In Englewood, Emma waiter has a bad day and Starbucks is a mess

Emma Restaurant in Englewood has a comfortable waiting area, but I found only a couple of other tables occupied when I had lunch there with a friend on Tuesday.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I had a wonderful dinner of beautifully composed pan-Latino dishes at Emma Restaurant in Englewood in May 2015, but didn't return until I met a friend there for lunch on Tuesday.

The restaurant was nearly empty.

Still, the waiter was having a bad day after serving a half-dozen spoiled teenagers who left behind a mess on their tables and on the dining room floor. 

Yes, he said, sit anywhere you like.

When I saw a seafood salad listed on the lunch menu for $18, I asked whether the dish was a ceviche -- raw seafood cooked in lime juice.

No, he said emphatically, he knew ceviche well, even caught fish and made the dish in his native Ecuador.

No. Certainly not ceviche, but good.

I ordered the Baby Kale Salad with brioche croutons and shaved Parmigiano in a Caesar dressing, and my friend chose Choripan, chorizo or pork sausage sandwiches in a chimichurri emulsion with french fries ($10 each).

When I asked for the check, our server showed us an image on his phone, said the total was $21.50 and asked how much of a tip we wanted to leave.

I said $4, and he said he could email me the receipt. Then, he disappeared.

I wrote down my email address on a pad at the front desk and waited almost 10 minutes for him to come out of the kitchen so I could give it to him.

More than a day later, I haven't received an email receipt.

Coffee at Starbucks

Across the street at Starbucks, the front counter where we placed our order for medium-roast black coffee was covered in crumbs, and the only empty table we found also was a mess.

The baristas were so busy handling the crush of customers they ignored basic housekeeping.

My consolation prize was a Cheese & Fruit Bistro Box ($4.95) I took home free, using rewards on my Starbucks card.

I've eaten a lot of kale, but never tasted anything as tender or as delicious as the baby kale in Emma's salad.

My friend filled up on the tasty Choripan, but couldn't finish the fries.

Details

Emma Restaurant, 34 E. Palisade Ave., Englewood; 201-227-6103. BYO, metered parking on street or in a municipal garage about a block and a half away.

See post on our May 2015 dinner: Art on the plate

Enjoying a hearty lunch at Harvest Bistro in Closter

Sauteed Shrimp with Garlic and Herbs at Harvest Bistro & Bar in Closter.

By Victor E. Sasson
Editor

Harvest Bistro & Bar is one of those local restaurants I have driven by time and again, and read about, but never tried.

Until Thursday, that is. I bought lunch for a friend who lives nearby, and we had a terrific meal.

Harvest Bistro offers a three-course lunch for $24, but I don't eat dessert and had no interest in the profiteroles with hot chocolate sauce.

Pan-Seared Branzino floats on a sea of lentils and spinach.

I decided to order a kale salad ($9) and an entree of pan-seared branzino ($25). My friend chose sauteed shrimp ($16).

Admittedly, the restaurant is a splurge, but we enjoyed the high quality of the food and preparation, and the professional service.

We didn't need a reservation for lunch, and only one other table was occupied when we arrived.

The kale salad included fresh strawberries, candied walnuts and feta cheese -- in a balsamic honey Dijon vinaigrette -- but I would have welcomed more kale and less cheese.

Kale Salad with strawberries and feta cheese.

I loved how the kitchen crisped the skin-on fillet of branzino, a European sea bass, and served it on top of a big mound of green lentils and sauteed spinach. 

Delicious and healthy, and I was so full I skipped dinner.

My friend's shrimp entree included a rich squid-ink risotto with chorizo and sweet corn.

As for the service, a nice touch is the carafe of ice water on the table, but I have a couple of gripes: 

I don't understand how a restaurant on the level of Harvest Bistro can serve such mediocre bread.

It's true that I'm on a no-bread, no-pizza diet, but I was denied the guilty pleasure of a crispy bread crust dipped into good extra-virgin olive oil, such as the one served at Harvest Bistro.

And why do servers rush to clear the extra napkins, glasses and silverware when two people such as me and my friend ask to sit at a table for four in a nearly empty dining room?

Are they afraid we might steal a couple of forks?

The mediocre bread is completely out of place at Harvest Bistro.

Harvest Bistro & Bar, 252 Schraalenburgh Road, Closter; 201-750-9966.

Web site: Great food and service