Chef's Garden

Chef's Garden is a small resturant that is outside/outback on the grounds of the Grand Cascades resort. The food was excellent. Honestly some of the best brisket we have had. Great smoke flavor and the meat just melts on your fork. The atmosphere is meant to be like outside at a picnic or in a garden I guess? I am not a fan of eating dinner on a tiny folding table and chair. We did not have any issues with bugs, temperature, or sunlight as it was a nice night, but this area is completely open without walls to the gardens and outside so that may be an issue at other times. Our service was a tad slow, but overall acceptable and friendly. We would gladly eat here again based on the quality of the food.

If you're into farm-to-table fare or al fresco dining, you couldn't do better than Chef's Garden. The restaurant is connected to the Crystal Springs resort, so getting there involves a bit of a walk through the grounds. Not that that's a bad thing. The resort is beautiful, and what you see right before entering the restaurant is the lush vegetable garden that provides much of the raw goodies for the menu offerings. The restaurant itself is quite small and intimate, so timed reservations are required. And while we're on the subject of time, keep in mind that certain entrees might take a while to cook. At the time our family dined, there was a 54 oz. steak on the menu that caught our interest. Our server informed us that it would take an hour to cook it to medium doneness, which meant we we

TLDR: Top tier brisket. Nearly as good as Texas brisket and certainly best I have had in New Jersey thus far. The hidden restaurant in the middle of a garden is so quaint and peaceful, I recommend going for lunch or a cozy dinner. View of the surrounding hills is also amazing. Quality of Food: I had no complaints about the food. The garden salad was refreshing and did not lack in its flavor. The brisket was AMAZING. If you look at my other reviews, you will find I am originally from the south and have frequented a few BBQ places in New Jersey, all of which have fallen short of what I have come to find as quality BBQ. This. Did. Not. Disappoint. The brisket was slightly marbled and melted in your mouth. I can only imagine the quality of the Rib Steak if the brisket was top notch. The cornb

Overall, it's okay. The service and the garden atmosphere was the highlight. Food was OK at best. 1 piece of small octopus tentacle is not enough to warrant the appetizer's price point. Cocktails ok, not great. Better off ordering wine instead. The selection of 3 different naturally flavored waters is nice for summer. Best time to dine during summer months is getting a reservation 30 minutes - 1 hour before sunset. Otherwise, it is too hot outside. Also, request table seating farthest from walking paths so people / kids do not continuously walk / run around right behind or around you. Our server and the hostess were pleasant and polite.

Wonderful restaurant with fresh ingredients and strong flavors. I started off with the Garden Salad which was all ingredients from the garden. The crisp freshness of this salad along with the wonderful dressing made for a delightful and light salad. Big enough for two. I split two mains with another table member, and got the smoked ribs and brisket, which have to be the best items on the menu next to the cornbread. The meat was juicy, moist, expertly seasoned and smoked to perfection. The cornbread was moist, sweet, and delicious with the honey butter (fresh honey from the garden). The staff were friendly and accompanying you our party members birthday, as well as another’s nut allergy. Highly recommend visiting here for lunch or dinner if you get the chance.