Delicious Heights Outpost Opens at Former Bamboo Grille Location

The new Delicious Heights Outpost restaurant has replaced the Bamboo Grille at the Basking Ridge Country Club, perhaps almost in record time: the Bamboo Grille's lease at the golf course property expired on Oct. 31, and Delicious Heights Outpost was open by last Wednesday, Nov. 13.

Painters worked 15 to 18-hour days, overhead televisions were installed and a new floor was laid to prepare Delicious Heights Outpost for its opening, said Walter Espinosa, general manager at the restaurant off North Maple Avenue in Basking Ridge.

Complete with menu, a website, already is up for Delicious Heights Outpost and for Basking Ridge Country Club Catering, which replaces Fair Winds Fine Catering at the facility at 185 Madisonville Road. Two Delicious Heights restaurants, with the same owners, already are open in Bedminster and Berkeley Heights.

Just the night before the opening, on Nov. 12, one of the owners of the new restaurant, and catering service had approached the Bernards Township Committee, and had obtained the transferral of a liquor license from Bamboo Grille.

Township Officials, including Township Attorney John Belardo, suggested that the representatives for the restaurant might want to wait another month to review the conditions attached to the license limiting hours of live music, and attaching related requirements.

The attorney for Delicious Heights Outpost, Jared Kantor, said that the owners would be willing to abide by the conditions, which are in place at least until the license comes back before the Township Committee for renewal next year, but needed to get the license in place as soon as possible. 

One of the owners, Ralph Acquaviva, also attended last week's Township Committee meeting, and later said the restaurant was planning to open the very next day.

The dispute with two neighbors about outdoors music "was a problem that went on for a long time and it finally was resolved," Deputy Mayor John Carpenter noted last week.

Espinosa said on Wednesday that Delicious Heights Outpost does not yet have live music scheduled, but plans to do so at the future. He reiterated the restaurant's intention to get along with neighbors, to whom he said he already has spoken.

Eventually, one of the measures taken by the previous restaurant owners, Growth Restaurants, was the installation of a berm between the closest home and the golf course outside of the catering facility. The owner of the Basking Ridge Country Club did not renew the license with Growth Restaurants, according to one of the Growth partners.

On Wednesday, a for-sale sign was placed outside of the home right next door to the Basking Ridge Country Club. 

Espinosa on Wednesday said that additional renovations are planned on the outside patio and exterior of the building. A sign outside invited potential employees to apply within.

The new restaurant is open six days a week, and is closed on Mondays, he said.