Stage House Tavern Somerset
Published February 2, 2020
My sister and I decided to grab dinner Friday night. I let her pick the restaurant as long as she drove. So before we trekked over to Somerset, she called the Stage House Tavern to confirm our reservation.
Apparently, the hostess did not receive our 8 pm digital reservation. She told us to head over anyway and she would squeeze us in.
The Stage House Tavern | Somerset
The Stage House Tavern has three locations, one in Scotch Plains, Mountainside, and Somerset. The Somerset location was gorgeous. A large white farmhouse style building with an outdoor patio.
Photo Source: Stage House Tavern
We arrived around 7:00 pm. We followed the entrance around the back of the restaurant, past their high wooden fence, passing a separate business before entering the large parking lot. Every single space was taken.
We looped down four of the aisles, looking for openings. People crossed across the aisles, but they were heading into the restaurant, not to their cars.
The same four SUVs and trucks followed us, making it difficult to turn past one another. We finally idled in the fire-lane, looking for anyone leaving.
By now it was 7:20 and people were still walking across the parking lot.
“They have to be parking somewhere, look at all the people going inside.” I pointed to the couples walking down the aisles towards the Stage House's sidewalks.
“There’s a parking lot back there.” My sister pointed to the grass divider where another parking lot stretched out, “But it’s not associated to this business.”
I decided to call, asking the hostess if Stage House guests could park in the other lot. She said yes, so we went around the building, back out to the light, and left down Demott Lane.
If you make the first left onto Jon M. Collin’s Drive, and follow the signs to the Municipal Parking, the library and theater parking lot is right next to the Stage House Tavern.
Thus, we arrived 15 minutes before our reservation, walking over the grass divider between the parking lots, up the sidewalk, and into the old white farmhouse.
The Stage House Tavern Somerset Interior
We stepped into the foyer. The hostess stand was on the right where we collected a plastic reservation number which vibrated when your table was ready.
A table with a rocking chair sat to the left. Small signs on the wall and the wooden half-wall separating the open dining area from the front hallway marketed unlimited ravioli specials during the week, all-you-can-eat prime rib, half-priced Martini’s, and more.
I observed the room as we waited for our table. It was a wide horizontal space. Horseshoe booths for 3-6 lined the back brick wall. The center of the room near the three brick pillars and black beams sat tables for 8-10. After that, a row of four-top tables lining the wall divider.
The bar and dining room with high tables was on the left. A hallway to the right, led to the bathrooms and the waitstaff area.
Friday Night Reservations
The hostess said it was a good thing that we called before we drove over. There was an hour wait for most reservations. Walk-in guests were advised to sit at the full-service bar or to come back during a weeknight.
We waited until 8 o’clock and were directed to our table. We followed the waitress down the right-hand hallway, towards the waitstaff’s hallway.
I followed the hostess, wondering if she would take us up the staircase to the second floor. Instead, she walked through a doorway on the right, and into a small dining room with a turquoise fireplace. We sat in the right-hand corner, at the last available table.
The quaint dining room had wide plank floors scuffed from use. I wondered if they were the originals.
The walls were a warm, orange-toned yellow, almost like a golden mustard. Three black lights that looked like metal candles hung across each wall. Framed images of The Country Gentleman hung on the wall closest to us.
A young couple at the two-top table sat across the room from our four-top. The tables were draped with white tablecloths, a burgundy striped cloth napkin, and the glow from a battery-powered candle.
Six top tables across the room held groups of four. Parents with their adult children and a group of women having a girl’s night. One other table was behind me on the right, holding two couples who finished their meal and were hanging out.
Stage House Tavern | Somerset Menu
The menu was one huge double-sided plastic menu. Several breakout sections grouped the courses and drink options. There were:
Starters with traditional bar food dips and finger foods
Appetizers "From the Ocean" which I loved
Sandwiches (crab cakes and pulled pork? Yes)
Personal pizzas
Salads
House-made pasta and ravioli (with your choice of sauce)
Burgers
Entrees and steaks
I browsed the online menu beforehand, so I already had an idea of the appetizers and entree I would order.
Stage House Tavern Appetizers
I wanted to try an appetizer from the seafood section of the menu. Though everything was market price, I wouldn’t mind paying more for fresh oysters.
