Chez Catherine

This was truly the best dinner out in over a year. First, incredible service with a touch of humor and tons of information. The prix fix menu was amazing and so diverse. Chef even split our appetizers for us. A Must-​Go to BEST restaurant!!! Can’t wait to go back!!!

Had dinner here with my wife last weekend. We did the 3 course price fixe meal for $ 70. The food overall was good, not great. We’ve lived local for years and have always wanted to try this place. We got exactly what we expected. A good, overpriced meal.

This place was awesome. Frois Gras is excellent. Service is awesome and great wine selection.

Had a wonderful, classic French, meal last night. Owner and staff were delightful. Best French in the area (owner from Burgundy region in France) Dover sole was filleted table side and Cheese plate was probably the best we’ve had. Jacket and tie not required, but most male patrons wore them. Great for special date night.

Very nice French gentleman (the owner perhaps?) showed me to my lovely table. The restaurant is just beautiful and very quaint. I do not know wine, so I ordered a whisky sour which turned out to be the best I ever had. I ordered the prefix for $ 48, and it was beautifully presented and flavorful. I had the salmon. Perhaps we Americans overeat because I do admit the portions were smaller than I am used to. I cannot say it was the absolute best I ever had but it was good and the experience in and of itself was so enjoyable that I would go back again. I recommend you try it.

I love this place, I have only been here on very special occasions, if I could eat here on a regular basis I would.
I am a chef and I am probably the pickiest person alive and mostly eat my own food more than anything. With that said when I find a place like this I can trust, I always keep it in mind. This is one of those places where if you have a bad experience, then YOU are the problem. I was treated like royalty on my birthday and they went above and beyond to take care of me. Everything you order from here is just amazing… and if you ask for your steak to be well done, you should be tossed out on the street during a rainstorm for causing such an embarrassing situation.

A hidden gem. Chef Dave knows how to please the most demanding customer.
Excellent service provided by Stephan and Didier, making personal contact with all customers.
I recommend the scallops and the salad Nicoise.

Everything was just mediocre at this restaurant. For the price of one so so dinner we could have had three nice ones. The presentation on the dishes was not what you expect of a fine dining establishment, and the flavors did not wow. The décor was tired and so where the dishes. I will not go back!

The owner is a snob. He spoke in French to another patron calling American people cheap. The food was mediocre at best and the décor dated. I would rather eat in The Bernards Inn or The Ryland Inn! You are treated respectfully there.

This review is waaaay overdue. May 7^th my husband decided to surprise me by coming home early from work. I thought something had happened when I saw him from our balcony. But he had made big plans that evening, got his brother to babysit and made reservations at Chez Catherine which he knew I had been longing to go. He knows how much I love french cuisines and wines.
Oh how glad I was to have this date night. :-) Yes!
Anyhow, enough about me.
Chez Catherine blew our minds, hearts and offcourse our palates hihihi. We were seated by Didier, what an awesome gentleman. The place was small and quiet but perfect for a special night. Simple décor, made me feel so at home.
Our server Stephane was very very funny, throwing in a few jokes here and there with his fast toned accent. Made it funnier. He made our night. Lol. Thank you Stephane! Service was fantastic, we could not ask for a better Maitre D. You were amazing… every inch of the evening.
We could not wait for the food which started with a simple but delicious amuse buche of a slice of french bread and goat cheese topped with a piece of wine reduction pear I believe. It was delicious. I could have had more hi hi, I just love goat cheese.
We both enjoyed our appetizers of foie gras and escargots. I am a big fan of escargots, not much of foie gras like my husband and i was literally dipping my bread on the sauce before Stephane said enough and took it away lol. Everything in moderation i guess. My husband loved the foie gras and says he will have it again from Chez Catherine.
Our main course of duck breast and fish was also delicious. Next time I will select the duck breast like my husband did. It was so full of flavour. My fish on the other hand was very lightly seasoned and I love salt and spices. Need I mention we had dessert too? OMG the best rice pudding I had ever had. The passion fruit purée on it was something I could never have thought of. Loved it. Perfect pairing.
I know this is probably the longest review here hihihi but I will finish saying that we had an awesome dinner and to Mesieur Didier Merci for sharing the port wine with us toward the end of the night. Thank you for playing some songs from Edith and for chatting with us. You really made us feel at home and welcome.
We will definitely go back again and again.
Lady in red and husband :-)

We recently celebrated my husband’s birthday with lunch at Chez Catherine and it was wonderful, as always. We love french food and have dined at many world class restaurants in France and the United States and Chez Catherine remains a favorite. We have celebrated many occasions here over the last 10 years and have enjoyed every meal here. Didier does a great job of keeping his menu classic but current and Stefan’s dry sense of humor is very funny! Chez Catherine continues to offer fine french food in a lovely and cozy dining room — I can’t wait to go back!

