Craving a Sam Adams, Maker’s Mark on the rocks or a colossal burger? You won’t find it at Bernadette, Scotch Plains’ newest restaurant.
But what you will find at the elegant and eclectic spot at 387 Park Ave. is beer and liquor solely sourced from small producers, and modern Mediterranean tapas with local ingredients created by a Michelin-recommended chef and “Chopped” winner.
Since Bernadette opened in February at the former home of Little Shop of Comics, Chef Roxanne Spruance, and co-owners Melody DeGaetano and Ryan Hampton, have been cooking up a city vibe and elevated small plates.
It’s served inside a 50-seat space with curved banquettes, a live edge wood communal table, couches and a bar purposely U-shaped to encourage interaction.
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Items on the everchanging menu with plenty of gluten-free and vegan options include bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with Schaller and Weber n’duja in a house-made spicy tomato sauce; duck fat fries with smoked garlic and paprika aioli; melted leeks and raclette croquettes, as well as other seasonal varieties; and fideua, a dish similar to paella that’s made with vermicelli pasta, saffron broth and seafood.
The European dishes with Jersey twists are made with local ingredients, such as produce sourced from Ort Farms in Long Valley, Corner Copia in East Windsor, and Old Village Farm in Milford; and cheese from 5 Spoke Creamery and Nettle Meadow Farm in New York.
“We’re doing something approachable but still pushes boundaries a little bit,” said Spruance.
That means quality over quantity, and fresh local ingredients. That comes naturally to Spruance, who was a “Chopped” winner, a judge on “The Butcher,” a chef at the Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and the owner of Kingsley, an East Village eatery that was named Zagat’s “Best New Restaurant” and “Best American Restaurant.” Kingsley also earned a long list of other accolades from Wine Spectator and other publications.
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“It’s a symbiotic relationship with the food and the wine and cocktails at Bernadette,” Spruance said. “It’s fun to be able to make food thinking about the entire dining experience from the cocktails to the wine to the after-dinner drinks.”
Bernadette only serves beers sourced from New Jersey breweries. On tap are brews from The Seed: A Living Beer Project in Atlantic City, Brix City Brewing in Little Ferry, Oakflower Brewing Company in Millington, and Twin Elephant Brewing Company in Chatham.
Spirits follow the same approach, with only independent brands on the shelves, some of which are single-owned, women-owned or local, like Fort Hamilton Distillery, Milam and Greene Whiskey, and Xicaru Mezcal.
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The wine list is similar, offering about 50 types of lesser-known wines by the bottle and a dozen by the glass.
“If it’s sold in a store, we probably aren’t going to have it on our shelves,” said Spruance. “When I go out to eat, I want to taste 1,000 things. So how cool is it to be able to get a bottle of wine and every time you taste that wine, whether it’s with a croquette or duck confit, you get a different characteristic out of the wine with every bite.”
That ethos speaks to DeGaetano, too, who also owns Black Drop Coffee down the block. She’s a registered dietician who lost her job working with charter schools when COVID-19 hit. Bernadette was her chance to fill a Scotch Plains niche as the town lacks a lively food scene.
It also was a way to serve thoughtful cuisine with quality ingredients, like she experienced while traveling the Mediterranean.
“The ‘less is more’ and the quality versus quantity approach to food in that region just spoke to me with my background in nutrition,” she said. “We want to do more with what we have in its natural state without having to add too much to it.”
But that wasn’t DeGaetano’s only inspiration. She sees one element of her motivation every time she walks under the restaurant’s gold-lettered nameplate: her mother, Bernadette, who died of cancer 21 years ago.
“She lived life to the fullest and it’s a reminder for me to continuously do the same,” said DeGaetano. “When I see her name up there on the sign, it’s a reminder to me to keep working because not every day is given.”
Go: 387 Park Ave., Scotch Plains; 973-671-0848, bernadettenj.com.
Contact: JIntersimone@MyCentralJersey.com
Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey since 2014, although she’s a lifetime Jersey girl who considers herself an expert in everything from the Jersey Shore to the Garden State’s buzzing downtowns. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. You can also follow her on Instagram at @seejennaeat and on Twitter at @JIntersimone.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Bernadette restaurant in Scotch Plains serves tapas with NJ twists
