This place was GOOOOOD. Honestly blown away by this establishment…read more Was in town for work & everyone from the area to told me to come down to this area for dinner. Walked around & landed on this place. Such a swanky cool kind of new age hipster but also vintage vibe? Lol No idea! But I sure was digging it! The bartender was super sweet in helping me make a decision for dinner, because I wanted to try it ALL. I folded on the Lemony Shrimp & Bean stew (absolutely spectacular and this is coming from someone that doesn't like being or vegetable type soups) the leeks were so yummy but the shrimp was the star, just look at how huge they were. Sliced Flat Iron - SO JUICY. Such flavor! Literally haven't had any steak til this day that could replicate that flavor of the scallion chimichurri and celery root purée. It has been over a year now since I've been here, and I still CRAVE, I'm talking I have full on dreams about having this place again. Can confirm, I AM Homesick.

This is such a charming restaurant with quality homemade food. The chef makes everything from…read morescratch, so they require every group to place their orders for appetizers and entrees together. My group shared the mini lobster rolls, French dip sandwich, and cablarian chile shrimp. My one friend ordered the soup of the day, corn poblano. The appetizers were excellent! We would have liked some bread to share while waiting for our food. For the entrees, we ordered the hamburger and bucatini. Both were cooked to our liking. I loved my bucatini cooked with zucchini and garlic. The cherry on top were the zucchini flowers. This added a nice crunch. Our cocktails were refreshing. My summertime cocktail had cucumber and St. Germain. It was refreshing! Next door to Homesick is Lovesick, an adorable cocktail bar. When down the shore, this is definitely a must try!

We returned to the River Point Inn. As always it was amazing. We were seated in the Beautiful Wine…read moreRoom, which is an intimate setting, only four tables. We also had the best server at the restaurant "Blake" everything about our dinner was that of a Michelin Star. Please do not take my word for it- make a reservation and experience a wonderful dinner.

Outstanding restaurant with excellent service. Was able to celebrate my wife's birthday at the bar…read more Which is in the main room and more festive. The manager had come to offer my wife and I champagne. A wonderful gesture and much appreciated. We started with the bread service. My wife ordered the chicken paillard and I ordered the the pork chop. Both were excellent. We ended with the raspberry tart which was exceptional. This was the 2nd year in a row we celebrated my wife birthday here. I love the service the ambience etc etc. If you are in Rumson this is a MUST.

I know I've already left a review for Ember & Eagle, but I had to come back and say--every visit…read moresomehow tops the last. This place consistently knocks it out of the park with service, food, and atmosphere. Ryan behind the bar is a standout. He treats us like regulars from day one--always greeting us with a smile and delivering truly top-tier service. He's a big part of what makes the whole experience feel so warm and welcoming. And the food? Never the same experience twice in the best way possible. The menu and specials are always evolving, always leveling up, and it keeps things exciting every time we come back. Not once have we been disappointed. Everyone can have an off night--but this place seems to have cracked the code on consistency and excellence. Honestly, you could throw a dart at the menu and still walk away impressed. Already looking forward to the next visit!

Food and atmosphere was good (though indoors I won't say it was anything extraordinary). If you're…read morea foodie, there is better, but for NJ cuisine, it's standard for "high end" What was disappointing to me was: the fact that I was there enjoying a nice steak dinner with colleagues, and I was saving half of my steak for my husband to take home. It had a side of roasted elephant garlic, which my husband absolutely loves, so I couldn't NOT save it for him.But the thing is, they took it away without asking me if I wanted to pack it or not. And I brought this up, not once, not twice but -- 3 times-- with the wait staff. When I asked one of the waiters what the manager said, He replied " I'm not going to lie, I don't remember" Before I left, I asked my server if I could speak to the manager-- The manager finally met with me. He said that he was "trying to find you to give you my card" because "he did hear about the incident and he feels really bad." Mind you, even after I spoke to the first person about this incident, we were there for close to another 30 minutes (at least). Sitting at our table, having dessert and drinks . No one came back to address the situation, no one offered to make another plate of food for my husband to make up for the food they accidentally threw away. He offered his card, but I declined because I will not be going back. Honestly, poor service and optics for a high-end restaurant, at best. If you're used to high-end haute cuisine and have an eclectic palette, I'd skip this restaurant. If you want "the usual" nice-enough restaurant with good with a decent-enough ambience-- this is a good-enough place. For me, a place like that-- with "standard fare" cuisine, should have above average service. That's where they fell short.