It was a very good restaurant with classic French entrees. While everything tastes great and service was excellent, I found it didn’t live up to the value. I also expected the ambiance to be more romantic. A little too bright for a dinner.

We recently moved to Westfield from Manhattan and were excited to try this place. We made reservations for dinner weeks in advance, but the day of our reservation, my pregnant wife was not feeling well, so I called to cancel, explaining the situation. The maitre d accused me of lying and said he would charge my credit card anyway. When I told him that we had recently moved to town and planned to come to the restaurant another night when my wife was feeling better, he screamed «I hope you don’t!»
We lived in New York City for nearly fifteen years and have enjoyed dining at some of the finest restaurants in the world. Having read through the reviews on this and other websites, I have no doubt the food here is amazing. But no dining experience is worth enduring that level of rudeness from the staff. I don’t necessarily have a problem with charging a cancelation fee, even under our circumstances, but the gratuitous hostility was shocking for a business that presumably relies on word of mouth for its livelihood.

Outstanding meal.
The atmosphere was great. Quaint and pretty.
Food was excellent and service was good too.
Will definitely go back.
I had strip steak and partner had duck.

For our fourth visit, celebrating our 10^th Anniversary, we found the new winter menu to be wonderful. We couldn’t help ourselves and ordered the foie gras, escargot, crêpe aux fruits de mer, and the veal sweetbreads.
The crêpe aux fruits de mer is consistently amazing, balancing the freshest seafood with a delicate cream sauce. Perfect balance, very clean. We have had this all four visits.
The escargot and foie gras were wonderful. The sweetbreads were perfectly prepared, as I am typically not a fan but found the preparation overcame any hesitation I had and I finished the plate!
My wife had a filet, and I had the rack of lamb. While the meats were perfectly seasoned and cooked, I was bowled over by the gratin dauphinois — the potato with crème fraîche — the texture of the potato was an astounding balance of firm slices yielding to a soft meld of cream. I was quite amazed at how good an accompanying dish could be. Additionally, the green beans had the right amount of firmness and snap, just cooked expertly as expected.
Alas, our visit was marred by one aspect, and that was the server we had that evening. Though adequate, as the dinner went on, I found myself waving to her several times for assistance, including asking for water, as well as my wife’s wine glass going empty twice.
When desert came, I ordered a cappuccino, and was never served and had to ask a second time for it. For quite a time, our server was at the bar talking without surveying the room. Upon conclusion of our meal, my wife asked to take her filet with her, and despite her packaging it, it was never delivered by our server. As we left, our server failed to say goodnight.
This remains one of my favorite restaurants in NJ, period. The food is stunningly good, every time. I dearly want to leave five stars, but was disappointed in the service this last visit, and at this price point, quality service means (almost) as much as the food.
Amazing food. Compared to other restaurants, the service remains, in comparison, quite good… however, this last visit, the service was simply not on par with what we came to expect, as previously it was perfect! I look forward to seeing on our next visit.

After 20 anniversaries celebrated at chez catherine… my parents unfortunately due to my father’s poor health from Parkinson disease cannot go this year… I reached out and asked if I could come pick up a take out meal for my parents to celebrate 56 years at home… I was told absolutely NOT… they would not allow take out… I have never observed a more tasteless awful gesture… shame on you…

The owner/​head waiter Didier was quite the character. He ensured our entire experience was bar none superb. The food at Chez Catherine is nothing but amazing. I didn’t have any gripes about taking my fiancé there because I had a gift certificate for $ 150 (which was not enough to cover our meal with drinks). We switched orders for both the appetizer and entrée; she ended up with my lump crab dish and sea scallops, and I took the assorted meats and steak.
The steak was perfectly paired with the red wine that I ordered, and she had the sweat white wine. The chef did very well preparing our meal, which was very very flavorful and delicious. I enjoyed the surprise order of salmon with avocado on crackers that was tossed in with the meal. I like the cicada theme, and can’t wait until my next adventure at this fine French countryside establishment.

