Docs

Who would think to look for a great steak house in the corner of a strip mall in Sparta? But having found it, I and my family have returned numerous times with friends who have in turn (after experiencing the same satisfaction) have returned with friends and family of their own.

Just what is it that makes Docs a great find? Well, begin with the welcoming hostess, attentive and knowledgeable staff, nice decor, include jazz music on a Friday or Saturday night, and of course — great food!

I have been to Docs multiple times now. The service and atmosphere were all wonderful. The food was also very wonderful, my favorite being the filet mignon and grilled asparagus. I have no complaints about Docs and I often recommend it to family and friends for an enjoyable evening out.

I’ve eaten at Docs several times now and each experience is better than the next. From its pleasant and professional staff, to its relaxed ambiance and diverse selection of dishes, Docs is the perfect restaurant for a night out with family and friends. Occasionally, you can even catch a live band complimenting its intimate setting.

We have visited Docs both with family and friends at least a 1/2 dozen times in the last 6 months and at all times the service has been excellent starting with the hostess leading us to our table, to the servers serving our meal and to the table being cleaned. Everything was well-paced and balanced.
The food as well has been excellent starting with the Mushroom soup along with either the Jumbo Shrimp or the Lump Crab cocktails. On most occasions I have enjoyed the Filet of Beef cooked medium rare which came out cooked perfectly each time. I have also had the Salmon on one occasion and it proved to be an excellent choice as well. I’ve had the grilled asparagus as a side and again, I enjoyed this dish as well.
On Friday and Saturday nights not only can you enjoy your meal along with a live Jazz three-some, you can actually sit and have a normal level conversation at the same time.
We encourage all to go to Docs and enjoy!

My wife and I went to Docs for our anniversary and were very pleased. I’ve been to some of the best steakhouses around, so let’s get the comparisons out of the way: Docs is not on the level of Peter Luger’s, Sparks, or Wolfgang’s. It’s closer to Smith and Wollensky, Angelo and Maxie, or Ruth’s Chris. It is, however, a notch below the latter restaurants.

That said, for a place only open a few months, it is very good, and has the potential to become excellent with more feedback and time.

For appetizers, I had the jumbo lump crab cocktail and my wife had a half dozen oysters on the half shell. The crab was excellent, some of the best I’ve had. The oysters (and my wife is a connoisseur) were fine, but there were two problems. The first was that the oyster was not separated from the shell, so my wife had to use her fork to pry it off. A high-end joint would have that done. Second, unfortunately, one of the oysters was rotten. That is simply unacceptable. The manager apologized and said these problems were the result of someone new shucking the oysters, and that he would be told so it would not happen again. The matter was handled appropriately, and, quite frankly, we really didn’t dwell on it.

For dinner, I had Docs signature serloin steak, while my wife had the Texas prime serloin. Both were very good and cooked perfectly (medium rare). We both agreed, however, that they could have been more marbled, or perhaps thinner cuts, to offset a bit of chewiness. In addition (and this might just be a matter of culinary style) the meat itself was not noticably seasoned, but rather was served on a light bed of sauce that had seasoning in it, which was quite delicious. The meat was also served with a few string beans and a dab of mashed sweet potatoes with honey, which was a knockout. All in all, we thought the meat was very good; probably a notch below Ruth’s Chris, but certainly better than anything else locally. Given time, perhaps with a little saltier seasoning and a bit more marbeling, the steak at Docs has the potential to be superb.

The sides were very good as well. In particular, the four cheese truffle macaroni and cheese was, quite simply, the best we’d ever had. Everything from the taste and consistency of the cheese to the texture of the pasta was flawless – - fall-out-of-your-seat great. (This was a special that will, thankfully, soon be a staple of the menu). The creamed spinach was top-notch as well, better than I’ve had most anywhere else. My wife thought the tanginess of the crumbled parmesan/panko bread crumbs overpowered the spinach, but I didn’t agree. A matter of taste, I suppose. Overall, the sides were excellent.

Dessert was carrotcake and chocolate ganache cake. Both were very good, and the right portions for each of us to be able to finish after a big meal.

