First time, your recommendation, satisfied customers.
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That steak is looking good Bob! Do you have any clue how they seasoned it? The clams are looking good too.
I wonder where sebastian is. I would love to buy that dude a steak and hang out.
I do not know how they season it outside of a health salt coating giving it a nice crisp exterior.
Re: Sebastian - he abandoned his home in Lincroft post Sandy after it got wiped out and moved out to California. Then about 4 years ago my son was working at Butchâs Car Wash in Red Bank with Sabastianâs son. According to the son they were living in a condo somewhere in Middletown but thatâs all I know and it was coming from a 17 yo lol . Iâm sure Sabastian would take you up on that drink and as many more you were willing to buy!
Last night I took my 3rd trip here, and thus far it was the worst.
Apps: 4 west coast oysters
Salad: Wedge
Entree: Bone in ribeye
Beverage: Stoli Martini (with delicious olives @CurlzNJ )
Once again service was a bit of an issue, at least 20+ mins from time I ordered to app arriving with my salad. When they took my order they asked if I wanted them together or separate, I said whatever is easiest. So maybe that was my bad.
Oyster were fine fresh etc. The wedge salad, again not an iceberg wedge (why? just why?) was good but the bacon on it is either left over bacon from prior nights or they only cook it once or twice a week and use it as needed. The bacon pieces were hard as rocks, like literally chip your tooth hard.
(Iâm sorry but I just donât understand not using a wedge of iceberg for this salad, itâs like me having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the menu and serving you a bologna and cheese and saying: âthatâs our interpretation of a peanut butter and jelly sandwichââŚuggghhhhh)
Entree came while I was only half way through my salad. lol So it sat for awhile. It was billed at a 22oz? (maybe 24 oz) bone in ribeye, this might have been the runt of the liter, not sure this was ever 22oz. (especially if you look at how small the bone it, itâs a splintered bone) Steak really wasnât that good, very poorly trimmed and a lot of waste. The bone barrow was this time half gelatin and half chalk, they must keep it in an auâjus but donât rotate or mix them. Those kept under the liquid level come out delicious the others come out dried out like chalk, this was 50/50.
My buddy Virgil was working so we got to chat, I asked him if Iâm the only one who hates the bar stools he said no, he getâs more complaints than compliments on them. He told me to go tell the owner as he looked at the hostess desk, there was a woman there whom I had never scene before. Upon observing her I guess she is an owner, although not who I was told was the owner on a prior visit, she worked the room as an owner should.
Outside of Virigil nobody came to check on my meal, even though the female owner was there and checked on the guy sitting next to me who ordered only meatball sliders, she checked on him twice. Later I noticed the âman-bunâ owner who was there on my first visit and the same manager as all 3 visits was also working.
I did notice this time on the menu they claimed my steak was a Pat Lafrieda prime wet aged steak. Which means these are individually pre-packed steaks, I donât think they are doing any in-house aging or butchering. Just my guess.
Iâm really torn on this placeâŚIâm trying hard to like it but Iâm having a hard time getting there. Iâm not sure if they are really taking the restaurant /steakhouse thing for real, or using it to boost their appeal of a place to be seen outside of Red Bank.
Per Virgil they are still in their âsoft opening stageâ the Grand Opening wonât be until the complete the outside bar / patio which is giving me the Cuzinâs in Marlboro vibe. I actually enjoy the food at Cuzinâs but the crowd, well thatâs a whole other story. Sadly I think thatâs where Gabriellaâs is headed.
Oh Virgil did confirm for me that my memory is holding up well over the years, it was in fact him that Sabastian Bach threatened to shoot at The Lincroft Inn (per Virgil) 20 years ago!!! Virgil called the police and Sabastian was arrested on the premises and was hauled off to jail. After the police did find a loaded gun in his car! Holy Crap how could that have been 20 fân years ago!?!?!?! I remember it like yesterday and I made the nightly news in the background !!
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Sorry just realized I forgot a âbeforeâ pic of the steak prior to my mauling it. This was intended to show the waste and tiny bone.
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The Stoli part sounds EXCELLENT!
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I think wet aged is a way of saying âwe vacuum sealed this and chucked it in the fridge for 2 weeksâ
It does help but in no way is it like dry aging in my eyes. Then again, lots of people are not into aged beef.
Sebastian! I has been a while since we have mentioned him. Any news?
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I just picked up some gorgeous olives this morning. I might have to send over a pic 
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Iâve heard sort of the same (i.e. just gotta wait it out) regarding this place. Seems a long time for a âsoft openingâ to still be going on. In other newsâŚI donât get the appeal of the outdoor seating. Who the hell wants to look at a gas station or rt 35?
They will probably have a solid wall or an obstruction like plants etc. facing 35 & gas station. Their is a heavily landscaped side where the bank is, I guess thatâs going to be the âviewâ. Itâs no different than Cuzins that I mentioned they have a view of a parking lot and Rt. 79, but they pack them in!! (FYI Itâs an enclosed patio opened year round, not true alfresco dining)
Thank you for posting this eternal truth!
Who the hell wants to look at smell a gas station
Thatâs disappointing to hear. Was jacked up for this place after your first review esp after the last one you filed about butcher block.âthink I may just make next night out to Fernandes in Sayreville. Came across the steal and shrimp on the tile pics again . Man does that look good
The only way to enjoy that place is to show up at 4:00pm and order right away, like we did on our first visit which was fantastic. Our second trip was a Thursday at 7:30 and it was terrible. Once they get a crowd the wheels come off.
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Well I tried Gabriellaâs on the 30th. Right after reading the reviews here. Two of us with appetizers, cocktails, entree, and dessert (no wine) ended up laying down almost $300 with tip. Ouch. But I will say it was worth every penny. And we did get there early on a Friday night and yes the wheels did come off soon after we finished out main course based on the crowd and watching the service as it got crowded. And I will say, the entertainment value was not the same as at Peter Lugerâs, but the food was every bit as good.
