Il Nido, Marlboro, NJ

It’s a very nice restaurant & I’m sure with a liquor license & expanded room they will do very well.
Wasn’t very impressed with the food or the presentation.
Last year we ate in the fireplace room it was nice.
Due to the limitations on the menu I am not going to put It in my rotation.
Too many other great restaurants in the area.
Not necessarily a reflection on service or quality of food just my personal preferences and I am local to it.

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The cabana wasn’t an issue or was the service.
I like a little ambiance & a nice food presentation when I am paying at least $100 a head.
Girlfriend wanted to try the cabana & we did.
No problem with the food it was okay nothing special except maybe Roman Gnocchi.
Thanks for your help. Maybe next year we will try again.

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With all due respect, as much as I enjoyed Il Nido, if I’m spending that kind of $$, I shouldn’t have to be a regular or know which section of the restaurant to sit in or which waiter to request.

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Hey different strokes as they say. There are several highly regarded places on here that I find meh - and a few I like that others don’t. That’s what makes the world go round, as I always say; “I encourage any of you to find out for yourself and let us know what you think.”

Honestly I’ve been here 3 times and enjoyed the food on all 3 visits but one time the service was slow. Very, very, very, slow like close to 3 hours for a tasting menu but it was a painfully slow pace.

Now after this discussion and the addition of the liquor license I’m anxious to give it another try. That to me is the value/benefit of our little venue here.

Cheers!

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If it helps why not. This entire forum is all about the tips and guideposts to eating well. If it benefits us-great. I don’t expect an identical experience but any steps that improve the dine out, take out or prepare at home is cool by me and mine.

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YES that’s what I’m talking about :two_hearts::two_hearts:

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I absolutely agree. I am only providing my unsolicited advice from past hard learned experience.
By the way, it took us quite a while to become ‘regular’ customers. It did not happen overnight. We experienced several sub par service experiences, and complaints, until we found our favorite server David and were able to eventually get permanently into the fireplace room. We also supported them during the pandemic by driving 90 minutes round trip for takeout, which they appreciated. We also treat our servers like human beings, taking interest in them and their lives and not treating them like servants. We are always very polite and appreciative to them, the owner, and the chef. These people work very hard long hours and appreciate it when customers appreciate what they are going through.
Also, if you are unhappy with service or a dish, let them know immediately so they can rectify the issue. Things are not always perfect, but how the owners respond to legitimate complaints, tells a lot about the business.
I also agree about the high prices, but the chef works with only the best ingredients, and a lot of times has fish and other products flown in from Italy, so that could add to the increased prices.

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I live pretty close to Il Nido and I got takeout once during the pandemic. My son was really looking forward to the caesar salad and when I got home: no salad dressing. So we used what we had. I did send an email to the business. It was not answered. I did not get takeout again because I felt for that kind of money #1 everything should be correct and #2 if not correct, at least apologize for the inconvenience.

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Had a twice-postponed 60th birthday dinner at Il Nido last night.

We started with a picolo antipasti which is always more than enough to share. But I was hungry, so no pics before we started eating that. As we nibbled my dining companions took advantage of the extensive list of available alcohol.

We shared three things.

Black Spaghetti with Crab and Chili

And two specials. First was a $20 per oz a7 strip loin covered with slices of black truffle, because at that point, why not?

Although, the eater had recently had some a7 beef at Nobu and said that Nobu was better. I opted for the somewhat less opulent Beef Wellington. I’ve always wanted to have it, but it is a PITA to make and not on the menu at most places. I am looking forward to eating the leftovers soon.

I don’t know if this belongs here or not, but since last night I’ve been wondering. Is any meal worth $500 or $1000 or more? In these uncertain times I wonder.

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My meal at Joel Rubochon certainly wasn’t, but my lunch at Per Se WAS.

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Very sad news: Joe Folgore, one of the owners with his wife Sandy, has passed away.

While I’ve still yet to dine at Il Nido, I’m friends with Sandy and met them and their family at a fundraiser many years ago. Joe was kind, funny, and more than generous with a donation to our organization. When I was writing a book in 2014 and was in need of sponsors/funding, they stepped up to help me and did not even request a credit in the book.

I know there’s a lot of Il Nido fans who have probably met Joe. This really sucks.

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I just saw the shocking and sad news on Facebook. As regulars at Il Nido, we were lucky to have had many conversations with Joe. He and his wife Sandy, such lovely people, brought this truly wonderful restaurant to our area. We told him often how much we appreciated that. We will miss him.

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Wow! What sad and shocking news. Joe was always so warm and friendly to us, and made us feel at home. He would always stop by each table and see how everyone was enjoying their meals.
He will be sorely missed. He had grand plans for the strip mall, and I am wondering how that will proceed without him.

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It looks like Joe died from Covid according to his son Mike Folgore’s Instagram tribute. :frowning_face_with_open_mouth: I don’t know if he ever got vaccinated. It seems like his wife Sandy and sons are determined to continue with Joe’s legacy at Il Nido.

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The night before I dined here 11/6 they entertained Joe Rogan noted anti vaxer hopefully they didn’t get it from him or prescribe to his theories. My understanding was that the whole place fawned over him that night.

Eli, I read the tribute and didn’t see anything that indicated the cause of Joe’s death was COVID. We never asked him if he was vaccinated. Considering his age and the fact that he constantly interacted with the public, it would have been foolish for him not to be. In any case, it’s very sad. I do hope Sandy and his sons will have the tents again so we can dine outdoors there when the weather warms up.

Yes, it was Covid. Directly reported from his son.

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I heard from a regular weekly Il Nido diner that Joe was vaccinated but his two sons weren’t vaccinated. They both caught Covid in December, and the regular diner hadn’t seen him at the restaurant for weeks after that. He would dine at that restaurant practically every day. I guess he must have caught Covid from his ignorant unvaccinated sons. What a shame.

Roz, the cause of death was mentioned in his son’s Instagram post, and not the Il Nido post.

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Eli, Thanks for solving my question about not seeing the cause of death. I only saw the tribute on Il Nido’s IG and on FB. If he was vaccinated, and his death was a result of catching COVID from his unvaccinated sons, it truly is tragic.

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