Camaje
“I received a class taught by Chef Abby as a nice belated Christmas present this past weekend.”
“Good ambiance, chill space, and the guy was laid back (he was chillin' on the couch before we arrived) and friendly.”
“I took the Knife Skills class, and was initially worried that it would be too introductory.”
Camaje
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Dogs Allowed: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Came for dinner in the dark. Decent food, some flavors a little over powering. Too much cumin on the main and too much lavender in the dessert. Plentiful refills of wine. Hung out with owner and staff after and thy were lovely! All and all a fun experience, my husband and I loved it.
This place was quite an experience! prior to my visit I've read a lot of mixed reviews on this place and i must say that before coming in my expectations were not super high. but I must say that this place exceeded my expectations in every aspects! from the surprises to the staff and the food. def worth an experience and would probably even consider doing the black out dinner again! MY bf and I came on valentines day for our dinner. I am always in search for new things to do every year and this was on my list of to do on this special day. i do not want to spoil the surprise so see for yourself!! make sure you reserve before hand tho! on your arrival you are given a blind fold and am guided into the restaurant after a mini orientation of about 5-10 minutes. On the day we arrived it was very cold so they told us to arrive only right before the event. The whole event lasted for about a little more than 2 hours and was FANTASTIC!!! we both enjoyed it so much!! the food were so good and I def guessed everything wrong lol. i felt so bad that we broke a glass but the staff told me it is quite normal for it to happen..hahaha
Dining in the Dark review
Came here with some friends and my mom to experience the dinner in the dark!
The meal itself was brilliant. The blindfolds were alarmingly effective at keeping all things light out! The staff is masterful at getting food, drinks and restroom breaks curated. I don't want to give too much away, since it's a unique experience; there IS some sensory stuff involved that invades your personal space, but it wasn't unpleasant.
Food was served at a temperature that made it safe to touch (yes, you can touch your food to find it haha) and the wine pairings, in my opinion, were nothing short of brilliant.
Few minor misses here. Starting with the logistics outside. Dinner was to start at 8, but really 8:20 was more realistic. Also, some of the guests were incredibly loud making conversation during the event extremely tedious (we're talking, I had to shout to be heard and struggle to hear my guests). The noise is what keeps this from being a five star review. Lastly, you don't get to keep your mask, which; hygienically had me a little nervous after the fact (you can buy them though). Your results may vary!
You should be coming here for the experience of it all, Camaje has this down to a science and it's worth your money. I'm definitely a fan, and would recommend this to anyone.
Omigosh.
So.
Good.
My fiancé and I got a gift certificate here & came to redeem it this evening. At first, I didn't think much of the place. It's a little small and not at all pretentious, but it does have a simple charm to it. Our waitress was the absolute best! She was so sweet and very attentive. I really thought she was outstanding. The food was incredibleee. I don't know how people found anything to complain about.
For apps, we had the garlic sautéed shrimp and the hot crab dip. Honestly, the dip was the only thing I wasn't crazy about, but it wasn't something I particularly wanted to begin with (thanks fiancé). The shrimp were divine. My only complaint is that there weren't more on the plate (that's my inner fatty talking).
For entrees, we shared the Kobe burger and a seared scallop special of the day. I can't even explain how incredible the scallops were. Crispy edges with a buttery soft interior and SO tasty. The veggies underneath were equally amazing! Just thinking about it all over again makes my mouth water. The burger, while a little on the small side, was delicious. We added fries (REAL fries BTW.) and onion rings and both were above average. Again … tasty and crispy. Whoever's cooking back there knows what they're doing! Everything was cooked to perfection.
We went a little overboard and got dessert too. Why not, right? Everyone was talking up the Banoffee Pie so much that I just HAD to indulge. So glad I did. Worth every single calorie!
Overall, we had a beautiful experience. Such a great meal to celebrate my (belated) birthday. Thanks Camaje! I'm sure I'll see you soon! 😉
Trying to switch up our usual date night routine, my husband & I signed up for a hands-on cooking class at Camaje. We took the Hearty French Fare for a Cold Winter Class and had an amazing time. Chef Abby was wonderful! Not only was she friendly and made you feel as if you were an old friend cooking in her kitchen, but she also taught very useful cooking skills from different recipe variations to knife skills.
The evening began with the entire class(8 people total) seated around a table in the restaurant- it gave everyone a good opportunity to make introductions and Chef Abby took a few minutes to explain how the evening would go as well as walk us through the recipes. It was unique that the class was held in a working restaurant and everyone worked together to make the meal. On the menu for the evening was Salade verte, Coq au Vin, and Crepes.
