The Circle — Restaurant in Fredon Township

I am a foodie and I looked to NJ Magazine top 30 restaurants to find a new place to try. Out of the 30 for 2022, I have eaten at half of them within the past year. When considering value, the quality of food and service needs to be included for review plus the ambiance of the location. Comparing The Circle to other high-end restaurants in New Jersey, it falls short in service and catering to individuals who are gluten free. At other restaurants when I advised that I am gluten free, the staff brings out two sets of breads/chips. I also am not sure if the amuse-bouche served last night was gluten free. I ordered the foie gras which was served on toast, probably not gluten free. Michele, the waitress, should have advised me against it if it could not be served with a gluten free option. The menu looks as if it is printed on a weekly basis and gluten free options should be clearly marked. Thank goodness I am not a celiac but choose not to eat gluten. The service was mixed. Our water and wine glasses were left empty for a long time. I poured my own wine but could not refill the water glasses since no bottle was left at the table. Our dinner reservations were for 7:30 pm. I assumed that no one was going to be seated after us. There were also empty tables in the room. I felt rushed. The bus boy came by multiple times to clear our plates while during our conversation. As many of the reviewers noted, the portions are small. So if there is food left on the plate, we are taking a break to chat between bites, not necessarily done or full. The universal hint to staff that a patron is done eating is the fork and knife is left together at 5 o’clock on the plate. These are training issues that the chefs need to address with the staff. Now, lets look at the food. The presentation was beautiful, you eat with your eyes. The flavors were good for the foie gras and proteins of the main course, hanger steak and diver scallops. The steak came with 2 sides, steak fries and squash with smoked gouda. The smoked gouda overpowered the squash. We thought it was a cheese dip and not a vegetable side dish. The diver scallops did not come with any type of side or starch. The scallops were served more like an appetizer than a main course. Again, the portions were small and the waitress advising us that the menu is designed to make sure you enjoy 3 courses without being full should be a warning to all. The cost of our 1 appetizer, 2 main courses, and 2 cappuccinos was $160 before tax. Quality of food is 5-star but the lack of service, the small portions, and the limited options do not reflect the high value the...

We loved The Circle when it first opened as it showed inventiveness that is difficult to get in this neck of the woods. Regrettably not anymore. What was formerly a BYOB has now obtained a liquor license which is of course their prerogative but we had no idea. We arrived Sunday after dining there many times, with our wine and were told “you know we have a liquor license” well how could we as there is absolutely nothing on their website. They also informed us that the corkage is $30. This was the first unfortunate occurrence of what was to be an abysmal experience. The amount of the corkage is on the high side of what we experienced in other restaurants with liquor licenses. In addition, the wine list was extremely small and did not offer an appropriate selection. The right thing to do in this instance was to inform us that they had a liquor license and that we were welcome to open our own bottles at that time but in the future, there would be a corkage of $30. We then ordered our meal. Firstly, with respect to the amuse serving a fried potato with some sauce on top after being there numerous times lacks some inventiveness, given the chefs’ pedigree. We typically look forward to the oysters, but in our view they were over adorned, and did not possess the wonderful brininess that one looks forward to when they eat an oyster. The cauliflower soup was acceptable at best but the consistency was overly thick. I opted for the gnocchi which were highly recommended. While the preparation had promise, the gnocchi itself seemed fried and greasy. Now for the main courses. My duck was flavorful but offered two slices of duck breast with tidbits of accompaniments. We were told that the intention was that of a taco al pastor, well not really. My husband had to send the pork chop back as it was over cooked and dry and when the second one came, while less done it still was seemingly dry. In addition the sauce was more of an afterthought and topping versus being incorporated into the dish. We both left hungry and we are not people who gravitate to large portion restaurants. We would remiss if we did not mention that Michelle our server is lovely and typically the service there is very good. We hesitated writing this review but after reliving the experience and how much we spent $250+ we became more and more upset. We loved going to The Circle as at the beginning it offered some uniqueness to a NJ landscape of Italian restaurants but something is falling very short. We are both in the hospitality business and have eaten at the best restaurants. Such a...

Our much anticipated first visit to The Circle was every bit as glorious as anticipated. The building, formerly an overpriced and underwhelming brunch spot, felt as though it's fait accompli had been realized. The hostesses and staff were smiling ear to ear on the night of their hard opening, as the chef-owners bustled hurriedly in the kitchen. Our table had the added pleasure of the sights and sounds of the kitchen, which improved the experience even more. It was made clear repeatedly from the kitchen, only perfection was acceptable. The somewhat terse hyperseasonal menu failed to include the chefs tasting menu, which we hope to explore at a later visit. We enjoyed the cape may oysters, which were seasoned beautifully and coupled the taste of summer with the seasonal appropriateness of late winter spices. The Pork Ban Mhi was elegant, with perfect crisped skin, tender meat,, well rendered fat and a wonderfully pungent pickled radish and cucumber salad to cut the unctuous essence of the pork belly. The buccatini with crab was elegantly simple, but lacked the craveability of many of the appetizers. For dinner, the braised shortrib was glorious, with a rich and sweet umami flavor, perfectly charred broccollini, and polenta cakes fried with such deft lightness as to summon the adoration of Roman Emperors; will surely please anyone who tries it. The halibut entree was perfectly cooked, and entirely craveable; with smoked oyster mushrooms that were good enough to be served by themselves, in a paper cone, at a flavor festival for foodies. Dessert was not as remarkable as dinner, the hazelnut notes in the doughnut offering were lost to heavier notes of leavening and chocolate. The flourless chocolate cake with ice cream was delicious, however, needed a contrast of sour or salty to cut the somewhat overwhelming sweetness. Given it was opening night, our only negative experience was that service tableside was not consistent with the amazing quality of food leaving the kitchen. We hope to see that improve as the gears begin moving more smoothly along; and we look forward to returning again in the future to experience it. The Circle is a unique new gem in the crown of Sussex...