My wife and I ate at Grange Restaurant for the first time last Saturday now that Uber has opened up our horizons (a driver is a most for those who double barrel their BYO). If you’ve tried out most of Ridgewood’s spots, Grange Restaurant would be roughly equivalent to Novo or Memoire, if not quite up to Cafe 37 – we thought it was solid all around and a nice option to toss into the Bergen County rotation.

The dining room at Grange Restaurant is small and dark – but in a good way, with candlelight, exposed brick and dark rustic wood tables that tie the room together with an inviting, romantic feel. Really nice vibe for a date night for one or two couples.

Related: Cafe Amici

Let’s talk about the food at Grange Restaurant…

We thought the food was generally very good, though perhaps a bit uneven in spots. The deviled egg nibbler had a nice spicy kick, but the assortment of “pickled goodies” pretty much tasted the same to us, regardless of what was pickled – pears, beets, etc. The crab cake appetizer was well-executed, if not memorable. If we had more stomach space, we would have loved to try the steak tartar, so maybe next time.

On the entree side, the highlight was definitely the smoked pork disk with a bourbon reduction that was paired up with some exceptional sweet potato puree and brussel sprouts with bacon – really one of the best pork dishes I’ve ever had! Wow – I can’t imagine not ordering that again and that alone is reason enough to ensure a return visit! The black angus steak frites with chimichurri sauce, in contrast, was fine… or maybe it just suffered when compared to its standout pork neighbor.

Bottom line is Fine Dining + Lack of Pretention + BYO = great spot!

One little tip…

The vestibule at Grange Restaurant is the size of a small hall bathroom. So if it’s raining, bring an umbrella! Just in case you have to stand outside if multiple tables are checking in at the same time. I thought I was going to have a panic attack when a party of four squeezed in beside us. (We did survive…)