Our service was excellent. Our waiter was polite, knowledgeable, and gave us our privacy unless we needed something. In addition, our water glasses never got below half full (always a sign of good service in my opinion).

Overall, I think that Docs is a very good steakhouse – - especially for having just gotten started – - that can only get better with time, and has the potential to be outstanding. We will definitely return soon.

I go out to eat at least three times a week. I heard great reviews about Docs and since my husband is a steak connoisseur, I figured we would test out a new restaurant. I can honestly say THIS WAS THE BEST MEAL I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE -from the food right down to the ambiance.

We went on a Friday night around 8:30 and there was no wait, though there was a nice sized crowd and a jazz band playing. The tables provide plenty of room to have an intimate conversation without any fear of others hearing. It is spatially well planned.

Everything on the menu is ala carte. We ordered medium well filets, mashed potatoes, french fries, and a salad in red wine vinaigrette.

We were immediately greeted by a hospitable waitress and our drinks came in minutes. Before the waitress completed our drink order, there was warm bread on the table. We only waited a few more minutes for the salad, which was incredible, and a promising indication of what was to come.

My husband, the steak connoisseur, grew excited when he smelled the steak -hoping it would be as good as its aroma indicated.

We didn’t have a long wait to find out. Dinner was served promptly. The filet with demi-glaze could practically melt in your mouth. I’m not a big steak eater -in fact, I rarely finish a steak but this time I barely came up for air. It may quite possibly be the best steak I have ever tasted. The mashed potatoes were second to none. Despite how full we were, we just couldn’t stop eating. When food can actually get my endorphins racing, it’s got to be good.

We topped off our evening with a dessert – chocolate cheesecake, triple-layered with chocolate mouse and cake. We also ordered vanilla ice cream. The presentation was really creative with a shadow of a fork sprinkled on the plate. Just when I thought dinner couldn’t be topped, the dessert was decadent, creamy, and indulgent.

At one point I said to my husband, you just want to stand up and give this place a standing ovation. I even said, this may quite possibly be better than chocolate. A theory I did get to test when the waitress brought some mouth watering pieces of chocolate to the table with our bill.

By Sussex County standards, the meal was on the higher side but worth every penny. Two fillets, a salad, mashed potatoes, french fries, two desserts, bottled water, and four beers ran us around $98.00 plus tip. This was certainly not money wasted.

We can’t give Docs enough stars. This place could turn a vegetarian into a carnivore. It’s really a place not to be missed!!!

We had a really good time at this place. The people over there was very friendly…The food was great… the appetizers and specially the filet mignon were great. I’m going back with my fiancé for a romantic dinner next weekend (I hope she’ll agree with me about this restaurant…)

This was the first time we had ever visited Docs Restaurant. honestly we had never heard of it. We were really impressed with the food quality and quantity, prices, and especially the service.
It was probably the best steakhouse we have been to in a long while

OK! You have to go and try this steakhouse! It’s so worth the money. The steaks are unreal, the seafood is tender and delicious, the martinis are just right! I’m telling you, dinner was unbelievable from the apps to the coffee at the end of the meal. This is on my top ten!

We were visiting our family in NJ and some friends recommended this place. I think it’s the best food I’ve eaten in a long… long time!!! The steak was simply superb. It was worth trying this restaurant. I’m just looking forward to go back there.

We had a good time.my steak was pretty good, the customer service was nice, and the wait staff was attentive.

First visit on November 24, 2007. It is a steak house on the order of Ruth’s Chris and The Palms (Mortons as well).
Service was skilled, quick, polite and knowledgeable.
The starter of clams casino was excellent, soft, tasty and fresh. A very unusual starter was the sauteed hot Italian peppers. A large mound of 4-6 inch, wicked hot, red and green peppers with garlic and olive oil was placed in front of me. Wonderful, assuming you like hot peppers. The main course of 6 ounce aged fillet mignon was cooked to perfection (medium rare as I ordered), soft and tender; also wonderful! Everything is ala carte, so be careful as you order. Two steaks, shared giant baked potato, included house salads, the two appetizers described above, two glasses of wine and a shared chocolate dream mocca cake with coffee will cost about $95 plus tip. Worth every penny. Atmosphere is warm and low-lite but there was a good deal of table noise. Not a problem but it is not a place for intimate conversation (at least not when I was there). Highly recommended. I’ll be going back. Try it!

