'Homage To Fromage': Rumson Restaurant Remembers Its Roots

RUMSON, NJ — Chef David Burke and his team at Red Horse by David Burke will pay tribute to the Fromagerie restaurant with a celebration this Tuesday, Nov. 8, at 6 p.m.

“Homage to Fromage” recalls Fromagerie, the landmark restaurant where Red Horse is now located.

Fromagerie was the iconic 1970s restaurant that was one of the leaders in the fine dining movement in the state.

Plans for the celebration include a red-carpet arrival, a jazz pianist, champagne reception and a menu featuring some updated Fromagerie classics. There will be premium wines and artisan cocktails, too, according to a news release about the event.

The full menu for the event will be posted on the restaurant's website soon. But for now plans are for: Passed hors d'oeuvres; Lobster Cappuccino Bisque, "Paris market style"; Shrimp and Snails Escargot; Cheese Fondue; Fromagerie House Salad; Scallop in Shell; Veal Romanoff; Beef Wellington; French Pastries, Strawberries Romanoff and Black Forrest Cake. Tickets are $135 and are available online at www.redhorsebydb.com. Red Horse is at 26 Ridge Road.

“It’s time to glam it up,” said Burke. “We’ve been dressing down for a long time. Now it’s time to splurge for a night in our exquisite, sexy setting. For one special night we will pay tribute to the memories created from the true hospitality experienced at the Fromagerie and to respect the traditions of those who came before us and to those who will carry on into the future.”

The Fromagerie was opened in 1972 by brothers Markus and Hubert Peter. In addition to its many multi-star ratings, Fromagerie was named by the former Gourmet magazine in the mid-1990s as its favorite restaurant in New Jersey, according to the news release.

The Peters employed many from the area. Burke, a Hazlet native, was hired as a line cook during the summers and holidays while attending the Culinary Art Institute, Hyde Park, N.Y. Later after becoming an internationally awarded chef he returned as a consultant, and still later as an owner.

“To work there you had to be very good,” Burke recalled, explaining that the Peter brothers were key mentors to his budding career. “The jobs were coveted and it was a privilege to work there. It was at the top of its class, a quintessential restaurant that focused totally on the guest experience. Even when I walk in here now, I still feel its greatness like an old stadium or theater. I think, wow, if these walls could talk.”

Considered a leader in American cooking, Burke is recognized internationally for his techniques and skill, his restaurant ownership and his TV appearances. Burke is also the author of two cookbooks, "Cooking With David Burke" and "David Burke’s New American Classics."

In 2004, Burke was part of a group that purchased and operated the Fromagerie for 11 years until it was sold in 2015, the news release said. The corporation dissolved and Burke formed his own group several years ago and had opened 18 restaurants around the country when the pandemic struck in 2020 and his restaurants were forced to close.

Burke reopened most of his shuttered restaurants, and then opened multiple new restaurants around the globe during the pandemic, including seven in New Jersey, such as The Goat in Union Beach and there is also the Dixie Lee Bakery in Keansburg.

Red Horse was Burke’s fourth New Jersey restaurant, opening in March of 2021. It was named New Jersey’s finest steakhouse this year by NJ Monthly, according to a news release.

“This site is a part of the fabric of the community and I’m very happy to bring it back to the highest level of dining to be had in New Jersey and beyond,” Burke said.