I chose Chez Catherine for my birthday dinner for a few reasons:
I was aware of it’s existence for many years and never tried it
Top 25 ranking in NJ Monthly Magazine
My husband suggesting it, especially for –SOUFFLES
Upon our arrival, we were given a very smaill round table in the back of the restaurant (tables are close and restaurant is small). Within a short time, we were moved to a prime table in the front of the restaurant which made for a nicer experience.
We were greeted by the humor and professional service of Didier, an owner. His talent/​knowledge is an art form that is quickly dying.
For appetizers:
The house cured Salmon– so fresh
Lump Crab Salad– excellent
Entrees:
Dover Sole-​one of the best-​table side filleting and sauce preparation
Duck Breast– perfectly cooked, tender
Dessert:
Grand Marnier Soufflé– our favorite dessert and just delicious
Crème Brûlée with figs– was ok, would not order again
Will try the Crêpe Suzette next time, prepared the classic way and it looked
delicous.
Chez Catherine still offers some of the «old school» details of service and food preparation that is surreptitiously disappearing from fine dining.

My sweet husband decided to organize a romantic rendezvous for the two of us at Chez Catherine. We’ve been lucky enough to have enjoyed some spectacular dinners in similar-​looking restaurants. So we were looking forward to this experience.
Now I’m not sure what it is with French people and filet mignon. But they often seem to get offended, even insulted when I ask for it to be prepared «well done.» I like filet mignon a lot, but I do not enjoy chewing bloody meat.
They prepared my $ 46 filet mignon with a very pink center anyway. I should’ve sent it back… but I decided to try it their way. Let’s just say I spent the whole night running to the restroom.
I just can’t give this establishment more than 2 stars after such an experience, despite the fact that the pan seared foie gras with chilled crème brûlée was mouthwatering.
The waiter brought us a second bottle of VOSS sparkling water without asking us if we wanted it. Naturally, they charged us a exorbitant amount of money for it.
As we were walking out, I happened to notice a picture of Per Se (a famous French restaurant in NYC.) It was signed by their chefs, who were wishing Chez Catherine the best of luck. I thought that it was nice and decided to compliment the owner and ask if she knew them personally. (She was giving us our coats back at the time.) To my surprise, she made a disgruntled face and started trash-​talking her «competition.» My jaw dropped. She called Per Se «pretentious» and «over the top» amongst a few other things. My husband and I hurried out the door of Chez Catherine, leaving it with a very unpleasant impression of the owner.

We have gone to this place and were overcome by the quality of the food. She ordered the dover sole and I ordered the steak. They were OUTSTANDING. The fish was prepared by the owner table side. He offered that if you ever find a bone in his fish, the meal is free. We never found a bone despite a real attempt to find one. The fish was perfectly prepared. Perfectly. It smelled delicious and tasted delicious. The steak was prepared as ordered. It was terrific and I wished it was bigger. I later was glad it wasn’t because they do desserts better than anyone. For dessert we ordered the trio of crème brûlée. They were unbelievable. Vanilla bean, milk chocolate, and a berry flavor that my wife would not share. On another vIsit I had THE BEST DESSERT OF MY LIFE.: BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING. I had to order a second one. That good!
Needless to say, we return there for every special occasion.
I read all the reviews. I don’t understand how anyone had a bad experience there. I really don’t. The owner, Deiter, checks on every patron. This is top shelf food. Most restaurants in town are NOT high quality. They are not CHEF quality restaurants. You must like what they serve at Chez or maybe you are predestined to be unhappy. The true fact is, that less than 5% of diners know great food. 95% think regular food is great food. That is a fact. I’m sorry if you fall into that category.
I mostly give bad reviews because those places deserve it and I want to warn other diners. That’s it. This place deserves a great review. They earn it. You don’t see this many 5 stars for no reason. I complimented the owner on the crab cake, and he took me into the kitchen to properly compliment the chef. This was the cleanest kitchen I have ever seen. It was small, but clean. I mean shinny clean.
Be mindful in advance that the prices are not low. They are fair. You get what you pay for though. It is a value. This is not the place to take your kid and his team mates to after the little league game. This is the «I want to relax and have someone else cook me a delicious meal because I deserve it, once a week» place.
If you were not happy, try it again. You will be happy.
Lou