About Town: Preview Dinner at Satis

It's a little weird that all of my favorite things in life begin with the letter "F": Fashion, furniture and food. It's also convenient that my new favorite Jersey City restaurant satisfies all three of those passions simultaneously.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to score a table at Satis for friends and family night. Start to finish this bistro, cafe and gelateria accomplishes what so many other Jersey City establishments hope to attain -- food, decor and customer service that not only play well together, but that are actually harmonious.

For those of you who are as equally obsessed with new restaurants in Jersey City, here's my overview:

(Fun fact: The chef of Satis used to work at Ox ... I know, I know some of you must be shedding a joyful tear right now. I did too. That's partially why I'm so excited by the introduction of this new restaurant. Although Jersey City has several amazing eateries, I personally think a huge void was left when Ox closed. That's not the case anymore, though.)

DECOR
Okay, I'm obviously biased here because they did a great job of decorating Satis in a vintage, yet modern vibe. Large pillows on benches, Edison light bulbs dangling from the ceiling, velvet drapes and white railroad tiles adorn the main room. An amazing peacock wallpaper hangs in the balcony section and the sweet shop has the palest of yellow walls.

(Coffee bar)

(Back of the restaurant: Cheese and meat station.)

(A partial view of the upstairs balcony)

(The sweet shop next door ... and its array of gelato)

(Front of the sweet shop)

FOOD
Good food isn't just about the ingredients. It's about the love too. For example, what makes your dad's pork chops so tasty? And grandma's pumpkin pie so much better than a diner's? That little extra something-something that isn't necessarily in the seasoning or the sauce. And you can tell the chef at Satis has a passion for his craft. Each dish tastes like a home-cooked meal, except elevated and with a complexity an amateur  wouldn't be able to coax out of everyday ingredients.

I was at the table with three other women and each of the following plates were (somewhat embarrassingly) licked clean:

(Meat and cheese board: A prosciutto that melted in your mouth was the standout here)

(Winter squash tarte tatin)

(Chickpea panisse)

(Bacon wrapped, cabrales stuffed dates)

(A pate so delicious I was digging out the tiny bits that got left behind in the mustard)

(Chorizo, kale and potato steamed manilla clams)

(Veal milanese)

(Olive oil poached tuna with roasted tomato and caramelized fennel)

(I'm adding this to my Christmas list. Braised short ribs with chorizo and goat cheese mashed potatoes. I think I commented that I wanted to wear this dish. It was ridiculously good.)

(Another standout. Homemade ricotta gnocchi with escarole, white beans and roasted garlic.)

(Everyone else stopped eating ... but I'm not a quitter.)

And there's more ... however one thing that's missing in the sweet foods photos is possibly the most amazing: a German chocolate concoction that left me speechless.

(Gelato list)

(Lemon strawberry zabaglione)

(The chef's brilliant take on a deconstructed apple pie)

(What's even more impressive than this tasty espresso is that my finger nails are actually polished.)

(Nutella tart)

OVERALL THOUGHTS
I've said it once and I'll say it again: I'm a little slutty when it comes to eating around town. But Satis may make an honest woman out of me.

Grand Opening: Thursday, December 9th