My sister is not a fan of seafood, let alone raw seafood, so we ended up selecting one appetizer from each section.
Pulled Pork Potachos | $12.95
A play on pulled pork nachos, but instead of nacho chips, Stage House uses homemade seasoned potato chips.
The potachos were addicting. The chips were warm and crunchy, layered with chunks of pulled pork, tossed in a sweet (homemade?) BBQ sauce.
The contrasting textures and flavors were to die for. I missed the cheddar cheese sauce, but think it was a subtle addition to the bottom layer of chips.
The sour cream was delicious. It was a much-needed lightness for a heavy appetizer.
Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza | $10.95
I don’t order personal pizzas that frequently. But given Stage House’s menu options, I decided that ordering their personal pizza would be a solid appetizer.
Arugula and prosciutto are two of my favorite combinations. Though the Classic White Pizza also caught my attention.
The actual pizza was larger than I expected, and more than enough to share between the two of us.
The crust was paaaaaper thin. Like really-impress-me thin. And it was crunchy, which I prefer.
A generous layer of cheese and cooked prosciutto blanketed the crust. My sister said she would’ve liked uncooked prosciutto better. I liked that it was cooked, so this didn’t feel like a flatbread.
I was excited to try the fresh arugula and tomatoes with the crispy warm crust. The juicy sweetness from the cherry tomatoes were needed with the rich cheese and prosciutto.
The arugula was tosses in a lemon-olive oil vinaigrette of some type, before placed on top of the pizza. In my opinion, it was too much, because everything tasted like lemon. Even the saltiness from the prosciutto and cheese were overpowered by the lemon flavor.
We each had two slices from the pie. However, the longer it sat, the more the vinaigrette soaked into the cheese. I was a little disappointed about that, as the pizza would’ve been an 8/10.
Orange Sesame Tuna Tartare | $15.95
The tuna tartare was from “The Ocean” part of the menu. I had to persuade my sister into ordering it, because she was unsure about the combination of raw fish and wontons.
The appetizer arrived on a thick wooden cutting board. The wontons were interesting. They were thinner than the wrappers I used for my fried crab rangoon. They were delicate and brittle but were light and lacked any oiliness from being fried.
The tuna tartare came in a wide black bowl. The fresh chunks of pink tuna were piled on one side. The bowl also had thin slices of radish and cucumber, seaweed salad, mandarin orange segments, black sesame seeds, and a pickled ginger aioli.
I didn’t taste too much of the ginger in the aioli. But all the other flavor combinations were perfect. The seaweed salad was my favorite. The orange segment was a refreshing burst of citrus to contrast the creamy aioli. The cucumber and radish provided texture.
We nearly finished the tuna tartare since it was so light. We wrapped the pizza and ate half of the pulled pork potachos. The chips were addicting to eat. I didn’t order any liquor from their extensive menu, but the Stage House had some interesting combinations that would’ve paired with the hearty chips.
Our waiter Nick let us sit for a while and pick at the appetizers. I didn’t realize how large they would be. There was so much food that I was nearly full.
The young couple at the two-top table shared a dessert. The family at the middle table also had dessert and Sambuca. The four friends in the far corner ordered entrees and cackled about everything, taking turns to get up and go to the bathroom. The two couples behind me laughed and shared Facebook memes with one another.
Dinner Selections
Nick shared the specials menu with us, a small single-page add-on with several entrees. He said that the restaurant tests future menu selections based on the popularity of the specials. I thought this was clever, and I wondered if the date on this special’s menu, meant they switched the specials menu daily?
I intended to order the last special as an entree — the crab stuffed shrimp (though the chicken and dumplings also sounded good to me).
However, we were already full from the appetizers, and couldn’t justify ordering two separate seafood entrees, which might not reheat well the next day.
Thus, we did the logical thing and asked for a dessert menu.
Dessert at the Stage House Tavern Somerset
It was 9 pm at this point. The couple from the two-top got up while our appetizers were wrapped. They wore grey joggers and high platform sneakers.
The family at the middle table paid their bill as we got the dessert menu. At some point the four giggling girls left.
I was getting sleepy and knew I didn’t want to fall asleep in the car ride home.
“Do you have cappuccinos?” I asked Nick. He did, so my sister and I ordered a regular cappuccino and coffee.
Everything from the dessert menu looked enticing. Somehow, we decided to select three desserts to try — despite having been too full for entrees.
