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Countryside Magazine Review - August, 2007
 

You won’t get a chance to say “hi” to Tim, the namesake of Tim Schafer’s Cuisine in Morristown.

Tim “the brew chef” Schafer sold the restaurant about four years ago, but his influence is still felt in the amiable place that bears his name. Chef de cuisine, Fredy Umanzar, who worked with Schafer for many years, retains the beer-enhanced dishes and cooking style that put Tim Schafer’s on the map. At the same time, Umanzar has imbued the menu with significant dishes of his own design.

The cuisine is New American, which means that the dishes are rich in familiar, as well as extraordinary, tastes. You’ll also find Cajun seasoning on many dishes and game selections such as grilled buffalo sausage ($12), an appetizer that arrives wrapped in wild boar bacon. It’s served over stewed lentils augmented with a splash of balsamic syrup.

The kitchen is very busy with its regular menu offerings of some 20 soups, salads, starters and entrées. Then there’s a nightly printed specials menu with about 10 choices, which is supplemented with extra specials delivered verbally. Everything sounds just great.

The Asian fried oyster martini ($14) from the specials appetizer menu was pretty as well as yummy, made with three very large and tender oysters lightly encrusted in panko — the light

and airy Japanese breadcrumbs — seasoned with spices and black and white sesame seeds. The crisp disks are served atop of bright green seaweed salad spooned into a martini glass. This is presented with slivers of pickled ginger separating two bowls of luscious dips — one is a spiced ponzu, a Japanese sauce made with rice wine, rice vinegar, bonito flakes, seaweed, and yuzu (citrus) juice, and the other, a wasabi crema. The best way to eat this: dip an oyster into the ponzu and then into the crema. Layers and layers of flavors.

Umanzar’s signature dish is inspired by Schafer’s beer-enhanced techniques, but is uniquely his own. Grilled stuffed double cut pork chop ($28) is a gargantuan hunk of extremely moist and tender pork, cut and stuffed with wild mushrooms, spinach and smoked gouda cheese. A side of ale-whipped sweet potatoes and sautéed garden vegetables finishes the plate. This is hearty fare, but even a modest eater will have trouble not taking just one more bite, it’s just that good.

The service is uniformly good from the moment a reservation is made until goodbyes at the door. The reservationist was thoughtful to remind us Tim Schafer’s is a BYOB. And then when we arrived with bottle in hand, the service staff was adept at caring for it with an ice bucket, appropriate-size wine glasses, and competent opening and pouring.

Desserts are made in house, beautifully plated and taste as good as they look — and they look great. Key lime cake ($8) is a cake inspired by the famous Floridian pie. This four-layer confection, cheerily tinted bright green, is comprised of mousse-like filling and topping, with layer cake interior. The mango bread pudding ($8) is a generous square of sunshine mellow pudding, served warm and sweet. NJC

Patricia Mack is a seasoned writer, the author of several cookbooks and a frequent contributor to New Jersey Countryside.
 

The Star-Ledger - Friday, October 6, 2006

Tim Shafer’s Cuisine in Morristown no longer has the eponymous chef-owner manning the kitchen. Schafer sold the restaurant in June –after 11very successful years – and relocated to North Carolina. But you’d never know it from the flawless innovative American food still served here, and the still-impeccable service.

The restaurant now operates under the staff that worked with Schafer for years, former sous chef and current chef de cuisine Fredy Umanzor and general manager Nestor Bedoya. The transition has been seamless.

Ambience: The canopied store front restaurant on Speedwell Avenue has a classy new look. The formal space is brightened by a sunny color scheme, with richly papered, golden-hued walls punctuated by elaborate candle sconces. An intimate front room, “the cove,” seats 10; the main dining room, 60.

Staff: Excellent. Our server was both savy about the intricies of the food and refreshingly personable.

Food: The concept hasn’t changed: Globally influenced dishes with an emphasis on wild game and exotic meats, and some dishes accented with beer (Schafer’s signature). They appeal to both eye and palate.

Our exceptional dinner began with warm focaccia drizzled with rosemary-scented olive oil. Appetizers were divine – lush cream of mushroom and broccoli soup ($4/$8) with herb-roasted croutons; mussels ($12, a special) steamed in a smooth Belgium wheat ale; mini tortillas stuffed with house-made duck confit ($12) blanketed in smoky white cheese encircling a ramekin of Guinness stout-spiked barbecue sauce; burger-sized lump crab cake ($12) nestled on a vegetable slaw and braced with spicy chipotle lime crema.

Entrees dazzled. They say you can judge the quality of a restaurant by how it prepares a simple roast chicken. The red wine roast half chicken ($24) – crisp-skinned, juicy within, and partnered with very good oven-roasted potatoes and a vegetable medley – passed with flying colors.

Things got a bit more interesting with a Flintstone-sized, grilled double-cut pork chop ($25) filled with (pre-rccall) spinach, wild mushrooms, and smoked gouda. The tender meat was escorted by a mound of ale-whipped sweet potatoes and sautéed vegetables. Pristine scared fillet of tilapia (a.k.a. “St. Peter’s fish,” $24) crusted with crushed pistachios was enlivened by a sweet-savory citrus, wheat beer and butter sauce and was artfully draped over Chinese black rice. Pasta lovers should enjoy the fresh basil fettuccine ($22) tossed with chicken, prosciutto, garlic and tomatoes in a basil-pinot grigio sauce.

The pastry chef creates excellent dessert ($8) – Beer-A-Mi-Su, a mascarpone mousse enhanced by dark porter; a rich, dark chocolate mousse, and a peanut butter crunch torte were all well worth the calories.

Tim Schafer may no longer be heading up his former crowd-pleasing catery, but he’s left the place in more than capable hands.