Good food, kind of heavy side they have to work on their salads, service from chip diner do not have knowledge about the food, patronizing customers by calling them sweetheart or petting their shoulders, you might get the waitress wearing cheap, strong perfumes if you are lucky you can be a witness of the fight beetwen the wait staff.

Since my retirement a group of us decided to create a dining critic internet club. We have basically reviewed and dined at many of the South Jersey shore Eateries. This past weekend we decided to travel north and one of our Members heard of Doc’s. Being out of the area since the mid nineties, we decided to make the trip. Never again, we all were disappointed with the host/management. We enjoyed the food and our waiter but when it came to personal service from the owner, their was none. My wife and I remember back in the mid-nineties dining at our favorite restaurant in Jefferson. Sirocco’s, where is the owner? In our hearts we wanted to go back their but our friends told us was no longer open. So I guess until the owner of Sirocco’s re-opens in Northern New Jersey we will stay south.

I don’t eat red meat, I was raised as a fish lover. I have been to Docs about 4 times now and each fish plate I get beats the next. I started out with a staple salmon which comes with a nice portion of sauteed spinnach, excellent. After going in for the Sword Fish and Tuna I thought It was back to the salmon (my fav) …..NOPE! I enjoyed a Medditeranian Sea Bass called a Bhronzino (sp?) It was out of this world!!! My husband is all about that sirlion everone gets excited over, but im finding Docs to be as good a seafood purveyor as great steak. There is enough range in the white wine list that my dishes have been well accompanied. It looks like the staff there has finally settled into a fluid professional groove, and the manager was a delight, thanks for making me feel at home and feeding me so well!

Within the first 10 minutes of entering Docs, it became apparent that the people running the place lack experience in the restaurant management department. For a business that claims to want to ‘provide legendary service – the unigue and powerful sort of personal care and attention that our guest tell will stories bout,’ it is nothing more than just okay. Here is my story I am going to tell you about Docs, ‘Once upon a time I went out to eat at a restaurant called Docs and I paid a lot of money for a mediocre meal. Story over.’
Also, nothing to do with the meal or anything, but it really bothered me personally that the name Docs lacks and apostrophe…are there multiple Docs? I don’t think I get it.

Since we have two boys, going out for dinner is very rare but we got a babysitter and decided to treat ourselves. We just moved here and the neighborhood told us about Doc’s. We went for it. I went online and made reservations for 6:15pm on Valentine’s Day. I reviewed the menu and thought about what I wanted. I was so excited about the food I wanted to enjoy in PEACE!!!! We got there and the waitress handed us a predetermined menu for teh night. All of the food I wanted was not on the menu. I asked the waitress if I could order from the menue and she said no. I told here that there was nothing on their website that said the menu was cut down to a couple of things. She just smiled. I order a rum and coke and teh coke was flat. The only pre-appetizer available was a seafood salad, sorry I dont like seafood. Our meal came out and it was ok. Our table was in the middle of the room and my view was of a white wall. The bill after eating things I settled for was $198.00 plus tip. Yep two drinks and steak!!! Then my wife was suppose to get a rose for the holiday and guess what… she didnt get one. Nice touch. For the money… drive to Outback.

It seems from the other reviews that this place can be hit or miss, but maybe some people are just being a little uptight. Also, I ask myself, who is to say that these reviewers are very credible sources? And how do you know I am? Well, all I can say is that I am from New York City, and I do appreciate a great meal. Now, I’ll share my experience.

We arrived at Docs and liked the atmosphere (outside- a nice waterfall, inside- warm and a bit dim, but in a romantic way). The sweet hostess led us to a table for two on the wall. Our waiter was very knowledgeable, especially about wine. We both enjoyed our meals- mine: caesar salad & filet mignon. my partner: twin lobster tails & a jumbo baked potato. everything was cooked to perfection except for the potato, a little dry. when we said something, the waiter brought us docs potatoes, which were to die for! Retro cake for dessert was just as great.

