THIS NEW JERSEY CELEBRITY CHEF RECAPTURED HIS ROOTS BY REVIVING THE LANDMARK RESTAURANT THAT ONCE INSPIRED HIM AS A TEEN, CRAFTING A MODERN STEAKHOUSE CONCEPT WITH SIGNATURE CUTS AND CREATIVITY ON TAP

BY KT HARRISON PHOTOS BY ALEX BARRETO

As culinary bliss sweeps over you at Red Horse in Rumson, consider its origin story. Conjure this picture: a wisecracking Raritan High senior, class of 1980, zooms his AMC Green Gremlin into the very lot your car is presently valet-parked. He hurries through the delivery entrance toward the staff lockers. He pulls a comb through his shaggy blond hair, exchanges his Converse high-tops for sober black lace-ups, and pulls on a white chef’s jacket. This 17-year-old from Hazlet two towns away is a cook, not a dishwasher or potato-peeler, at Fromagerie, an idyllic French restaurant and a blazing comet in the Jersey dining firmament. This kid is moving just as fast. With three years of cooking behind him, he already has the focus, instincts, and moves of a seasoned chef.

This teen toque is David Burke. And while another precocious Monmouth County kid, Bruce Springsteen, was born to run, Burke was born to cook. “Fromagerie was a revelation: the teamwork, the passion, the exquisiteness of the ingredients and the masterpieces we created together,” he recalled dreamily. “It was another level of existence for me, and I knew my future: transforming nature’s gifts into dining joy. I applied and got into the Culinary Institute of America, and since then I’ve been true to my mission: to eventually own restaurants with passion in the kitchen and delight in the dining room.” At age 26, Burke’s career was catapulted by a three-star New York Times review of The River Cafe in Brooklyn Heights, where the Hazlet kid was executive chef.

Today, Burke owns a dozen restaurants centered in Manhattan and in his home state, with West Palm Beach on the horizon. Prophetically, Red Horse Steakhouse by David Burke at Rumson now occupies the old Fromagerie. Burke bought the restaurant when his mentors retired in 2006. “It was a full-circle moment to return to the Bay Shore and give the community something as fresh as Fromagerie had been in its time,” he said.

Burke kept the Fromagerie name and sparked new acclaim for the imaginative, playful dishes that still embellish his menus, like Clothesline Bacon (dangling on mini clothespins), Lobster Dumplings with tomato miso, and the DB Roasted Chicken, which emerges in Flintstones mode, its leg bone skyward.

Burke sold Fromagerie in 2015, “but I missed it too much,” he said. When it arrived back on the market in 2021, he snapped it up (“before anyone else did,” he added), reopening as Red Horse by David Burke. It’s named for the painting of a calm yet alert red horse that adorns the restaurant. “I bought it during the pandemic, and the horse’s quiet power represented hope to me,” he said. Burke and his crew spent this time cooking and wrapping dishes to-go for neighbors, along with 100,000-plus meals for frontline workers.

Since then, Red Horse has evolved to suit its clientele. “Bay Shore locals love going out to eat,” Burke said. “They want variety and novel experiences. So that’s what we’re giving them. The fun never stops.” Red Horse is simultaneously a dinner and brunch eatery with a choice of environments, like an elegant, convivial dining room and a lively, neighborly bar wing with 50 perches and a tucked-away dining nook. For private events, Red Horse furnishes three dining rooms; the upstairs Loft space can entertain 60 guests.

Burke and his kitchen team, led by executive chef and Monmouth County boy “Chef Jeff” Rescigno, flaunt a diverse menu that pays homage to the Garden State’s abundant farms and fishermen, with the creativity their guests have come to crave. “We serve what our guests want to eat, always with an exciting, flavor boosting twist,” said Rescigno. “We’re allergic to boring.”

The proof is in the plates. Red Horse’s meaty salmon filet seduces under a fragrant veil of ginger. Its velvety braised lamb shank is dressed with lemon-garlic gremolata. And its pork chop with Sandy Hook clams “is a playground on a plate,” Rescigno quipped.

And if you’re intent on a delicious classic, Red Horse tempts with the likes of impeccably pan-roasted branzino, or short ribs with truffle mashies, or luscious mac & cheese with optional lobster. Some couples come to share the gently priced seafood tower for two, and few can resist a delectable dessert from Burke’s longtime prince of pastry, Stuart Marx.

These days, with “steakhouse” newly hitched to its name, Red Horse has beefed up its selection of superlative Prime Angus and American Wagyu cuts. Graceful or gargantuan, almost all steaks are dry-aged via Burke’s patented Himalayan salt method. Yes, salt. “While in the Holy Land with a contingent of chefs, we floated in the Dead Sea, which is mostly salt,” said the chef. “When I came out, my skin was as soft as a baby’s. So I had to try salt in the meat-aging locker. Sure enough: incredibly smooth and tender.”

Nearly all steaks are dry-aged, even the fantasy “OG” burger. As Burke explained, “When I came up with this one, I stopped tweaking.” The OG stars in Red Horse’s fan-favorite Tuesday Burger Night, complete with a salad, fries, and glass of wine, all for a thrifty $29. Every evening offers a similar steal of a meal, whether steak, prime rib, pasta, or fish (on Friday, of course). Tuesday’s happy hour runs all night, and Red Horse’s “Pony Express” Sunday brunch banquet delivers dazzling value. Prix fixe events kick off weekly, whether dinner-and-a-show or a multi-course feast in partnership with a Jersey winery, distillery, or sustain able farm.

When asked why he keeps his tabs so modest, the Jersey boy said, “This restaurant, and this corner of Jersey, are precious to me.” Like The Boss himself, Burke still makes his home in Monmouth County. “What am I doing? I’m returning the love.”

Red Horse Steakhouse by David Burke

26 Ridge Road, Rumson 732-576-3400 / redhorsebydb.com