NEW! GUIDED TOURS OF THE NEWLY EXPANDED
WINE SPECTATOR GRAND AWARD-WINNING 50,000+ BOTTLE WINE CELLAR
Thursdays - Sundays at 3:00pm.
Reservations Required ~ 973.827.1587, Ext. 223
Restaurant Latour and the Wine Cellar Receive Rave Reviews!
Grand Award 2007 - Wine Spectator
74 Grand Award winners in 2007, all of which successfully maintained their status from last year. Forty-eight of the 74 restaurants are in the United States, while the remaining 28 represent 13 different countries.
Wine Spectator's Restaurant Awards recognize restaurants whose wine lists offer interesting selections, are appropriate to their cuisine and appeal to a wide range of wine lovers. The Grand Award is given to restaurants that show an uncompromising, passionate devotion to the quality of their wine programs, typically offering 1,500 selections or more from top producers and outstanding depth in mature vintages, large-format bottles, excellent harmony with the menu and superior organization, presentation and wine service.
Grand Award 2006 - Wine Spectator
One of less than 80 restaurants world-wide to hold this coveted title and one of only 3 new additions to the prestigious list in 2006!
"Our highest award is the Grand Award, which is given to those restaurants that show an uncompromising, passionate devotion to quality. These (wine) lists show serious depth of mature vintages, outstanding breadth in their vertical offerings, excellent harmony with the menu, superior organization and presentation and 1,250 or more selections." - WineSpectator.com
"You can be proud of this achievement. Not only is your wine list one of the best in the world, but our inspection determined that Restaurant Latour also excels in food, service and ambience." - Thomas Matthews, Executive Editor, Wine Spectator
“Restaurant Latour’s lofty moniker is backed up by no less than 45 vintages of Chateau Latour (1888 to 2005), many in magnum, plus imperials of all five First Growths from 1982 – as well as beaucoup Petrus for good measure. This remote oasis in the Kittatinny Mountains of western New Jersey may be small in scale (the dining room seats 40), but the immense wine list fills three subterranean cellars that house upwards of 50,000 bottles. Owner Gene Mulvihill hired restaurant consultant John Foy to conceive a restaurant literally built around a mind-blowing inventory that’s 15 years in the making. Mission accomplished. There are simply too many Bordeaux chateaux to count and dozens of vintages from Burgundy’s Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. From Italy, 60 Super Tuscans. From California, 40 vintages of B.V. Private Reserve, 20 years of Opus One and myriad verticals of Harlan, Marcassin and Grace Family. Oh, the food’s terrific and there’s golf, too. You have gone to heaven."
Anthony Giglio - Wine & Spirits
"Crystal Springs Wine Collection Keeps Growing" - The New Jersey Herald
Rated "Excellent" - The New York Times
“WINE LIST - World class, with a dazzling collection of luxury Bordeaux and Burgundy and a wide range of bottles from elsewhere, at fairer prices than at many lesser restaurants. The staff is knowledgeable and helpful.”
- The New York Times
Ranked Among New Jersey’s Top Fine Dining Restaurants - New York Post
Wine List Rated “Extraordinary” - New Jersey
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 The Chef
Chef John Benjamin brings a wealth of experience and fine dining knowledge to Restaurant Latour. Benjamin was chosen as the chef for his unique ability to develop creative and elegant menus that perfectly compliment Restaurant Latour’s expansive collection of extraordinary wines.
After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Chef John Benjamin continued to expand and refine his craft under the watchful eye of such world-renowned chefs as Thomas Keller, Charlie Palmer, Michael Mina and John Halligan. Chef Benjamin’s style reflects his study of their individual techniques and the experience he gained in the kitchen of Aureole and Hyatt Regency in New York, and The French Laundry and Aqua in California.
Benjamin further refined and expanded his repertoire of skills as a chef in his own right at upscale fine-dining restaurants featuring Irish, Bistro and American fare. He was also involved in the opening of such prestigious establishments as New York City’s Lenox Room and Tibwin Grill in New Haven, Connecticut.
