For the record, I’m rarely eating in places that are $50+pp since moving down here; I just haven’t found a place yet that can convince me their $25+ entrees are worth the price (see: Brandl, where I was someone’s guest recently). I do think legit higher-end restaurants just can’t survive as easily down here, but I’m also not dining out in Red Bank or Rumson, so I may have no clue. 
The thread on Cardinal Provisions is here, and they’re only open for breakfast and lunch and brunch on weekends:
I could swear I had started a Talula’s thread, but based on my searches here and on CH, I just write about it whenever the topic of pizza comes up. I’ll remedy that today at some point! 
But I can tell you they do lunch and dinner and they often post lunch sandwich specials on Instagram that torture me from afar.
One thing we certainly agree on is that service in general is abysmal in this area. I chalk it up to beach life/attitude and the more seasonal availability of 20-somethings, but it still annoys me on a regular basis. I will say that at both Talula’s and Cardinal that I’ve found servers who have stayed with the restaurant and who have more of a clue than those working at other places in the area.
