Website design By BotEap.comThe movie recently “Julia and Julia” has debuted on big screens across the country and has rekindled our passion for exceptional cuisine in many of us. As the film’s Julie and Julia explore the enormously challenging tasks of mastering French cooking at home, my wife Fran and I re-ignited our palettes for the equally satisfying pleasure of eating at a fine French restaurant.

Website design By BotEap.comBut where to go?

Website design By BotEap.comLiving 48 minutes from Midtown Manhattan and its seemingly endless inventory of chic French restaurants, bistros, and cafes definitely has its advantages; but this time we decided to point our GPS west to see if we could spot a more “country inn” type of establishment to fill the bill.

Website design By BotEap.comWe recognize that our Garmin NoviGPS it is actually a wonderful electronic Ouija board. We touch the screen, ask a question:

Website design By BotEap.com“Hermione, (that’s what we call our GPS because she speaks with a British accent) is there a nice French country inn half a tank of gas west of our house here in Maplewood, New Jersey?”

Website design By BotEap.com“Recalculating… at the bottom of the driveway, turn left.”

Website design By BotEap.comand in an instant [well, more like 45 minutes], we hit Flanders, New Jersey and Silver Spring Farm French restaurant. This charming Inn is conveniently located very close to Route 80, close to Budd Lake and the village of Mount Olive.

Website design By BotEap.comArriving an hour before our 5:00 reservations, we were greeted, however, by the “Grand Dame” of the hotel, Jacqueline Ivaldi. Standing with perfect posture at the reservation station, she smiled and said, “Welcome! Welcome to Silver Spring Farm.”

Website design By BotEap.com“Thank you, we were an hour early and wondering if we could get an early seat.”

Website design By BotEap.comFeigning seriousness, he actually walked back into an empty dining room, looked around, and then returned to the station. “Yeah, you’re in luck,” she said, “we can get you in.”

Website design By BotEap.comWe all had a good laugh and knew immediately that we had made the right decision to visit Jacqueline, her husband, Chef Guy Ivaldi, and their son Jean-Jacques (who trained at the renowned Hotel School in Lausanne, Switzerland). They have been running The French Restaurant at Silver Spring Farm since the early 1940s. Here, refugees from a devastated post-WWII France could break out of their strange and unfamiliar surroundings of New York City and “vacation” not far from the city for a weekend or sometimes longer with conviviality, bonhomie and of course incomparable French cuisine.

Website design By BotEap.comSilver Spring Farm has a website, so I won’t waste time listing their unique and distinguished menu here. However, I will give two tips. First, go there hungry. Portions are generous and irresistible; and trust me; you don’t want to find yourself full before dessert. Second, ask about off-menu specials. I had a sampler of chicken, beef and lamb in three different sauces that I can re-experience days later just by closing my eyes and touching the tip of my tongue to my palate, yum.