Celebrity chef David Burke brings Red Horse restaurant to the old Bernards Inn
Celebrity chef David Burke remembers the first day of the COVID-19 lockdown in New Jersey. Considering he owns 19 restaurants around the world — including Orchard Park in East Brunswick and 1776 in Morristown — that’s not surprising. His business was soon to be in jeopardy.
But he remembers that fateful day for another reason, too. It’s when he fell in love with a painting of a red horse by Tuan Tran, which he discovered at an art gallery in New Hope, Pennsylvania. He bought it on the spot and said, “One day, this will be one of my logos.”
Today, it is. A larger version of that painting, also by Tran, hangs in the lobby of the new Red Horse, which formerly housed the 116-year-old Bernards Inn.
Open every day starting at 5 p.m., it follows the ambiance of Red Horse locations in Rumson, and White Plains, New York. A grand opening celebration will take place at a to-be-decided date in November, when reservations will no longer be capped and all of the restaurant spaces will open.
In July, Burke entered a partnership with the owner of the Bernards Inn, Hampshire Destination Properties, LLC, a subsidiary of The Hampshire Companies. He’s spent the last three months transforming its dining area known as the gallery; the bar area; the fine dining area (opening in November); and the 100-seat cellar (opening in November), formerly known as the Silver Vault and Wine Pantry.
In March 2024, he will begin to manage the 20-room hotel, a first for Burke.
“The Bernards Inn is like the beacon for the town of Bernardsville,” Burke said. “We didn’t want to lose sight of what the Bernards Inn once was. We just want to continue making it great and bring it up to modern times with our style of food and design.”
Burke’s team completely “gutted” and rebuilt the dining areas and bar, he said. The riser staircases and platforms have been removed. It’s lighter and brighter now, with new lighting and wall fixtures.
In the lobby, a 10-seat glass table with an Indonesian tree trunk and root base has been installed for chef’s tastings and other events.
A new, white 22-seat marble-topped bar with white bar stools and banquettes is now surrounded by the inn’s original dark brown molding, windows and floor-to-ceiling fireplace.
Nods to equestrians fill the gallery, with red and white horse tack wallpaper, leather strap details, and whimsical horse paintings. Some of the art work is from the original Bernards Inn, fitting for Bernardsville since the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation and the Far Hills Race Meeting are located nearby.
The more formal main dining room behind the gallery will likely be a pre-fixe menu only space with a dress code, said Burke.
Downstairs, The Bernie in the former cellar will be a wine bar, casual eatery and entertainment venue with a speakeasy vibe and eclectic St. Bernards dog decor, said Burke. It will offer comedy shows, live music, wine dinners, trivia nights and Burke’s Dining in the Dark dinners.
Its wine list will feature lesser-known wines by the glass.
Next spring, Burke will also update the 200-seat banquet room with his signature touches, he said.
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“’Red Horse’ … leaves [the cuisine open] to interpretation, and it’s a modern American restaurant that specializes in red meat,” Burke said. “It has a little bit of macho to it, but also the femininity and beauty of horses. The name has style and elegance to it.”
So does the menu, which includes local ingredients like chicken from Griggstown Farm in Princeton to international ingredients like truffles from Italy. Some of the dishes include Dover sole; rock shrimp and king crab spaghetti; tea-smoked duck breast; and Burke’s U.S. patented pink Himalayan salt dry-aged prime beef (nods to the pink Himalayan salt are everywhere).
Desserts include tin can cake, which is chocolate cake in a can baked to order. Before it's baked, diners can give the hand-mixer a go and taste the egg-free batter.
Diners can also add a hotel room and half a bottle of wine to their tab for $239 to $279.
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The Bernards Inn has long been recognized for its wine selection by Wine Spectator and other organizations. The Red Horse will continue offering an extensive wine list, with bottles dating back to 1897.
Above it all is Tran’s Red Horse painting, which inspired Burke while it hung in his home.
“It talks to you,” Burke said. “It’s a timeless piece. It’s not the sexiest painting, but it has this statement — and that statement to me was something that was long lasting and strong. ... That’s what you want in a restaurant.”
Go: 27 Minebrook Road, Bernardsville; 908-766-0002, redhorsebydb.com/restaurant-bernards/.
Contact: [email protected]
Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey since 2014, after becoming a blogger-turned-reporter following the creation of her award-winning travel blog. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. You can also follow her on Instagram at @seejennaeat and on Twitter at @JIntersimone.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Chef David Burke brings Red Horse restaurant to old Bernards Inn