Did I torpedo this thread?
Drove to Eatontown last night for a meeting, and there were a legit number of cars in the parking lot around 6pm and still around 8:30 as I headed home… REALLY hoping that’s not just friends and family. Gotta get over there.
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Just realized that I never posted about my dinner here last week–probably because I was at Burbelmaier’s the next night. A friend “owed” me dinner and suggested we try Restaurant Week somewhere and he told me to pick the spot, so off we went.
The place was BUSY at 7:30 and I was glad I had made a reservation. We had the option of the RW or the regular menu, and discussed going off-road but decided to give the RW specials a try. For apps, he ordered the Caesar salad, I got the crostini. YAWNERS both, and I don’t remember the other options. At this point I was starting to think we should have shared a bunch of meze to see what the kitchen could do, but it was too late. And then the table next to us received their entrees, and things changed in my brain.
I had the Pork Osso Buco, and he ordered the Bistec, which appears to be the Bistro Steak on their menu (sorry–NO clue what cut it was). When he ordered the steak, he was very clear that he wanted it rare and if they couldn’t do that, he’d order something else. The waiter assured him they could, and they delivered. It was tender and rare and yummy, served with mushrooms, caramelized shallots, thyme, and smashed potato and fresh greens (which I received because he only likes certain vegetables and they were cooked beautifully). My Osso Buco was a) huge and b) delicious! It was served with a minty quinoa that I loved, and I brought half of it home. Dessert for both of us was a dish of strawberries in a balsamic drizzle–can’t go wrong there, as far as I’m concerned. The tab was ~$65 for the two of us (RW pricing) and it’s a BYO restaurant.
ETA that the one oddity for me was the average age of the customers; I suspect it was skewing much older because of Restaurant Week, but we were joking that we (and one table near us) were screwing up the data…and we’re hardly kids.
Knowing how good the entrees were, I’ll definitely get back to try the meze and some other things. Anyone else been yet?
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This has been on my radar since they opened but honestly with its checkered history it wasn’t a priority. We were out and about not really dressed to go out, so we decided to give this place a try.
Walked in 6:30 no reservations and was immediately seated at a 2 top. Even though it’s a 2 top it was a very nice size, the table spacing is good and I was quite comfortable. We were greeted offered their water selections, we requested tap and were given a nice chilled bottle of tap, I always appreciate that. Bread was served with olive oil and olives which were tasty the bread was very good as well.
We ordered:
Cesare salad - spanakopita
scallops & pork chop as entrees (I’m on a pork chop kick these days)
The salad was served in a Parmesan cheese bowl with an anchovies on top. (Bad for gout so I removed it) The salad was excellent the homemade dressing and croutons were very nice, loved eating the bowl. The spanakopita my wife had and she really enjoyed it, for me a little too much feta for my taste but I’m not a big feta fan to begin with. The tzatziki sauce was good but I prefer G-Spots better. (Just personal preference)
The pork chop was a porterhouse cut and it was served half sliced off the bone, it was very good. Loved the sauce it was served with, the mashed potatoes were rosemary and I wasn’t a huge fan of, but again that’s personal preference. I wasn’t starving when we got there but I could only finish half of it, the rest I brought home.
The scallops were excellent and the wife really enjoyed them, they were served over small polenta cakes with a vegetable bruschetta. It all really worked well together.
Service was very good, I watched a lot of entrees come out and everything looked fantastic. The menu is fairly extensive and there are a lot of things I would like to try. They redid the inside very nicely and it has a very Mediterranean feel to it, I really enjoyed the atmosphere. The only “bad thing” was the front dining room was closed and the back/side one was maybe 60-70% full, so they aren’t doing great volume.
I was a fan of Apella but this is better with the new interior I’m wondering if it is different owners now, I assumed it was the same.
$81. With tax pre-tip and it was a very good meal I was pleasantly surprised and encourage anyone to give it a try.
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Let’s see if anyone can make reference to this joke
Hey Jr, the Swine stored called and they said they’re running out of pork chops!"
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The jerk store called… 
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Went back Friday night party of 6 (sadly knowing we could walk in with 6 on a Friday night is why we went here) and once again everything was great.
We shared apps:
Clams in garlic and wine - variety of spreads with pita - beet salad all very good.
Entrees:
Pork chop - lamb kabob - chicken kabob - chicken broccoli rabe pasta - pasta bolognase - short rib
I had the lamb kabob and it was great. If your looking for a solid / good BYOB give it a try!