While we were there, I could see that there was some conflict between the owner and some staff, so I understand how others might have been bothered by that when dining. Honestly, we just weren’t concerned with it, though, because we loved our food and we loved our server! I

The only way this place compares to high quality Manhattan dining is the price! The dining experience at this restaurant is not worth the money! The service was poor the food undercooked and the owner was an arrogant baffoon who thinks he is a celebrity chef.

The people who have reviewed this place and made the comparison to NYC dining don’t know what they are talking about. They are obviously shills for the owners or some friends or relatives who were asked to write positive reviews.

Avoid this place at all costs. Dinner at this place will cost you a small fortune!!! The money you save could buy a great meal in Manhattan with plenty leftover for cab fare!

Our family gathered at Docs (4 of us) for an early New Years Eve dinner. We arrived promptly at the appointed time having been warned not to be late. After waiting 10 minutes we were advised to wait in the bar. We were seated 25 minutes late, and placed at a table beside the french doors leading to the outside pation. Needless to say, it was very cold. The tables were tightly scrunched and two in our party were constantly jostled as waiters attempted to serve patrons at other tables. The order was promptly taken. The shrimp cocktail appetizer lived up to its billing, collossal with a tangy cocktail sauce. The spooned scallops in mashed was a disppointment; scallops were thinly sliced and mashed was ordinary. House salad was disappointing- crushed iceberg lettuce with diced tomato and cucumbers in sparse portions. The games began with the service. Water was spilled on my son with no acknowledgement and a ‘look away’ when the waiter noticed. His entree was ordered incorrectly by the waiter, only to be discovered when it was served. The problem was further exacerbated when the reorder was lost between the confusion of the waiter, the maitre de (who became involved), and the kitchen, so no meal for my son. My sirloin steak was gristly and overcooked. The maitre de, aware of our troubles, took the waiter aside but never spoke with us or acknowledged the problems with service. The Amish chicken was very good and a petite filet was undercooked and quite rare even though ordered as medium well. Reorders of drinks never came.

This was our second attempt at Docs. The first time was soon after they opened and we assumed that the service would improve as the staff gained experience. Given our challenges during this visit, we were mistaken, and quite taken back by the lack of concern of the maitre de.

We will not return.

I had heard about Docs for about a year now but it took my quite some time before I came by. I was pleasantly suprised to find myself walking into a portal; taking me far from my hometown of Jefferson to what appeared to be… manhatten? In Sussex county?? I have frequented many of the finer steakhouses in NY, Kobe Club, Ruths Chris, Providence, Lugars etc I am happy to admit I may not have to travel so far in the future. Perfect service was paired with excellent wine choices and the food was on par with some of my NY favorites. If this place was in the city, you would have to fight for months to get a reservation, lucky for some of us; its in our backyard. The dim light and smooth jazz made my date one to remember, I always hated the NY traffic! Thanks for setting up shop so close to home!

I had a family reunion at Doc’s this afternoon. I entered the restaurant with my party and was met by the maitre’ d and inquired for a wine list. He sat us at a table ( we were the only patrons in the restaurant at 2 o’clock pm) and presented a bottle of wine off of a display that he offered for the special price of $50. He finally brought a wine list and the waiter approached. Where as the Maitre’d was rather pushy, our waiter was charming and knowledgeable. We had a brief but intelligent conversation about a few wines on the list and settled on a nice Zinfandel. We ordered lunch and proceded with our family reunion. The waiter was knowledgeable and attentive without being intrusive. I wanted Oysters on the half shell and was told he would have to check to be sure they were available today. (What raw bar?) The waiter then assured that oysters on the half shell, blue points from maryland were available and took our order. Over all the food was enjoyable, a few high notes were the oysters, the mushroom soup, and the signature salad (Doc’s salad) which the waiter made sure to let us knowwe could add a choice of protiens too. Again, the service was enjoyable, the waiter was intelligent and engaging, but knew when to step away. The Maitre’d on the other hand approached the table a couple of times and was aggressive and intrusive. Annoying! We didnt have dessert, but the waiter brought us mints with our check which seemed thoughtful at lunch.

Over all it was a mixed bag experience. Perhaps if the Maitre’d had stayed out of the picture this would have been a 3 star rating. However I can only rate it 1 star and that credit mostly goes to the waiter that served us on Weds afternoon.

