steakas

Last night I was a first-timer at Restaurant Nicholas. Our meals were extraordinary! The restaurant is currently serving the early spring menu. I started with the Seared Foie Gras (which was paired with some sort of wine – I forgot what it was?). The Foie Gras ate like butter and the wine was a precise compliment. My main course was the Nova Scotia Lobster with the truffle butter sauce. Both were superb! My wife started with the lobster/saffron soup and had the pulled pork as her main course. Of course I sampled her portions and each were fantastic! All of the great things I’ve heard about this place are very true. Service was excessive with care and attention. Restaurant Nicholas is a landslide ahead of any restaurant in the area. They are up there with the big-boys such as Ryland Inn and French Laundry. There is no reason to eat anywhere else. I’m happy there’s a fantastic restaurant in my hometown. I will be back, very shortly, time and again.

In my opinion River Palm Terrace serves the best steak in the State. John's meat market provides the best steak in the state. Runner-up restaurants would be Strip House, Pete Lorenzo's and then Sammy's. Sammy's, however, has a great atmosphere. They also (as mentioned above) have fantastic vodka pasta and I love their shrimp scampi.

In my opinion River Palm Terrace serves the best steak in the State. John's meat market provides the best steak in the state. Runner-up restaurants would be Strip House, Pete Lorenzo's and then Sammy's. Sammy's, however, has a great atmosphere. They also (as mentioned above) have fantastic vodka pasta and I love their shrimp scampi.

Sammy's steak for 2 is $100! It's the first USDA 3-digit steak I've ever seen. Their steak for 1 is $50. Any thoughts? Is any piece of beef worth this amount? Sammy's Ye Old Cider Mill - Menu Dave

Thank you for all your input.

My mother-in-law is part Italian and was raised with Italian cooking. My mother isn't Italian. Both make very good red sauce. However my mother adds lemon juice to her sauce. Both my wife and mother-in-law say lemon is a big "no-no". In fact, they both laugh about it. I don't know??? Please give me your thoughts... Thanks, :Dave

Is Trenton South Jersey? If so, this place gets my vote. Pete Lorenzo's

We are going to Restaurant Nicholas the Saturday before. I'm confident this restaurant will do it right!!!

I guess this isn't going anywhere. Any thoughts on the differences?

I agree (and I don't agree with the driving part)!

Restaurant Nicholas

Navesink Fishery, Middletown Shore Cafe, Hazlet Beacon Street Grille, Neptune

My top 7 list for "NJ Restaurants I Want To Try This Year" in 2004: Saddle River Inn Moonstruck, Asbury Park (12/12/04) Mignon, Rutherford (1/31/04) Frankie and Johnnie's, Hoboken (2/20/04) Kinchley's Tavern, Ramsey (1/11/04) Whispers, Spring Lake Rat's, Hamilton (3/27/04) My fifth stop was Moonstruck in Asbury (it looks like Whispers and Saddle River Inn will wait for another year). Anyway, my experience at Moonstruck was great! It was Sunday at 6:00 PM and the place was nearly full, however I was seated immediately. The cocktail lounge is at the lowermost level and has a piano. This level accommodates smokers and appears to be a relaxing place to enjoy a drink and sit with your friends. The remainder of the restaurant (middle and upper floor) is non-smoking. Service was prompt and professional. We had mussels and lamb quesadillas for appetizers. The mussels were served in a white wine/garlic sauce, which had a hint of tomato. The mussels weren’t overly large and were beardless. They were very good. The lamb quesadillas were unique. I’ve never had them before, nor have I ever seen them on a menu. It was served with a garlic yogurt sauce, which reminded me of my father’s Syrian leban Sauce. The sauce complimented the quesadillas great. I ate the grilled lamb chops for dinner. They were cooked with rosemary garlic butter. It was a simple meal, however the chops were cooked perfectly and tasted very “lamby.” Great meal! My wife ordered a linguine seafood special which I didn’t taste. Overall, the dining room was very relaxing and not too loud. The room was pretty and has lots of mirrors. I really like this restaurant. Moonstruck is a great place to impress a date. This restaurant will definitely become one of my favorite places. I cannot wait to go back. PS: the place will even get better when my company designs the attractive streetscape on Lake Ave. :D

My company threw us the annual Holiday party. It was at Branches in West Long Branch. The place doesn't have a cocktail room and simply couldn't handle the crowd of 250 +/-. My meal (stuffed flounder) tasted like it was defrosted. Stay away...

I was extremely fortunate and filled a dropout seat last Wednesday. What a restaurant!!!

Yeah, give them a call. Their bone-in strip is about $19/lb. If you like sweet Italian sausage give that a try too. Tell me about their steak. Thanks :Dave

I agree with you. A little over a year ago I read a review about a NJ steakhouse that made mention of Harris' & Luger's as the "countries best." This review seemed to have come from a reliable source, so my natural thought was Harris' is comparable to Luger's. It wasn't. In fact, the steak at Harris' cannot compare to what's offered at some of the "better" steakhouses on the East coast. Additionally, the other parts of the meal were somewhat mediocre. I'm currently exploring CA and I was going to end my trip with a dinner at Cole's. Maybe I'm being unfair but if Harris' is the exemplar for steak in CA then I won't waste my money on steak out here. My East taste buds are simply spoiled. From my ongoing expedition of CA I've discovered other great places which wouldn't be appropriate for this part of the forum. Melkor: if you like Lobel's, also give John's meat market a try. I think it'll equally satisfy your steak needs at a lesser price. "You never have a second chance to make a first impression."

they have great lamb chops

I'll be in CA this time next week (SF area). Which steak place should I go to? Harris' or Bob's or Coles. Thanks

Also try the sweet Italian sausage. One of my coworkers said their sausage is what gave them most of their reputation. I had it and it was the tastiest and most complete sausage I've ever eaten. ←

Has anyone been to Manhattan Steakhouse in Oakhurst? Manhattan Steak House I haven't been there in over a year. Any experiences? Any thoughts? Thnx :D

I've never been to The Park. I first heard about it 5 years ago from a coworker. When I go to a steakhouse my primary concern is beef. However, nothing yet has enticed me to go to The Park for beef. THNX, :D

Where is Richie's? :D

http://www.ilgiardinello.com/ Very good southern Italian!

Is it this place? Blue Moon Mexican Cafe 327 Franklin Ave Wyckoff , NJ 07481 Phone: (201) 891-1331 Cuisine: Mexican I go for Mexican at least twice a month, so how's the rest of their food? Thnx