We had a wonderful dinner at the Crystal
Tavern located in the Grand Cascades Lodge at the Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, New Jersey, where Executive
Chef Aishling Stevens is the talent in the kitchen. On the night we
dined at the restaurant the excellent cuisine was complemented by an
outstanding performance by the renowned guitarist/composer
and Latin Grammy winner Hernan Romero.
Crystal Tavern
We dined at Crystal Tavern on
Friday, March 4, 2022, and the attractive restaurant was bustling with guests.
The restaurant has a long wall of windows, and we had a coveted table
overlooking the rolling hills that was perfect for watching the sunset.
High-backed comfortable chairs flanked wood tables softly illuminated with
candles invited leisurely dining.
The restaurant area has a long
wrap-around bar, and we had the pleasure of listening to the renowned guitarist
and Latin Grammy winner Hernan Romero performing in the restaurant before his
show later that evening at the resort's Crystal Cabaret.
The resort has as an excellent
wine cellar which houses 45,000 bottles with wines offered by the glass as well
as by the bottle, however as we had started our evening by attending a very
informative and delicious Wine Tasting given by Wine Director and Sommelier
Suzanne Wagner in the Wine Cellar, we decided to switch gears and go with
cocktails to pair with our dinner. (Read about the Wine Tasting in the Wine
Cellar section.)
The Libations list consists
of Sangria, Signature Cocktails, Classics, Neoclassics, Free Spirited, Seltzer,
H2O, Draft, and Bottled Beer, in addition to their wine list. Interesting to
note is that they list the years for their Classics cocktails (examples, the
Sazerac dates to 1850's, Americano dates to the 1860's, and the Boulevardier
dates to the 1920's, to name but a few), which makes for interesting cocktail
trivia conversation.
 
Snow Angel Late Harvest
We ordered two of their Signature
Cocktails, the Snow Angel made with Tanteo Chipotle Tequila, Green
Chartreuse, lime juice, and sage syrup, attractively garnished with fresh sage
leaves dusted with confectionary sugar, and the Late Harvest made with
Sagamore Rye, Laird's Applejack, St. George Spiced Pear, Cinnamon Syrup, Lemon,
and temptingly garnished with thinly sliced apples lightly dusted with
cinnamon. Both cocktails were creative, well-crafted, and very balanced.
Raw Oysters
The menu is divided into Raw,
Caviar + Tots, Small, Large, and Sides. We began our dining
experience at Crystal Tavern from the Raw section with an order of a
half-dozen oysters. The restaurant rotates their oyster selection and on the night
that we dined at the restaurant they offered Beausoleil oysters, farmed oysters
from the cold waters of Miramichi Bay, New Brunswick accompanied by the
traditional condiments of horseradish, mignonette, cocktail sauce, and a lemon
wedge. Beausoleil oysters are smaller oysters with a nice, light brine and a
clean melon-like finish, and they were delicious.
Crispy Octopus
We also sampled the Crispy
Octopus from the Small section of the menu. The octopus was
beautifully presented with beluga lentils, lardo, and heirloom carrot. The
lardo added layers of flavor, while the small, black beluga lentils were the
perfect foil to showcase the delectable crispy octopus as well as provide taste
and texture. A basket of very delicious rolls and butter accompanied our
appetizers.
Halibut
For our entrées,
we selected two items from the large section, the Halibut, and
the Short Rib of Beef. Both dishes were delicious and well presented
with the crispy-skinned halibut nestled on a bed of mashed potatoes with a
generous pool of Bordelaise sauce. The Short Rib of Beef was fork tender and presented
on a bed of aligot potatoes (mashed potatoes with cheese), cipollini onion, and
baby carrot.
Short Rib of Beef
We ended our evening by sharing a
dessert of Apple Crumble served warm in a cast iron skillet accompanied
by three scoops of ice cream. Paired with two espressos to enjoy while
listening to the music by Hernan Romero made for a memorable dining experience
at Crystal Tavern.
Apple Crumble
Crystal Tavern is open daily for
Breakfast from 8:00 am until 11:00 am, Lunch from 11:30 am until 4:30 pm, and
Dinner from 5:00 pm until 10:00 pm. The Bar is open until 1:00 am. Reservations
are required. To make a reservation please call +1-855-977-6473 or visit their
website.
Read more about Crystal Springs
Resort in the Hotels and Resorts, Chefs' Recipes, Wine
Cellar , and Adventures sections.
Chef Aishling Stevens
Learn more about Executive Chef
Aishling Stevens by reading our interview with the chef in the Chef's
Recipes section where she also shares her oh-so-tasty recipe for Bison
Short Rib, Sassafras, and Sunchoke .
For more information or to make
a reservation at Crystal Springs Resort, please visit their website: www.CrystalGolfResort.com or call them at:
+1-973-862-4351.
Crystal Springs Resort
1 Wild Turkey Way
Hamburg, New Jersey 07419
United States
Telephone: +1-973-862-4351
Website: www.CrystalGolfResort.com
Facebook: @CrystalSpringsResort
Instagram: @CrystalSpringResort
YouTube: Crystal Springs Resort
#ExploreCrystal
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2022. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com. All rights reserved.
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