American Bistro

[tommy]

i must be missing the point. cocoran gives this place a "very good". i give it an "OK".

some thoughts:

huge portions of slighly overcooked pasta at reasonable prices.

a surprisingly long wine list, with a lot of selections by-the-glass.

offensively horrible stemware, especially given the wine list.

some of the menu is so outrageously priced that it made my head spin.

smokers all around, but the place wasn't all that smokey.

pasta with veal meatballs (about 1 lb of pasta and 40 little meatballs) was actually pretty good. the meatballs were nicely spiced and quite good.

pasta bolognese was decent enough, if not a bit sweet. again, about 1 lb of pasta on a plate that was bigger than my fat head.

very good salad with goat cheese.

a typical, but good, take on the old artichoke and lemon butter. i counted about 10 artichoke hearts in this app.

service was pleasant and efficient.

i think the total for 2 apps, 3 entrees, 1 bottle, and 3 glasses was about 115 before tip. more food was wrapped, and, by extension, wasted, than eaten.

Edited October 11, 2003 by tommy (log)

[Rosie]

When did David Corcoran review this restaurant? I was there maybe 3-4 years ago and found it very strange that an Italian restaurant was named American Bistro.

[tommy]

When did David Corcoran review this restaurant?  I was there maybe 3-4 years ago and found it very strange that an Italian restaurant was named American Bistro.

the review on the wall said 2001 i think.

chef lou has an italian place called An American Grill, but we don't bust his balls too much for that.

[Lreda]

When did David Corcoran review this restaurant?  I was there maybe 3-4 years ago and found it very strange that an Italian restaurant was named American Bistro.

the review on the wall said 2001 i think.

chef lou has an italian place called An American Grill, but we don't bust his balls too much for that.

Gotta pay the bills dude. Oooh that stung a bit. What can I say, once a guinea always a guinea. I better find a signature line from the Godfather.

Oh wait............

[tommy]

Gotta pay the bills dude. Oooh that stung a bit.

i'm just sayin' it's ok is all.

[Lreda]

Gotta pay the bills dude. Oooh that stung a bit.

i'm just sayin' it's ok is all.

It's all good, brother.

[Rail Paul]

The Star Ledger has an extensive section in today's Accent section about the Italian heritage in NJ.

Profiles of bakeries, food suppliers and restaurants, how the heritage of the many cuisines of Italy have enriched NJ. Bakeries to kill for, meats and pizza most states would die for...

(When Dee's cousin moved to Louisville KY in the 1960s, his mom had to send him boxes of cheese, salumeria, pasta, etc weekly. Now people there are curing pepperoni, making their own fresh pasta, etc. I'd say An American Grill perfectly describes Lou's place, and probably a lot of American kitchens, too...)

[RockADS21]

first and only time here was about 3-4 years ago...I concur for the most part with the prior posts...average to slightly above average but nothing in particulair to make me want to rush back especially with places like Franklin Steak House, Terrazza and some top of the line pizza joints right in town...