So sad to learn that 17 Summer has closed. I am so glad I got to celebrate my birthday there this summer and it will difficult to find another restaurant around here so high in quality, service and hospitality. Wishing you good luck in your future endeavors.
Preston Burns
If you call yourself a foodie then this is your place. No bread for the table which at first we wanted. But saving your appetite for what the chef prepares was well worth the wait. The only negative part was dessert the options are weak. It's great that it BYOB it should also be BYOD
Igor L.
What a great experience tonight at 17 Summer! It always great to find gems in NJ and this is certainly one of them. From the great service and constantly smiles from our server, Connie, to the great and creative menu from the chef/owners, to the anniversary candle on our dessert. Looking forward to many more meals at this great little spot.
David Infantino
Very simple restaurant that makes excellent dishes. The prices are very good and the staff is excellent. Plenty of parking.
Peter W.
Last night, my wife and I experienced the Chef's Table as an early celebration of our 24th Anniversary. I mentioned to her in the car on the way home "I'm feelin' a Yelp review coming out of me." As I sat down to offer these thoughts, I glanced at other reviews and I'm truly mystified as to the scattered negativity. Our experience - and I use that word intentionally - was top-notch. If you're looking for super-romantic ambience or a happenin' night-spot where you can be seen, that's another place on another evening. Nothing wrong with either, but you should come to 17 Summer because you want creative culinary artistry, great food and the chance to watch the chefs prepare everything you eat. The place is on a little side street in a working class neighborhood - reflecting the Cuccias' roots in town. We sat at the counter, pulled out our wine, and the waiter quickly swung by to uncork and offer a chiller for the bottle. Chef Joe and his sister Jenna were as we expected (from the website which provides a nice background story). They offered us a complimentary starter of fried cauliflower with a lemon aioli which was really nice. A lightly grilled zucchini dish followed - picked that morning from a local farm and perfectly dressed with a lemon verbena which had me wishing for a piece of bread to mop up the sauce! (Bread was not offered, but I didn't miss it, because 5 courses of awesome food had to be enjoyed!). The next course took an amazing amount of steps. This is part of the culinary experience - watching a dish built from the ingredients, from the chopping board, to the simmering sauce, to the pasta getting plated. I think the pasta was cappelletti - little dumplings with lemon ricotta and stinging nettles, fresh asparagus, all topped with a stinging nettle sauce and pesto. This was the stand-out dish of the evening - and that's saying a lot for this meat guy! Wow! I took longer than my wife to finish it because I was savoring every bite. Uh-mazing! A filet of Pacific Rock Bass followed, expertly sauteed to provide a nice crust, placed in a mussel broth with butter, with sea breen (?) on top. The fish was perfectly cooked, but a little on the salty side. A nice touch was the pre-warmed bowl to keep the dish at proper temperature. Loved the detail. Last main course was quite involved - stuff you never see when you're out in the dining room chatting away. Jenna browned the protein which looked to us like pork tenderloins, but she kept draining fat into a separate pan. Hmm? It later made perfect sense: she was browning duck breasts, skin side down. They were finished in the oven, allowed to rest for quite a while, and then browned up on the grill before being sliced and served with... pickled white peach slices (prepared that morning for a little acidity, but not too much), with fresh white peach chunks and heirloom tomatoes gently tossed in a slightly bright vinaigrette. Every step and ingredient and detail danced together in harmony. Dinner was wrapped up with a homemade semolina cake slice, brushed with orange-blossom syrup, and topped with freshly whipped cream with crushed pistachio. Simple and sweet, with a nice mini-pot of coffee for each of us! The crowning touch: coming on a Wed, the slowest night of the week, meant that when Joe and Jenna presented each dish and explained the ingredients, they had time to answer questions and chat. After dessert, the evening was almost wrapped up for them, and we enjoyed hearing a little more of their story. How often do you get to watch, question, and get to know the chefs who just cooked you an amazing meal? It was an anniversary dinner to remember... and we will be back, with friends to experience again this lovely brother-sister team's culinary passion! Suggestion: upgrade the stools at the counter, to bar-chairs with backs on them. Chef's Table is a very leisurely, long meal to be sitting on a sto
Andrea F.
creative! I did the tasting meal and it was very creative. I will go back in a few months. They try very hard and I aprreciated the attention to detail.
Liz Werling
Perfectly executed entrees, high quality ingredients
Zane Riester
Amazing and innovative food. Never disappoints.
Katherine B.
