Restaurant Serenade is run by chef James Laird and Nancy Sheridan Laird, who met in the kitchen of The Ryland Inn and have owned Serenade since 1996. Laird trained at the Culinary Institute of America and in France under Georges Blanc and Alain Pic, and cooks contemporary French food with classic technique and seasonal ingredients. The current Harvest Tasting Menu runs from a creamless harvest soup with black truffle to house-made short rib tortellini, halibut or rack of lamb, and lemon cake, each course paired with a wine. Serenade has been on AAA's Four Diamond list every year since 1999, including 2026.
No farms are named on the menus. The Lairds have given back to Chatham: in August 2020 a "Jersey Fresh and Strong" dinner sent $500 each to the Chatham Borough Fire Department and the Chatham Emergency Squad (TAPinto).
What’s here
- Served here
- Harvest Tasting Menu, four courses, $89 a person; wine pairings $45 · Dishes such as short rib tortellini with black truffle emulsion and roasted rack of lamb · Dinner, Saturday, bar and dessert menus · A full wine list and cocktail menu · Takeout ordered online, 4:30–9 PM · Group dinners for 9 to 16 in the main room, three courses at $85 a person
What sets it apart
- Calvisius caviar tasting, three 10 g caviars with potato pancakes, $79
- Thai lobster bisque with coconut, lime and ginger, $16
- Wagyu cheeseburger on an English muffin, $29
- Dry-aged 20 oz cowboy steak, $59
- Harvest Tasting Menu, four courses $89 (wine pairings $45)
From the September and October 2026 menus. Menus change. See the current menu →
Where the food comes from
Says it uses locally sourced vegetables and naturally raised meats but names no farms (Resy page, Oct 2026)
Giving back
- Jersey Fresh and Strong dinner that gave $500 each to the Chatham Borough Fire Department and the Chatham Emergency Squad (2020-08-20)
Details checked against Restaurant Serenade’s own site on ; not yet confirmed by the business. Hours change, so check before you go. Spot a mistake? Tell us.