“Excellent,” “awesome,” and “fantastic” are common remarks when diners return their empty dishes to RSC Atelier at the Stockton (N.J.) Market.
The market is known for its upscale comfort foods, gourmet pizzas, quality meats, fishes, desserts, produce, coffees and teas. But the Atelier, operated by chefs Paul Mitchell and Alida Saxon, offers a type of gourmet dining that is a step above.
The pair operated the Rosemont Supper Club at Tullamore Farms nearby in Stockton until it was closed in 2017 when the New Jersey Department of Agriculture said the restaurant violated zoning laws.
Mitchell and Saxon worked at other jobs while making their way through a zoning appeal, and still retain their lease on the farmhouse kitchen at Tullamore Farms. Two months ago they leased a vendor’s spot at the market, so they could again craft their signature gourmet dishes.
This time around they have created a menu of small plates designed to appeal the adventurous gourmand.
Diners have a choice of one, three or six dishes (when I visited everyone ordered six) from a menu of 10 items. The menu is posted online at the Rosemont Supper Club website each week and continues Friday night through Sunday afternoon. A short brunch menu is available Saturday and Sunday mornings.
A recent dinner menu included seared duck breast with sumac carrots and polenta fries; a pepper stuffed with grass-fed beef and topped with ancho chocolate sauce; pork liver crème caramel with grape and parsley; wild Burgundy snails with lentils, country sausage and a balsamic reduction; a stuffed rabbit leg with pancetta and apple; turkey gesier (gizzard) bites with buffalo sauce and cornmeal fried celery; roasted swordfish salad; pork rilletes with rice sticks and celery leaf salad; charred tofu Provencal; and cheese D’affinois with grape and black currant compote.
An average brunch offering is an omelet, toasted hay yogurt with dried figs and almonds and hash with a fried egg. Those dishes also can vary.
Business started off slow at the market, but as word has spread, previous and new fans are finding them, with numbers increasing each week. Among them are diners who were regulars at the supper club.
“We have people who have been following us for years,” Mitchell said.
They come for the gourmet cuisine and also because they know that the chefs go out of their way to patronize local farms that care about their animals and their products.
Their list of purveyors reads like a who’s-who of local farms and includes Bucks County’s Roots to River Farm, Manoff Market Gardens in Solebury, Purely Farms in Pipersville and Mainly Mushrooms in Mechanicsville. New Jersey farms include Fulper Farms in Lambertville, Pastime Farms in Ringoes, Milk House Farm at Tullamore Farms and Bobolink Dairy in Milford.
The chefs remain hopeful that eventually they can resume the supper club at Tullamore Farms, but in the meantime they are enjoying their time at the Stockton Market along with their satisfied customers.
susan.yeske@gmail.com