If you want an amazing food experience this is the place for you. We did the Wednesday Chefs Table. The food was beyond gourmet. The homemade chestnut fettuccine was beyond. The NJ scallops melted like butter in your mouth. The fish with the orange salted bread crumbs were a treat. To say we enjoyed the food and the banter with the chefs is an understatement. As they cooked and prepped both Joseph and Jenna were delightful, sweet and full of passion. This is the type of restaurant that you rave and wow about. Words cannot describe the level of cooking and dedication this brother and sister duo bring. This is a hidden jem!
Anton Kocheturov
A beautiful small restaurant with not so many options that makes choosing so much easier. The food was real good
If you call yourself a foodie then this is your place. No bread for the table which at first we wanted. But saving your appetite for what the chef prepares was well worth the wait. The only negative part was dessert the options are weak. It's great that it BYOB it should also be BYOD We will be back!
Marc A.
I read some of the reviews and definitely disagree with the negative ones. This is not your typical NJ restaurant, but more of an intimate Kitchen you're sharing with other guests. It's a bit pricey but it's also a BYOB which is always a plus. We went a few weeks back on 3/1/19 with a couple we dine out with often, the menu has changed slightly since then. The Chefs are in full view and very focused on preparing their creations for your enjoyment. They're busy giving each dish the respect and full attention it deserves. It don't know why anybody would think they had time for distractions like small talk, etc. The menu is geared towards a mature palate, comprised of a collection of seasonal dishes using high end ingredients that have been carefully selected with a certain vision in the Chefs mind. If you don't like a certain ingredient or are allergic you should probably avoid ordering that dish rather than trying to modify it. If you're a foodie then you know this is about sharing in a celebration of beautiful food with good friends and family. I'd advise you to explore the menu by ordering a few dishes to share before your entree. The appetizer and pasta portions weren't huge, we read about that and used it as an opportunity to fully explore some additional dishes on the menu. The entrees we ordered were a decent size, coupled with our appetizers and pasta we were quite satisfied. If you're focused on quantity over quality this might not be the place for you. We shared: Panelle, Grilled Sour Dough Flatbread, Grilled Short Rib, and a delicious Cavatelli. Our Entrees were Scallops, Venison, Roasted Stuffed Chicken and the Pork Chop. The food was delicious, and our party was extremely satisfied with all of our choices. Our server Michael was extremely professional and he had a fun attitude. My friends and I will definitely be back and would easily recommend to anybody looking for a special meal.
D T
Excellent private little cozy location. Very romantic. Seasonal menu rotates every 6 weeks.
So sad to learn that 17 Summer has closed. I am so glad I got to celebrate my birthday there this summer and it will difficult to find another restaurant around here so high in quality, service and hospitality. Wishing you good luck in your future endeavors.
If you call yourself a foodie then this is your place. No bread for the table which at first we wanted. But saving your appetite for what the chef prepares was well worth the wait. The only negative part was dessert the options are weak. It's great that it BYOB it should also be BYOD
What a great experience tonight at 17 Summer! It always great to find gems in NJ and this is certainly one of them. From the great service and constantly smiles from our server, Connie, to the great and creative menu from the chef/owners, to the anniversary candle on our dessert. Looking forward to many more meals at this great little spot.
Very simple restaurant that makes excellent dishes. The prices are very good and the staff is excellent. Plenty of parking.
Last night, my wife and I experienced the Chef's Table as an early celebration of our 24th Anniversary. I mentioned to her in the car on the way home "I'm feelin' a Yelp review coming out of me." As I sat down to offer these thoughts, I glanced at other reviews and I'm truly mystified as to the scattered negativity. Our experience - and I use that word intentionally - was top-notch. If you're looking for super-romantic ambience or a happenin' night-spot where you can be seen, that's another place on another evening. Nothing wrong with either, but you should come to 17 Summer because you want creative culinary artistry, great food and the chance to watch the chefs prepare everything you eat. The place is on a little side street in a working class neighborhood - reflecting the Cuccias' roots in town. We sat at the counter, pulled out our wine, and the waiter quickly swung by to uncork and offer a chiller for the bottle. Chef Joe and his sister Jenna were as we expected (from the website which provides a nice background story). They offered us a complimentary starter of fried cauliflower with a lemon aioli which was really nice. A lightly grilled zucchini dish followed - picked that morning from a local farm and perfectly dressed with a lemon verbena which had me wishing for a piece of bread to mop up the sauce! (Bread was not offered, but I didn't miss it, because 5 courses of awesome food had to be enjoyed!). The next course took an amazing amount of steps. This is part of the culinary experience - watching a dish built from the ingredients, from the chopping board, to the