The Frog And The Peach, New Brunswick, NJ:
A Restaurant Review
The Frog and the Peach is one of the best Central New Jersey, Chef-inspired fine dining restaurants in a region known for having a variety of good restaurants.
The Frog and the Peach: Restaurant Highlights
Fare: New American
Price: Very Expensive
Food Quality Excellent: Serves a well-executed, creative seasonal menu of French-influenced American and Mediterranean food using sustainable farming and fresh ingredients, especially from local sources.
Service: Wait staff is professional, knowledgeable, and well attended, though they tend to be a bit slow during peak times. However, if you need to have faster service, seats at the bar can be better option.
Ambiance/Decor: Upscale, with a clubby style dining room, a heated and enclosed greenery garden room, and an antique bar decorated with hanging tubular fabric and fixtures.
Overall Rating: 3 1/2 Stars - One of the best restaurants in Central Jersey. Classified as an upscale "Chef-Inspired Fine Dining" restaurant. (* Note - See below restaurant classification for details)
Note: Four star Rating System from 1/2 Star = poor to 4 stars = Best in Class
Noise Level: Moderate - High
Dress: Upscale Casual
Recommended For: Diners who enjoy excellent food with fine dining amenities and upscale, trendy ambiance.
Not Recommended For: Budget conscious diners who enjoy casual, family dining
Recommended dishes: When available, The Cast Iron Seared Wagyu Skirt Steak Smoked Mushroom and New Potato Hash with Haricot Vert, Red Wine Sauce; The Beer-Braised Lamb Shank Glazed Apples and Turnips, Hazelnut Puree, Lamb Jus; and The Steamed Dayboat Halibut Spaghetti Squash, Roasted Fennel, Tomato Bouillabaisse.
Liquor: Full-service bar service with an exceptional wine list. Bar scene is vibrant.
Restaurant Review
The Frog and the Peach restaurant is a New Brunswick mainstay that continues to improve and attract millennials willing to splurge on a chef-inspired fine dining experience, without the stuffy ambiance found at most of the typical "Old World" fine dining restaurants.
The Frog and the Peach is under the management of Owner/Chef Bruce Lefebvre, and Chef de cuisine Joe Beninato.
Chef Lefebvre received his formal training from The Culinary Institute of America and later honed his cooking skills in NYC under Charlie Palmer at Aureole and at Daniel and Lespinasse. before coming to the Frog and the Peach in 2000 and becoming Executive Chef in 2001. In 2012 he took over the ownership of the restaurant.
Chef de cuisine Joe Beninato received his formal culinary education in Culinary Arts Management at Middlesex Community College, and later began his career as line cook at The Frog and Peach, and then under Executive Chef Peter Turso, at the highly rated Ursino Restaurant on the campus of Kean University where he embraced his love for "farm to table", and recently returning to the Frag and Peach to team up with Owner/Chef Bruce Lefebvre.
The kitchen serves a well-executed, creative seasonal menu of French-influenced American and Mediterranean food using sustainable farming and fresh ingredients, especially from local sources
It a great place for a date or romantic dining experience. If you prefer a more quiet, cozy seating area, ask to be seated on the second floor where you can view the crowd below gathered at the attractive antique bar decorated with hanging tubular fabric and fixtures that glows as a tribute to the building’s industrial past. Alternatively, ask for the Garden Room. It has nice ambiance for a romantic dinner.
The Garden Room with seating for 50 and temperature controlled for a winter luncheon or a summer evening outdoor dining. This semi-outdoor space is heated and enclosed in the winter and open in the summer to expose it to the warm weather breezes.
During the busy periods of dining, parking can be inconvenient.
To be part of the solution, The Frog and Peach is offering an incentive to visit by using Uber (or Lyft or a good old taxi). When you check in, show your receipt for the car that brought you to the manager at the front desk. They will take 5% from your check. Discount is given per party of two.
The Frog and Peach is open six days/week: Closed Monday
Lunch: Thursday and Friday 11:30 am – 2:30 pm, Brunch: Served Every Sunday 11:00 am – 2:30 pm
Dinner: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm, & Friday and Saturday, 5:00 pm-9:45 pm. Sunday | 4:30 pm – 8:30 pm
They are also open on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and New Years's Eve.
* Description of Restaurant Classification - Chef-Inspired Fine Dining:
- "Old World" with sophisticated and romantic décor.
- Priced higher than other upscale restaurants to cover the cost of the added amenities.
- They are chef driven by chefs with impressive credentials including formal culinary education and skills honed at award winning restaurants.
- Committed to high quality food ingredients such as imported items not available in the supermarket, with emphasis on local seasonal farm-to-table produce, wild caught seafood, & meats without the use of antibiotics and growth hormones.
- The wait staff is rigorously trained --- professional, knowledgeable, and attentive. Has an alcohol menu with high end wines and specialty cocktails and with a staff knowledgeable in wine pairings.
- Additional amenities include linen and fine China table settings, carpeted flooring, chandeliers, and complimentary sorbets, dessert chocolates, etc.
- Patrons tend to be older, more formally dressed, with high incomes.
The most popular upscale restaurants in New Jersey, classified into three categories; Chef-Inspired Fine Dining, Chef-Inspired Casual Dining, and Contemporary Casual.
learn more about the three types of upscale restaurants and how reviews are created.
(updated: November 2021)
