The Artful Diner - Rüga Restaurant Review Oakland NJ New Jersey

New Jersey Restaurant Review

Rüga
4 Barbara Lane
Oakland, Bergen County, New Jersey
(201) 337-0813

By The Artful Diner
Special to New Jersey Online
7/14/03

The colorful acrylics, watercolors, and oil paintings of the late Edward Rüga -- in whose honor this restaurant was originally named -- have departed... as has the artist's friend, former proprietor Charles Nuzzo. Chefs Mark Speight and Michael Antolino -- both five-year veterans of Rüga's kitchen -- along with a silent partner, now preside over the seventeen-year-old eatery. The trio has made a few changes, like updating the wine list, adding Riedel stemware, and tinkering with the menu just a bit; but, other than that, things remain pretty much the same. The cuisine is still American, the bustling, attractive dining room still reminiscent of an art gallery of sorts, and live jazz still permeates the air on Wednesday and Friday evenings.

I must confess... I like Rüga; I like it a great deal. There's a nice feel about the place: clean, cozy, comfortable. Whether sipping a preprandial libation at the diminutive bar or settled in a table, the vibes are very good, indeed... And the service is excellent. The young men and women here are enthusiastic and energetic, pleasant yet consummately professional. They have it right from the opening bell and never seem to falter. Other restaurants should send their servers here just to see how it's done.

Having thus pontificated, however, Rüga still has, in my opinion, one significant failing: The food is surely not all that it could be... or should be. If a restaurant's offerings are prone to err, they generally do so on the side of ostentation, assaulting the diner's senses with a host of architectural oddities and plethoric variety of superfluous and often contradictory ingredients that have a go at each other like riled up strangers. Not so here. You wait for Messrs. Speight and Antolino to throw a bit of culinary passion your way... and wait... and wait... and wait... but the fulfillment is never forthcoming.

Entrées appear to be the chief culprits in this regard. The presentations are not terribly attractive, the accompanying starches and vegetables quite mundane, and the attendant sauces not particularly flavorful or well matched with the objects of their affections. They are a feast for neither the eye nor the palate.

The pan-seared duck breast ($24.95), for example, was ordered medium rare but arrives infinitely closer to well done. The flesh is slightly stringy and a sweet-sour orange sauce an all-too-typical treacly companion. The sesame scallion basmati rice is surprisingly innocuous.

And what is true of fowl is, unfortunately, true of fish as well. Matters piscatorial are clearly not this kitchen's strong suit. The yellowfin tuna ($25.95) is nicely seared, but the searing has also given the once deep red vibrant flesh a severe case of anemia. Instead of sprucing things up with a splash of dramatic tints and tones, however, the chefs elect to pair this now pale denizen of the deep with whipped potatoes... which, of course, causes an immediate whiteout upon the plate. The two main components are then chaperoned by an avocado aïoli. A strange bedfellow, indeed, as this bland concoction adds absolutely no color and very little in the taste department.

The oven-roasted lemon sole ($24.95) and sautéed tilapia ($22.95) fare somewhat better than the tuna... though not a great deal. The former is slightly overcooked, embellished with a so-so tomato beurre blanc, and set on a bed of decidedly bland zucchini, yellow squash, and broccoli florets. The roasted red bliss potatoes, on the other hand, are zestfully seasoned, albeit a rather heavy accompaniment for such a delicate representative of Davy Jones' locker. The tilapia is moist and flaky and adorned with a lemon-sage white wine butter sauce that is infinitely more edifying than the tomato beurre blanc... But then, all this good work is obviated by the same under seasoned vegetables and a tomato-basil couscous that tastes like it could have been whipped up at home from a box of Near East.

If you wish to dine well here, your best bet is to choose those items that require the least amount of finagling and finesse... which means that red meat is undoubtedly the name of the game. And, in my opinion, the Parmesan-crusted filet mignon with port wine sauce ($27.95) and the double-cut rack of lamb ($27.95) are the two most recommendable entrées on the menu. Both are just the proper shade of pink, suitably sauced, and reap the benefits of a host of properly seasoned accoutrements. The filet mignon strips and orecchiette ($19.95) is another possibility, as the kitchen also seems to have a way with pasta. An extremely flavorful pesto sauce adds just the right amount of punch to this presentation.

As a general rule, appetizers acquit themselves with a good deal more distinction than do their aforementioned siblings. And there are two clear-cut winners. The first is the New Zealand mussels ($11.95). The bivalves are a trifle chewy but quite plump, and they are steamed to perfection in a delectable broth of clam juice, garlic, and fines herbes. And two huge slices of focaccia afford diners the opportunity to soak up every last drop of the savory nectar. The Florentine pasta ($8.95) is another first-rate selection. Combining cavatelli, strips of roast chicken, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, and peppers, this dish could very easily degenerate into a hopelessly convoluted mishmash of flavors... But an utterly ingratiating herb wine sauce -- commingling sage, rosemary, oregano, and thyme -- snuggles all the components together in a superlatively embracing gestalt.

The grilled asparagus presented on a bed of mesclun greens ($9.95) may be standard issue, but the truffle-balsamic vinaigrette clearly steals the show. The Vidalia onion and fennel tart crowned with a tiara of garlic sausage and goat cheese ($8.95) is also quite recommendable... although the lingonberry glacé, while adding a splash of much needed color, is something of a non sequitur in the taste department.

Desserts, like the entrées, tend to have their ups and downs. The plum frangipane tart ($7.50) is good but not outstanding. And the caramel peanut tart ($7.50), while endowed with a healthy dose of decadently creamy peanut butter filling, also sports a caramel peanut topping that requires the ministrations of a jackhammer. It is, quite literally, as hard as a rock... and it seems to become more impenetrable with each passing moment. If you want my advice, stick with the macadamia pecan pie ($7.50) or the fresh seasonal berries with sweet cream ($7.50).

The wine list is interesting... but most people, myself included, aren't terrible enamored with the idea of shelling out a significant amount of long green to match up a superb vintage with a meal that isn't likely to pass muster. Wines by the glass, most of which are priced at $7.00, are, in my opinion, clearly the way to go here. A 2001 Italian Pinot Grigio from Danzante isn't terribly exciting, but it is still quite suitable for warm weather quaffing. Rancho Zabaco's 2001 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, on the other hand, has a nice herbaceous kick and goes well with a variety of menu items. When it comes to red wine, try an Oregonian 2000 Pinot Noir from Montinore or the 2001 Toscolo Chianti.

Rüga has received a number of excellent reviews over the course of its seventeen-year history. At the present moment, however, the kitchen appears to be cooking by the numbers. The cuisine could not help but benefit from a more judicious choice and matching of ingredients, as well as infinitely more pizzazz in presentation. It would be well, I believe, for Messrs. Speight and Antolino to seriously reevaluate their culinary game plan.

Cuisine: New American
Hours: Lunch: Tues - Fri, 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.; Dinner: Mon - Thurs, 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.; Fri & Sat, 5:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.; Sun, 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Credit Cards: AX, MC, V, Discover
Attire: Smart casual
Smoking: Smoking is permitted at the bar only.
Reservations: Recommended
Parking: Valet
Alcohol: License
Price: Moderate
Handicapped Accessible: Yes
Web site: www.rugarestaurant.com