We happened to be in the area and stopped into the Black Swan for brunch. I had heard great things…read moreabout the place and was eager to give it shot. From the moment we entered the pub, we were transferred to the United Kingdom with its tavern-like decor. They had a quaint dining room, a bar area with soccer team schwag hanging overhead, a dainty tea room, and a dimly lit space inside what used to be a bank vault. We were seated at a high-top table in the bar, which was fine, as there was a large party with rowdy children in the dining room. Thankfully, the layout allowed us to avoid the majority of their loudness, though their sheer party size clearly held up the kitchen, since it took a while for us to get our food. There was a specific brunch menu with some breakfast-forward items like Loaded French Toast, but we were also given their full-day menu with many more options. I decided to get two smaller dishes to count as my complete meal. First, I had the Chipotle Chicken Chili, which was apparently a recent addition to the menu. I omitted the scoop of sour cream that was supposed to sit on top of the mound of soup, but I did not feel like I was missing anything by doing so. The smoky broth was packed with kidney beans, stewed tomatoes, and chunks of ground chicken. I thought it was delicious, but a bit thin and oily. I also sampled a side of the Sweet and Sour Brussels Sprouts, which were similarly greasy, but crunchy and well-flavored. In fact, they could have used a bit more marinade to really pop. My companion had positive things to say about his burger and fries. We really enjoyed the casual atmosphere, friendly service, and tasty food at the Black Swan, and I would certainly return to try some of their other traditional, European dishes.

Quick and friendly service. A bit expensive but good food…read more Tater tots & scotch eggs: probably the biggest tater tots I've ever had. Crispy and hot. Scotch eggs were good. Pasta: can't remember the name of the pasta I got but it's the one that was recommended by the waiter. It comes with burrata which made the dish so so good. I would get this again.

I attended a wedding at Cross & Orange, and let me tell you, it was one of the best weddings I've…read morebeen to (and not just because I was the officiant of course). The restaurant set up chairs outside on the little green and it was a very lovely ceremony. The reception was a 5 hour cocktail / appetizer hour and it was everything anyone could ever want. Let's be real - when you go to a wedding it's the cocktail hour that steals the show. Now imagine that for the entire night! It was fantastic! The passed around appetizers were delicious and the rotation changed frequently. From grilled cheese and tomato soup shooters (my favorite), to three different tiny corn tacos (sweet potato, fish, and pulled pork), to sliders, to sweet and sour chicken skewers, to lobster rolls, to SO MUCH MORE. All of it was incredible. The drinks were also delicious. The bartenders, waiters, and waitresses were so very nice and accommodating. I went to grab a coffee from the coffee station and one of the servers told me he could make me a latte so of course I had to have one. The space is so lovely and held a good number of people without it feeling crowded at all. There were tables set up throughout the space and you could sit, or stand by the bar, or dance on the dance floor all night long. It was so much fun! Thank you Ashley and Cross & Orange crew for such an enjoyably fun evening!

The bbq ribs appetizer was great! Tender with a great sauce. The lamb chops were amazing. Would…read moreorder both again. The bbq beef tacos were much better than the shrimp tacos. Had more flavor. The garbanzo salad needed more cucumbers and tomatoes. But it was flavorful The burbon old fashioned was good as were the aperol spritz drinks. Our server Loranne was fantastic. Dinner inside was noisy, but outside was early nice. We will Come back again

This was honestly the best experience and drinks and food I have ever had! The owner provided…read moreexcellent service, my server was attentive, and the food was unbeatable. The best pizza, pasta, and lobster cutlet incredible!!! Will be coming back here. 10/10 if you are in the area I recommend I don't ever give reviews but this deserves one

The pizza was absolutely outstanding. We ordered the broccoli rabe and sausage. All ingredients…read morefresh and delicious We also tried the eggplant. The eggplant was cooked to perfection. The sauce was a tad too sweet for me. Lastly we had the pan seared chicken. I absolutely loved it it was hot for my wife lol, but again cooked to perfection. I loved the service and the food. We will be back again for pizza but will try the pasta. Was pleasantly surprised