So on to the slide showâŚ
The first appetizer was an inspired Watermelon crudu with goat cheese and a sorbet. It was light and refreshing but struck me as more of a intermezzo than an appetizer.
Next up were the cocktails. The Jalepeno Tequila with agave and lime juice most definitely packed a punch. The watermelon fizzy thing was ok, but quite ordinary.
Second appetizer were a pair of King Crab legs. Make no mistake, these were not those rubbery Chinese Buffet snow crab legs. This were perfectly cooked, without a hint of salt beyond the natural brinyness of the crab. The extra touch of including brown butter with the intense nutty qualities instead of the traditional drawn butter was a unique and welcomed touch. This small but impactful item was indicative of the care the entire meal had
My wife had the crab pasta which was cooked exactly right, just a hint of al dente, creamy and not overly spiced nor boringly bland. Right exactly where it had to be to highlight the crab, yet still let the pasta shine.
And, since it was the special of the day, I went not with steak but the double pork chop. Cooked to perfection with crunch on the outside, not a hint of rareness, but yet juicy and delicious. As good a pork chop as I have ever had. The ragout beneath was comprise of sweet/sour peppers, long hots, potatoes, and a raft of other ingredients. A work of art visually as well as in unctuousness. And to properly counterbalance all that sweet / hot flavors, the broccoli rabe brought a welcome bitter/acidity to the flavor profile. It worked exactly right.
We also added a few favorite side dishes â a delightful hen-of-the-earth mushroom dish that spoke of pure umami and earthiness with a delightful lack of overpreparation â just the natural flavors of the main ingredient. On the other hand, the Brussels Sprouts with bacon chunks and apples worked well as a total dish that left each ingredient space to shine without any one overpowering the other. And finally some Shishito peppers which were unfortunately quite uninspiring.
and then dessert â both were unique with Raspberry Rose and Roasted Strawberry Sorbets⌠mine the warm chocolate cookie and my wifeâs the creme brulee. Both were done well and executed the meal closer with panache âŚ
All in all, a very satisfying meal and well worth the trip.
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Went last weekend for the first time. The place is beautiful⌠really nicely done. Food gets mixed reviews from me though. The fritto misto with squid, scallops, and shrimp was good, and the light spice was nice. The lobster cake was large, but too large at that. Coated in breadcrumb and deep fried, it was too thick for the interior to get hot. Sent it back, and when it came out again, it was still cool on the inside. Temperature aside, i did not enjoy the flavor. Seemed to be too much filler, and to me any bell pepper in a seafood cake is a no-no. It adds a very distinct taste which overrides, does not complement the crab or lobster. Maybe that is just personal preference because most cakes in the world seem to have peppers.
For entrees, had the bone in Kansas City strip. Perfectly medium rare, it was a good piece of meat. The garlic mash was ok. Cacio e Pepe was ok for flavor, but watery. Should be an emulsified kind of sauce that clings to the pasta. There was no cling. Bring the cling! Kidâs chicken parm was pretty good, and it was a monster portion. Liked their red sauce. There was plenty to bring home for another meal.
Service was great from Katie on the floor and Virgil at the bar. No complaints there.
First experience was kinda meh, but maybe keep to steak house entrees and raw bar next time, as that stuff looked pretty good. A little pricey, overall.
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Well since we have some fresh reviews let me add mine! I went last night business entertaining and honestly it was probably the best food night Iâve had. Finally had an occasion to order the porterhouse for 2 and as @coldbeer70 indicated it is an excellent piece of meat!
Apps: Shrimp cocktail (U-8) and bacon (sliced âthinâ donât know why but they gave us 2 slices a pp instead of 1)
Entrees: Porterhouse for 2 - lobster mac n cheese - sprouts
We had the apps at the bar with my man Virgil, all good there. Then we sat for our entree and the steak was excellent, the chips were good but as coldbeer indicated could use some better flavoring. Lobster mac n cheese was âmehâ and the sprouts were good.
Service as poor / sloppy as ever, really a shame. The server was honestly a clown. My client ordered a beer the server told us they donât carry, even though he was drinking it at the bar. We had to tell him to go inquire. Items ordered were not received, no serving utensils with sides, just a mess all around. (when we inquired about the size of the lobster tail add on he answered: " I really donât know I would say itâs about 6-8 inches"âŚas the pic will show you it was a 4 oz. tail on a good day. Who in the business measures lobsters in inches vs. weight??? lol)
Finally met by name the owner (aka manbun) he came to the table to introduce himself personally and we chatted a bit.
I keep going back so they are doing something just right enough to keep bringing me in. Still far from what I would call excellent, the steaks are very good (with exception to the bone in wet aged rib eye) but dammit I wish they would tighten up their service.
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This is how I feel about bell peppers ALL THE TIME. 
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I can understand where you are coming from and I dont quite understand my OWN rules for using bell peppers:
Peppers Good (benefit the dish and I like): sausage and peppers hero (as long as there are onions in there too), Italian-style peppers and egg hero, fajitas, roasted peppers w/ garlic, parsley, oil
Peppers Neutral (no effect on the dish if used in small amounts): chili, greek salad, thai/chinese dishes (tho there is always WAY too much these days in chinese as filler veggie).
Peppers Bad: seafood cakes, pizza, âred pepper coulisâ, crudite, pasta, risotto
My thoughts are strictly limited to bell peppers. I can take hot peppers - habanero, jalapenos, serranos, poblanos, etc in just about everything.
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No stuffed peppers? I love me some stuffed peppers, including cheesesteak or chicken-cheesesteak stuffed peppers!!!
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