Fine dining like it used to be, with lots of atmosphere, nicely dressed patrons and top-notch food, is made to order for a special occasion at Latour
Restaurant Latour is not the "Hey, let's go out to dinner" place. It's the special occasion, big deal, pop-the-question type of place, which means planning for a visit.
Reservations are required; jackets for men are recommended. Leave your jeans at home. Ditto the kids under age 12.
"It's almost the opposite of the direction that our industry is going in," mused executive chef Anthony Bucco.
The food is as beautiful as it is tasty, colorful miniature still lifes on a plate, sometimes adorned by tiny blossoms and nearly too beautiful to disturb.
The halibut, summer squash and nectarine dish at Restaurant Latour in Hamburg. A perfect piece of halibut nestles atop grilled nectarine and green summer squash, imparting the best of the season.
High-quality hamachi is decked with crunchy puffed wild rice (putting regular puffed rice to shame), as sliced gooseberries provide a sweet yet tangy orange-hued counterpoint.
Muscovy duck's slightly gamey character is set off by fluffy poppy seed spaetzle and the most tender red cabbage, a far cry from the all-too-common heavy, overly sweet version of the vegetable.
As part of the Crystal Springs Resort in Sussex County, Latour has its niche above the eight various casual and middle-of-the-road restaurant options that also are offered at the sprawling venue (two hotels, six golf courses and more).
"I don't think I can do something like Latour in a different area that wasn't supported by so many other dining outlets," Bucco noted.
"Maintaining a luxury platform is important, based on the footprint of the wine cellar [it earned the Wine Spectator Grand Award] and the depth of it," he continued.
"Latour is ambitious; Latour is interesting. It's something that breaks the norm of dining in New Jersey today."
That's obvious from the moment you enter the Grand Cascades Lodge where Latour is located. You are greeted by a gracious Latour employee (perhaps the one who called the day before to confirm your reservation and fill you in on the format and dress code). The staffer is your escort on the elevator delivering you to the tower where you will dine with a view of the mountains. Only a limited number of guests are served at Latour, which makes it feel like a peaceful private dining room, with light music playing unobtrusively in the background.
Staffers are attentive to the right degree, cosseting rather than hovering. Since only three descriptive words or brief phrases for each item are in print, they have a lot to explain about the prix fixe menus ($115 for five courses, $55 for an optional wine pairing; $145 for the seven-course chef's tasting, $65 for that wine pairing).
The wine of your choice by the bottle also is available. Other beverage options include clever mixed drinks ($18) with cutesy names such as "The Last Straw" (Warwick gin, Velvet Falernum, strawberry), or brews chosen with care that you likely won't see elsewhere -- for example, the Innis & Gunn rum-aged Scottish ale ($9).
The five-course menu is divided into categories: harvest (vegetables), aquatic (seafood); grazing (fowl as well as meat), cheese and dessert. Each offers four choices, except dessert, which has three.
While the general idea is to take something from each segment, the protocol is flexible. Someone who doesn't eat meat or fowl, for instance, could take two from harvest or aquatic instead.
Latour has always been, as Bucco put it, "a luxury product," but its current iteration is more user-friendly than the last one, which was described by the previous chef as "push the envelope."
A view of the elegant dining room at Restaurant Latour. Chef de Latour Martyna Krowicka, born in Poland, returned there each summer until she was 16, working with her grandmother in the kitchen and building an appreciation for the integrity of the items she would cook, from fresh eggs to the vegetables she picked.
A graduate of what was then the French Culinary Institute in New York, she worked with Bucco at several stops, including Uproot in Warren Township. She was also a sous chef at the Ryland Inn in Whitehouse, and did a stint at Empellon Taqueria in the West Village.
Latour is her stage for "cooking with emotion,with love and memories. A lot of that has to do with farming and local food," she says. Sussex County is the perfect place to source the latter.
Her respect for ingredients lets them speak for themselves without fussy touches. It is evident in the nearly naked sweet green peas presented in a semi-circle, studded with bits of Pecorino, dotted with purple flowers and covered in a lemon aioli that's the culinary equivalent of a transparent chiffon scarf.
Krowicka also has a sense of humor. A chocolate log with malt ice cream and a pretzel-coffee meringue crumble on the side has a nougat filling inspired by one of her favorite candy bars, the Milky Way. But this is a dessert that transports those who eat it to chocolate heaven.
As a parting gift, we were presented with a cookie tray full of delights including fudgy Nutella squares and raspberry macarons.
The courses are in effect small plates, but we felt as full after five of them (and the cookies) as we would have with a traditional three-course dinner. With tax and no drinks, a five-course meal for two comes to $246.10 (don't forget to add a tip for the hard-working staff). Latour is pricey but worth it for those who value a restful type of dining experience with intriguing food.
Latour isn't everyone's style, but it has a style all its own to make for a memorable evening. I kept glancing at the young couple a few tables away; he appeared dashing in a well-tailored dark suit, she looked lovely in a stunning black dress. There was Champagne to set the mood. We left before their first course arrived, but I'm guessing that she said yes.
IF YOU GO
Restaurant Latour
1 Wild Turkey Way, Hamburg. 855-977-6473. crystalgolfresort.com
Hours: 5-10 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays, closed Mondays-Wednesdays.
Cody Kendall may be reached at CodyDine@aim.com. Follow Cody on Twitter@CodyDine. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.