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We finally made it to O & I last night. The place looks the same as it did back when @NotJrvedivici conquered the first NJ HO eating challenge at a former incarnation. The food is pretty much the same as it was then too - still solid Mediterranian fare. We started with the spreads, for $15 you get a more than ample portion of tzatziki, eggplant, hummus, and a really good spicy feta dip with a plate of pita.
After that, we shared a caesar salad and I learned what happens when I forget to take a picture before the vultures descend.
For mains I had the pork chop. This was a lot of food with the smashed potatoes and greens accompanying a large double cut pork chop.
And the scallops. The presentation of these, each atop it’s own round of polenta, was striking. Personally, I don’t care if my food looks like a mess as long as its tasty, but this was interesting.
I wanted to try their house made orange cake for dessert, but sadly I had no room left.
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Nice…yes my wife really enjoyed the scallops both presentation and taste. I really enjoyed the eggplant spread, followed by the spicy feta, the tzitiki and the humus. It’s a nice platter of spreads they put together and yes the pork chop is sizable, I took half home. Glad you enjoyed, how busy was it?
It was a Sunday night, but the large place was less than half full.
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We did take out from here on Friday night, once again a solid meal. Based on the business they were doing on a Friday night it doesn’t seem as if this place is flourishing, which is a shame because it’s a pretty solid place from experiences there.
If you haven’t been give it a shot, would be shame to see it go the way of the previous incarnations.
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Six of us dined here on Friday night. I made a 6:30 reservation to be on time for restaurant week menu, but no one ended up ordering from it. When we arrived, the main room was maybe half full. We were led to the dining room on the right, which appears to be for larger parties. There was one table already seated in that room of maybe 10-12. When we left, a very large party was seated in our room, a table along the entire front of the room, and the main dining room was quickly filling. Service was attentive and friendly.
We started with spreads for the table. Big hit, especially the spicy feta. My only complaint was that the spreads weren’t at room temperature. The contrast of the warm homemade pita with a cold spread was slightly off-putting. Two ordered the avgolemono. We passed the large bowls around the table, everyone exclaiming how good it was. (I’ll be ordering that to take home over the winter weekends!) We ordered the keftedese. The best I’ve ever had. Instead of being served in a tomato sauce, they were served plain with grilled diced onions and feta tzatziki on the side. Everybody raved about these. Three ordered a lamb special: three lamb lollipops about an inch and a half thick, served with lemon potatoes and grill yellow and green squash. Two ordered the branzini special. They accommodated my friend’s request to swap out potatoes for an additional vegetable. The vegetable was sauteed kale and spinach in garlic and oil. My friends all loved the sauteed veggies. I ordered the lamb kabobs because I saw that they serve them as they did on a Milos beachfront restaurant this same six recently dined at–with the kebab hanging from a metal thingy. The whole crew agreed that the food was better than Niko’s in Long Branch and Lithos in Livingston.
Several ordered coffee and we ordered a Galaktobouriko for the table to share. Because the restaurant was getting slammed, our coffees were finished and no dessert. When it finally arrived after we asked about it, it didn’t hold a candle to Niko’s version. The waiter said he comped the dessert, but it was on check. He took it off.
Overall, a wonderful dinner. We all look forward to going back. I encourage you to give it a shot.
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Similar to my recent post about Albarino, I’ve had a few meals from here and each one has been very good. Their pork chop is right up there with the best, (Semolina still 1st place) but the majority of dishes we’ve had have all been very good. BYO with an expansive menu makes this a good place to keep on your rotation list!
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My wife loves the place. I’ve yet to ‘find my dish’ there.
Service has been superb. I am a bit taken aback by the absence of condiments on the tables. This is usually a sign of a ‘serious chef’ in a fine-dining establishment.
I think I’ll keep trying.
If you are a pork chop guy give that a try. I’ve had it several times and always enjoyed it. Also my wife swears by the scallops!
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Was just reading that Mauka Indian Cuisine is opening in the olive and ivy space.
Couldn’t find a website but seamless had their menu online
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That will be interesting, much closer than Aarzu in Freehold, hopefully it’s close to as good.
FINGERS CROSSED!!!
More words so I can get this to post, but yes, what you see above IS a complete sentence, HO.
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Thanks for posting this.
While I adore Aarzu for us it is more of a special occasion place. For everyday eating our localish go to place is Haldi Chowk Authentic Indian Cuisine in Middletown. The Olive and Ivy location is about halfway between us and Middletown so that’s one thing going for it already. The whole time/distance/quality continuum will definitely come into play.
Mauka’s opening sounds like a good reason for a HO down to compare and contrast.
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YES!!!
AGREE!!!
CONCUR!!!
(I hate that HO won’t let me post a one-word reply)
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