Scuttlebutt's

[tommy]

went to Scuttlebutt's in Nutley last night.  wow.  incredible!  i gotta run, but if anyone has any feedback on this place i'd love to hear it.

details to follow...

[Rosie]

I await your details. Never been to this place.Do tell. What did you have?

[RockADS21]

I grew up in Nutley and actually only moved out of town a year ago. I have  never been to Scuttlebutts myself (I have a hard time passing up an oppurtunity to go to the Franklin Steakhouse) but I can tell you that my parents as well as many friends who still live in town absolutely rave about the food. Their thoughts are great food and little or no atmosphere.

(Edited by RockADS21 at 2:11 pm on Oct. 15, 2001)

[tommy]

From what I understand, Scuttlebutts is owned and run by a husband and wife team.  The husband tends the bar and his wife is the hostess.  One son works behind the bar, and other son works behind the stove.  (He’s worked at the Frog and Peach, if memory serves, and some other notable restaurants.)  This family situation translates into the laid back atmosphere and friendly service.

The place is a dump, in a charming way.  The red vinyl booths scream “hamburger and milk shake”.  The room is smoky, as the bar is connected to the dining area only by a half wall.  And people were spotted smoking at their tables.

On to the food…

The regular menu is filled with mostly insipid fare, and nothing much caught my eye (lemon chicken, various pastas, steaks, etc).  However, the excitement lie in the specials, which were printed with prices.

We had a Crispy Duck Salad.  Shredded duck meat and skin that has obviously been slow roasted for hours.  Apparently, the chef throws the duck pieces in a hot skillet right before making the salad.  Greens with bits of apple and blue cheese were all about.   It could have used a little more duck, but it was very good nonetheless.

The Lamb Chops were served with garlic mashed potatoes.  There were about 8 chops in all, served double-cut.  Perfectly done.  Meaty.  Delicious lamb flavor.  Served in a wonderful au jus, with some vegetables mixed in.

The Beer Braised Short Rib was the big winner.  One rib, so long that it hung over the plate, was fall-off-the-bone tender, like butta.  The outside was “burnt”, or rather caramelized.  Perfectly done.  Served with a pumpkin puree, some mashed, in an incredibly deep and rich au jus.  Wow.  I took half of this thing home.  It was like something out of the Flintstones.

Entrees come with a soup or salad as well, which makes the prices even more reasonable than they already are.  The Short Rib was 20 bucks, the duck salad about 9, and the lamb about 22 I think.

The wine list needs some help, but they have a serviceable Zin, and pinot grigio, so you can always fall back on that.

Price before tip was about 77 bucks, with the above, one bottle of wine, and 2 glasses.  Highly recommended.

[tommy]

posted this on another thread:

went to Scuttlebutt's in Nutley. i saw that they had oysters on the menu. i asked the waitress what kind of oysters they had. she looked at me like a deer in headlights, and kinda giggled and said "uuu, oysters?" i asked if she could possibly go to the kitchen to find out from someone. the answer was blue point.

interesting food at this place. smoky old pub cum fine cuisine outpost. the grouper was perfectly cooked, and served over a ratatouille type thing. bit of fresh tarragon were throughout the butter-based sauce. the sauce, although clearly made from better, wasn't overpowering. a very good dish for 20 bucks.

the hanger steak was cooked to order, med-rare. served with flavorless mashed, whose texture sucked as well. tasted like they were made the day before, and not even given an extra dose of butter and cream when reheating. the blue cheese-carmelized onion sauce was more appropriate than i had feared. not overpowering at all, and provided an unexpected and delicious foil to the already rich meat. the blue cheese flavor popped right out of the sauce.

entrees come with "soup or salad." lentil that night i think. good soup, and the whole thing is in keeping with the diner theme they have going on there.

the wine list is dismal. there was a huge zin offered at, um, oh hell, i don't remember how much. i'm guessing 20's. at 15.5% alcohol, perhaps it should have been on the port list.

service is always nice, although they are certainly "diner waitresses."

the place is smoky, and people smoke at the tables. everyone around us was ordering wings and burgers and pitchers of beer and watching whatever boring game was on the 4 or so TVs that are all around the dining room. it's quite an interesting place.

[jhlurie]

Okay, I occasionally pass through Nutley, so I suppose this goes on my list.

[Rosie]

Smokey??? It goes off my list!!

Like The Petit Cafe in Nutley. BYO and non-smoking.

[jhlurie]

I suppose you'll have to wait till New Jersey legislates away the smokiness, Rosie.

Edited April 11, 2003 by jhlurie (log)

[pnapoli]

ya gotta love the decor at scuttlebutt's. the red vinyl booths: classic. and yeah, it's hella smokey. interesting place.