Our first visit to Dolce Fantasia, and it will not be the last. My wife and I attended the Beer,…read moreWine and Spirits event in Asbury earlier in the day and decided to stay in town for an early dinner. Even though they only opened at 5pm, there was already a lively crowd at 5:30. We started with Polpettine Di Pollo, organic chicken meatballs with bell pepper, garlic, spinach and pomodoro. The order was large and delicious! Piping hot as well. Carol chose the Pappardelle al Telephono Nostro, house made pasta, mozzarella, tomato-cream sauce and fresh basil. this was a large order and my wife loved it. I chose the Tortelloni alla Bergamasca, veal tortellini with black truffle and rosemary veal reduction. Excellent as well! Dessert consisted. of a shared Pistachio Creme Brulee that was perfect. The restaurant is BYOB and I recommend making a reservation. Our server, Khrystna, was superb

Asbury Park is one of my favorite food towns, and a huge reason is because it still has the ability…read moreto pleasantly surprise me. Case in point - this restaurant has apparently been in the downtown area for several years and I had no idea. I stopped by here for lunch on Memorial Day with the Millennial Chum, and in a totally risky move, didn't make a reservation anywhere and just decided to wing it. The Millennial Chum's only requirement was that it be a place neither one of us had been to before, so after a very quick search/walk, we noticed this place and also decided we had a hankering for Italian. Done. I don't know how to describe the interior, but "yellow" and "modern" comes to mind. This isn't a stodgy white tablecloth kind of place; it's vibrant and hip, I'm sure trying to capture that classic Asbury demo. Really unique. The weather was a little meh, which worked in our favor - although there was a decent amount of foot traffic in the downtown area 70% of which were pooches, only one other table was occupied in here. We were able to sit down and were served very promptly. We were both very intrigued by one of the apps on the verbal specials menu - mango burrata, which sounded like sort of a mess, but also worth a try. Definitely more of the latter. Never would have thought to combine these two ingredients together, but it was really excellent and an interesting palate pairing. The presentation was solid as well, and this...didn't last long, although given that we both ordered entrees perhaps we should have been more responsible in that regard. Something I'd recommend for the regular menu in the future for sure. A lot of the entrees looked interesting and pretty authentic; this isn't just spaghetti and chicken parm (I'm not actually sure either was even on the menu). The one that emotionally spoke to me the most was the Pappardelle (one of my fave pastas and always pleased to see it) Al Telefono Nostro. Really hit the spot, and as you can see a really hardcore portion. The tomato cream sauce was light and flavorful, and the only nitpick I had (just a personal palate preference) was the inclusion of the sliced tomatoes. I'm sure a ton of people love those, and it basically adds a level of authenticity to the dish that a barbarian like me just can't quite appreciate. I made sure the Millennial Chum had a few tomato pieces though. Really good dish and would order it again. Honestly not sure what possessed us to even look at the dessert menu much less actually order from it, but I thought Oreo Tiramisu sounded interesting, despite the Millennial Chum's yowling that she despised tiramisu. It turns out she doesn't, because once this dish arrived she happily helped herself and decided that her opinion on tiramisu was likely based on a traumatic/misleading childhood incident. Bare minimum, this place gets solid marks for rewriting history for her in the Italian dessert department. But it WAS delicious, which was a theme of our meal. The service was top-notch; our waitress was over regularly and had a strong command of the menu (which I think deserves bonus points, given that this was not Americanized and it helped to have a metaphorical lifeguard helping us navigate some of the trickier stuff; I studied abroad in Florence over 20 years ago, but you'd never know it). Very pleasant. BIg recommend; not a ton of establishments under the radar in Asbury, but this might be one of them.

Amazing fresh and innovative food! Love the seasonal menus as well as the "staples". Never had a…read morebad meal here. Portions are quite generous. Special shout out to the pastry chef. The boos orange Olive oil cake was to DIE for. With ginger snap ice cream - *chefs kiss* Top that off with our amazing waitress we had a fabulous night!

Great restaurant if you're "down the shore." Started with a chopped salad and then followed it with…read moretheir Chicken Milanese (which was unbelievable). The free-range chicken was paired with wild arugula and eggplant caponata. All of the flavors really came together on this dish. I thought the ambience, pricing, and service were all on point! P.S. Don't pass up either the affogatto or the pistachio tira misu!