Restaurant Latour — Restaurant in Hardyston Township

Resturant Latour is a fine dining experience. If the Michelin guide ever recognizes restaurants in the state of New Jersey, Latour will receive Stars. Latour is located within the golf resort Crystal Springs. You do not have to stay at the resort to dine at Latour. You need to make a reservation and there is a formal dress code. The resturant itself is a smaller intimate space with maybe 12 tables. The entire western wall of the dining room is glass so you can see the sunset over the mountian while you eat dinner.

The menu is set at either a 3 or 7 course chef's tasting menu. We opted for 7. The food was excellent. Every dish outside of dessert featured a different protein and everything was portioned so that you could enjoy the entire meal. In addition to the 7 courses, the meal included an aperitif, a bread and butter selection, and housemade chocolates after dessert.

The service sets the standard for five star dining. There is an entire team of professionals serving you, not just a single person. (Seriously ten+ different people took care of our table.) Every course is delivered and explained. The table is cleared, cleaned and reset for every course. The (soon to be master) sommelier will answer any and all questions you have about wine.

We enjoyed our dinner experience and would recommend it. I think it is a great option for something like an anniversary.

There are some comments on cost. To not be suprised, set expectations to at least $600 for dinner for two with upward trajectory based on quality and quantity of wine consumption and generosity of gratuity.

As a bonus: You can sign up for a tour of the wine cellar and a wine tasting with the sommelier at the resort. You do not have to stay at the resort to do this. There is a fee for the wine tasting. We did both of these before dinner.

Note my picture descriptions are basic because I did not take a picture...

Restaurant Latour

Our recent visit to Restaurant Latour, a Michelin-starred establishment, was a mix of highs and lows. On the positive side, the service was impeccable—our servers were attentive, knowledgeable, and clearly well-trained. Each dish was beautifully presented, and the flavors were crafted with a level of finesse expected from a Michelin-starred restaurant.

However, despite the culinary artistry, several aspects left us feeling disappointed. The atmosphere, though sophisticated, felt a bit too formal and stuffy for our liking. It lacked the warmth or vibrancy that could have made the experience feel more welcoming.

One of the biggest letdowns was the highly touted foraged cocktails. They sounded intriguing, but in reality, they were underwhelming and overpriced, lacking the complexity we anticipated. Additionally, the portion sizes were quite small, which would have been less of an issue if the price had aligned more with the amount and quality of food provided.

Perhaps the most frustrating part of the evening was the upselling of items. Throughout the meal, we were offered additional items without any mention of their price. It wasn’t until the bill arrived that we realized just how much we had been charged for these extras. The inflated final total left us feeling misled and unsatisfied, considering the small portions and average drink experience.

In summary, while Restaurant Latour delivers in terms of service and presentation, the combination of a stuffy atmosphere, overpriced drinks, and a lack of transparency in pricing made the overall experience less enjoyable than we had hoped. For a Michelin-starred experience, the value didn’t quite match up...

The waiter was amazingly nice and personable. The food was disappointing Bc I expected more. First the good parts! Mocktail shown below...don’t remember name but get several. You won’t regret it. Strong cucumber and fruity with a hint of honey. The grandeur Ossetia caviar was excellent. Very rich, creamy, slight oyster aftertaste that lingers. Kingfish crudo was tangy and yummy. Salt baked celeriac was a really different way of eating celery which I really appreciated, slightly on the salty side. Wild grape sorbet was tangy and perfectly balanced. Now the not so good part. Rabbit alone was good, the carrot and everything did not blend well and was overly sweet. Agnolotti, the only thing edible was the crab, way too salty. Cuttlefish was overly salty but the concept was good need different herbs-the blend didnt mix well with the dish. The wagyu I couldn’t eat. It was disgusting. When the waiter asked me why I didn’t touch it. I explained that the whole piece was 80% fat and that triggers my gag reflex as soon as I put the smallest piece in my mouth. The waiter brought it up with the Mgr and he preceded to yell at the waiter and said I am eating it wrong to the waiter.... really I’m eating food incorrectly. Thanks for that! I understand the concept of marbling... this was not it. Might I suggest better sound proof so the clients don’t hear you insult them as clearly. Overall cost $500+ ... could have been better spent elsewhere. Walked away...