We began with everyone standing around a large cutting table at the back of the bistro and we all shared the tasks of chopping the veggies/spices etc. Initially, Chef Abby demonstrated different knife skills from the proper way to hold the knife to simple tricks to quickly slice and dice. Seriously, the way she taught us how to cut carrots was life-changing-long gone the days of my carrots chunks rolling off the cutting board. Next, we made the batter for our crepes. After prep work was done, we went into the kitchen and got to work! It was interesting seeing how much can be done in such a small kitchen. Living in NYC, I constantly complain to my husband that I would cook more if our kitchen was larger, but ours isn't much smaller than the restaurant's kitchen, so clearly I can no longer use that as an excuse! My favorite part of the cooking experience was flipping the crepes without dropping them onto the floor, quite an accomplishment for me!
Once everything was done, the kitchen staff plated the dishes and we got to sit down and enjoy the meal together. By the end of the evening, after having cooked side by side all evening, conversations were flowing and it was interesting to sit down and dine with such a diverse group of people. I must admit, this was the BEST Coq au Vin I have ever had– it was SOOOO delicious and I'm not just saying that because we helped make it. It was just SO damn good. Ugh and the crepe suzette was DELECTABLE.
All-in-all, we had a great time and I would take another class in a heartbeat.
Like everyone else has mentioned, Chef Abby is amazing. Very friendly and approachable. Not at all what you expect from a head chef (if TV shows and books are to be believed).
I took the Knife Skills class, and was initially worried that it would be too introductory. But Chef Abby takes a short survey at the beginning to find out what everybody's needs are and then does as much customization as she can on the fly.
The lesson started out with a glass of wine and bread, while she explained the different types of knives, and let us get a feel for each one. There was also a take-home packet for reference.
Once we got slicing and dicing, there was a big cutting table that was comfortable enough for 6 people (though any more would be crowded). We went through basic techniques, and she gave us individual pointers based on what we were doing. It's so much better than trying to learn from watching TV or YouTube, because she'll tell you exactly how to perfect your form. Chef Abby also goes out of her way to answer any questions, related to the class or just the restaurant industry as a whole. She has some great stories too.
The course description said we would be making gazpacho and fruit salad. We actually ran over time, so we spent most of the time working on our vegetable cuts. The fruit part was more of a demo, with her just explaining how to cut and how to pick fruit. Then we sat down and ate the (literal) fruits of our labor.
The classes take place in the restaurant. They don't close down the restaurant, so people can still come in for dinner (they might for larger classes though). I loved the meal I previously had at Camaje, so I can't blame them even though it might be a bit awkward. But that also means that students can order food and it'll be at your table when the class is done (the gazpacho and fruit salad wasn't quite heavy enough for dinner, so this was a tempting prospect).
All in all, this was my second cooking class ever, and I enjoyed it a lot. Chef Abby mentioned that the rest of the courses are more hands-on and you get to go into the kitchen, so I look forward to the day when I'll have a need for those classes!
My friend and I wandered into Camaje Bistro early one evening, thinking that it appeared cute and adorable. Despite it being almost completely empty when we arrived, the dining room filled up as the night went on.
Our lame server had no presence on the floor. He announced that they had no nightly specials, so we asked him for his preferences on the menu. He responded by referencing the "clear winners" on the list, leaving the others to seem merely inadequate. We tried to order a bottle of the Sauvignon Blanc, but they were sold out, so we tried glasses of the Sancerre and Riesling, both of which were flavorful but too light-bodied.
We began our meal with Mixed Olives that had been tastefully covered in olive oil and spices like rosemary. The Pesto-Goat Cheese Crostini was very fresh, aromatic, and herbaceous. The Wild Striped Bass was a bit tough in the center and was served with a bland and mushy saffron-infused pearl pasta. The tomato-olive broth and included kale were spectacular, though. The Spring Lamb Stew included tender, juicy meat and a ton of vegetables, all cooked in a parsley shallot mustard sauce. Our Banoffee Pie dessert was the highlight of the experience. This sweet treat consisted of a graham cracker crust, caramelized bananas, toffee, chocolate shavings, and a phenomenally fluffy espresso whipped cream. My friend never eats cake, but even she loved this decadence.
While our meal had its highs and lows, and could technically deserve more like 2.5 stars, I would say that it would only be worth re-visitng for one of their cooking classes or evenings of dining in the dark.
Did dining in the dark here and the experience was awesome. What wasn't awesome was waiting outside in the cold while they check everyone in.
The food was good, not amazing but def good. Pretty sure the first meal was salmon with chickpea salad and that was wonderful! Overall; we had an awesome time.