookie
Alice had the warm pear tart with cinnamon ice cream, which was tasty and comforting, while Lloyd had vanilla ice cream with fresh berries and chocolate sauce. Simple and classic, and the berries were fresh and sweet despite the fact that they were out of season.
Overall we were all a little bit disappointed by this particular meal that we had the Village Green. We’ve been there several times before, however, and have had better overall experiences. Still, there were some highlights to our dinner, such as my sweetbreads, Lloyd’s escargot, and Alice’s filet mignon and lobster. The menu is very seasonal but I’m not sure how often it changes per season. There are lots of choices to each course though, and the prix fixe really is quite a bargain. Five courses are only $55, and on Monday through Thursday they also offer a four course meal for $44. Although each course isn’t huge, they do add up and we’re all full by the time we’re done. The BYO aspect is another bonus. Despite this trip not being the best that we’ve had, I would still recommend the Village Green because the menu really does offer quite a variety and they always use fresh and high quality ingredients. I can’t wait to see what the next season’s menu features.
Village Green Restaurant
36 Prospect St.
Ridgewood, NJ
Tags: Crab, Lamb, NJ, Seafood, Smoked Salmon, Sweetbreads