-
hello no offense taken it was a christmas day special with a soup salad main course and deserts your right if i had paid 70 for salmon alone they would have to pick me up off the floor, thanks again fo all the comments and insights i live in the montclair area and in 08 hope to tell everybody about the places to eat in this town known for fine dining
-
hello thanks every body for your input i ended going to wispers on christmas day the service was very good and the food was good.but i agree with the other comments about the expense.we had a tasty four course meal at 7o per person plus a 20 percent tip added on .a nice touch was the romaine salad was lighty grilled, i had the salmon and liked it.most likely this is the type of place i might go to on a special event but i would not go there as a regular
›6 Replies -
wow i cant beleive it the mill in spring lake heights is closing i went there many times with my grandmother
›10 Replies-
re: sydaver
bgut1
Dec 22, 2007 11:58 AM
While I can't comment on Whispers (mixed reviews have kept me from going), I do have personal experience with Black Trumpet, Brandl and Island Palm Grill. Regrettably, I can only recommend the latter. My one meal at Black Trumpet was horrible. I'm sure my review is here somewhere but I recall finding no redeeming qualities in the food, service, decor or price/value ratio. With regard to Brandl, I had been dining there since it opened ang had been a major Chris Brandl fan. There is no disputing that Chris is a talent. The problem being however that over the past year and a half, he increased prices and reduced portion size. My last dinner there over the summer also revealed a decreasing level in the quality of the cuisine. While I hope things have changed, I doubt I will ever return. For the same price I'd rather dine at Nicholas. Island Palm Grill on the other hand was very good on a recent dinner. Good Luck.
-
-
re: briellefoodie
Matisse in Belmar,( located right on the beach AMAZING views of the ocean from your table!) I know is open Christmas Eve, not sure about Christmas and the original Chef that put the place on the map is cooking full time again, so its great food.
I am going to brunch at Matisse this Sunday so i will ask about Christmas day and i will post a full brunch report abd let you know if they are open Christmas.
-
-
re: bgut1
Yes, the views are beautiful at Matisse, but that's about it. The food looks pretty but is really not very good at all (after 3 or 4 dinners where this was the case, we have removed it from our list). You are better off getting a good pastrami sandwich and sitting on one of the beach benches next door...
-
-
-
-
re: BernieMSY
Gee, hate to pile on Brandls, but I'm not a fan either. The food was always great, but the prices have gotten to the point of being ridiculous and I also encountered the server attitude the last time we were there. Too bad, but for the money (less actually), there are better places to eat.
-
-
-
-
-
I have no idea about who is open/closed on Christmas, but in this area, I would recommend Moonstruck in Asbury (no reservations though), Shipwreck Grill in Brielle (great fish and they do take reservations), Brandls in Belmar (best food in the area and a BYO, albeit overpriced). You can not go wrong with Whispers either.
›2 Replies -
-
re: tom246
ok, ok... forget tim mcloone's in sea bright ... I did admit that I had not been there in a while, though ....... personally, I would never set foot in any restaurant at Pier Village, so that negates his new space
RE: Island Palm Grill.... it's all good, but for a special night in Spring Lake, it's Whispers or Black Trumpet or elsewhere
-
-
The two places in Spring Lake (off the top of my head) are:
http://www.theblacktrumpet.com/
http://www.whispersrestaurant.com/
Not sure if either is open on Christmas. What type of place are you looking for? How far are you willing to travel outside of SL?
›5 Replies-
-
-
-
re: aklein
Deb Van D
Dec 20, 2007 08:59 AM
I'm sorry to say it, but I don't think that I would ever have described McLoone's in Sea Bright as worthy. They do a nice job for a large party or banquet, but the food is expensive and unimpressive. McLoone's at Pier Village is a pretty spot for a drink, but I'd skip the meal.
-
-
-
-
-
-
Barbarella
Dec 17, 2007 07:05 AM
My office Xmas party was there on Friday. The place is really pretty and the buffet was really good.
-
-
-
re: bnemes3343
Your post got me very curious because I hadn't heard that The Mill was closing. So, I called. The recorded message said that their dining room will, indeed, no longer be open to the public on a regular basis. They are essentially becoming a banquets and special events facility. They will be open to the public on holidays and will be offering "Big Band Nights," i.e., dinner and dancing on specific dates.
-
re: RGR
A big band night sounds like it could be fun - I will check into that. I thought their food and their service was really quite good, so I was sad to see it go. I think it was just too big a place (and drew kind of an "older" crowd) to make enough money to sustain a restaurant.
-
re: RGR
I attended a Big Band dinner last year. It was held on a Sunday afternoon, the food was mediocre at best and the service was awful. The clientele may have been drawn from a nearby assisted living center. Perhaps the waistaff didn't feel that anyone would care. Definitely not recommended.
-
-
re: bnemes3343
That's really sad. That place was one of few civiilized restaurants around the area, with a great view from the dining room and a very nice menu. The special events nights seemed like a interesting counterpart to the regular diining experience, but certainly not enough to replace it. What a shame. Maybe it will fail in it's new form, and then reopen again under the ownership of someone else. Let's keep our fingers crossed. That's just pathetic news.
-
-
