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Market In The Middle

Curlz

By Curlz
in New Jersey: Cooking & Baking

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Curlz

Curlz

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I did a search and couldn't find anything about Market in the Middle, and frankly, I'm shocked that I didn't find one here! I'm also embarrassed to say that it's taken a couple of weeks for me to post about it.

Here lies a spot that I would kill for in my neighborhood. Seriously. Small gourmet food and wine market attached to a lovely restaurant with a wonderful, large bar, which is where I spent a couple of lovely hours. Large, comfortable stools (with backs), good snacks, and a stunning cheese plate. Need I go on?!? Yes. We started out in the market, where I spent a bit of time chatting with the gentleman who is in charge of the wine section. When I spotted a Carmenere from across the aisle, he promptly opened a bottle and produced small plastic tumblers for tasting. :wub: Needless to say, this is what I drank at the bar, and we brought home a couple of bottles (a big $9 investment, btw). The wines are personally chosen by the owner(s), who do blind tastings and buy what they like, regardless of price. Prices range from under $10 to over $250. Again, this is a small shop, but I was hooked pretty quickly.

We were headed to two other events that night, but the four of us hung out at the bar long enough to need a snack, which is where the cheese plate came in to play. I had spotted Piave in the cheese section of the market, and since it's a favorite, it was my only request--the rest of the cheeses were chosen by the chef. The large plate had 3-4 cheeses on it, along with a gorgeous (iirc) pear chutney, bread and crackers. Dining at the bar is not only doable, it's encouraged, and that's what I fully intend to do the next time I'm in AP. As I said, I'd kill for this place in my neighborhood, but at least now I have another reason to hit the shore this winter!

Market in the Middle

516 Cookman Ave.

Asbury Park, NJ

732-776-8886

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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McFoodie

McFoodie

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My husband and I love Market in the Middle and are regulars at the bar, for dinner, or just for a lite snack. Went just last night for an early drink and some apps at the bar (a satisfying, if a bit greasy, tapas trio of fried stuffed olives, eggplant fries, and tostones with chorizo). The bartender offered us several wines to taste and even opened some new bottles of pinot from the market for us to try. This place is not perfect but gets things as right as any neighborhood NJ place we know and is a real treat to have nearby.

www.mcfoodie.com

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=Mark

=Mark

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Went for dinner and drinks last Friday with a group of friends and was less than impressed. First off the bartender kept going on about how sick he was to anyone who would listen. After hearing about the great international wine selection we were dissapointed that none of them were available by the glass. The food was OK, but they seemed to still be stucck in the 1990s practice of serving the side veggies essentially uncooked. I like crunchy veggies in a salad, but if they're on the dinner plate please cook them! To top it off the service was cursary bordering on rude.

Maybe they were just overwhelmed by the crowd, but I'll probably give them a couple years to work out the lumps before going back.

=Mark

Give a man a fish, he eats for a Day.

Teach a man to fish, he eats for Life.

Teach a man to sell fish, he eats Steak

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bgut1

bgut1

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Went for dinner and drinks last Friday with a group of friends and was less than impressed.  First off the bartender kept going on about how sick he was to anyone who would listen.  After hearing about the great international wine selection we were dissapointed that none of them were available by the glass.  The food was OK, but they seemed to still be stucck in the 1990s practice of serving the side veggies essentially uncooked.  I like crunchy veggies in a salad, but if they're on the dinner plate please cook them!  To top it off the service was cursary bordering on rude.

Maybe they were just overwhelmed by the crowd, but I'll probably give them a couple years to work out the lumps before going  back.

Mark - Sorry about your experience. I enjoyed the one time I dined there over the Summer. With so many choices out there, I completely understand your intention not to retry so soon. It just goes to show how first impressions are so important.

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=Mark

=Mark

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Mark - Sorry about your experience. I enjoyed the one time I dined there over the Summer. With so many choices out there, I completely understand your intention not to retry so soon. It just goes to show how first impressions are so important.

It's too bad as I've been following the rebirth of Asbury in recent years... :sad:

=Mark

Give a man a fish, he eats for a Day.

Teach a man to fish, he eats for Life.

Teach a man to sell fish, he eats Steak

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Curlz

Curlz

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Interesting. Although I didn't dine there (we just had the cheese plate), I just loved the vibe of the place!

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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