Decided to pop in to the new and improved Butcher’s Block. The space is gorgeous, rustic brick, hewn wood, and granite tops, gleaming aging case…it’s stunning. No reservations needed for lunch, but it was packed by noon on a Tuesday. Waved in a artisan charcuterie board and a top shelf burger ($16) and made a reservation for dinner. It is such an improvement over the old space you will not recognize it. Looking forward to the dinner menu.
Wow! That looks amazing ! I heard the new space is absolutely stunning. Can’t wait to go
I caved to the peer pressure of my husband and we had lunch here today. The space is gorgeous. Very, very well done. It’s also crawling with staff and the service was great. The burgers were quite tasty. Thumbs up all-around. We decided to make a dinner reservation for us another couple. We couldn’t get a Fri or sat night for months!!! Picked a later reservation on a Thursday night in June! Wow.
I felt it was only right to now update the group on my 2 dinner experiences.
Night one in June was a Thursday, inside dining. We sat within 5-10 minutes of our reservation. Solid service, not overbearing. The place was busy but not insane and we had a later reservation too. 8:45ish? The food was good, everything was a bit over salted but good. Steaks were exactly on temp.
I made another reservation for this past weekend. We didn’t sit at our table until well after 40 minutes past the reservation time. I had to find the host to seat us too. This place just annoys me. I can rant about it for hours. The food was absolutely better on this visit. Less salt, more attention to the detail. The service was fine, nothing special. The place was an absolute zoo of people showing off that they can afford a bag or watch. It was strange. Post tip for 4 people $635. One appetizer of tuna crudo (highlight), 2 steaks, potatoes, brussel sprouts, 6 drinks and a espresso. I didn’t see the check but felt annoyed leaving. More annoyed when I looked at the Amex the next day. In fairness, we had fun and everyone left full, but I’m zero in a hurry to return.
Ugh. Obviously there are people who like places like that, but I’ve never been one of them. For a far better experience across the board, if you’re going to spend $$$$ like that, I suggest you try Heirloom at the Saint Laurent next time!
We have reservations there in October!
Is it possible to get a ressie over the phone these days? I’ve been sitting on a gift card for nearly three years that I have basically forgotten about, but your post has reminded me to use it.
Plenty of time to shop for the LV purse for the meal! Lol. Jk
Will say from what I’ve seen and heard that ls fitting. People I know that go are types to advertise upper middle class wealth. Food while good to very good seems to be almost secondary to the scene. The whole part of the club private resi system seems to have worked brilliantly for them as it’s created a club of sorts that people buy into
Never been to the place but this place sounds like the Meat version of Cuzin’s Seafood in Marlboro.
I would like to share a review I wrote on Google for their butcher shop:
I have obtained, prepared, and eaten several of your fed-to-prime dry-aged steaks. I have used an infrared grill, a cast iron frying pan and finished them in a 400-degree oven using a meat thermometer to 135 degrees. I’m an old guy who has been around. These steaks have been nothing but disappointing. The marbling says “prime” but there’s no hint of the dry aging. The resulting steaks have been utterly beautiful to look at but have been tough, chewy, and lacking any depth of flavor. In a word – “disappointing”.
I beat you to this conclusion by about 3 years. (see my August 2019 review above) I’ve eaten More than my fair share of prime dry/wet aged steaks. There was NOTHING to indicate to me the steak I ordered was aged.
I made the second reservation online because I follow them on Instagram. They opened up the ‘window’ and I knew my husband and another friend really wanted to go back. It’s just not my scene.
I’m excited to go back to Il Nido next week!
I recall your (much) earlier post. Given That was before their reno and COVID I thought I’d roll the dice and see what came up.
I don’t want much - just the River Palm Terrace. The closest I’ve found here is Nicholas. But it’s not really that close.
You guys want to see a “club” scene? Go on Gabriella’s social media and look at their brunch video advertising. I don’t even know how to describe them. They are almost indescribable.
I concur, however as I have stated somewhere on here, while they do turn into a club, they still run a good restaurant / dining room. It gets loud / crowded, and their Sunday brunch is a party, but you go most nights before 9pm and you get a great meal (steak) and good / attentive service at “normal” prices.
I don’t think I would survive it. Some of the comments are funny.
Thanks for the crowd details, I expect the food to be good but I was married to someone who flourished in that environment Someone else’s problem now.
the Butcher Block to take over Tuzzzios
Last night I had a business associate who wanted to show some appreciation for some work I’ve done with him, wanted to take me out as a gesture of gratitude. He picked the butchers block, knowing I’ve been a big steak eater throughout my life though not so much anymore. lol
It’s been 4-5 years since I’ve last been there and HOLY CRAP have they expanded!! I wouldn’t recognize it from its origins to what it has become. There are several in and outdoor dining and bar area’s and maybe 10,000 sq ft. of sheer dinging space. This is without the addition they are putting on AND they have purchased the property adjacent to them as well, for future expansion. (another 5-6000 sq ft)
It reminds me of the irrational growth of Bueno Sera in Red Bank in the mid 90’s. For no rational reason they hit the ground running and never looked back. Just as they became a place to be seen back then, The Block has taken this to a new level.
We had 7:30 reservations and still had to wait almost an hour for our table. We got great table on the outdoor patio which was a lovely environment for a dinner. I also counted 4 or 5 bars at the restaurant as well, one in almost every dining area from what I could see.
Once seated we were greeted by our servicer who was very good. We took a tour of the “steak room” which is honestly rather impressive in and of itself. There they explain all of their cuts etc. and you can learn about the different meats, flavors etc. Last night they had Australian Wagyu as their “Wagyu” of the day.
Or order: Grilled Octopus ($40) 1 slice of bacon ($28) and end cap (they have a fancy name I don’t recall) price I don’t remember, American Wagyu tomahawk with brussels sprouts, fried smashed potatoes.
Everything was truly excellent. They cut the steak in the “steak room” bring it out for inspection and to tell you the weight and price of the cut you requested…(at this point I would ask that if any of you are standing to take a seat before I tell you how much the 4lbs+ tomahawk price was)…
$ 480.00 Just for the steak.
My buddy who is still a drinker, I have quit, probably had 7-8 drinks during the night.
Final tab…(if you got up, please remain seated) …
$860. dinner for two. So for all intent and purposes the bill was $ 1,000. for two people on a Thursday night and it was PACKED. OHHHHHHHH and I almost forgot, our sides came out very late, so they comped us the sides. The price quoted was just for steak, apps and drinks.
WTF?
Excellent yes, but for $500pp it certainly better be. Needless to say, I’m not returning anytime soon. I just can’t fathom those prices, and the face people are lining up to pay it. Just like I said about Bueno Sera, I never understood the phenomenal success, but you can’t say they haven’t earned it honestly.
Welcome to The Block!!!