simmering sauce, to the pasta getting plated. I think the pasta was cappelletti - little dumplings with lemon ricotta and stinging nettles, fresh asparagus, all topped with a stinging nettle sauce and pesto. This was the stand-out dish of the evening - and that's saying a lot for this meat guy! Wow! I took longer than my wife to finish it because I was savoring every bite. Uh-mazing! A filet of Pacific Rock Bass followed, expertly sauteed to provide a nice crust, placed in a mussel broth with butter, with sea breen (?) on top. The fish was perfectly cooked, but a little on the salty side. A nice touch was the pre-warmed bowl to keep the dish at proper temperature. Loved the detail. Last main course was quite involved - stuff you never see when you're out in the dining room chatting away. Jenna browned the protein which looked to us like pork tenderloins, but she kept draining fat into a separate pan. Hmm? It later made perfect sense: she was browning duck breasts, skin side down. They were finished in the oven, allowed to rest for quite a while, and then browned up on the grill before being sliced and served with... pickled white peach slices (prepared that morning for a little acidity, but not too much), with fresh white peach chunks and heirloom tomatoes gently tossed in a slightly bright vinaigrette. Every step and ingredient and detail danced together in harmony. Dinner was wrapped up with a homemade semolina cake slice, brushed with orange-blossom syrup, and topped with freshly whipped cream with crushed pistachio. Simple and sweet, with a nice mini-pot of coffee for each of us! The crowning touch: coming on a Wed, the slowest night of the week, meant that when Joe and Jenna presented each dish and explained the ingredients, they had time to answer questions and chat. After dessert, the evening was almost wrapped up for them, and we enjoyed hearing a little more of their story. How often do you get to watch, question, and get to know the chefs who just cooked you an amazing meal? It was an anniversary dinner to remember... and we will be back, with friends to experience again this lovely brother-sister team's culinary passion! Suggestion: upgrade the stools at the counter, to bar-chairs with backs on them. Chef's Table is a very leisurely, long meal to be sitting on a sto
creative! I did the tasting meal and it was very creative. I will go back in a few months. They try very hard and I aprreciated the attention to detail.
Perfectly executed entrees, high quality ingredients
Amazing and innovative food. Never disappoints.
If you want an amazing food experience this is the place for you. We did the Wednesday Chefs Table. The food was beyond gourmet. The homemade chestnut fettuccine was beyond. The NJ scallops melted like butter in your mouth. The fish with the orange salted bread crumbs were a treat. To say we enjoyed the food and the banter with the chefs is an understatement. As they cooked and prepped both Joseph and Jenna were delightful, sweet and full of passion. This is the type of restaurant that you rave and wow about. Words cannot describe the level of cooking and dedication this brother and sister duo bring. This is a hidden jem!
A beautiful small restaurant with not so many options that makes choosing so much easier. The food was real good
Restaurantji Recommends
If you call yourself a foodie then this is your place. No bread for the table which at first we wanted. But saving your appetite for what the chef prepares was well worth the wait. The only negative part was dessert the options are weak. It's great that it BYOB it should also be BYOD We will be back!
I read some of the reviews and definitely disagree with the negative ones. This is not your typical NJ restaurant, but more of an intimate Kitchen you're sharing with other guests. It's a bit pricey but it's also a BYOB which is always a plus. We went a few weeks back on 3/1/19 with a couple we dine out with often, the menu has changed slightly since then. The Chefs are in full view and very focused on preparing their creations for your enjoyment. They're busy giving each dish the respect and full attention it deserves. It don't know why anybody would think they had time for distractions like small talk, etc. The menu is geared towards a mature palate, comprised of a collection of seasonal dishes using high end ingredients that have been carefully selected with a certain vision in the Chefs mind. If you don't like a certain ingredient or are allergic you should probably avoid ordering that dish rather than trying to modify it. If you're a foodie then you know this is about sharing in a celebration of beautiful food with good friends and family. I'd advise you to explore the menu by ordering a few dishes to share before your entree. The appetizer and pasta portions weren't huge, we read about that and used it as an opportunity to fully explore some additional dishes on the menu. The entrees we ordered were a decent size, coupled with our appetizers and pasta we were quite satisfied. If you're focused on quantity over quality this might not be the place for you. We shared: Panelle, Grilled Sour Dough Flatbread, Grilled Short Rib, and a delicious Cavatelli. Our Entrees were Scallops, Venison, Roasted Stuffed Chicken and the Pork Chop. The food was delicious, and our party was extremely satisfied with all of our choices. Our server Michael was extremely professional and he had a fun attitude. My friends and I will definitely be back and would easily recommend to anybody looking for a special meal.
Excellent private little cozy location. Very romantic. Seasonal menu rotates every 6 weeks.
Great food and nice staff
Very good and unique.