My Husband and I had an 8:30 reservation. By 9:30 and still waiting for drinks, water, bread, and some acknowledment of being there we were about to walk out. We were told that the bar was packed and the waiter was waiting for our drinks. Have they heard of a thing called Service Bartenders? There was only bus boy for a busy restaurant (no wonder no water and bread). Our waiter spent more time behind the computer entering orders, getting checks and cleaning tables off then tending to his tables with thristy/hungry customers. The Hostess and Maître d were so busy tending to friends of theirs then to notice how frustrated their other customer’s were getting by this unbelieveable lack of service. Oh and to compensate us for our aggrevation we received an apology and drink on the house. EXTEMELY UNPROFESSIONAL. I expect they will lose repeat customers and new ones because of word of mouth based on this night alone. SERVICE is as important as good food.

The food was perfect. However, beware that everything is priced separately: the entre comes with house salad ONLY; you want gorgonzola cheese on top? $1.50 extra (and they don’t tell you). You want a refill on iced tea? another $2.50. You want a vegetable or starch with your entre, extra charge (asparagus is $8).
But the food was tops. Service was average at best.

I had to put one star as this site will not let you give it no stars. Not only does this place deserve no stars it is horrible place to eat, it is owned by the nastiest and rudest owner I have ever encountered. It is not surprising that this restaurant serves overpriced, low grade dogfood to unsuspecting patrons. The service was poor from beginning to end with arude and nasty wait staff and owner. It is obvious from looking at this place that this dump is in financial distress, there was not enough staff for a weekend night. I understand from other locals that there is constant turnover among the staff and chefs due to the low class owner. The word around the area is that this place is a rip-off and should be avoided at all costs!!!! I guess it is aptly named “Docs” as you will likely need a trip to the doctor after your meal. The place was dirty, dark, disorganized and a public health hazard. The owner seems more interested in schmoozing with his buddies at the bar than attending to his dining customers.The place is not family friendly and the owner clearly has serious problems This place will likely be closing soon!!!!!

We came with a gift certificate from Restaurant.com,spent $12 each on two appetizers, $6 for the least expensive glass of wine, $25 on grilled swordfish $8-$10 for Margherita pizza, and about $10 per dessert, and the proprietor refused the gift certificate because he didn’t consider the Margherita pizza expensive enough to qualify as an enter, even though we were under no obligation to spend $35-40 on “extras”. Unfortunately, the crude lack of professionalism left a bad taste in nour mouth, as if we were buying dry goods at Walmart, rather than an expensive dinner.
The lump crab cake was good, but overpriced. The creamed spinach overpowered the oysters in oysters Rockefeller. The swordfish was good, and the Margharita pizza was just OK. The rasberry chocolate moose was lacking flavor and pasty.

ITS SAD TO SAY THAT AGAIN, IN SPARTA THERE IS NOT A SINGE DECENT RESTAURANT. AFTER DINING IN DOCS A “GREAT” STEAKHOUSE MY EXPERIENCE WAS THAT PEOPLE DONT KNOW HOW OR WHAT TO EAT. GREAT REVIEWS ON THE INTERNET BUT ACTUALLY I DONT KNOW IF THE PEOPLE KNOW ANY BETTER. IVE EATEN IN FIVE STAR RESTAURANTS AND SO I CANT COMPARE THIS PLACE OR COME EVEN CLOSE TO A GOOD STEAKHOUSE. WANT TO EAT GREAT FOOD AT A STEAKHOUSE,….TRY THE RIVER PALM IN BERGEN COUNTY…ITS WORTH THE DRIVE…ITS THE SAME MONEY AND WELL WORTH IT. DOCS RUSHES YOU IN ON A SAT NIGHT, FORGETS ENTREES, TOO DARK TO SEE YOUR FOOD AND THE MEAT WAS VERY FATTY…WE DID NOT STAY FOR DESERT…WE WERE IN AND OUT IN A LITTLE OVER AN HOUR..AND DINNER FOR FOUR SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THAT QUICK…VERY DISAPPOINTED AND WOULD NOT RECOMMEND IT.