Went to a friend's wedding at the Ryland Inn. To say it was spectacular would be an understatement. The fire pits and patio were amazing for a cocktail hour. The food was excellent and the interior had a wonderful feel too.

Overrated. Overpriced. Oversalted, Not great food. Not romantic. Not my favorite. I don't understand how you can say romantic with in a bright room with large tables where you can hear everyone. The table was such that I was as close to my wife as I was to the guy at the next table. Several people were annoying loud. There was no music till a just ok singer started in the bar. The candle light was a cheap looking shot glass with a warming candle in it. The linens were white on white industrial bleached. The place setting is a picture in a frame. All together, not romantic. As for the food. The steak tartare was a do-it-yourself kit. I go out when I don't want to cook. The salad greens were so fresh they still had all the stems on them. The beet salad was 1/2 a beet. The salty scallops arrived in a dog dish with a cheese-wiz sauce. A free shot of salty soup was served on the picture frame. The steak arrived with the wine reduction in a little pitcher and was then liberally applied. The duck seamed rare. The portion size was good. No need to reach for the salt shaker. The steak knives were odd but cut well - which was needed. The service was odd also. No one offered to take a coat. We were taken directly to the dinning room. We were rushed to give a drink order. There was only one drink menu in the wine book which I handed to my wife as the waiter was describing each of 10 drinks poorly from memory. My wife ordered her drink but I needed the book back. I finally just order a glass of wine as the waiter stood there even though I was going to order a bottle. The bottle prices were triple retail anyway. So, the waiter finally took the coatwhen asked - after we got our drinks. In contrast to this, when dessert finally came and we wanted a second coffee, he was nowhere to be found. The other resturants in this group are better. When does a group become a chain?

Super experience. Food was out standing. Excellent wines and service. Great setting. Expensive but totally worth it. I have no complaints whatsoever.

Having been customers of the Ryland Inn before it's sudden demise in 2007, my wife and I were pleased to hear it had reopened but were quite skeptical that it could be of the quality we had enjoyed in years past. I'm glad to say, that skepticism was unfounded and we had a fantastic dining experience there last night. Upon arrival, one has the choice of self-parking or taking advantage of the valet service at the front door. As we entered the restaurant for our 6:30 reservation, we were greeted and seated promptly. Our main waiter greeted us within a couple minutes with menus and wine list in hand, pre-dinner drinks arrived quickly, and fresh warm rolls were added to our bread plates. As a Gin & Tonic drinker, I enjoyed that beverage with the Ryland Inn's self-crafted tonic, which was very good, while my wife sipped a Martini. For appetizers, my wife had the Composition of Autumn Squash while I had the Spanish Octopus. The Autumn Squash was excellent with the only observation being that the pumpkin seed crisp that accompanied it could have been more flavorful. My Spanish Octopus was stellar. And while I realize not everyone is an octopus eater, if you ever wanted to try it, this is the place to do so. Having narrowed down the wine list to three choices, I asked the sommelier for his opinion of the three. Without doubt, he chose one over the other two and no, he did not pick the most expensive of the three. In fact, although all were priced closely, he picked the least expensive noting he had recently sampled this wine and thought it was one of the best wines he had recently tasted. He was right. This 2005 Muga Rioja "Prado Enea" was excellent. For entrees, my wife had the Long Island Duck while I dined on Horseradish Crusted Salmon. Both dishes were plated and presented well, cooked to perfection, and tasted fantastic. Accompanying our entrees we had Creamed Spinach and NJ Corn & Polenta as side dishes. These too were cooked and seasoned perfectly and were so good, I found my self scooping more and more onto my now empty plate even though I was fairly full at this point. This also speaks to the portion size of the sides which was plentiful. Our entrees cleared, we sat chatting, sipping our wine, and both noted that while attentive and there to pour what remained in our decanter just as our glasses were almost empty (a positive), there was absolutely no pressure to order deserts or turn the table. In fact, not until our wine was almost gone did they even hand us the desert menus. I found this quality of service top-notch. Able to sit, talk, digest, and enjoy our wine without any pressure was the pinnacle of the stellar service we had received all evening from the entire wait staff. And kudos to the wait staff for their attentiveness and professionalism throughout our meal as poor service, even with great food, would never bring us back a second time. Dessert didn't disappoint either. We shared a cheese board featuring local chesses with fruits, roasted nuts, and honey accompanied by a Sauterne and 20 year old Port - also both very tasty. In case you hadn't come to this conclusion yet, this was one of, if not THE top dining experiences we've had in many years. The Ryland Inn is back ... and in a more stellar way than it's previous incarnation.

The food is very high quality with excellent ingredients. Portions are too small for the price - which is as high any place in nj. Cocktails are very well prepared and wines are interesting. Patio is really nice but the lack of a bistro menu makes it less appealing. New ownership has certainly spent a lot on the place, but service is below the level of the food and decor and the place seems to lack any form of dining room management. There is work to be done.