Let us tell you about Montclair’s little French gem, Faubourg. Phonetically pronounced, foh-BOOR is a breath of fresh air bringing a modern flare to your a typical french brasserie. Their menu pays homage to traditional french cuisine in a large, high ceiling, open (and luxurious) room.

Faubourg, serves elegant and decisive flavors with textural contrast under a sleek, modern interior.  

We had the opportunity of dining at Faubourg, presented by our wonderful friend and colleague Chef de Cuisine Sal Mandragona. Sal Mandragona is the hands-on leader in the kitchen under Executive Chef Olivier Muller. Sals talent and skill is imperative to the success of daily operations. He took us on a quick tour of his office, the kitchen, were we observed his organizational skills, dedication, and team management. If there is one thing Olivier and Sal are not missing is the talent and passion to run an impressive kitchen. Stay awhile. We highly recommend that you do.

The menu represents a highly diverse array of French dishes and the flavors captured in each dish made us believe for a second that we had left the state and traveled to a little French faubourg.

Sal started us out with lovely, fluffy Gougeres. The savory puff made from pâte à choux, flour-eggs-butter-water, was perfectly webbed with Comté cheese. To literally top things off, Sal shaved truffles to create heaping mounds over our gougeres and it was then that we knew, we were in for a treat! Not long after the Tarte Flambée was brought out to enjoy simultaneously. This alsatian dish is from the eastern region of France that borders Germany.

Next we had Snail and Chicken Oyster Fricassee. The crispy chicken oyster was paired with sweet and earthy Escargot, roasted button mushrooms, fromage blanc spaetzle, hazelnuts and a vibrant parsley purée.

For entrées, we chose: Coq au Vin, Lemon Sole, and an Orecchiette pasta dish. The Orecchiette was tossed with a rich Lamb Ragout and perfect bursts of contrasting flavor from the roasted tomatoes. The fresh Ricotta pulled it all together. The Lemon Sole was paired with cauliflower that gave off hints of brown butter, Maitake Mushroom also known as Hen of the Woods, and green Grapes introduced a sweet and tart balance. If there is one word to describe Faubourg’s Coq au Vin it’s decadent. Trust us, go order it.

There was more…

Infante 13

Tequila, Lime, Orgeat, Nutmeg

Hot & Gold

Ginger Whiskey, Honey, Lemon, Tabasco

Tuna Tartar, Finger Lime, Buckwheat Crisp, Cucumber

Daily Oysters: East & West

Tarte Aux Pommes Fine
vanilla ice cream

Blood Orange Cheesecake
cranberry gelée, vanilla ice cream, candied orange

Fresh Baked Madeleines

Other than being a fine dining experience, Faubourg offers more for larger gatherings. The restaurant has 3 event rooms to accommodate 10-40 people, which is great for a meeting or a special celebration with your family and friends. The rooms offer cocktail hour and/or seated dinners.

Don’t forget to check out the outside bar when the weather warms up! Enjoy a nice cocktail and small bites with friends.

HOURS  
Sunday–Tuesday: 5-9pm 
Wednesday–Saturday: 5-10pm 
Bar on Mon–Fri: 4pm ; Sat–Sun: 12pm 
Lounge on Tuesday–Saturday: 6pm

BRUNCH
Friday: 12–3pm
Saturday and Sunday: 11am–3pm

LOCATION:
544 Bloomfield Ave
Montclair, NJ 07042
T. 973-542-7700