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 The Food
Restaurant Latour showcases locally grown produce, artisan cheeses and breads, as well as meat and fish from the Hudson and Delaware Valleys. Chef Benjamin’s unique culinary style, rooted in classic French traditions, employs only the freshest possible ingredients to create splendid, innovative recipes that blend techniques and flavors from around the world into what he calls “progressive American cuisine”. Infused with oils, delicate vinaigrettes, vegetable broths, meat and fish stocks, and reductions, the heart of Benjamin’s cooking features a sometimes unexpected combination of ingredients that adds a sense of surprise and excitement to the pleasures of dining well.
Chef Benjamin’s style reflects his desire for perfection and for creating the ultimate tasting experience with every dish he prepares including sautéed day boat sea scallops with melted green leeks and carrot vanilla emulsion; pan-roasted Crescent Farm duckling with valley cabbage, crispy spring roll and red currant glaze; and sautéed tenderloin of veal with Pine Island cipolini onions, clabber cream demi-glace and haystack potatoes. The amalgamation of Chef Benjamin’s skills, creativity and passion creates dishes of aesthetic and gastronomic beauty. From first sight to last bite, Chef Benjamin and Restaurant Latour promise an exquisite dining experience whether you choose from the 5-course prix fixe menu or chef’s 7-course wine pairing menu.
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The Wine
The Wine Cellar features an opulently-appointed tasting room with two expansive walls of arched viewing windows, allowing full appreciation of the extensive wine storage vault. The integrity of the wine is preserved and protected while its beauty and history become an integral part of the wine-tasting experience.
Restaurant Latour’s immense wine list is presented in two distinctive cork-covered binders (White Wine & Champagne)
(Red Wine & Port) and draws from the Restaurant’s private cellar, housing more than 3,640 labels and 51,000 bottles. This amazing inventory, 40 years in the making, includes all the best vintages (1959, 1961, 1982, 1990, 1995, 2000 and more) of all great chateaus of Bordeaux. Amongst these great vintages lies every classified Chateau of the 1982 vintage, save one (Chateau Desmirail). Dozens of Imperials of the top ‘82’s are also included. Other notable inclusions are 45 vintages of Chateau Latour (1888 to 2002), many in large format, as well as deep vertical selections of Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Haut Brion, Lafite, Margaux, Mouton, Petrus and others, nearly all of which extend more than half a century. Many rare bottles such as Le Pin and Lafleur also populate the wine cellar.
Beyond Bordeaux, Rhone and Burgundy are represented with hundreds of labels, including verticals of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti; single-vineyards from Guigal’s La Mouline, La Landonne and La Turque; Chapoutier’s Le Meal, Le Pavillon and L’Emite; and Jaboulet’s La Chapelle. California is equally represented with verticals of Beaulieu, Georges de Latour, Private Reserve from 1960 to 2002; Opus One for more than two decades; Heitz Martha’s Vineyard and Chateau Montelena for nearly three decades, respectively; and multiple vintages of Harlan, Screaming Eagle, Araujo, Bryant, Dalla Valle and other sought after California wines.
Italy is respected and represented with multiple vintages of Bruno Giacosa, Roberto Voerzio, Paolo Scavino and other Barolo producers; an extensive selection of Super-Tuscans; and Gaja’s outstanding wines from his Piedmont and Tuscan vineyards.
The creative force for the wine cellar and its world-class inventory comes from the wine passion of the owner of Restaurant Latour.
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The Details
Serving Dinner Thursday 5-9pm; Friday & Saturday 5-10pm; Sunday 4-8pm
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve & Christmas Day
Reservations Required ~ 973.827.0548 ~ Member Discounts Apply
American Express, MasterCard and Visa Accepted
Dress Code ~ “Smart Casual”; Jackets For Gentlemen Are Not Required
Catered Events & Wine Gourmet Dinners ~ 973.827.4357
Located At Crystal Springs Country Club
One Wild Turkey Way, Hardyston, NJ 07419 |
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