Park Bistro

Horrible. worst meal of my life

What a wonderful restaurant. A bit out of the way if you don’t know it is there but worth a look see. Went with three couples and everyone’s meal was great. We had a question about the boneless short ribs and our wonderful waiter went to the kitchen and Michael the chef came out and explained how it was prepared. We were so impressed that three of us ordered it and it was excellent. We ordered three appertizes which was nice for us to share and they brought out an extra one for us «on the house». Everyone was more than happy with they entrée. I don’t understand way this place is not crowded on a Saturday night. Definitely we will come back here especially since we come from Cliffside Park. They have a Sunday Brunch with we are going to try.

We found this place on Groupon. For $ 39 there was dinner for two with two glasses of wine, so you can’t really go wrong for that place.
It is kind of hidden down the hill from the main road, and I pass that entrance almost daily and have never heard of this place, which is a huge draw back in terms of location. It also can explain why we were the only people in there at 8:00 on a Saturday.
The ambiance is very nice. Wooden bar and racks behind it that is the first thing you see as you walk in, which is very cool. The bar probably sits 4 or 5, but I’m thinking that it is there more for show than anything else. The tables have some space in between them, which is great so you can have a bit of an intimate dining experience. I can’t stand those places where you are one on top of another.
The menu has some good items. The zucchini strips were OK, not good but not bad. The Mediterranean appetizer plate looked very good too. I kind of wish we had that. For the main course, we had a sea bass special with clams, shrimps, and sausage in a stew sort of thing… It was real good and tasty, with all the flavors mixed in. I had the duck, sliced over mashed potatoes with a pomegranate glaze. It was amazing. The duck was perfect, and the sauce went perfect with it all. It came with 2 carrots and 2 stems of asparagus. Try the gelatto for dessert. It was fantastic
The real reason that I did not give it 5 stars was the service. At first, the waitress was very attentive and helpful. Then, I am thinking something must have happened because she did a complete 180, after disappearing for a while. Who knows what happened.

Food was pretty good. Servers were nice but completely clueless. The lack of atmosphere really kills it for me. Its as brightly lit as a Pathmark. Very cold and sterile environment. Spoke to the host about it but he didn’t do anything. He didn’t seem to believe me. Hire an interior decorator. Turn the white lights down! Put on some music.

It felt like a bunch of sweet kids decided to play restaurant. Sweet, but so incompetent!
Only one table was occupied when the host attempted to sit us by the kitchen door. After studying the computer screen the host announced that only 2 other (out of 20+) tables were available. When we left 2 hours later, none of the «reserved» tables were occupied.
After we were seated, it took the waitress 15 minutes to get our drink order (still only 2 tables occupied).
The place is big and lit like a stadium — you can see every wrinkle in the 60+ crowd. The candles are on all tables, but you have to ask to light them.
The food is not bad, but it is not good either — «crispy skate» was soggy, duck flavorless, «zuppa di mare» was steamed clams with tomato sauce.
We had to ask for utensils for the entrees. We had to ask for utensils for desert. We had to ask for our leftovers back.
When we pointed out a mistake on the bill, the new bill took 15 minutes. Paying by credit card took another 10.
Kids, learn how to run a restaurant or get some professionals!

New comfortable Italian restaurant that is worth trying, especially once they have worked out the standard ‘new restaurant’ issues of training the waiters and keeping wine stocked.
The menu is full of steak, chicken, seafood, and pasta dishes — with interesting specials. The New Orleans style seafood soup sounded awesome, but unfortunately the waiter forgot to bring it to us. The waiters are very friendly, but need much more training. Ours was also unable to pronounce ‘fra diavolo’.
The entire staff is very friendly, including the owner and the chef, who warmly greeted the customers at another table.
The bread is accompanied by a tomato purée and chickpea paste, both of which are outstanding, bursting with fresh flavors.
The gnocchi bolognese was also fresh and delicious. My GF, who has necessary dietary needs, was impressed with how they prepared her specially ordered chicken dish. I did find the sauce for the short ribs to be far too sweet.
The wine and full bar was impressive, although I had to request a dessert wine list and they were out of the muscato, so I had to settle for a port, which turned out to be amazing. The desserts seemed impressive.
Disappointingly, they do not open for lunch. I can’t access the menu on their website.
Feb 2013 UPDATE: this restaurant is closed. Only available as a caterer.