Madame Claude is gone, long live Madame! Not a bad change of name in a way, considering that Madame Claude was the name of a famous Madame who, when arrested threatened to reveal who her influential clients were. So, we were curious to check out this French restaurant that, although a bit off the beaten path, is quite popular in Jersey City. Located in a basement, this is like a hidden gem, with a more modern decor than before, but with still some charm to it. The bar, called Panache (meaning done with flair) has interesting cocktails like the coffee plum sparkling boulevardier or the espresso nougat martini.

Espresso nougat martini at Madame in Jersey City

Food wise, the menu has also changed to classic French with a twist where, for instance, escargots will be served with a fennel tuile or the cassoulet will be prepared au gratin. Here is what we tried:

For appetizer, we shared the crispy polenta that was served with romesco and a mint labne. They mentioned mascarpone on the menu and I guess it was used to bind the polenta that was, as advertised, crispy, and not dry or grainy, working well with the two sauces that were on the plate.

For her main, Jodi got the burrata that came with an olive tapenade, figs and focaccia crisps. This was very good, the tapenade pairing very well with the creamy burrata, adding a salty note, while the fig gave some sweetness to the dish.

On my side, I decided to try their ribeye that came with two sauces that I asked for on the side: a bordelaise sauce and a garlic, parsley and butter sauce. I preferred the former. The perfectly cooked ribeye, that was tender and juicy, was topped with trumpet mushrooms and I also ordered some truffle fries that were as I like them: thin, crispy and cooked all the way through, the kind of fries you cannot stop eating.

For dessert, we got their crepe suzette cake that was made with mascarpone, blood orange and served with a rum caramel that was flambee. Decadent, the sweetness was complimented with a creme fraiche ice cream. This was an excellent take on a classic French dessert.

Crepe suzette cake at Madame in Jersey City

Overall, this was a great meal and, although this place is a bit far, I would definitely go back to Madame: I love the atmosphere where, even with music in the background you can have a conversation, and I find their menu exciting.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Madame - 390 4th St, Jersey City, NJ 07302

I Just Want To Eat!