Shore dining

[PaulaJ]

We spent last weekend in Long Branch. Having recently read

several reviews we tried the following:

-Joe & Maggie's Bistro [Long Branch] The dark wood paneling and hanging green glass lamps gave us an impulse to flee. Luckily for us, we did not.

This is the most exciting menu I have seen in a long time! And the food was excellent. My friend had an avocado pancake topped w. corn salsa and surrounded by garlicky shrimp as an app and I very much enjoyed my fried oysters w. creole remoulade sauce. My entree of BBQ duck [!!] w. leg confit quesadilla was so tasty that I couldn't stop commenting. My friend ordered the crabcakes which came as 2 huge all-crab cakes and were delicious. Portions were generous, prices were fair and service was spirited.

Drinks were reasonably priced.

-Indigo Moon [Atlantic Highlands] was a far prettier restaurant ..BYO w. a more traditional sounding menu. Unfortunately, neither our meal nor service there were good enough to warrent a recommendation. Service staff was young and marginal...e.g. pepper had to be requested and then the mill had to be refilled prior to service being completed. I ordered bistro roast chicken provencale and received a [generous] half chicken without any herbs or flavor. The skin was crispy but not from roasting,I suspect; could they have broiled or fried it? My friend's rack of lamb was similarly uninteresting and lacking in seasoning; Our repeated efforts w. the S&P shakers just didn't do it. The crabcake app was good but the recommended

fried scallop ravioli w. very, very fishy tasting as well as uninteresting. The orange-chive buerre blanc lacked astringency and didn't carry the dish.

A cheese platter was poorly balanced [reblochon, tomme de savoie & a third similar] altho the waitress had described the cheeses as 'like

camembert". The cheeses were piled on each other, sticking together...the crackers and fruit were fine.

Lunch at the Waterfront Cafe can be skipped. If you wish an upscale

quiet Sunday brunch you might try the Ocean Place Hotel.

[Rosie]

Thanks for the report. I haven't been to Joe and Maggies in a long time and will try to get there in the fall.

[lamb]

Paula, you've visited my favorite restaurant! I have visited J&M's about a dozen or so times over the past two years, and every visit surpasses the previous one. Since the menu is seasonal, there might not be a lot of change from one visit to the next, but there is certainly more than enough choices so that you don't have to repeat (unless you want to) any one dish. The crabcakes are the best I've had, and I love their country apple & pear salad, the fried oysters, and every entree dish I have ever ordered! I have also visited Indigo Moon, but have not had the same experience as you. While the menu is very limited, I have found both food and service to be above par. My only complaint was Chef Adam's use of saffron in a manilla clam dish. It was not disclosed on the menu, and I absolutely HATE saffron. He was very apologetic when my server advised him that I was not touching the dish, and he comped me the appy. Another nearby that you might want to try is Reef Club in Long Branch. I was there for the first time in March 2002, and was very happy with the experience. It's on my go back to list.

[Rail Paul]

Another nearby that you might want to try is Reef Club in Long Branch.  I was there for the first time in March 2002, and was very happy with the experience.  It's on my go back to list.

Lamb -

welcome aboard, and thanks for your comments.

As time permits, would you share a little more about your trip to the Reef Club?

Thanks

[wawairis]

-Joe & Maggie's Bistro [Long Branch]  

If you wish an upscale

quiet Sunday brunch you might try the Ocean Place Hotel.

Joe and Maggie's is one of my favorite local restaurants. I've enjoyed every entree I've ever eaten there. It also used to be my local bar, so I'm sure that's very endearing to me also.

Brunch at Ocean Place Hotel? Hmmmm, I don't know about that. My sister used to be their pastry chef there a few years ago, and her SO is a waiter. I know I've heard horror stories about restaurants before, but these folks seem to be the most knuckled of the knuckleheads. Story after story of inefficiency, stupidity, and bad management. You might want to think twice.

Iris

[PaulaJ]

Iris,

The day was overcast. We attempted several other nearby restaurants, only to find most of them closed for Sunday 'lunch'. The most casual

of places offered a limited brunch. So, their [Ocean Place] Sunday

brunch was somewhat 'welcome' at that point! I would not term it

a 'dining experience', but it did provide some banquet level, decent food, piano music,etc in a quiet & comfortable atmosphere..........certainly

not Joe & Maggie's cuisine nor Indigo Moon's pretty room. Any other

upscale brunch recommendation?

[lamb]

Lamb -

welcome aboard, and thanks for your comments.

As time permits, would you share a little more about your trip to the Reef Club?

Thanks

Excuse me if I can't get this quote thingy right, first time and all...

Rail Paul,

You would think that just 4 months ago would be sufficient tme for me to remember the whole experience at Reef Club, but a few glasses of wine that evening make the details just a little fuzzy. Oh well, here goes (to the best of my ability that evening)

Reef Club is located on NEW Ocean Avenue in LB. We of course got lost, and had to call for directions. We had a party of 6, and each car had the same problem. We ended up waiting for the entire party to arrive at the well stocked bar (therein lies my memory problem). The decor throughout the bar and restaurant is fabulous - to the ceiling fish tanks loaded with exotic fish - in an arc separating the bar from the restaurant. Started with a great sushi sampler and several other appys. The sushi was definitely the star of that course. Several in our party had pulled an old review of the restaurant off the internet and were eagerly awaiting the rack of lamb mentioned in it. Uh-oh...that was from an old menu - no rack of lamb. Lots of heavy sighs at the table. They consoled themselves with the steak selection, and were quite happy with the outcome. This is where things start to get fuzzy. I know that we had 4 orders of fish entrees (including me!) but I'll be damned if I can remember any particulars. I do know, however, that we were all very pleased with our choices. Service was just right; friendly and knowledgable, but not too overbearing. By 11:00 p.m. the bar was packed - not with diners waiting for a table, but just with bar patrons. I would love to go back (in off season) and imbibe just a little less to be able to fully enjoy the dining experience!

[wawairis]

Iris,

 The day was overcast. We attempted several other nearby restaurants, only to find most of them closed for Sunday 'lunch'. The most casual

of places offered a limited brunch. So, their [Ocean Place] Sunday

brunch was somewhat 'welcome' at that point! I would not term it

a 'dining experience', but it did provide some banquet level, decent food, piano music,etc in a quiet & comfortable atmosphere..........certainly

not Joe & Maggie's cuisine nor Indigo Moon's pretty room. Any other

upscale brunch recommendation?

Paula J,

How about Molly Pitcher Inn in Red Bank? Sally Tee's in Monmouth Beach?

[Rail Paul]

Excuse me if I can't get this quote thingy right, first time and all...

Thanks for the info. It's now on my (getting longer) list.

Just click the "quote button" on the post you want to quote. The entire post appears in a new, lower, window underneath the one where you enter your message.

Just edit and delete in the lower window, and that's the part which shows up shaded in your own post

[Rosie]

I didn't care for the brunch food at Molly Pitcher Inn.

[wawairis]

I didn't care for the brunch food at Molly Pitcher Inn.

Really Rosie? Was it yucky?

Iris

[lamb]

I didn't care for the brunch food at Molly Pitcher Inn.

Rosie,

I've had dinner at the Molly Pitcher, but never brunch. What about the brunch didn't you like? Have you had brunch at other places in Monmouth or Ocean Counties?