Had a super tasty bacon cheeseburger great fries & a Kronenborg (?)beer perfect combination. 618 is the real deal
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I had a fusilli dish there the other night. It was awful: gummy pasta with a tan colored, gluey āsauceā that tasted like salt and garlic. Terrible. Husbandās pork chop was āokā. Definitely not a fan but it was packed and looks like they are doing well.
Servers were extremely nice.
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Wow , thatās a surprise. I have been going there frequently and whatever I get has been good.Never had a pasta dish mostly fish & meat. Love the shrimp & grits.
Very creative cocktail program too. Very surprised.
I agree with Sealās original review, except that it wasnāt cheap.
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The place has been totally redone both kitchen , bar& food since that review. 2017?
Itās not like I have a personal attachment to the place, I do enjoy going there though.
Their bar outshines both Cuzinsās & Cucina Osteria & I do enjoy sitting at the bar.
Drew does have much better shrimp & grits but thatās a different thread.
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To be fair, 618 has changed quite a bit in 5 years. So much so that it is now mentioned as a decent spot for a party or big gathering.
I havenāt been but people I trust have been saying their food is better than it was.
Having said that, Iām glad you told us about your meal @angela and if I go back I will avoid the fusilli 
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Iāve known the owner of 618 casually for over 20+ years. I know this much; he has a family member who is a techie and apparently excellent in SEO. This explains the overwhelming publicity of āVoted # 1ā¦ā that they use in most advertising. Voted #1 romantic restaurant - Voted #1 Monmouth County - Voted #1 Wine Spectator etc. etc.
Donāt get me wrong, they are doing a hell of a business there, canāt fault them. However, I do know that they have a lot of tech support to help them get the recognition(s) they advertise. They also do have a nice banquet venue, which is hard to find in the area for smaller / non-ballroom type environment.
FYI Iāve been twice and I found the food to be fine / ok, especially for the area. I think it does so well because of the location, the only competition is American Hotel & Metro, both are downtown which has itās own drawbacks. I think if 618 was closer to say Red Bank, their story / success would be a little different story.
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Went to 618 tonight for dinner
When did this place become so popular that reservation is now needed on a Sunday evening?
We sat at the bar and was surprised to find out it was Happy Hour no big deal except for the 18 dollar cocktails some were $9
The appetizers were delicious and the food was delicious but $194 !!!
Am I that out of touch??
I had a Red Snapper and she had the short ribs and 2 Aperol Spritz I had 2 glasses of wine
No desert no coffee
The 194 was with tip
I Really want to think that this is not the normal thing
Is It??
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What kind of appetizers are we talking here? Seafood towers? Otherwise that does seem extremely high
Iāve stopped having more than one drink when we go out now. It just becomes too expensive at most mid level or higher end places. Iāll just wait and have another vodka tonic at home for 3 dollars or less rather than pay 15 for a weaker drink. I get the economics and the mark up is necessary to some extent for the restaurant, but lately given rising costs itās just too much for me to handle 150 tabs when we go out and split an appetizer and donāt get steak or lobster as a main.
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Appetizers were a bruschetta and a shisedo pepper dish
Glad you agree that the bill was excessive for what we had
Iām a cranky old man but Iām not cheap
I have a bad habit from my expense account days of just throwing down my card and not paying attention to prices, guess Iām just going to have to change my age old habits
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Can I say:
Yes, its normal (or bordering normal).
No, youāre not out of touch.
You saw my post RE: A Salute. Four drinks and two apps was $100, so add two entrees and tip and we absolutely would have matched your $194 or exceeded.
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Itās ridiculous how expensive a simple meal out has become
Wasnāt yesterday it was $100 ?
I am an old man and canāt imagine how people younger than me can afford to eat out anymore and live normal lives without earning big bucks does anyone make less than $150,000 dollars ??? Thank goodness I only support myself
I started noticing how crazy things were when I saw Talulahās in Asbury Park was getting $30 for pizza and I swore that I would never pay that much for pizza
Now everyone has a $30 pizza on their menu
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They eat at cheaper places.
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Itās not the āolder crowdsā who are keeping Red Bank jumping. Itās the 30-50ās year olds who apparently have more discretionary income than any other previous generation.
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Totally agree, RedBank has an older crowd only compared to Asbury Park
Definitely a 30-50 age crowd compared to AP
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