Set upon lush rolling hills amid acres of vineyards, many New Jersey wineries offer luxe vibes that also give meaning to the Garden State moniker.
Their food, however, can fall short. Many wineries host food trucks hawking casual fare like empanadas, lobster rolls and loaded fries to pair alongside swirling glasses of estate wine.
But Alba Vineyard & Winery in Milford is now offering waited dining service to match its fine wines.
Reverie Kitchen opened at the winery in April, offering upscale yet approachable items like whipped feta dip with apricot and pistachio; an aged cheddar burger with an Alba Vineyard port wine reduction sauce and bacon jam; foraged button mushroom pizza with garlic onion confit; and a curried chicken salad croissant sandwich with red grapes and toasted walnuts.
“It’s not an intimidating menu,” said Reverie Kitchen owner Jonas Koep. “It’s not 50 words you don’t know where you have to Google what ‘bechamel’ is, but it still feels elegant.”
Fare, made by Chef Hunter Stagg in a wood-fired oven or over open fire in an outdoor kitchen, is available from noon to 8 p.m. Fridays and Sundays, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Ingredients are sourced from Phillips Farm in Milford and other farms and artisans, as well as from the winery’s own produce and herb garden.
Dishes are served amid more than 300 seats on Alba Vineyard’s 10,000-square-foot patio, and inside the tasting room and wine production room.
A sandwich at Reverie Kitchen at Alba Vineyard.
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“Sitting on the Alba Vineyard patio is like sitting on the Tuscan hills,” said Koep. “I think their topography lends itself so well to feeling like you are not in New Jersey — you are in Europe somewhere.”
Previously, Alba Vineyard offered casual bites like pizza without waited service. But Koep had a different vision for the winery’s food program based on his own experience there.
“It’s so elegant there and they did such a good job on the patio that I felt it would be a disservice to the guests who are spending $40 to $70 on a bottle of wine to have to get a buzzer in their hand for when the food is ready and then get up to get their food,” he said. “I go to a lot of wineries and there is no winery that I have been to that has full-service staff coming to the tables, taking orders and running food.”
Koep is no stranger to the hospitality world. He also owns the Pattenburg House in Asbury and Sterlingbrook Farm in Pittstown, and he caters all Red Mill Museum Village events.
Open fire cooking at Reverie Kitchen at Alba Vineyard.
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Next month, Reverie Kitchen will begin offering waited wine service as well, so guests will have no reason to get up from their Hunterdon County views.
The restaurant will continue operating through the colder months thanks to the indoor kitchen and tasting room seats, also unlike many other New Jersey wineries that only offer charcuterie and snacks indoors.
“I tell my staff all the time, ‘No one ever leaves the house with the intention of having a bad time,’ “ said Koep. “A reverie is a daydream, and that’s what people want to do when they go to vineyards or go out to eat.”
Go: 269 Route 627, Milford; 908-995-7800, albavineyard.com/food-1.
Jenna Intersimone.
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: Alba Vineyard in Hunterdon now has a full-service restaurant
