by Frank Quattrone
When the weather outside is frightful, the roaring fireplace at Northridge Restaurant is absolutely delightful! But that’s just one of the amenities you can enjoy at the Woolverton Inn’s new restaurant. Opened just a few weeks before last Christmas, the Northridge is a major addition to the inn’s ongoing outreach to the Stockton, New Jersey, community and beyond.
The sparkling new restaurant, designed by Stockton-based John Ringel Architects—with its stone walls, exposed wooden beams, big picture windows, and grand fireplace built by Charles Rose Masonry—is both rustic and modern, having risen from the four-year restoration of the 1830s barn on the ten-acre property. The Northridge also boasts an impressive staff, both in the kitchen and up front. Credit goes to the genial co-owners, Mary and Mario Passalacqua, who have poured significant love and resources into the project also to accommodate weddings, business meetings, and catering for all manner of special events.
Executive Chef Lance Knowling, a former next-door neighbor of the Passalacquas (who just happened to have impeccable credentials in his highly competitive profession), is a major reason for Northridge’s rising celebrity. A native of Kansas City, Missouri, the chef has helmed the kitchens of fine-dining restaurants in New York City and North Jersey and has owned several of his own even closer to Stockton. But his roots are in kitchens of his parents and their siblings, where Thanksgiving dinner traditions sparked the young man’s curiosity and passion for learning all he could about the food he so enjoyed.
“I could never understand why the very same dishes my relatives prepared every holiday always tasted different,” he mused. “So for me, it’s been a lifelong journey of discovery.” The chef’s journey includes his valuable apprenticeship in Dallas with the Texas Chefs Association, where he learned all facets of the culinary arts, finding their rigorous protocols not much different from those he’d experienced just after high school in the military. He was drawn to the camaraderie, the attention to detail, the discovery that every culture, every family, has its own favorite spice, its own distinctly personal touch.
“As a chef, your mind is just a big blender, based on a different set of experiences and tastes,” he said. So he has melded the hearty barbecue prized in his hometown with the Texas southern cuisine that had become trendy during his time in Dallas with the French and other international touches he’s learned and created.
The result, at Northridge, is a seasonal prix fixe menu—two courses at $55 each and three courses for $70. The evening of our visit, Eve and I chose the three-course option. But first, Noelle Harper—our bubbly, charming, patient server who has been a pre-school teacher as well as innkeeper at the Woolverton Inn’s Manor House—brought us the chef’s amuse bouche to tease our palates. Think Mini Pork Taco, Curried Chicken Medley on toasted crouton, and Mixed Carrot Chow-Chow—a fine prelude to our dinner.
For appetizers, Eve and I shared the chef’s exquisite Yukon Potato Soup, poured over Maine lobster bits and truffle oil, and Spiced Winter Vegetables, a medley of marinated onions and parsnip crisps over black bean hummus kissed by roasted fennel oil. Two for the books!
Then came our entrées. Eve ordered the Tender Braised Beef Short Ribs, served with homestyle mashed potatoes and honey roasted rainbow carrots in a red wine demi, harking back to the chef’s roots. And I reveled in the Sage Basted Sea Scallops (one of the best scallops dishes I’ve tasted in years), served with olive arancini and charred broccolini with a yellow cauliflower puree, brown butter vinaigrette, and homemade biscuits from the chef’s family recipe.
Equally satisfying were our house-made desserts—Warm Apple Crisp served with vanilla ice cream and topped with cinnamon anglaise, and Chocolate Mousse, on a chocolate cookie crust, served with fresh raspberries, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce—the perfect ending to a wonderful meal.
At Northridge Restaurant, from Wednesday to Saturday evening, it’s elegant fine dining without the fuss. But, true to his southern roots, Chef Lance and his staff also enjoy serving a special prix fixe Sunday Supper, where familiar favorites like burgers, fried chicken, fish tacos, Kansas City barbecue, new pastas every week, and some daily specials rule the comfort food roost.
A three-course breakfast (primarily for guests at the inn, but also by reservation) is available at Woolverton’s Manor House from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Breakfast and Sunday Brunch will soon be available at Northridge as well.
The Passalacquas, the kind and cosmopolitan owners of Woolverton Inn, have created what Mary calls a “nice, relaxing environment” in their beautifully appointed rooms, where there are no TVs but WiFi everywhere. Their fourteen rooms range from $249 to $499 a night. Check the inn’s website for detailed descriptions, photos, and reservations (or call 609-397-0802).
As for Northridge Restaurant: with superlative service and elegant, world-class cuisine in a cozy rustic setting—what’s not to love about the experience!
Northridge Restaurant at the Woolverton Inn is located at 6 Woolverton Road, Stockton, NJ; 609-397-0802; www.woolvertoninn.com/northridge-restaurant. Open for dinner Wednesday to Saturday, 5 to 8 p.m., and Sunday 4 to 7 p.m. Prix fixe menus. BYOB. Reservations recommended, especially weekends. Available for weddings, private parties, and catered events.