Two Fifty Two, Bedminster NJ

Last week Alan and I joined Mary & Steve at a little restaurant on Route 202 in Bedminster called Two Fifty Two. It's a converted house with two small rooms for dining. On this occasion, it was closed for a private wine tasting dinner featuring Robert Sinskey's vintages and as seen in the picture below, Robert himself.

The restaurant was packed to it's capacity - maybe 40 people seated at two long tables. To start the evening off there was cocktail hour of sorts with passed hors d'Oeuvres of Pan Seared Duck Breast, Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding, Merlot Demi and a Tuna Tartar Napa Cabbage, Mango, Avocado, Cucumber, Potato. To accompany, Robert and Joe of 56 degrees (the evening's host) poured a 2010 Robert Sinskey Abraxas White.

The appetizers were both pretty good. The duck had a nice flavor to it, especially when you got one that was warm right from the kitchen. The tuna tartar was presented as tiny little tacos that were absolutely adorable. They were okay - I thought they lacked a little flavor even though they came across as quite light and refreshing.

Upon being seated we went right into the first course of the evening, pan seared scallop with sweet corn & basil puree and a balsamic glace. I thought this was a heavenly little dish. The single scallop was quite large, perfectly cooked and worked so nicely with the corn puree. I ate mine and half of Mary's (who's just discovered she's allergic to shellfish, ugh!). The wine paired with this course was also the Abraxas white.

Next up was the squab served two ways; roasted breast and confit legs with kale and porcini mushrooms. The breast was nicely cooked with the fatty skin still on to provide a nice decadence against the breast meat. The shredded leg meat was overcooked and too dry. Actually, the entire dish was too dry in my opinion. It would have made a world of difference for it to be sitting on a thick demi-glaze or reduction sauce of some type. So this one was just so-so.

The wines served with the squab were the Pinot Noir Three Amigos (which was the hit of the evening) and the Pinot Noir Four Vineyards. Both from Carneros region.

The main dish was a fire roasted lamb chop with date chutney and sauteed spinach on a bed of lentils. Here's where it just fell apart. I love lamb chops, but these were very small with an unacceptable amount of fat. The plate had too much lentils that were dry and chalky. The spinach was nicely cooked but couldn't save the dish. We did acknowledge how hard it is for a small kitchen to cook, plate and serve forty people at once so I give the staff a grain of salt.

The wines paired with the lamb were the POV Red and the Marcien Red. I wasn't a fan of either wine but love welcome someone else to comment on their take on the wines of the evening.

Finally, we wrapped up dinner with cheese plates featuring as assortment from Valley Shepherd Creamery located in Long Valley, New Jersey. Accompaniments included toast, quince paste and apples. A nice enough plate to end the evening but none of the cheeses blew me away. That's probably because I lean very far towards Bries, triple creams and other soft selections. The wine was a RSV Claret Bordeaux blend.

All in all a most fabulous evening of catching up with good friends but the food and the wine didn't strike the right chord. But to be fair, we've agreed to go back to this cute little BYO for a regular dinner and see what the kitchen staff can do under normal circumstances.