A Review of Moonshine Modern Supper Club, in Millburn WHEN Joe San Philip and his partners took over a two-story restaurant space in Millburn with noisy acoustics, they moved the bar into the storefront next door to quiet things down. Drinkers, they hoped, would mosey from the bar into the dining room and back again. Their next move was to concoct a cocktail list with a mixture of updated classics, like a ginger sidecar, and newer creations like Cynars and Saints, a bittersweet potion of artichoke and elderflower liqueurs topped with prosecco. Only then did the owners and their chef, Francis X. Falivene, apply the retro-new theme to the menu, where entrees like lobster Thermidor that evoke the Prohibition era cohabitate with bistro-style salads and pizzas. The result, Moonshine Modern Supper Club, which opened in November, provides those so inclined with a taste of nostalgia for an imagined past, while allowing others to keep their plates and palates focused squarely on the present. As it happened, my two visits bespoke a different duality: the first was disappointing, featuring dishes light on taste but heavy on cheese (the Thermidor, alas, and the oysters Rockefeller, as well as a fondue appetizer), slow service and even a dirty bathroom. The second, on a Tuesday, was simply terrific, and caused me to look at the place - where big paintings of animals and other eye-catching appointments interrupt the expanses of dark gray walls - in an entirely different light. It also may be that I sampled fewer of the vintage dishes on the return trip. Instead, my companions and I stumbled across wondrous gnocchi made with chopped truffles and truffle juice, matched with crispy veal-and-truffle meatballs, and bathed with crispy pancetta in a sherry and mushroom cream sauce. We sampled crunchy, tender shrimp, sautéed and spiced with Spanish paprika, bedded down in an even tastier salad of frisée, chickpeas and roasted piquillo peppers drizzled with sherry vinegar and paprika-infused oil. And we tore into a pizza baked plain and then topped, out of the oven, with bitter but unwilted arugula and warmed, not crisped, prosciutto. On my first visit, I'd succumbed to the charms of the duck egg and hash appetizer: a homemade confit (cured with Cognac), shredded and mixed with sweet potatoes and butter and crowned with a poached egg and hollandaise. The roasted beet salad did its job nicely. And the grilled mahi-mahi, with Brussels sprouts, parsnip purée and onions cooked in port wine, seemed a good combination for the end of a mild winter. But the New York strip, a fine piece of meat prepared just as finely, came with a chimichurri sauce that needed more garlic. What was excellent on both occasions was Mr. Falivene's all-but-dissolving, wholly mouthwatering short ribs, slow-braised in Burgundy and veal stock and cooled in the liquid overnight before being reheated to order. As if that were not enough, he served the meat over both cheddar cheese grits (even fattier for having been cooked in milk and cream) and collard greens that were cooked to perfection, for nearly three hours, with bacon, onions, red wine vinegar and - no kidding - Old Bay. Not everything bowled us over: the generous portion of seared ahi tuna, in a sherry-almond romesco sauce, was overpowered by the chorizo added to its accompaniment of braised borlotti beans. And the duck à l'orange - a duck breast, rather - was slightly overcooked, though we still enjoyed it, as we did the blanched green beans and buttery purée of celery root that came with it. But ounce for ounce, what nearly matched the short rib in delectability was a side dish of braised savoy cabbage, slow-cooked with bacon, Granny Smith apples, onions, garlic, celery and apple cider vinegar. Mr. Falivene served it with a now-bygone salmon Wellington, but he didn't get around to taking it off the menu. Try it before he does. Dessert is not Mr. Falivene's specialty, as he volunteered in a phone call after my visits, and Moonshine has given up hiring a pastry chef for now. The apple tart, chocolate mousse and crème brûlée all performed adequately. But what achieved more, with less, were the caramel-and-sea-salt ice cream, and the raspberry-merlot and blood orange sorbets, all from Piece of Cake in Rahway. Mr. Falivene earned strong notices with Ora, his own restaurant in Morristown (since closed), and at City Bistro in Hoboken, after working as chef de cuisine at Artisanal bistro in Manhattan. Whether his new supper club succeeds over the long term will depend not on a fancier dessert selection, however, but on a kitchen that can make those old-school dishes seem truly worth bringing back to the future. Moonshine Modern Supper Club 55 Main Street Millburn (973) 218-6042 moonshinesupperclub.com THE SPACE Bistro-style dining room with open kitchen seating 40; upstairs dining room seating 50; and back room seating 18. The attractively decorated, comfortable bar seats 20, and 18 at lounge tables. Sidewalk and patio seating in warm weather for two dozen or so more. Wheelchair accessible on the first floor. THE CROWD In their 30s and up, on dates or business outings, having a swell old time. The staff was solicitous on a slow night but overmatched on a busy one. THE BAR Excellent cocktails, $10; 20 draft and 30 bottled beers, $6 to $11; international list of about 100 wines by the bottle, $26 to $240; 50 available in 3-ounce glasses, $4 to $11, or 6-ounce glasses, $7 to $20. Live music on some nights. THE BILL Appetizers, $7 to $16. Dinner entrees, $22 to $35 (and a porterhouse for two, which costs $90). The restaurant is on the expensive side, though portions are ample. American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa accepted. WHAT WE LIKED Paprika spiced shrimp, duck egg and hash, truffle gnocchi and meatballs, roasted beet salad, prosciutto and arugula pizza, savoy cabbage, grilled mahi-mahi, duck à l'orange, braised beef short ribs, chocolate mousse, apple tart, ice cream and sorbet. IF YOU GO Lunch: Monday to Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Brunch: Saturday and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bar menu daily, 3 to 5 p.m. Dinner: Monday to Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 5 to 9 p.m. Reservations recommended Thursday to Saturday. Parking in rear municipal lot and office-building lot around the corner.