Chef David Burke Opens His 9th Restaurant in New Jersey

DAVID BURKE HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT / Red Horse by David Burke at Bernards Inn

One of our favorite NJ chefs has opened a new restaurant in his home state, which is his 9th in New Jersey and his 19th worldwide.

Chef David Burke has just added The Bernards Inn to his menu of restaurants. The main dining room and main bar and lounge areas of the 116-year-old modern American steakhouse have been renovated to create Red Horse by David Burke at Bernards Inn.

DAVID BURKE HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT / Lamb dinner

Like at all his restaurants, the menu will feature local and global seasonal ingredients, from truffles from Italy to bison from Fossil Farms in Boonton to roasted local chicken from Griggstown Farm in Princeton to oysters from the Barnegat Bay.

DAVID BURKE HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT / Pretzel crab cake

There will be a variety of cuts of Chef Burke’s U.S. patented Pink Himalayan salt dry-aged prime beef, lobster with pasta, sushi, and whole roasted fish.

DAVID BURKE HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT / Macaron ice cream sandwich

Burke also is an alumnus of the world’s most highly regarded pastry schools, École Lenôtre Pastry School in Plaisir, France, so the desserts will be over-the-top, too. New to the menu is a macaron ice cream sandwich, which brings the French cookie to life as a frozen dessert.

Aside from the main restaurant, there is another dining area with its own side entrance that leads to the former wine room/cellar area, and the plan is for it to become a speakeasy/supper club/music venue. “The Bernie,” as it’s known, will offer entertainment with a casual vibe featuring comedy shows, piano music, jazz ensembles and acoustical music, lecture series, wine dinners, trivia nights and Chef Burke’s popular Dinner in the Dark dinners.

DAVID BURKE HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT / Red Derby

There’s also a more formal event space for weddings or private events and a patio for outdoor dining. David Burke Hospitality Management is overseeing all the food and beverage operations and eventually will operate the 20-room inn.

Red Horse is a spinoff of Burke’s award-winning flagship restaurant by the same name in Rumson, which opened in March 2021 at Fromagerie. The name came from a painting of a red horse by Tuan Tran that Chef Burke discovered in the early days of the pandemic while in New Hope, PA. He bought it knowing that the image would one day become a theme for a restaurant.

The Bernards Inn by David Burke is located at 27 Mine Brook Rd. in Bernardsville. The restaurant opens daily at 5 p.m. For reservations, call 908-766-0002 or visit the website.