Cappuccino | $6
Apologies for the poor camera quality.
My cappuccino came in a pretty glass mug. Historically, I prefer my cappuccinos in squatty ceramic mugs, but I won’t complain.
This wasn’t the strongest cappuccino of my life, but I cared more about the caffeine at this point in the evening.
The best part about this cappuccino was the cloud of froth. It was decadent and pillowy and reminded me of meringue, that that’s all I commented on.
My sister had a squatty cup of dark coffee. She poured half a container of milk and two packets of sugar in it. She said it was decent. Since she was driving, she also needed some caffeine.
Apple Cider Pecan Cake | $8.50
As you may know by now, I like to order dishes that have unique flavors. Thus, when I saw the apple cider cake, I knew I had to try it.
Two generous triangles of cake, sprinkled with chopped pecans, on top of a homemade caramel sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream filled the long plate.
The cake itself had a thin, crisp outside, before I cut into the moist cake. Its spices reminded me of fall — cloves and cinnamon, though nothing that screamed apple. The caramel highlighted the rich spices in the cake. The ice cream soaked into the cake, pairing well with the sweet flavors and adding a new texture to the dish. Overall, I would give it a 6/10.
Homemade Carrot Cake | $8.50
My sister loves carrot cake. Nick confirmed that it was baked in house, so we ordered that as well.
I was more impressed with the carrot cake than the spiced cake. I loved that it was a circular stack, layering the thick cream cheese in between the cake layers. A squiggle of homemade caramel also dazzled this plate, with cups of chopped walnuts.
I could’ve done with less walnuts and more of the cake. The cream cheese was my favorite part — decadent and creamy.
New Orleans Style Beignets | $8.50
I was thrilled to see the New Orleans style beignets on the menu. I didn’t have time when I visited New Orleans to stand in line for their beignets. I didn’t know if the New Jersey beignets could even compare, but I wanted to try them anyway.
A glorious basket lined with newspaper style parchment paper arrived. I selected a beignet, piping hot and coated in a layer of powder sugar. The outside of the beignet had a golden crust before giving way to an airy filling. I couldn’t compare them to zeppole, but I would say they’re cousins.
A container of coulis (thin fruit puree), gave bright flavors of raspberry and blackberry for dipping. The beignets were my favorite dessert of the group, an easy 10/10.
By now, the couples behind us left, apologizing for their loud stories and commenting to one another, “We should’ve ordered dessert.”
The lights in our room brightened as Nick reset the tables. Separate waitstaff came in to give us to-go containers and clear our plates. I wondered if they closed around 10, or if they wanted to section off this room. We had it all to ourselves.
When Nick returned, he gave us our bill, totaling $77.00- which my sister and I split.
We peaked out the “window” of our dining room, to see the enclose porch with its booth seating. It was a neat set up.
We wandered our way back out to the main dining room. It was still packed with large tables of people (including a group of firemen).
The tall tables near the bar were cleared away for what looked like a dance floor. Bright blue and purple lights lit the space. We shouldered through men wearing “Security” t-shirts in the foyer, before heading back out to the parking lot and driving home.
My Recommendations
Overall, my impression of the Stage House Tavern in Somerset was an 9/10 for the following:
Decor and Design
A beautiful old home turned into a restaurant. The large property set back from the road with its enclosed porch, outdoor area, and extensive seating was a great location for dinner. I preferred the fireplace dining room that we sat in. It had elements of being quaint and historic. Though the larger dining room, bar, outdoor patio (for live music), and upstairs, meant that every diner would find a space for them.
Service
Nick was a great waiter. I would give him an 8/10. The Stage House seemed to work in groups, with one man bringing out all of the dishes, Nick taking care of our plates and smaller requests, and one other person checking in.
I was satisfied 100% that the hostess honored our reservation — though they should probably check why their digital reservations on Google isn’t working. I was relieved that we called in advance and that she would give us a table (in a perfect room, no less!).
Food
The State House menus tote sections of homemade pasta, fresh ingredients, unique pairings, and dishes that go beyond standard American fare. I was impressed with the variety, quality ingredients, and plating.
Have you been to the Stage House?
Have you been to any of the Stage House locations? Do you have another favorite New Jersey restaurant? Tell me about it in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!
