White Maple Café — Restaurant in Ridgewood

Cute cafe in the heart of Ridgewood. We arrived on a Mon around 10am, two people. A server asked us to wait a min to make sure a table was clean (there were at least three empty tables that we could see) and while we were waiting, a second server came over and asked if we had a reservation. We did not (and did not think it was necessary being a late Mon morning when most people are at work). She told us we could put our names down for about a 30 min wait, so we did, and left to walk around the town to kill a half hour. We came back 30 min later and she still did not have a place to seat us, even though the same three tables were still visibly empty. We awkwardly waited inside the entrance of the small restaurant for a table (definitely feeling in the way) because we did not want to leave to walk around in the cold again. She eventually came back over to say a party was late for their reservation, so we could have their table - and then proceeded to seat us at a very small table for two that was pretty much on top of the table next to it. The seating arrangement was very uncomfortable and the other (bigger) tables were still open. Aside from that, the restaurant was very clean and decorated more towards the upscale end of the spectrum. They placed a small bowl of popcorn on the table for snacking while perusing the menu and it was fabulous - very light and sweet, I would love to know what they flavored it with. The food came out quickly and was good but not great. We ordered the Short Rib Benny (the ribs were so soft they melted but it was a bit lacking in flavor) and the Carmelized Banana Pancakes (which were very flavorful but the texture of the pancakes was more like bread.) The home fries were the best and they provided a perfecly-sized bowl of perfectly cooked potatoes - definitely a hit. Our server was attentive but not very friendly. We enjoyed our meal but were not excited enough over it to come back, and the awkward atmosphere made us not really want to come back anyway. It is a decent brunch location, but the vibe is...

I'll start with the negative, which was the odd argument I had to get in with the restaurant over getting buttered noodles for my son. I'm not deducting any stars from the experience due to the interaction, but wanted to drop this in a comment as it was a weird experience.

We wanted buttered noodles, but the kitchen refused to make them. Typically, I would completely understand this, as we are trying to attempt to order something that's not on the menu. But, the restaurant serves Cacio e Pepe. I was asking them to make Cacio e Pepe, but without the last step of rolling the spaghetti in the cheese. I even said, they could charge us for the full order of Cacio e Pepe. There was a few minute back and forth, where the waiter refused, the manager refused, then the kitchen refused to make it. After a final back and forth, they agreed to make it. It just came off as a very odd stance to take, when all I was asking was for a dish they already make, but skipping the final step. Perhaps something was lost in the translation between the waiter and the message to the kitchen.

But anyway, the food was very good. We started with the ricotta, which very good and light. We also had the scallops and the shrimp and grits. Both dishes were excellent. I enjoyed the scallops slightly more than the shrimp and grits. According to my son, they also make a very good buttered noodles, just be ready to argue with them to get it.

We will likely come back to try a few more of their items as a good portion of the menu...

I have been here a few times now. I’ve never been blown away by the food. Everything is good, but I’ve never had anything exceptional. Tonight was a downright bad experience. Our appetizer came (gochujang roasted cauliflower), and it was good. It needed some more salt, as if nobody tasted it before it headed out of the kitchen.

Then we waited.

And waited.

Tables seated after us came and went, and still no sign of our main course.

An hour passed by.

The server apologized and eventually the dishes appeared. My burger was undercooked, possibly in a rush to get it out of the kitchen. Also, again it was lacking salt. A burger needs salt before you cook it. The tomato jam is oddly sweet against the lack of savoriness from the under seasoned burger. My wife got the veggie bowl, which contained woefully undercooked beans. They were actually crunchy and a bit dry.

Finally, we moved on to dessert, which was actually very good. I had a chocolate rocky road pudding, which would have benefited from being taken out of the fridge for 30 minuets before it was served, but it was still quite good. My wife had the banana creme brûlée, which was also tasty.

White Maple is a restaurant that tries to do everything right; source good ingredients, provide delicious, wholesome food, and have a nice atmosphere. Unfortunately, it fails at the most basic and important of restaurant tasks, getting properly cooked food on the table in a timely manner. With so many great Ridgewood restaurants, why...