Skyline with Lunch at Highlawn Pavilion, W. Orange, NJ

By ALICE SHANE


I had no idea that lunch at the four-star Highlawn Pavilion in West Orange, NJ could be such a visually compelling experience. I’ve eaten there on two previous occasions -- late evening dinners, at dusk, when artificial lighting doesn’t do justice to the full intensity of lush green foliage and trees that open up to the New York skyline from the restaurant’s arched, panoramic windows.

Having arrived late, at 2:00, we were fortunate enough to get a table with a spectacular view. The luncheon crowd had thinned, and without the usual distractions of chatter and bustling waiters, it was easier to appreciate the restaurant’s Florentine ambience – vaulted ceilings, pillars and arches, soft pastels throughout – a setting conducive to sitting back, enjoying good conversation and fine food.

Obviously, this premier New Jersey restaurant is pricey – at dinner hour, it’s easy to drop $200 (including a bottle of wine). Yet, the luncheon menu is customer friendly – with a number of entrees attractively priced at $15, $17. I ordered the tasty Duo of Shrimp and Petite Crab Cakes entrée, accompanied by a generous tossed salad. My companion, a meat and potatoes kind of guy, had a small filet with baby vegetables at $26.00, which he consumed with gusto. I dived into the bread basket of toasted cheese bread and delicious warm raisin-nut rolls and was glad I did, piling on additional calories via the dome-shaped chocolate truffle that more than satisfied my chocoholic cravings.

We ordered glasses of Zenato Pino Grigio – a pleasant wine I often buy at Whole Foods for $11.99 a bottle -– not the most inspired choice, but, hey, this was lunch and, at $8.50 a glass, it was at the lower end of the white wine spectrum that ranged from $8.00 a glass to $18.00 for a California chardonnay.

After all was said and done, lunch here tallied up to about $100, including tip and gratuities, and well worth it from every perspective.


© 2007; Alice Shane/Alice Shane Communications. All rights reserved.







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