Best Restaurants with a Tasting Menu in Paterson

Made reservations for a date with my wife after reading raves online. We were sat at a romantic table in the corner on a busy Saturday night at 7 p.m. The wait staff was immediately incredible: kind, accommodating, responsive, professional. Chef Greg came out to greet us after our meal & was magnanimous. While I want to give the restaurant pure unadulterated raves, my lasting memory of the 4-course pre-fixe meal is how uneven it was. The first course (seared octopus & hamachi crudo) was fabulous. The octopus tender and smoky, the yellowtail perfectly fresh & elevated by a wash in the wasabi vinaigrette. The second course (jumbo lump crab cake & Cajun seafood pasta) was emblematic of the overall meal. The crab cake fine, the Cajun pasta was DIVINE. The Cajun cream sauce was rich & complimented the tagliolini, atop which sat one seared shrimp & one decadent scallop. Pillow perfect & imbued with a buttery flavor like nothing I've ever tasted, the scallop was far and away my bite of the night. (When the waiter came to clear the plates, I practically grabbed his arm & used an expletive to describe my transcendent experience with mollusk.) Here's where things get weird: The third-course (pan seared prime sirloin & pan seared Chilean sea bass) was overwhelmingly average. This, IMHO, is where a meal has to stick the landing. The dishes were beautifully presented (here and across the board), but the meat was overdone & the fish was "nothing to write home about." (I didn't bother to taste my wife's plate.) Dessert (PB&J brownie & banana creme brulee) was the worst part of the meal. The brownie was poorly baked and grainy. My wife, a baker, thought perhaps the sugar hadn't fully integrated into the mix. An amateur mistake I wasn't expecting. The creme brulee was too banana forward—but honestly maybe just not for me. Three out of five stars. On the back of the scallop & by the grace of the wait stuff, I'll call it an off night in the kitchen & give it another try.

Consistently excellent food and service. Never disappoints

Such a wonderful delicious amazing evening and our waiter Tom made us feel so comfortable. Tom was so very helpful with providing the most exceptional service. We thoroughly enjoyed everything

It was our first time at Cafe 37, and we are already looking forward to the next time. Delish prix-fixe menu. Kudos to our engaging waiter Felix and Nelson who patiently took great photos that helped us celebrate our special occasion!

My wife and I had a fantastic time! The food was amazing and the ambiance was great.